Note: This story contains spoilers from “Overcompensating” Episode 1.
Adam DiMarco didn’t even know what a fraternity was when he stepped onto his university’s campus in Ontario. Now he’s captivating audiences as a caricature of the leader of a secret society brotherhood in Prime Video’s “Overcompensating.”
“The White Lotus” alum stars as Peter, the toxic, hyper-masculine boyfriend to Grace (Mary Beth Barone) and leader of the school’s most elite secret society Flesh & Gold. DiMarco told TheWrap the key to unlocking his inner douchebag but still making him lovable was in the series’ title.
“Every character in this show is overcompensating in their own way, so just figuring out what Peter was overcompensating about: Not coming from a wealthy family or feeling like he has to also be more ‘masculine’ to fit in,” DiMarco said.
On the surface Peter falls into the stereotypical trope of a washed up senior still living out his glory days as the leader of his brotherhood. He gets himself into trouble though when he cheats on his girlfriend with her brother’s best friend.
“I just tried to find the humanity in the character, because on paper, he’s just this ridiculous human being,” he said. “Your job as an actor is to add layers or depth, to make someone real.”
The “Radio Rebel” actor said that focusing on Peter’s insecurities allowed him to make sense of this character that felt distant from himself. DiMarco said that in his first and only year at college, he was depressed because he did not feel like he had a purpose. The 35-year-old was studying life sciences and ended up dropping out to pursue acting.
Peter similarly struggled with depression and with constantly trying to prove his worth to those around them, the actor said. He attempts to win over a wealthy F&G alumnus (James Van Der Beek), but at first gets turned down because of his lack of social status and failing grades.
“In moments where we catch him alone, we see more of a sadness there because I think when people are living inauthentically, it’s probably a bit depressing,” he said.
The Flesh & Gold keeper eventually gets to his breaking point and betrays his club a la Regina George, sharing the club’s recruitment slides with brutal pros and cons to the entire student body, after he heard a couple of his brothers talking behind his back.
“He’s a deeply insecure person,” he said. “That occasion just fully triggers this manic episode that results in him trying to hurt other people so that he feels less hurt or something.”
“Overcompensating” was the first project from creator and star Benito Skinner. DiMarco said that working with Skinner, Barone and Wally Baram kept things loose on set because each of them wrote on the show.
Stand-up comedian and writer Barone would even pitch him lines in the moment to improvise during their intimate moments. “I was in really safe, capable hands,” he said.
After Grace’s strict cutoff of their relationship in the season finale, DiMarco hopes he will get to continue Peter’s story. He hinted that if the Prime Video series is renewed, Skinner has big plans for each of the characters. For Peter, it means he will change in “unhinged” ways.
“It’s college. People try on different versions of themselves. I would hope that in the future, he can kind of reconcile a lot of that stuff,” DiMarco said. “But I mean, he is a senior, and it’s taken him four years and he still hasn’t figured it out. So who knows?”
“Overcompensating” is now streaming on Prime Video.
