[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Poker Face, Season 1, Episode 7, “The Future of the Sport.”]
Poker Face delivers one other fascinating story with its newest installment, “The Future of the Sport,” which takes an unconventional deviation from earlier episodes.
Unlike the installments that got here earlier than it, nobody dies within the story, which follows a rivalry between two racecar drivers that takes a near-fatal flip. Playing the seasoned vet, Keith Owens, is Tim Blake Nelson, who has a beef with the younger Davis McDowell (Riverdale‘s Charles Melton). The episode starts off with a race in which Davis knocks Keith off the track, but instead of hanging up his hat, Keith promises he’ll proceed on within the sport regardless of earlier guarantees to his daughter Katy (Jasmine Aiyana Garvin) that he’d cross the reigns to her.
The reveal results in a tense second on the tracks between Keith and Davis, which units off a domino impact. Ultimately, Keith decides to tamper with Davis’ automotive, however he’s unaware Davis sees him sneaking into the storage. Upon realizing what Keith has executed, Davis additional tampers with the automotive, notably the seatbelts. When their subsequent race day comes, Keith watches as Davis’ automotive spins out and crashes, however moments later, he learns his daughter Katy was the one behind the wheel. While she’s critically injured, Katy does survive, however Keith should dwell together with his selections that just about killed her. And though Davis doesn’t get into severe hassle for knowingly permitting Katy to get damage, Charlie shakes up his racing mojo in a severe approach. Below, Nelson opens up about his layered function within the episode, reuniting with Natasha Lyonne, and extra.
(Credit: Peacock)
How did you become involved with the challenge, and what you about taking part in Keith?
Tim Blake Nelson: I did the present initially due to Natasha. I directed Natasha years in the past in a movie referred to as The Grey Zone. Then we acted collectively in a movie referred to as My Suicidal Sweetheart (a.okay.a. Crazy for Love). I’ve been an abiding pal to Natasha for nearly 25 years now. We leap on the likelihood to work collectively at any time when potential. It occurs seldom. And then while you add into the combination that I could possibly be part of the Rian Johnson world, it was a scenario through which I might’ve performed, uh, a physician, a lawyer, or a thief. And then I like vehicles and racing.
Speaking of racing, was there any particular preparation concerned in taking part in a driver like Keith?
Yes. I needed to study the automotive, and you must appear like you’re adept at what you do. If you’re taking part in anyone who’s an expert at a sure exercise or job. And so sure, it did take some analysis, and it’s the straightforward stuff that will get you, like getting out and in of the automotive when the automotive has no door. And making it appear like you’ve executed it 10,000 instances weirdly takes a measure of apply. Also, placing on the harness and the best way that you just transfer when the automotive is taking a flip, all of these little particulars to which an actor is accountable once they tackle an element. Luckily I had actually good advisors who have been inspired by me to inform me if something appeared even barely amiss when it comes to easy habits. As for driving the automotive and doing my very own stunts, I do imagine that the director and possibly even the producer would’ve allowed it, however there was no approach the insurance coverage firm would’ve.
What is Keith’s motivation for staying within the racing recreation? Is it extra about proving to himself that he can win or about defeating Davis specifically?
As an actor, you advocate on your character. So I like the rationale he provides his personal daughter, which is he’s defending their model. And whether or not there’s darker stuff, motivating what he initiatives is the rationale beneath, I don’t know, however I’ve to imagine for the time being he believes he holds the conviction of his phrases, which is to say, I’m doing what’s proper for not solely me however for you. Because if I’m going out on high, then while you begin to race, you’ll begin out with extra authority and standing,
(Credit: Peacock)
Did Keith mess with Davis’ automotive with the hope of critically harming him, or was it meant to scare his competitor greater than something?
I feel he needs to hurt his competitor due to what his competitor has executed to him. What’s lovely concerning the episode is that nothing occurs with out its antecedent. In the preliminary race, had Davis not transgressed towards racing etiquette, after which had he not, on high of that, taunted me after I’ve taunted him? I feel that he’s initially motivated by one thing very human, which is his uncontrollable delight having been wounded. And so he needs to get again on the youthful driver.
Keith fesses as much as his actions. Is it as a result of Charlie caught him, or is it actually stemming from a responsible aware?
I feel it’s contrition. He can’t dwell with himself with out admitting what it’s he did, however he has no alternative however to admit, or he’s not gonna have the ability to get on together with his life. His conscience will get the higher of him.
In this situation, is Davis the more severe particular person? He is aware of Katy might doubtlessly die within the automotive after he additional tampered with it.
I feel everybody on this episode is human. It’s nearly Greek in its building. Oedipus doesn’t understand it’s his father that he killed. Keith doesn’t know that when he units out to harm Davis that finally, he’s practically going to kill his daughter. It’s a tragic narrative trajectory the place a personality’s fragility results in a deeper wounding of himself and people he loves. I wager you by no means thought I’d get from an episode of Poker Face all the best way again to Sophocles [Laughs].
You talked about working with Natasha prior to now; what was it like attending to share the display screen along with her on this present and face off towards Charlie?
The finest actors make it straightforward for each other, proper? And Natasha makes it straightforward for her scene companions as a result of there’s a lot happening that in the event you let go of all of your plans and easily reply to her as a scene accomplice, you’re gonna discover truths in your efficiency which are deeper than something you imagined was gonna occur.
It’s sort of humorous— in Poker Face —Charlie, a self-professed lie detector, nearly performs the function you probably did in Watchmen as Looking Glass. Did it really feel like a reversal of roles?
It was certainly a whole reversal of what I used to be requested to do in Watchmen with Natasha because the Looking Glass character. Right. And with me because the perp. So yeah, that was fairly attention-grabbing. I felt like I used to be a specimen with a pin in its thorax, and Natasha’s character was simply watching me flail my legs round.
Poker Face, New Episodes, Thursdays, Peacock