Will Forte on Netflix’s True Crime Dramedy Bodkin: The Creators Knew “What the Tone Should Be”

Liz Shannon Miller
·4 min read
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The post Will Forte on Netflix’s True Crime Dramedy Bodkin: The Creators Knew “What the Tone Should Be” appeared first on Consequence.

The title of the new Netflix series Bodkin comes from the small Irish town where a trio of investigators are looking into a mysterious set of disappearances… for a true crime podcast, naturally. But as traditional journalist Dove (Siobhán Cullen), veteran podcaster Gilbert (Will Forte), and assistant Emmy (Robyn Cara) work to uncover the mystery, the dark comedy/thriller also explores the nature of making a true crime project — especially what it means to explore, and maybe even arguably exploit, sensitive subject matter.

Speaking with Consequence alongside her two co-stars, Cullen says that “Our show touches on the sort of ethical and moral aspect of what goes into making a true crime podcast. And it questions it, I think, in a really smart way.”

As Robyn Cara adds, making the series made it clear to her that “it’s hard to make a true crime podcast, and go into these people’s lives. It’s like a weird boundary thing.”

Cullen agrees, noting that “I love listening to true crime podcasts, and podcasts in general, and [Bodkin] has made me listen with a kind of a fresh ear of, you know, ‘Is this okay, that we’re using these real stories and treating them as entertainment?’ It just gives you kind of a fresh outlook on it.”

Says Will Forte, joking: “She said exactly what I was gonna say, but in half the time and with a less annoying voice.”

Key to the show’s charms is the complicated yet increasingly warm dynamic between its three core characters as well as the relationships that emerge between the outsiders and the townsfolk they encounter. Cullen attributes this chemistry first to the fact that “we all like each other a lot. We kind of hit it off very naturally from the get go.”

And Forte wants to note that their on-and-off-screen connection came “very quick,” perhaps because “we spent the most time with each other.”

In addition, supporting cast members like Chris Walley (who plays Sean, the trio’s potentially shady driver) and David Wilmot (who plays another suspicious character) were a big part of the collaboration. Says Forte, “If you had two more chairs, [Walley and Wilmot] would be the ones sitting in them. They’re like family too. The whole extended cast and the whole crew — everyone was fantastic.”

In terms of finding the show’s idiosyncratic tone, Cara says that “the showrunners and the directors were really key there. They were really on that from the beginning. And yeah, the tone is really unique and really cool. There’s just this sense of unease, everywhere you go, and you don’t know what anyone’s going to say. We all worked really hard to kind of find that, and balance it as well, which is cool.”

To find that specific vibe, Cullen says that there would be a few occasions where the cast “would be given the freedom to amp up the comedy.” Though, she adds with a laugh, “There were certainly times where we were told, ‘Nah, not good.'”

Their guides on that journey were creator/co-showrunner Jez Scharf, executive producer/co-showrunner Alex Metcalf (The Loudest Voice, Mindhunter), and a directing roster including Nash Edgerton, Bronwen Hughes, Johnny Allan, and Paddy Breathnach.

Forte says, “These guys had been living with this concept and, and the scripts for so long — they just had inside of them exactly what the tone should be. So it was really great having them be there all the time as your guides, taking you through it. Every once in a while, you do something where you’re like, ‘Oh, isn’t that maybe a little too funny?’ And it’s like, oh no, they know what we’re doing. So do that, and they’ll use the right [take]. They’re very easy to trust.”

For fans of true crime, there are plenty of details to appreciate — and also the promise of a new perspective on what it means to tell these stories. Cullen says that “We all consume and watch and listen to so much content and entertainment these days. And I think it’s really just important to have a critical awareness, an eye and ear to everything that we are taking in. It’s really good to question the truth, always, and what we’re being told is the truth — I just think that that’s a healthy outlook to have.”

All seven episodes of Bodkin are streaming now on Netflix.

Will Forte on Netflix’s True Crime Dramedy Bodkin: The Creators Knew “What the Tone Should Be”
Liz Shannon Miller

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