D E M I A N B I C H I R
Interview} John Russo
Photographs by} John Russo
Grooming by} Catherine Furnis
Styling by} Ermenegildo Zegna
Location} Downtown LA
Produced by} Photohouse Productions
JR: Your latest project, “Let the right one in,” is a remake/adaptation for television. what are your thoughts on reboots?
DB: I’m not a big fan of remakes. I’m not a big fan of anything that has been done in the past. But I’m also a big fan of the classics. I’m also a big fan of re-exploring anything. That’s probably why we continue to stage Shakespeare all the time. It’s all about knowing what the new approach would be. What makes this something worth watching? For people like me, who are already a big fan of the original film, it all begins there. It’s all about the vision to make this appealing, to make this fresh, to make this powerful, and to make this something great, for people who are fans of the original story or not.
JR: Is this your first time working with Showtime?
DB: In this case, this is my second time collaborating for Showtime. At Showtime, you can show and tell anything the way you want to do it. There’s so much freedom there for creative artists. And then, it’s about who you’re going to be playing on the field. I love fútbol, or soccer, but I’m only as good of a player as the rest of my team, and everyone has to be phenomenal in their positions.
JR: You get to work with a great cast on this project. How was that experience?
DB: I couldn’t have been happier and luckier to have this group of actors because every time you go to work in a scene and they say, “Action!,” something happens where they bring your game up.
JR: What is the main challenge for your character, Mark Kane?
DB: As parents, we are ready and willing to do anything for our family. For our kids, we’re ready to cross any line, as dark as it can be. It’s about the health of your children. Once you get infected with a crazy virus, everything goes upside down. We, as humanity, know that very, very well, nowadays. We know what that is like. There are many things that go through my character’s mind, and one of them is fear. It’s the fear of leaving her alone in this world.
JR: After watching an episode, I can see this is not only fun and I’m sure challenging, but clearly a lot of work. How was this experience?
DB: That’s what we actors pray for. We’re always praying to find something like this, and it was quite a ride. Shooting these 10 episodes was one of the hardest projects that I’ve ever done. When we finished, and we wrapped, I was done. I was drained, literally.