1 of 4 | Left to right, Matthew Rhys, Neil Casey and Stephen Root star in “Widow’s Bay,” premiering Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Apple TV
NEW YORK, April 28 (UPI) — The Americans and The Beast in Me actor Matthew Rhys plays a misguided, but well-intentioned politician in the new horror-comedy, Widow’s Bay, premiering Wednesday on Apple TV.
Created by Katie Dippold and directed by Hiro Murai, the series follows Mayor Tom Loftis (Rhys) as he attempts to transform his sleepy island town — 40 miles off the coast of New England — into the next Martha’s Vineyard against the objections of its superstitious citizenry.
“Tom is the mayor of Widow’s Bay and, I think is, from a very lovely place, hell-bent for his son’s future, trying to bring the island not into the 21st century, but to a far more buoyant place through tourism, even though, not only the locals, but the island itself, raises its own unique challenges,” Rhys told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
“A degree is very relatable — these gems that get spoiled [by over-tourism] — but the big question, I think we pose is, ‘Is Widow’s Bay a gem to be spoiled or best be avoided?’ Only the audience can decide over 10 episodes.”
My Lady Jane and Bridget Jones’s Baby alum Kate O’Flynn plays Patricia, Tom’s loyal, right-hand-woman, who is literally haunted by her past.
“Patricia takes her job very seriously. She’s the mayor’s assistant. She feels stuck and has a terrible reputation with a certain crowd. Unfairly,” O’Flynn emphasized.
“But I think she’s really, at the start, seeking some way of changing it, whether it being with the bookmobile or to be of service to the community and to be SEEN to be of service, for the attention on her to be good for a change.”
Like Patricia, NewsRadio and Office Space icon Stephen Root’s character Wyck has lived on the island his whole life.
Where they differ, however, is that Wyck doesn’t trust Tom because he wasn’t born on Widow’s Bay and doesn’t respect the island’s lore and traditions.
“We’ve seen this person come in and out since he was a teenager. He is not ‘of the island,’ as they say, and Wyck knows a lot more about the origins of the scary things and the unusual things that happen on this island, and he doesn’t feel like this person understands that,” Root said.
“He really wants to be able to say, ‘Please, believe me, you shouldn’t be bringing people here,’ and that’s their conflict from the very beginning and they have to work through that.”
Root’s portrayal of a grizzled, sea-faring storyteller echoes that of Robert Shaw’s character Quint in Jaws.
“We had a great time on a boat that was 20 feet in the air and being rocked back and forth,” Root said.
“I feel like, very much, I had a Robert Show moment that [Wyck] could unburden himself and show his innermost feelings about what he was frightened of.”
The show maintains a sense of mystery and suspense, while also making viewers laugh — a lot.
“The terror is real and the levity is real when it happens because it all comes through the natural, character-driven piece,” Root said.
“That’s due to Katie’s great writing and to Hiro’s great direction,” he added. “It’s on the page.”
This is the second time the two actors have worked together after Root played a recurring role as a district attorney on Rhys’ private detective drama, Perry Mason.
“Awful! I’ve been avoiding the man ever since,” Rhys laughed. “But here we are as adversaries once again!”
“I said I’d never work with him again,” Root deadpanned.
“Sadly, Root and I are turning in the same performances!” Rhys added.
“I’m doing the same character,” Root jokingly agreed.
“Me, too! Different hat,” Rhys said. “Why fix what’s not broken?”
Kingston Rumi Southwick, Kevin Carroll and Dale Dickey co-star in the series.
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