Page 150 of Absolute Certainty
CALLAHAN: Yeah, yeah. I’m good with that.
My first question is for you, Jay. Having watched bothBeneath the SunandCutsas well as some of your earlier shorts,I fully expected this to break my heart into a million pieces. So imagine my surprise atthatending. What made you want to give viewers a happy ending with this series?
CALLAHAN: [Smiles] I can’t take credit for that. It was all my partner—fiancée. She took one look at the original script, which was completely different in every way, and saidno.Just straight up. So, a lot of what you see in the final product is a direct result of her nudging me to write something happier. And honestly, it’s a better story this way, so I’m really excited to shock people who know my work by delivering something hopeful.
This certainly isn’t to say that your other projects aren’t hopeful, because it’s sort of what I’ve always appreciated about them, but the melancholy is louder. Here, it feels incredibly earned to go through this journey where we have characters fighting for survival and finally reaching that point.
CALLAHAN: Thank you again for saying that. That’s very much what we wanted to get across, so I’m glad that’s the effect it had on you.
The cast is also incredible, truly. Ethan, you and Rae Mullins as Katherine really elevate so many of the underlying emotions. Do you both have a favorite moment throughout the series where you sort of realized the story was coming together as you wanted it to?
EVERETT: I’m going to let the captain take this one because I want to know his answer first.
CALLAHAN: Oh, yeah,they’re both unreal. Fun fact is that I’d seen Ethan perform inMidnights at Pemberley,and I thought he’d be great as Henry, but all we had at that time were parts of the script’s rewrites and no guarantee of anything else, so I didn’t think anything of it. But it’s really rewarding to have him on because they’ve both made it hard for me to really choose a moment. The whole cast has been so phenomenal. Did you have a moment in mind?
I do, actually. And I have a feelinga lotof people are going to adore this moment.
CALLAHAN: Which is it?
The flashback in episode four. The whole episodeIfeel is one of the best things of the year, and I’m more than happy to run the FYC campaign for it, but there’s a line where Henry says,In my perfect world, you and I would be together,and I haven’t watched something that poignant in a long time, especially when we’re made to believe they’ll never see each other again in the present.
CALLAHAN: [Nods] That’s one of the first lines I wrote, so it’s gratifying that it sticks out. But all credit goes to Ethan for it. The first time he said it out loud during the table read, a few people literally gasped. We got really lucky with him. [Affectionately pats Everett’s shoulder] He’s stuck with me now.
EVERETT: You know what’s hilarious? And I’m not trying to downplay this moment and the gravitas of that line, but like when I heard those gasps, I think one of them came from Sahar [Peck] because she was at the table read? I immediately thought, oh shit, I fucked up. I’d just gotten out ofMidnights,and I was so used to Regency British that I’d forgotten how to act withmy own accent—without a dialect coach. So, I thought I’d done something wrong.
CALLAHAN: Did you not hear the part where I said you’re stuck with me? And we got really lucky. They were good gasps.
EVERETT: [Laughs] I do really love that line, though. My wife cried when she saw the final cut, so I guess I did something right there. And Rae really nails the quiet response, too. She was a fantastic scene partner to work with.
Can we have this be the next Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy duo?
CALLAHAN: [Laughs] That’s a big compliment, and Ethan’s definitely up to par. I’ve got a ways to go, but let’s do it. I’ll cast him in everything I make.
EVERETT: We’re the worst people to pair up. Neither of us can actually take a compliment. But yeah, no. You’re right. Jay’s the best director I’ve had, so I’m going to have a hard time with others. Never work without me, man. Wait, okay, also he gave a fun fact, here’s mine. I had no idea I was auditioning for his show when I went in. My agent sent me the script, and then I got super sick with a bad cold, so I forgot to look at it until the day before the audition. I breezed through it and really loved it, then I walked into the audition, and Jay’s sitting there. I straight up thought I went to the wrong place.
CALLAHAN: We gave him the job on the spot.
EVERETT: [Laughs] Is it nepotism if we connected through our wives—girlfriends at the time? Is that a thing?
Nepotism is only bad if there’s no real talent, but we’ve got a real winner with both of you. This might not be a sheer coincidence, but I have to ask, Jay. Is this Henry the same one briefly mentioned inBeneath the Sun?The line about “calling the detective, H. Palmer?”
CALLAHAN: You know, Patrick didn’t even pick up on that?
EVERETT: There’s a Henry inBeneath the Sun?
Wait, so heisthe same guy?
CALLAHAN: Yeah, yeah. He is. He sort of just stayed with me, and it never really made sense until I started writing this showwhy,but that’s an excellent catch.
EVERETT: I, for one, am stunned by this. Now I need to go rewatch.
I watch it often. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said it’s one of my favorites. But going off of that, is there hope of seeing any of these characters again? In another project, or a second season, possibly?
CALLAHAN: Honestly, I’m not sure. We marketed it as a limited series, and I haven’t really thought of where it could go beyond that point. The story would have to work in order for me to agree to more of it. So, it’s a matter of ‘we’ll see.’ As far as the possibility of hearing mentions of these characters again, there’s a bigger chance of that. I apparently have a hard time letting go of them. They feel like my kids.
EVERETT: If I could play Henry for another ten years, I would. Make it happen,Dad.
CALLAHAN: [Laughs] Sure, buddy. If that’s what you want.
