Bill Heck – Locke and Key

By starrymag | February 7, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) Outside of “Locke and Key” what have you been busy working on?

 

A) I have a couple of cool things coming up this year. There is “Little America,” which is a show that came out. It’s a show for AppleTV+ that Emily Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani have created. It’s a series of profiles of American immigrants. I did one directed by Sian Heder with Melanie Laurent and Zachary Quinto. I shot an indie film a while ago called Small Town Wisconsin directed by Niels Mueller with David Sullivan and Kristen Johnson and Cooper Friedman that is being shopped around. I shot a small film for Amazon with Rachel Brosnahan directed by Julia Hart called I’m Your Woman.

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for “Locke and Key.”

 

A) It’s based on a series of graphic novels written by Joe Hill and illustrated and co-created by Gabriel Rodriguez. It’s a really beautiful set of books about a family whose father meets a tragic incident and the mother takes the family and moves them to the father’s childhood home back east. Upon arrival at this house, they discover a world of magic and secrets – both in the house and about their father. It’s sort of a family drama wrapped in a horror film tied with a bow of magic. It’s really cool and the books are beautiful.

 

Q) How close is the series to the original graphic novels?

 

A) I have seen reality little of the series, but I have a lot of confidence in the team. From what I can tell, they’ve done a really beautiful job. They have been in contact with Joe Hill and Gabe Rodriguez who created the books. Joe wrote the pilot and was involved in the writing the series and they both have done a really beautiful job in terms of honoring the source material and also making the show its own creative endeavor. So, I suspect that it will be really appealing to fans of the books and really attractive in its own right, whether you know the books or not.

 

Q) How was Rendell Locke originally described to you?

 

A) He was a strong man that deeply with his family and deeply cares about family and his career which is a high school counselor and has some really dark and terrifying secrets that very few people know about. He is the caretaker and a passionate man who is also wrapped up in some danger.

 

Q) Was there anything you added to the role that wasn’t in his initial breakdown?

 

A) That comes early on with the material and you explore what that might mean to you and you talk to the creators and get together with the cast. They brought us all together for a readthrough with the pilot early on and then we shot for the next several months in early 2019. Yeah, you definitely figure out things along the way that were perhaps not discussed or illuminated on earlier on. That’s part of why I feel confident in the show. It’s because a lot of the creators have a very playful sense about them and have strong opinions about what it should be. There is a cohesion and it’s always good when there is a strong artistic vision in place, but it’s also good for a piece when they are not too precious with it and are looking for the input from the other artists they have hired to help realize the vision. So, all of those factors are really essential to collaborative art that were firmly in place. There is definitely stuff being figured out along the way and things we played with as we went along while also having a very solid foundation from which to launch.

 

Q) How familiar were you with your costars before working with them on the show?

 

A) I definitely knew about Darby [Stanchfield] before this, but I did not know her personally. We got on right away. She’s lovely and wildly passionate and cares a lot about the work and the people she works with. So, she was a really beautiful collaborator and the kids are just great. There are only healthy egos. [laughs] Everyone is very interested in honoring the work. No one feels like a big attention grabber. It’s just a beautiful collection of people. I didn’t really know anyone before diving in, not personally any way.

 

Q) What were some of your favorite moments from filming or from behind the scenes?

 

A) [laughs] I don’t want to say too much. I guess I will say that in some ways shooting the most upsetting parts of the series were also some of the most dynamic experiences shooting the series. A lot of working parts, in terms of the characters’ experiences, the intensity for them, the emotionality for them and also the technical demands of the supernatural effects and how we were serving them and figuring out the puzzle pieces as far as that goes. It’s a very engaging show. It is very range-y in terms of what happens and the circumstances under which those things are allowed to happen. You kind of get to spread your wings more than doing a police procedural or a stay-at-home family drama. I feel like for everybody there were new things to do and unique things to sink our teeth into, which added to the joy of the endeavor.

 

Q) How did you shake off a long day of filming?

 

A) [laughs] I would go for a walk. We were in Toronto and I worked more heavily in the first half of the shoot. We started in early January or early February so it was cold, but I’d spend a lot of time walking in the cold around the place I was staying and around Toronto. We’d go out for some dinners here and there. I would come back to New York a lot, actually. I’d come in for a bit and take a quick flight back to New York to be with my family. So, I got to go in and out a lot, which was nice to be able to take those breaks here and there. I was lucky in that regard. Toronto is a beautiful city so whenever I had some downtime there, there was a lot to occupy me.

 

Q) What do you think it is about “Locke and Key” that will make it a fast fan favorite sci-fi thriller?

 

A) Listen, there are elements to these characters that will be immediately familiar and universal and it will be easy to connect to and also there will be elements of fantasy that will be familiarly exciting and also really unique and dynamic in a way that is surprising. I think the human elements of the story is primary, which will ground people in feeling connected to what is happening and make these supernatural circumstances feel all the more thrilling. So, I think it will sort of touch a lot of places in peoples’ hearts and guts. That is certainly the intentions.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Are you excited about the instant fan feedback you’ll be receiving to the series?

 

A) [laughs] No. Sure. I don’t know. That can get dangerous. I’m definitely interested in seeing how they react and hearing how people react. But it’s also a world where artists tread carefully. The “Locke and Key” gang have a lot of fun with each other and that part will be satisfying, I think.

 

Q) Is there anything else about the show you want to be sure we share with our readers?

 

A) Pay attention. It’s going to be full of little hints and Easter eggs, especially if you know the books. There are going to be a lot of shoutouts to the book, really specific things that I think will satisfy fans of the books and also little tidbits that will pass by quickly. The creators’ attention to detail will be really satisfying. It’s going to be a show that you can watch more than once. You’ll really enjoy all of the things you missed on maybe the first or second pass. I hope everyone has fun. I sure as hell did.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everybody who is a fan and supporter of you and the work you do?

 

A) Thanks a lot everybody. It means a lot to be a storyteller. The primary descriptor of the work of the actor I think is telling stories and it really doesn’t mean anything if there aren’t people who are listening to the stories you are telling. So, I’m extremely grateful for anyone who takes the time and the attention to listen and be a part of it. I think the collaboration of a storytelling isn’t just on the side of the storyteller. It’s also on the side of the artist. So, there is a beautiful back and forth there, ideally, that I’m very grateful for.