Damon Herriman – Flesh and Bone

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) Are you excited for premiere and about the buzz “Flesh And Bone” has been receiving?

A) Absolutely! I’ve been excited about the show ever since I read the script and at that point it was like, “How can I be in this show?” The script was incredible and it was one of the most amazing pieces of television I have read. When I actually got the gig…Wow. It is a pretty special piece of television to be a part of. It’s going to be something pretty different than anyone has seen before

Q) Please tell us the premise for “Flesh And Bone” and about your character Romeo.

A) The show is essentially exploring the dark underbelly of the ballet world. It is about a girl named Claire (Sarah Hay) who is escaping a pretty horrible life in Pittsburgh and goes to New York where she auditions for the major ballet company there. She gets in and ends up moving into an apartment building with Mia (Emily Tyra) who is another dancer. My character, Romeo, is a homeless man who lives on the roof of and underneath the stoop of that particular building. He has schizophrenia and has been living on the streets for about eight years. He’s kind of adopted that building as a cause and kind of as his calling. He sees himself very much as the steward of that building and is there to serve. When he meets Claire, he develops a strong connection with her (certainly from his perspective, but probably not so much of hers). It develops from there…What starts out as a seemingly innocent friendship turns into something a lot bigger. It’s an extraordinary journey they go on together.

Q) What made you want to be a part of it?

A) So many aspects! First and foremost, what is always appealing is a great script and Moira Wallyey-Beckett jumps from incredible television programs. She was on “Breaking Bad” and won an Emmy for her episode Ozymandius. She’s an incredible writer. She’s able to create an incredible world . When you read the script, it has so many elements. I think what appealed to me was that there are a lot of shows with great plots and there area lot of shows with a lot of great characters, but it is not often you have those two combined. This show has so much story and so much stuff to keep you glued to it while having incredibly well defined characters that you get to know. Then, it’s on a channel like Starz, a preview channel, is exciting as well. It’s getting to work with incredible directors like David Michod who is an amazing feature film director and directed our first episode. Last but not least, it was getting to work in New York for five months! What actor doesn’t want to do that?

Q) What kind of research or background did you do for your role?

A) I didn’t know very much about schizophrenia at all other than what anybody knows, the limited amount that most people know. So, I did have to do some reading and watched a lot of video material as well. I wanted to really make sure that I was doing justice to the character and to anybody who watches who either suffers from schizophrenia themselves or has family or friends that do. So, I wanted it to be as accurate a portrayal as possible. I definitely read a whole bunch and watched a whole bunch. I spoke to Moira as well because there are so many degrees and different ways that it is manifests itself. So, it was the matter of finding that right balance. There is no way to go into a role like this without doing  a bunch of research. It’s a very specific condition and I wanted to treat it respectfully.

Q) Was there anything you added to your role that wasn’t scripted for you?

A) I supposed there is, but nothing particularly conscious. I didn’t give him a weird walk or something specific like that. I guess there are things that you bring to any role that come from you that aren’t necessarily on the page. I tend to find that most things for me are less conscious decisions. There are things that I just see. When you read a script (especially when it is a really well written script and the characters are really drawn out) you get a sense of who they are and how they may sit or talk. I’m sure I would have brought some of those things to it, but certainly not in a conscious way. I would think they come to it naturally like any character you play.

Q) Talk about working with Sarah Hay and the chemistry you have develped.

A) It was pretty immediate I think. Sarah is quite amazing because she hasn’t acted before. She is a professional ballet dancer and has worked mostly in Germany for a company. Moira was very specific about getting real dancers on the show and finding those who could act. We wanted it to be believable and something you didn’t doubt for a second. Sarah is an incredible dancer, but she is also a remarkable actor. I was kind of blown away the first day I worked with her as to how instinctive she was. As an actor, she is very natural and it is an art with a real performance. A lot of people act or train for years to be able to do what Sarah does and they just really got lucky because she is a natural. It was a pleasure working with her and that dynamic between Romeo and Claire comes really easily.

Q) You also recently wrapped on the show “Quarry.” How does the show compare to the novels?

A) “Quarry” is inspired and based on these novels that were written in the 70’s, but it is a very different show as well. It certainly has many of the same characters and stories. The original Quarry books started at a different time period than the show. The books actually started out I think five years into the story where as we, in the show, go back to the beginning of the story where the character is returning from The Vietnam War in 1972 and hasn’t yet become involved with this underground criminal group. In the books, he’s already been in that group for many years. So, there are a lot of similarities that people who liked the books will get a hell of a lot out of the show. If you haven’t read the books, the show works entirely in its own right. I think that is a pretty special show. It’s kind of a whole new direction for Cinemax and I think people are going to be pretty impressed when the show comes out.

Q) The show is produced by Greg Yaitanes and Steve Golin. What was it like working with them?

A) I sound like I’m gushing about both of these shows, but I am without any hesitation. It’s nice though to talk about two projects where I don’t have to pretend they are amazing. They geminately both are! Both are incredibly different shows. Tonally there are some similarities, but they are very different in their styles and pacing. They are both amazing shows. Greg was the producer and one of the main directors on “Banshee” and directed a lot of “House.” He is the director of all our episodes on “Quarry” and is our showrunner. Again, it has incredible scripts by Graham [Gordy]  and Michael [D. Fuller] who pretty much wrote the whole thing and they are extraordinary talents. Their scripts are something else. I feel so lucky as an actor to get to work (for the last few years) on projects – As I said before, the script is the first thing you really look at on any project. It is the first contact to read the script. In both cases, when reading these scripts it was Wow! I imagined how lucky I would be to be on either of these shows and to work on both of them I feel a little bit spoiled at the moment.

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure we share with our readers about “Flesh And Bone?”

A) “Flesh and Bone” is coming out the most immediate so if you love a book that you can’t put down that is a real page-turner than this is what this show is like. It has great plot elements that completely get you hooked. If the ballet aspect of it appeals to you, you’re going to love it. If you don’t have any interest in ballet, then do not let that put you off. It is not going to just appeal to people who like dance and ballet. It is a great, great sexy drama. This show is going to appeal to a hell of a lot of people regardless of their interest in what appears to be the subject matter. It is set in the world of ballet, but is not means only about ballet. Its’ a great crackin’ drama.