Patton Oswalt on Playing "Competent Sleaze" Lafayette Baker in 'Manhunt'

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When Patton Oswalt appears on screen in Manhunt, it could trigger the question: Wait, Patton Oswalt is in this? The actor is best known for his stand-up specials and a variety of comedic roles in movie and TV over the years, from Parks and Recreation to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yet, in playing Lafayette Baker, a U.S. investigator and former spy who helps hunt down Booth, Oswalt somehow makes perfect sense.

"I like reading history and I love crime," Oswalt tells Town & Country of how he ended up on the Apple TV+ historical thriller. "The fact that they're shooting what is supposed to always be this very noble American history, but it's being shot like a true crime procedural—with that same chaotic true crime pace, and the fact that I'm playing a character in the middle of it. I really fell in love with the character of Lafayette Baker because he's so human."

Oswalt continues, "He is somebody who is in the middle of this massive moment in history—a hinge moment in American history!—and he cannot not acknowledge that, 'oh, there's money to be made here. Oh, there's fame to be got, there's career advancement.' That felt so human and real. I just knew that I could play that."

Ahead of the show's premiere, Oswalt chatted with T&C about bringing Baker to life, what he hopes viewers takeaway from the show, and what conspiratorial part of American history he hopes gets the miniseries treatment next.

What did you know about Lafayette Baker before you signed on?

I went to Virginia public schools, and I learned that John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln, fled South, broke his leg, and then got killed in a barn. That's all I knew. So, I read the first two scripts, then I went and read the entire book Manhunt and, oh my God! It was a massive conspiracy. It wasn't like some weird, desperate, 'oh, we know we're gonna fail, we gotta do something.' No, they were in this to win this.

This was a very well planned, scary thing that even after the assassination was still—the future of the Union was not set in stone at that point. So the fact that you have Stanton, who's trying to hold it all together, and someone like Baker, who [is like] 'I'm doing my job but I wouldn't mind a little extra money here.' That, to me, was just instantly fascinating.

He's immediately presented as an untrustworthy character, but someone who Stanton has to work with. How did think about his role in the hunt for Booth?

Stanton realizes '[Baker] is someone I have to work with because he is a good cop. He is a good tracker.' I think Stanton is very aware of the other stuff that Lafayette Baker is doing. But he's like,'As long as it doesn't mess up the investigation, I still need this guy's skill.'

A lot of times during history, there have been people where they're like... I mean, we wouldn't have won the War of 1812 without making a deal with Jean Lafitte, who was a brutal pirate captain. We had to go, 'Well, how about you blow up a bunch of British ships for us and we'll give you an island somewhere?' Like, use what you've got! So this is just another version of that. Of, well, okay, yeah, this guy is kind of a sleaze, but he's a competent sleaze!

Stanton never says it out loud, but doesn't it feel like Stanton's like, 'Well, if he's going for the reward, he'll do a better job, because he wants that money.' If there's one person who's gonna make sure that Booth gets caught, it's gonna be Baker because he wants that cash. That's a good motivation for this guy.

Was there anything about Baker that didn't make into the show that you maybe learned during your research process?

Oh god, yes. It wouldn't have made it into the show because it's about Baker's later life, but he just went off the rails. He thought, at the end of his life, he'd been poisoned. He got even deeper into crazy conspiracy theories than a lot of people are today. He wrote a really weird memoir. He was not the most stable of people, but at that time, he was the guy to get, which I love! I love the, 'We gotta use him. He's the guy.'

What do you hope viewers learn from Manhunt?

I really hope they come away with the reassurance that you're never going to be 100% ready to do anything. Sometimes you're gonna be 40% ready, and you're gonna have to go by the seat of your pants and you can get it done. Because the Union was saved, and everybody was caught with their pants down, and they still got it done. So, don't judge yourself that harshly and move forward with your life, and get done what you need to get done. Because way bigger things have gotten done by way less competent people.

Does the experience of working on Manhunt make you want to do more period dramas?

Yes, because you have to get in touch with motivations and modes of thinking that are so alien to you. You may as well be playing an alien species, because of the way that people thought—in terms of the roles of men, the roles of women, how much time you have, what time even meant to people back in the late 1800s. It was truly a different set of minds. It was a different species, almost, living back then. Getting to live within that world, to me is, is fascinating.

What would be your next dream historical conspiracy to dive into?

I would especially love to do something about the beginning years, the origins of the CIA, and how truly dark and messed up that was. If you've read the book Legacy of Ashes, that would be an incredible TV miniseries, throughout the years. That is a a period of our history that I still don't think we have looked clear enough at yet. Maybe I'll manifest.

The first three episodes of Manhunt are now streaming on Apple TV+. Shop Now

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