‘Ray Donovan’ Star Eddie Marsan Previews Season 4: The Donovans’ Relationship With the Church Becomes ‘Very Complicated, Very Dysfunctional’

Liev Schreiber, Paula Malcomson, Dash Mihok, Eddie Marsan, Jon Voigt, and Pooch Hall (Brian Bowen Smith/Showtime)

Ray’s in therapy, Abby’s facing a medical crisis, Bridget’s not living in the Donovan home, Mickey has been banished to Nevada, Bunchy and his wife are preparing to become new parents, and brother Terry — after surviving a gunshot wound that came, of course, as a result of Mickey’s wheeling and dealing — is trying to take a much more active role with the church.

None of those storylines will play out as simply as those descriptions might suggest, however (because, Donovans) as Terry portrayer Eddie Marsan hints to Yahoo TV about the fourth season of the Showtime drama Ray Donovan.

It’s great news that Terry made it to Season 4, because it was touch and go there in the Season 3 finale.
Yeah, I know. I know. I suppose it shows how much Terry means to people that they do that to him.

He is a character we’re always rooting for.
Sure, yeah. I think you do. I think he’s the conscience of the show in many ways.

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What can you say about what’s ahead for him in the new season?
He considers the fact that he survived to be a miracle from God. He tries to find redemption by going back to the church, embracing the church, working with the church, being part of the church, but as is always the case with the Donovans, the church kind of lets him down.

What about Terry’s relationship with Abby? They got very close, and very close to crossing a line, last season.
I think that’s over in the way it was expressed last season. It was never really a deep romantic love. It was the fact with Terry… he considers the way Ray was treating Abby to be similar to the way that Mickey treated their mother, and he wanted to protect Abby the way he always wished he would’ve protected his mother. It kind of got confused, but it doesn’t manifest itself like that in the new season I’m pleased to say.

But they’ll still be close?
Oh, yeah. Terry still lives in the house with them.

Liev Schreiber and Eddie Marsan (Michael Desmond/Showtime)

What will Terry’s relationship with Ray be like this season?
At the end of Season 3 they both went… Ray went back into the confessional box and prayed for Terry’s life, so they both go back into the church, and they’re both on a similar path. They’re very close as brothers. They’re both the older brothers, so they both have the responsibility of the family on their shoulders. But as is typical with the Donovans, their relationship with the church becomes very complicated and very dysfunctional.

We’ve seen Bunchy find happiness. Is there any hope that we’ll get to see Terry find, if not true happiness, at least some peace?
Yes, I think so. I hope so. Terry kind of bears the sins of the Donovans. Physically… he’s cursed by being a Donovan, really. That’s one of the things that we explore, that he’s always caught between a rock and a hard place. When his mother lay dying, the priest was abusing his brothers, but he couldn’t tell his mother because she would’ve died sooner. He was always caught between a rock and a hard place. That shows itself physically with the Parkinson’s, the fact that he always seems to be in tension and in conflict, both physically and mentally. Whether that resolves itself, it may be temporarily, because he’s always cursed for being a Donovan.

What’s the biggest challenge of playing Terry?
I think to honor the condition, to portray Parkinson’s accurately. For me as an actor, to find the lighter moments because Terry is a very heavy character. He’s a very sweet, lovely character, and it’s good to have Dash Mihok and Liev (Schreiber) and Paula (Malcomson) around, because we can find those lighter moments with him. We actually laugh a lot on set, and I hope that comes through on screen, as well. I think the main thing is to do justice to people with that condition, and to portray it accurately.

Since Terry is going to continue living in the house with the family, will he play a role in the situation with Bridget?
Yeah, because Terry and Bridget have a very close relationship. He’s a very intimate uncle, very involved with the children. He tries to step in when Ray neglects his duties as a father.

Eddie Marsan and Paula Malcomson (Michael Desmond/Showtime)

What will Terry’s relationship with Mickey be like this season, especially after the trouble brought into the family’s life by Mickey (again) nearly killed Terry?
Terry’s the one who trusts Mickey the least, I think. Ray and Mickey are kind of alike. They’re similar. Terry… we’ve always explored with Terry the idea that Terry is his mother’s representative on earth. Terry’s relationship with Mickey is kind of like a Catholic woman who won’t divorce an abusive husband, but still hates him. But I think Terry has kind of come to the end of his tether with Mickey… he’s the most suspicious of Mickey. Bunchy forgives Mickey, Ray sees himself as Mickey, and Terry rejects him.

What do you hope for Terry? If you could write any storyline for Terry, what would it be?
I hope good things start happening for him. I hope he comes out on top now and again.

And maybe finds romance again?
Yeah, I hope he finds romance. It broke his heart when Frances left him. That was a sweet romance.

Ray Donovan Season 4 premieres June 26 at 10 p.m. on Showtime.