With the first, and hopefully not the last, season of FOX’s adaptation of “The Exorcist” wrapping up tonight, we thought it would be fun to have a quick chat with The Salesman himself, Robert Emmet Lunney.
Before we get started, this piece will contain spoilers, so if you don’t want any of the shows incredible twists ruined for you, you may want to tread carefully.
The first question I had to ask is what it’s like to play the show’s main antagonist. He goes by many different names, and whether you know him as Pazuzu, Captain Howdy or The Salesman, there’s no arguing that the role Robert is filling is one of the genre’s most iconic. “It’s fantastic.” Lunney said. “Understand that I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. Which allowed me to be truthful to the script at hand and not to fret over playing an iconic character from horror legend.”
It might seem weird that Robert didn’t know exactly which character he was playing, but many members of the show’s talent were in similar spots. For example, Geena Davis was the only one besides show-runner Jeremy Slater who knew she’d be playing Regan MacNeil. I wanted to know if the man playing Pazuzu would have gotten an inside tip, but I was surprised to find that even Lunney didn’t know… Offically at least. “I was always suspicious of where Geena’s character was going, but, I knew nothing until I got the script for Episode 5.”
Not knowing exactly what character you’re playing would make preparation tough, but Lunney had a pretty straightforward goal for his character. “From my character’s point of view, it wasn’t about terrifying Casey.” Lunney says. “It was about consummating what I knew would be a glorious relationship for her, if she would only stop resisting. I was often surprised at where scenes would go – just little emotional moments of need – in shooting a scene.”
I had to stop and wonder what would draw someone to audition for such a mysterious role. Hindsight being 20/20, the answer I received makes perfect sense. “The role, from the little bit I gleaned from the audition pages, was an enigma…” Says Lunney. “Maybe I was drawn to that. Most particularly though, the writing felt honest.” I really appreciated that response because beyond the all-around great performances from the main and supporting cast, the show’s writing is what really helps it stand above other horror shows. The fear factor comes from the stakes feeling real and that’s something I don’t think could have been achieved without its expert writing.
Even though The Salesman pops up sporadically throughout the season, Lunney steals the show in some extremely powerful scenes. I wanted to know which was his favorite. “Very difficult to choose because, after my first couple of days, once I’d settled in, I enjoyed them all. But, what the heck: the flashback scene where we first see Captain Howdy. Not only is it a great scene, but I also got to be clean and tidy: easy make-up, easy wardrobe. …Although, there was the damn bird.”
Finally, I wanted to know if “The Exorcist” was going to be a one-time forray into horror for Lunney. “I re-watched “The Exorcist” before starting this job and what impressed me the most was the wonderful script and the incredible performances. It always comes down to characters and circumstances. If I get the chance to work on scripts that do that, as this one does, I’m all in.” How much better of an answer could you ask for? Luckily for us, there’s no shortage of incredible horror on TV right now.
The Season 1 finale of “The Exorcist”, titled “The Three Rooms” airs tonight at 9/8c on FOX. If you’re watching, remember to use #RenewTheExorcist when talking about the show on Twitter. Here’s an exclusive clip from the finale showing a possessed Father Marcus.
