[Warning: This story contains spoilers for Daisy Jones & The Six.]
Since its premiere on March 3, Daisy Jones and Six made headlines for a variety of reasons – fans’ anticipation of seeing one of the best-selling books (one million and counting) of the past few years finally hit the screens. small, the incredible amount of original music performed by the cast, Riley Keough’s uncanny resemblance to her late mother. For star Will Harrison, who plays Sixth member Graham Dunne, the Prime Video show is most notable because it was one of his first auditions on his BFA show.
“I actually heard about it because my friend was working for the casting agency and thought I might be a good fit for the movie,” Harrison said. hollywood reporter. “They were looking for Billy Dunne all over the world, so I was like a 20-year-old auditioning for the part of Sam Claflin, a role that was never going to work out.”
Producer – Daisy Jones streamed on Amazon Prime but was brought together by Lauren Neustadter and her team at Hello Sunshine — eventually halting the project, but Harrison continued to consult his manager, intrigued by the the prospect of “that rock n’ roll gig.” Auditions started running again shortly before the pandemic hit, and he made nearly a dozen callbacks before landing the role of Graham, Claflin’s younger brother and passionate lover of the band member. played by Suki Waterhouse.
Before the series finale, Harrison spoke with CHEAP from the streets of New York City – walk to Lincoln Center, where his play Coastal starlight previewed – about the work of a lifetime.
At what point did you know that Graham would be right for you? Or was that match a surprise?
Well, at one point I was doing an audition for the role of Eddie, the role was given to Josh Whitehouse, and I had a Zoom callback with the team and Riley Keough was in the room with [producer] Lauren Neustadter and after I finished, Riley turned to her and said, “he’s not Eddie, he’s Graham.” I thought I might have rolled my eyes a little when they came back to suggest that I audition for a different role, but as soon as I read the sides of Graham, I knew it was unquestionable – that if I was will be in the band, that’s who I have to play.
Do you remember the scene that convinced you that Graham was the right role?
That’s when Karen informs Graham that she’s had an abortion – which is one of the climaxes of their plot throughout the book and in the series. I remember working a lot on that scene with a friend, who I was filming with, and she pushed me to do one more scene and we had a really great scene. We were both late to where we had to go but it was worth it, and it was weird to finally get to shoot that scene when I was already on set.
Were you nervous while filming that scene?
I remember reading it in the book and being really touched by it, and hoping it would make it into the script. There’s something about being contained in an elevator for conversation, the proximity of space, that’s really exciting and challenging for me. I was looking forward to it; We were filming in New Orleans and it was pretty late, so it seems like that’s how Suki and I finally hit it off.
What conversations did you have around the tone you’re trying to achieve with that scene? How to Communicate Graham’s Feelings Without Getting Karen Abortion About Him…
It’s a nuanced scene writing that way. As a script-only outsider, my feeling is that I’m incredibly proud of Karen’s character and happy for her, that she took the initiative to do what she needed to do to live her life. the way she wants. As the actor playing Graham, the character was devastated and so I had to do that line. I just focus on how Graham feels about it, and trust that in the writing, and mostly with Suki playing the character, that the right things will happen and we find a balance.
So you find out you got this role on a big TV show, basically right out of college, but then have to wait a year and a half. to actually film it; Have you ever been tempted to jump train?
There is no way that I would find a larger project. Of course, there were conversations from the set to make sure we were all able to stay on board, but for me that was undisputed. And that’s the light at the end of the tunnel for me. Then I knew when people were able to go back to work after or during a pandemic, having a job was a real blessing. And that extra time allows us to actually learn the music. We had months to sit indoors and practice. I don’t think the show would be the same without that extra practice. I lived with a good friend from college for a while so he definitely liked me playing the guitar over and over again. I played guitar growing up but learning music written by Blake Mills was a real challenge as he is such a nuanced guitarist.
What do you remember about the first time you and the other actors acted together?
Well, we all showed up for what we call band camp at different times, and there was a moment after Josh and I were almost locked in our own room studying parts and he walked in. into my practice room and plugged in his bass. came in, turned on his amplifier from the other room, and we started playing together. It was the first time I felt like wow, we can do this. It also helped us shoot chronologically, so we as a team went through the band’s development – one of the first times we filmed was when the Dunne Brothers playing at a fraternity party in Pittsburgh. Then the clubs got bigger so it was a natural process and took away any anxiety I might have when we got to that stadium. I think a really surreal thing was listening to the album when it was released. I don’t have to rummage through the Dropbox folder to find our songs anymore, I can just access Apple music.
Do you ever go on tour or play a live show?
Oh my, that sounds incredibly difficult. When we film, those audiences get paid to watch and enjoy us. So having people pay to do that is definitely flipping the script a bit. I would say we need some time to get back on track, but everyone has the ability to do it and it will be a blast.
Did you take any mementos from the set?
Oh, my house is full Daisy Jones tools. My biggest one was the Stratocaster guitar that I played during the band’s camping trip. We didn’t use it for filming, but I keep it and it’s one of my most valuable possessions. There were also a few leather jackets that I wore at the end of the show that I would love to take home. It’s been a fun journey with costumes because we started off as these silly kids in Pittsburgh, but then you’ll look down the shelf and see these amazing outfits waiting. wait for them when they become rock stars in later episodes. Unfortunately, they have to keep all the clothes, but there’s a great vintage Gucci leather jacket that I might have to email and ask about.
There are a lot of eyeballs in this show, and a lot of book fans with high hopes for an adaptation; Does it create pressure or a sense of reassurance when there is an audience available?
Well, I think that’s definitely been a tough one for our writers and directors, because they have the challenge of adapting something that people love and trying to make it look like. new. Only things you have to change to make it work on screen. As for playing Graham, there’s a little extra pressure to play a character that already lives in everyone’s imagination. But I have to put all worries aside and trust our casting department, who I think did a really great job casting all these characters. And I think others will feel the same way.
Interview has been edited for length and clarity.
