Academy Award nominee Colin Farrell has thoroughly enjoyed working in the shadows as a private detective (who’s really an alien!) on Apple’s stylish sci-fi series, “Sugar.” Wrapping up its second season next week, the veteran actor, who also executive produces the unique series, “loved the genre tropes, the neo-noir and the mood” of his character.
Credit: Apple TV
“When I read the show, it was apparent to me very quickly that there was a really lovely character at the centre of it,” Farrell told journalists at a recent Apple press event.
“He was described as wearing all these suits and had this beautiful car and all that stuff was fun. But it was really, really clear from the onset that there was a decency to the character, and he was somebody that moved through worlds at times of violence and discord and chaos and treachery. “
While at first his role as John Sugar seemed a bit too “vanilla,” Farrell was grateful the writers put his character in enough situations that created an environment where something was provoked within him, where he “learned about himself or he had to push against, or was agitated by” during the season.
“But to play a character that was constantly arcing towards decency, even if he fell short sometimes, which he seldom, if ever, does, was just really beautiful. And really life-affirming…to go to work every day in the service of this particular character, was just an absolute joy for two seasons.”
Farrell added: “I don’t think we can expect any of us to be decent all the time. The world doesn’t really allow you to be that. It kinda walks all over you. We talk about boundaries and all this other shit, you know? But you have to learn somehow to protect yourself.”
Offscreen, Farrell appreciates that he can still see decency everywhere.
“Thank God for it, cause otherwise the planet would have fallen off its axis by now for the flagrant abundance of cruelty and greed, you know? So I literally had to remind myself every now and then of the presence of a significant amount of decency and consideration and compassion that exists on the planet, because the other stuff is louder. And the other stuff is more newsworthy, understandably. The other stuff is more what we’re assailed with. The violence and the cruelty and the greed.”
While it’s hard not to get overtaken by the negativity in the world, Farrell tries to stay positive as much as possible. “For my sanity, it’s important to remember that there are decent people.”
For this second season, Farrell had an amazing time working with actors Jin Ha, who plays an aspiring boxer in search of his brother (Raymond Lee.)
“They did such an extraordinary job…I would imagine that they felt a responsibility to represent their people, and particularly a certain percentage of their people who did make the move that their characters made in this second season, you know? As Korean immigrants trying to build a better life for themselves in Los Angeles.”
He continued: “Los Angeles is such a multifaceted city, and America’s such a young country. There are so many immigrants, and it’s obviously a huge topic of conversation and concern now.”
Describing “Sugar” as entertaining, but not a “sociological dig into anything in too deep a way,” Farrell said that show writer Sam Catlin wanted to examine some of the issues that the city deals with.
“But not in a generalised political finger-wagging way. But just in the way that the show was supposed to be from the start which is kind of a bit humanistic,” he noted.
“Just a show that had a bit of a kindness and a bit of care and a bit of a fascination, curiosity/wonder with why human beings are the way we are with ourselves and each other. So, with that in mind, to look at immigration through the lens of these two very personal stories, that was the way this show could do it. I think the writers did a great job….it gave Sugar an opportunity again to be of service, you know? That seems to be a fetish for him.”
Farrell is hopeful his series will be returning for a third season.
“I would sign a contract now for another three seasons!” he enthused. “I would love to do five years of this and see where it would end up for Sugar. Cause we have no idea…does he die on this planet? Does he get to go home? All that kinda stuff.”