Finn Wittrock is generating awards buzz very early in his career.
The young actor turned heads and stomachs on “American Horror Story: Freak Show”as the murderous Dandy Mott, a spoiled child who becomes the protege of the even more demented Twisty the Clown (John Carroll Lynch).
Here the actor discusses his toughest moments during “Freak Show,” which episode he would submit for awards consideration and the acting prowess of co-star Sarah Paulson.
TheWrap: What was the toughest thing you had to do this season?
Finn Wittrock: I think the last episode was the toughest, in general. I don’t believe in guns, so to kill a bunch of people that I had come to know and love with a gun was actually hard [emotionally].
But then I got my comeuppance, which was hard physically because I had to drown in this box … they had to make me look like I was drowning because I couldn’t actually be in the tank with the water filled. They had to put a harness under my tighty whities … and they raised me up and they sort of put my hair up to look like it was in the water; they put crazy gel in it. And then I had to somehow act like I’m drowning and dead in the water. And I’m floating there in the air and it’s 3 a.m. the last day of shooting.
What was the most fun thing you got to do this season?
The funnest thing was working with John Carroll Lynch, the crazy clown … especially in our one big scene in the playroom together, because he had no lines but he communicated a lot, you know? With only his scary eyes. And so it was this sort of bizarre, heightened, weird conversation with your spooky, scary best friend, who has two kids that he’s hidden in a school bus in the middle of the woods. He’s like my hero.
If someone hadn’t seen your show, how would you describe it?
I’d describe it as a noir, musical, horror, romantic drama. With a clown.
Who else on your show deserves an Emmy and why?
There’s a lot of talent all over the cast, but I think Sarah Paulson‘s challenge was greater than anybody’s, having to be two people at once (the conjoined Bette and Dot). It’s a very hard, laborious, technical, tedious process … and she was a real pro throughout all of it. It literally takes three times as long to film those scenes than any other scenes, and to be able to do that and maintain two separate characters is pretty extraordinary.
Are you a binge TV watcher or a once-a-week viewer?
If I’m actually current, I want to watch “Game of Thrones” when it’s on, you know? But other than that I’m a binge watcher. Like “House of Cards” — I’ve become a Netflix junkie.
If nominated, which episode would you submit?
I really liked working with Fraces Conroy, who was my mom. And I think that our big, final scene is really cool. And I think that’s episode eight … After that Dandy really spiraled out of control, which is fun, but I think that that episode is the big climax for him.
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