‘Hand of God’ Star Garret Dillahunt on the Show’s Final Season and Those ‘Walking Dead’ Rumors

Sorry, Hand of God fans: While the new season of the Amazon drama premieres on March 10, it’s also the series’ final season, meaning an abbreviated journey for Ron Perlman’s vigilante justice-seeking Judge Pernell Harris, his wife, Crystal (Dana Delany), and Pernell’s devoted and committed (if misdirected) assistant Keith/KD, played by Raising Hope alum, The Mindy Project regular, and perpetual scene-stealer Garret Dillahunt.

Dillahunt, also an alum of Deadwood, Justified, ER, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, talked to Yahoo TV about where Hand of God goes in Season 2, how Keith’s motivation changes in the new season, and what he thinks was fated to happen for the character.

He also previewed his upcoming series (a TNT western and a TBS comedy that reunited him with Raising Hope creator Greg Garcia), talked about how much fun he has playing in The Mindy Project pool, and shared The Walking Dead role he would have loved to play… and how he’d still like to get post-apocalyptic on AMC.

Yahoo TV: How would you describe the second season of Hand of God and how it progresses this pretty epic story?
Garret Dillahunt: A lot of the storylines don’t overlap a lot. For my part, [Keith] is very involved with Pernell again this season and bringing him back to the fold, first of all, then continuing our mission of trying to find out all the people that killed P.J. and raped his wife. We really go after the mastermind behind the whole thing. I like this about the show — that the cops are not stupid. A lot of times they are on TV shows, but the cops are onto us pretty much right away, still, for the murder of Shane. They come after Pernell. They think Pernell did it.

What would you say is motivating Keith this season, as things shift and we go deeper into this whole saga?
Well, he has the same motivations, I think. He’s a kamikaze for the Lord and for Pernell, you know? I think there’s a little difference in this year in that he’s experimenting with trying to have a real life. The lonely side of him… he starts thinking about love and a picket fence. I don’t know if that’s a possibility for him, but he starts flirting with those notions, which confuse his mission, I think. That’s the biggest change I’ve seen in [him].

What did you think about the storyline and about where Keith was going when you saw the plans for Season 2?
I’m drawn to melancholy characters. I don’t know what that says about me. Characters who are filled with shame. I think shame is interesting. That is a motivator for people. They’ve just got buckets of it. I was interested in that sort of sad journey of a doomed soul, really. He’s doomed. When he tries to stretch his wings a bit and behave like a normal person, it’s just not in his cards. What I like about him is that he’s one of those people who you can’t help but like him. It’s like you forget these horrible things [about him], because he’s trying so hard, but he disappoints you. You just want to nudge him a little bit the other way. All that ambition and hard work and drive and determination could have brought him to a whole other kind of life.

His friendship with Tessie this season adds to how endearing he can be. He’s completely well-intentioned in trying to help her rebuild her life.
That’s good. Yeah, I think he falls for Tessie a bit. Ultimately, he knows she’s out of his league. That puts him at odds with Pernell as well, not liking the way Pernell treats her or being jealous of Pernell or worried that Pernell would be angry at him. He plays house with Tessie for a little while.

Hand of God creator Ben Watkins had planned the show to go at least a couple more seasons. Obviously people who love these characters and have become very invested in these characters are going to be disappointed that we don’t get to spend more time with them, but do you think the season wraps up in a way that is satisfying?
It certainly won’t wrap up in a way that’s completely satisfying, I’m sure, to a rabid viewer, but the big showdown at the end between… it’s not complete. We don’t know what’s going to happen to Crystal. Those kind of details are annoying to fans, and I’m sorry about that. I wish we had another one or that we had known it was going to be the last season [before we filmed it]. Stuff unfolds very slowly as it goes on. We unfortunately weren’t sure, but that said, I’m really proud of this season, and I think it’s a great story being told. I think it’s interesting… it’s interesting characters, one of the best I’ve ever had the opportunity to play. At least there are 20 episodes of it out there.

You already have a lot of other stuff lined up. Can you talk about the upcoming TBS comedy The Guest Book?
It’s another [Raising Hope creator] Greg Garcia project. I just really love working for that guy. Everybody does. That’s why he’s able to call a bunch of friends up and say, “Let’s create a series.” He likes to isolate himself when he writes. When he gets an idea, he’ll go off somewhere in a cabin and just start writing. He’s got a big family he’s very close to and active in. I think it’s hard for him to find enough time to do his work, so occasionally he’ll just go off [alone] and work. For a lark, he started writing really bizarre stories in people’s guest books that they would leave in their [rental] cottages. You know, like, “Tell us about your stay.” He’d write a 30-page fantastical, bloody, funny story that happened there in 1907 just to explain how a fork got bent or something. He thought, “Well, this could be a show at the end.” So he wrote a show. I guess the star of the show is really the cabin, and all the different people that come through there and rent it. And there are a few locals who are there year-round. It’s bizarre and Fargo-esque and funny. It’s a bit more adult than Raising Hope, but I really had a good time with it. I think that’s coming out in August.

Who do you play?
I’m one of the regulars. I play this doctor, Dr. Andrew Brown, going through some marriage problems. He’s moved up to this little cabin that’s right next door to the [main] cabin. My wife will come up and bring my kid, who is played by Trace Garcia, who played young Jimmy from Raising Hope.

You’re also starring in the drama Monsters of God for TNT?
Yes. I don’t know what’s with me and the “of God” shows. It’s hard to tweet about, because I guess “God” triggers some kind of filter. I have to come up with different ways to [write about] those shows. We shot the pilot in November, December of last year in New Mexico. I’ve seen most of that footage. There’s stuff to be done still, but it’s pretty marvelous, and I hope… the issue isn’t whether it’s good enough or not. The issue is about, networks get nervous about westerns. I think it’s unfortunate, because there’s so much allegorical possibility in a western. This particular story is so topical right now, about the Comanche Wars and the American expansionism and America paranoia and Comanche paranoia. Everybody was ISIS to each other back then at this time. It’s a pretty interesting dynamic, but I’m really proud of it. It’s [director/writer] Rod Lurie’s baby. He’s been working on it for a good decade.

You had a very memorable guest star appearance on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Is there any chance that we might see Detective Dave Majors again?
I don’t know. I hope so. I love that show. Those kinds of shows don’t need my help. They’re very funny and very good at what they do. There was talk one time about coming back, and it just didn’t work out. I guess nothing is dead, but as time goes on, I’m sure they’ll forget about it. It’s a great show, isn’t it?

Yeah, it is. You fit in so perfectly.
I like them all very much. It was a lot of fun. Thanks for remembering it.

You’re also still playing Jody on The Mindy Project. He and Mindy just had a very nice little resolution, at least for now, to their post-breakup awkwardness. Will we see him again soon?
I think so. I joined that show last season, and I’m in this season as well. I’m in it all season. There’s a bit of a break, because Mindy is off doing a bunch of movies herself. I think we’ll go back and shoot some more episodes in August, I think. But yeah, Jody is all over it.

It’s another great show with a great cast, but Dr. Jody seems like a particularly fun character to play.
It is fun. I feel like I’m warming up. It’s always weird to come into an existing show. What season are we now? I think it’s five. They had three years under their belt before I even showed up. I admire them very much. Mindy is just one of those people… she’s just got a hell of a life going for herself. She’s just really interesting and interested in the world and the larger things. She doesn’t need your help necessarily, you know what I mean? Which is so freeing, I must imagine. I think Ike [Barinholtz] is a lot of fun, and I love Dave Stassen. He’s one of the other writers. I just think they’re so much fun to be around and then just to watch them go and riff off each other. They’re so skilled at it. Very quickly I was like, “You know what? I’ll be the quiet one. I’ll just react, because I can’t keep up with that.” It’s a pretty fun time. That’s for sure.

There was a lot of fan support behind you potentially playing Negan on The Walking Dead in 2015. Did you talk to the producers about it?
Well you know, I wanted it. I heard that that was coming up, and I was like, “That would be fun.” I didn’t tweet anything like, “I have it”… that would have been untrue. They had their own ideas. What I tweeted was a picture of the comic book, and I didn’t count on the level of rabidity of the fans. They made that leap. I was like, “Well, f*** it. Sure, I’d love to play that part.” It did spawn a conversation between me and [The Walking Dead] folks, but I couldn’t get out of Hand of God. Hand of God wasn’t going to let me out to do that. Not saying, again, that it was mine… I don’t know that I’m really right for that, but I like comic books, and I like [TWD showrunner] Scott Gimple. It would be really fun to be a part of that universe.

You would be interested in delving into the series, then, with another character if it came up?
Oh, absolutely. I would be honored. It seems like a fun group. It would be great to be part of a big hit show.

Hand of God Season 2 premieres March 10 on Amazon Video.

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