Dash Mihok – Ray Donovan

By starrymag | August 14, 2016

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I’m really busy finishing up an album that I recorded with my band Diz and The Fam. I’m gearing up to shoot another video for that. I got this movie Before I Wake coming out on the 9^th of September. I’m also shadowing a director on “Ray Donovan” because I want to direct this year. It’s been busy time, but it’s great!

Q) Would this be your first time directing?

A) I’ve done it before, but not with the kind of money that they do on this show. I directed another pilot before, but it wasn’t heavily financed and I’ve directed a couple of shorts before. I really enjoy it.

Q) How was Bunchy originally described to you at the start of “Ray Donovan?”

A) We shifted showrunners after two seasons. Ann Biderman who created described Bunchy as being loosely based on her brother. The character was emotionally arrested at a young age because of this sexual abuse and never was really able to pull his life together. He fell into alcohol and drugs. He just stopped growing in a lot of ways and couldn’t socially get it socially together. I found it an amazing character to get to play and to dig into all the layers as to why sexual abuse can emotionally damage you, especially when you are that young. Also, the great thing about it is that I peeled a lot of those layers off and then it was time for Bunchy to evolve a little bit. I think our new showrunner really wanted to get into growing Bunchy up in a way and have him stand and learn new things. It’s been really a joy.

Q) Last season we watch Bunchy confront his abuser and Ray murder him. What was going through Bunchy’s mind at that moment?

A) It was a fantastic moment when Ray actually shoots him and he just stands there stunned. There is a mixture of excitement and loss and unsurety. Did that really free him up as a human? I think it does. That’s the fun part of this character. I get to play multiple emotionally unsurities and hopefully bury it. I think that’s right. In life, you’re excited and over the moon about something and it can also be incredibly terrifying at the same time. There is something that happens when people actually feel free from their abuser and that’s a big storyline on “Ray Donovan” in general.

Q) We see Bunchy spending a lot of time with Mickey, despite the warnings from Ray. What makes Bunchy still follow his father’s lead?

A) I think his brother, in order to protect him, has kept a thumb on him most of his life. Mickey (Jon Voight) keeps a thumb on him as well, but just does it masking it with him getting into trouble. Bunchy likes to party and he likes adventure. Mickey is a seductive man. Bunchy always wants to feel that love from a male figure in his life that is not his abuser and he doesn’t always feel that from his brothers, even though they love him deeply.

Q) How did you feel when you first read the arc that Bunchy would finally become his own man where he gets married and even has a child?

A) I had talked to David [Hollander] about it. He said he really wanted to open up the character and do something weird. I was excited because there is only so much you can do after two seasons of being stuck and sexually anorexic. So, I was excited to open it up. I didn’t realize we were going to do some weird Luchador Mexican wrestler who slapped me around and I kind of liked it, but it kind of made sense in a strange “Ray Donovan” way. We like to be weird on our show. What I was scared about was at the end when he said, “Okay, now she is going to be pregnant.” Let me tell you something, it’s what everybody says “don’t work with dogs and children.” We’re doing both on our show and it’s a pain in the ass. So, I kept thinking, “Am I going to have to work with this child forever now?!” That was my biggest fear. [laughs]

Q) What did you think when you saw that Bunchy would be getting married and becoming a father?

A) I think it’s great. It’s one of the things that we always want to explore on the show, which is fatherhood in general. The lack of good parenting is aplenty on our show. So, I think it’s great to see Bunchy struggle with being a parent. Also, he’s a very loving person so it fits him to be the one to have a child to look after. We don’t know what is going to happen because is Theresa (Alyssa Diaz) going to be stable or not. We’ll see.

Q) What did he see in Theresa that made him want to start a relationship and then a family with her?

A) Well, I think it is the aggressiveness. Bunchy is a weird masochist and enjoys that. I think he is still coming from these visions of a comic book superhero in a mask. Something weird about that excites him still because he is still a kid at heart. I think that coupled with the firmness and just the shock of a) someone beating him up but b) actually loving him in however weird a way it is. He’s never had someone stand up to his brothers and stand up for him. He never had anybody do that. I think it is the combination of that and kind of the superhero fantasy is why she is a match…at the moment. [laughs]

Q) There is such a great familial bond on screen between you, Liev [Schrieber] and Eddie [Marsan]. Was there instant chemistry when you began working together?

A) I’ve known Liev for a pretty long time so I was pretty excited. There was a chemistry read and it worked. Look, Eddie Marsan and Liev – everybody is such a good actor. It’s not hard to form a bond. We genuinely all of us love each other so it wasn’t hard. We are such perfectionists and hardworkers that we work on it. We take in a lot together and finding that balance of when a scene should pivot for us to give energy to the other is an interesting dance that we do all the time. But I think that it shows for itself, ultimately, in pretty great chemistry on screen.

Q) Who do you wish you had the chance to work with or wish you had more scenes with?

A) I think it would be phenomenal – and Liev has pitched it too – why doesn’t Bunchy work for Ray? I think that antics that Kate [Moennig] and I could get into would just be hilarious. I love her as a person and I would so love to work with her. I also think it would be fun to get to work with the Lee Drexler’s (Peter Jacobson) of the world, the other people Ray has to deal with in the Hollywood world. I think mixing Bunchy up in the Hollywood world would be funny.

Q) What can you tease is in store for Bunchy for the rest of the season on “Ray Donovan?”

A) He is a passionate man and he wants to take care of his girl and his baby. However he can protect them you are going to see that. Last year he grew a bigger pair so to speak when he had to do some damage on some Armenians. This year he is going to continue to grow his pair. [laughs] That’s all I can tease!

Q) What have been some of your favorite behind the scenes moments from filming?

A) It’s a joy. It’s a joy to get to come to work. I was shadowing the director for the season finale and we were on location in Anaheim. I didn’t realize it until I got to set when I heard the buzz that all of these – Jon, Liev and David and Hank Azaria were nominated for Emmys. It’s just a nice feeling when you see the show work payoff. Emmys don’t mean the world, but it matters to people and it is nice to be around that with the energy on set and everyone has worked so hard for it that it is recognized. But you know, I have so many moments because I just enjoy my cast and crew. They are hardworking people. Angel, our makeup artist, is just a gem to see every morning and our main camera operator Victor…There are so many people I enjoy, love and have respect for. So, it is hard to pick one specific moment.

Q) What do you think it is about “Ray Donovan” that makes it such fan favorite show?

A) It’s funny. This is the first year that I have really felt like people are really falling for the show. It’s nice to be recognized because we are all from a dysfunctional family because no family is perfect. You can’t help but want people like Bunchy to win and find love and you pray for Terry and that he gets better. And that he finds love himself. Mickey and Ray are such seductive characters that are family first and they do it in brutal ways. It’s sex, violence and family. Also, the show is shot in a very cinematic way and that is attractive. We try to make beautiful pictures and couple that with great acting. I think that’s why people have been turned on it.

Q) What have you taken away from your time on the series?

A) It’s been a joy to play this guy and really get to keep digging into new found territory with him. That’s the interesting with television. I’ve never done a series over a year so it’s been a real joy to open him up. It’s been really great. I’m glad people are starting to realize the work is really good. One day an Emmy! One Day!

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the feedback you receive from fans?

A) Definitely. It’s fun. Some people get so into the moment where they are like, “Bunchy! Don’t go with her!” They kind of get into the complexity of what we’re doing and that is some interesting emails forward to me from people who have been abused by priests. It’s been really nice to hear people saying, “You’ve gotten it right” or “You’re getting it right and we appreciate somebody telling our story.” That’s the greatest gift you could ever have as an actor, something like that.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) I would just say thank you for watching and in your heart, keep voting for Bunchy. Thank you so much for your time and investment in watching us every week. We’re all very, very grateful.