Ian Colletti (Eugene “Arseface” Root) and Garth Ennis (co-creator and writer of Preacher’s comic series) took the time to soothe our ravenous anticipation for Preacher season 2 in an exclusive interview with Hypable!
Much like Eugene, Ian Colletti may be one of the nicest people on the planet. We discussed his character at length, Eugene’s relationship with Jesse Custer, his prosthetic mask, and naturally, The Big Lebowski.
With a season 1 binge fresh in mind, we jump right into all things Eugene!
Hypable: Eugene said he used to hear back from God when he prayed in the pilot but not anymore. After the finale, we know he left Heaven and has since been missing. Do you think he really did hear God and that’s why he stopped? I kind of have a theory that God is hiding in the last place we’d ever suspect, which happens to be exactly where Eugene was sent. Since he really is one of the more pure-hearted characters, do you think he may be the key to finally finding God?
Ian Colletti: Yeah, I mean, I think with a show like Preacher, kinda anything can happen. But I think that, a lot of whether he did hear God or not, it really all comes down to the fact that he is so ridden with guilt over what has gone down with the story of him and Tracy [Loach] that I think it’s kept him from being able to fully realize himself.
I think a lot of that carries over to this season where his journey then as a character will be about coming to grips with who he is and figuring out what he deserves and then does he belong in the place that Jesse has sent him.
H: I also felt a new wave of empathy for Eugene after knowing his fate. The first time, he struck me the same way as he did Preacher, almost like a pestering conscious. I even succumbed to Annville’s image of him a bit. Now, I found myself making it a point to call him Eugene and almost cringing when people call him “Arseface.” How do you feel when Eugene is prejudged and how do you refer to him personally?
IC: I refer to him as “Eugene,” but I don’t know if you’ve read the comics, but people who have will know that “Arseface,” whether it’s used as a slur or not, (in the comic) he basically, at some point, takes that name on for himself and claims that name. So I do kind of think it’s a negative word, especially for that first season, but yeah, that’ll be up to Eugene if he’s able to take ownership of that and if he can claim that then I think it takes away some of the negative connotation.
As for being like an annoying conscious, I think only in a show like Preacher, that’s shot from the perspective of these sort of not necessarily always morally great characters, would the moral center be considered annoying, but I think that’s often the way in a lot of these shows. Especially from the perspective of arguably antiheroes, where the few good and moral characters are often the ones who are kind of looked at negatively ’cause we’re looking at the universe in an inverted way. But I think the majority of people have found Eugene to be a shockingly empathetic character and one who is very human and who has become a moral compass for the series.
H: Especially for someone like Jesse Custer, which is an enormous cross to bear, so what do you think makes Eugene so well-equipped for such a task? What really resonated with me was his speech (in episode 6 “Sundowner“) when he said, “You can’t make them see the light. People need to choose for themselves. That’s the whole point. Forcing people against their will is a sin.” He’s the town’s scapegoat to judge and yet he still remains noble and kind.
IC: Yeah, especially in the first season he’s a lot of the moral compass of the show. I think he really forces the audience and, in the show, Jesse specifically, to really take a hard look at themselves and ask these kind of questions. And I don’t think, especially in the beginning of the season, that Eugene is always necessarily intentional. I think it’s the personal struggle he’s dealing with so he comes to Preacher because that’s the closest thing to a connection with God that he feels like he has access to at this point.
Eugene and Jesse are such different characters, but in the first season they’re almost struggling with some of same things (guilt over their past and crisis of identity), but again, his relevance as a character is very much coinciding with Jesse and it’s about how Eugene can help Jesse evolve as a character.
But in the second season, it becomes more inward-focused and a lot of the storyline that we explore is Eugene coming to grips with his own humanity and facing his past then deciding what he truly deserves.
H: We’ve seen the first explosive three episodes of season 2 and people who didn’t originally empathize with Eugene may find themselves coming around a lot. What are you most excited for fans to see?
IC: A lot of truth will be revealed this season about Eugene and his past that I think will pay a major part in people continuing to empathize with him and for people that judged him in the first season. I think when they see a little more deeply into his past and see it through Eugene’s perspective, rather than the people of Annville, when they see the unfiltered past of Eugene, I think they will empathize even more deeply with him.
H: With your mask, you have to rely a lot more on your eyes to convey emotion, which I really want to applaud you for because it’s excellent (especially when Preacher asks you what Hell is like and you only say “crowded” with a single tear, it was a really beautiful moment). So what was that process like? Did you practice in the mirror a lot beforehand?
IC: Thank you! Yeah, working with the prosthetic, I found it’s almost, in a way, like you’re puppeteering something on your face. You know, it’s made of a rather thick material, so to have something read as a subtle emotion through the prosthetic requires me to kind of morph my face in a way that’s often not subtle. I have to contort my face in a very specific way to have it read through the the foam prosthetic for even a small smile.
For the bottom half of my face, I’m focusing on trying my best to puppeteer this appliance, but then it’s also been almost like some sort of acting exercise. The top of my face, when you are so limited with the bottom half, really requires you to explain subtext and lean so heavily on the eyes to tell the story beneath the lines I’m actually saying.
H: Though Preacher deals with some heavy themes, it’s also hilarious at times, but how could it not be with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg behind the scenes? What’s it like working with them on set?
IC: It’s great! Seth and Evan are super passionate about the comic and I think in the age of television we’re working in now, to make something bold and unique really requires people that are passionate about the material that’s being made. Everyone that’s involved is so passionate in making something that’s bold and different, and I think audiences will really see that this second season.
H: Yeah, it definitely shows! I saw you guys recently wrapped up filming season 2. Can you describe the season in one word?
IC: I would say bold. There’s so much television right now, so to make something that stands out and is interesting I think is a hard thing to do. If not bold, then I would say outrageous. Some of the storylines that we’ve pursued this season, I’m reading them and I can’t believe they’re letting us get away with doing this, but we’ve pushed the boundaries and I think it’s going to be great.
H: So one last question that’s not so serious. Do you agree with Cassidy’s opinion that The Big Lebowski is a “shite film”?
IC: I think it’s a great film! I think Cassidy doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Thank you so much, Ian, for taking the time to talk to us about Eugene! We can’t wait to see what’s in store for him in Preacher season 2 airing Sunday, June 25 at 10 p.m. followed by episode 2 on Monday, June 26 at 9 p.m. (regular time slot) on AMC!
Be sure to check out our exclusive interview with Garth Ennis on the next page!
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