How do you best tell a tragic story that everyone already seems to know? For “Murdaugh: Death in the Family” star and executive producer Jason Clarke, you have a little fun with it. Well, with an asterisk.
“I’ll give it to you straight up: it’s enjoyable being a narcissist,” Clarke said during a recent chat with IndieWire as part of our Pass the Remote panel series, presented in partnership with Disney, to celebrate the art and craft of TV. “It’s enjoyable being a good ol’ boy, you know what I mean? It’s good to be the king! There’s that whole side of it. Narcissism? I looked and thought about that a lot. A lack of empathy as well, ultimately. Which is where he truly ends up, with a lack of empathy. The man stands by his decision, I guess, in still not coming clean.”
In the miniseries, Clarke stars as convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh (complete with Southern accent and rusty red hair), infamous for killing his wife Maggie (Patricia Arquette) and son Paul (Johnny Berchtold) in 2021 following years of interfamily drama, trauma, and oops, yes, other mysterious deaths. For Clarke, tapping into Alex’s most basic (and base) desires was key to unlocking his character.
During the panel, hosted by IndieWire’s own Editor in Chief & Senior Vice President Dana Harris-Bridson, some of the limited series’ cast and crew joined Pass the Remote to talk about their meticulously researched show and what they hope viewers get out of it. Clarke was joined by co-creator and executive producer Erin Lee Carr; co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer Michael D. Fuller; hair department head Katie Ballard; casting director John Papsidera; and makeup department head Addison Foreman.
And while Clarke was joking a bit about enjoying the process, Clarke clearly relished tapping into whatever it is that makes Alex tick and applying it to his performance. He also credited Ballard and Foreman for assisting that transformation, not just through their own craft work, but by similarly diving head-long into a journey through “absurdity and vulgarity.” And Will Ferrell outtakes?
“There’s the mechanical way of going through that and processing it, and then there’s the subconscious way of just doing it,” Clarke said. “I’ll say, with Addison and Katie, we used to listen to what you could term narcissistic music and dance. … You have to stay happy! It’s not easy being a full-time narcissist, it’s a full-time job. Katie and Addison, who were in my space so much and were probably two of the only people I let into my space to see my absurdity and my vulgarity at times and my bad temper. … We’d do a lot of things, watch Will Ferrell to laugh, to get into, ‘fuckin’ the plums, just drippin’ down my chin!’ You have to have the big thing, to go out and just think, ‘Fuck it! I’m just concerned about me!’”
Watch the complete video of IndieWire’s “Murdaugh: Death in the Family” panel above. More Pass the Remote panels are available as well on IndieWire’s website and YouTube channel.
“Murdaugh: Death in the Family” is now streaming on Hulu, with new episodes rolling out through Wednesday, November 19, when the series finale will start streaming.
The IndieWire Pass the Remote Winter Edition, presented in partnership with Disney, will celebrate the art and craft of TV through a series of panels rolling out through early December 2025. Check back here for more.