Actor Shea Whigham On Making ‘Lake George’ : Interview

SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains details from the film Lake George 

In Jeffrey Reiner’s neo-noir road movie Lake George, two unlikely strangers incidentally team up to try and take down a love-spurned mobster. The film, which marks the reuniting of actors Shea Whigham and Carrie Coon since the pair appeared in Season 3 of Fargo, follows Don (Whigham), a reserved claims adjuster who took the fall for a mobster (Glenn Fleshler) has just been released from prison. Upon his return to society, the mobster is ready to settle his debts and exact his revenge by tasking Don to kill his disloyal ex Phyllis (Coon) without hesitation.

Unable to pull the trigger on the obstinate, spitfire Phyllis, the guilt-ridden Don instead works with her as they travel through the mobster’s criminal network in Glendale, Goleta and the Mammoth Lakes, trying to get what they’re owed. Reiner tells Deadline that Lake George, an idea conceptualized during the COVID-19 pandemic, was inspired by other gritty noir films like Point Blank, Midnight Run and The Asphalt Jungle. “There was a lot of time to meditate on one’s life and past mistakes,” Reiner says. “The common theme with all of those films is making good at one last chance in life.” 

Below, star Shea Whigham speaks with Deadline about his varied career and what it takes to nail physical comedy in a neo-noir film. 

DEADLINE: Director Jeffrey Reiner said he thought you were perfectly cast for this role after seeing you in your role from Boardwalk Empire. What drew you to this particular project? What made you say yes? 

SHEA WHIGHAM: It was gratifying for him to give me this piece and say, “I’ve written it,” maybe not for me, “but with you in mind because of Boardwalk and Eli,” and I was really grateful. So, you definitely take a nice slow burn through a script like that, so I’m thankful to him for giving me this.

DEADLINE: For you and your co-star Carrie Coon, this is a reuniting after sharing screen time in Fargo Season 3. What was it like reuniting and working with each other in this neo-noir, physical comedy kind of way? 

WHIGHAM: This turned out a lot more comedic than I thought, and that was born out of her and I just slipping right back in. She’s an incredible actress. I knew she would really lean into this. You can’t play a funny character funny or a situation funny. You have to go in there and try to find those places, and she’s great to work off of. I always say it’s like she swallowed a light bulb. Her energy is effusive and beautiful to be around. So it didn’t surprise me how good she is in this. I hope that the rest of the world sees it. 

DEADLINE: Both of you do such a great job in the film. The way you play off of each other, I mean not everyone can sell that kind of chemistry. 

WHIGHAM: Right. You can try all you want, but you can’t create chemistry. It’s either there or it’s not. Sometimes, it does unfold in ways you don’t see, but there are other people you meet, and right off the bat, it happens. You could be best friends or be tight with people, but it doesn’t work out on screen. And conversely, to that, you may not get along with someone, but it works on screen. So, with her, and while playing my character, Don, I knew I needed that energy for Don, and she came in and was amazing.

DEADLINE: Let’s get into the relationship between Phyllis and Don. They both fall in with this mobster and both have to pay the price for it. But in their team-up, it seems they both complement each other. It seems Phyllis needs someone more stable and level-headed. At the same time, Don needs someone to remind him that his life does matter. What do you think of their dynamic? 

WHIGHAM: I think that’s an astute observation on your part. These are two people who don’t know that they need each other, but it becomes apparent very quickly in the piece that they do. I say quickly, but really, it’s a slow burn. For someone like Don, who just got out doing a 10-year stint for something without ratting anybody out, he came out and felt guilt. To me, this piece is about guilt and redemption. Don doesn’t get what he wants necessarily [by the] end of the film, but he gets what he needs, which is with his family, and then he also finds Phyllis along the way, and this beautiful relationship ensues. 

DEADLINE: By the end, I was worried that after all they had been through, Phyllis would leave him behind… 

WHIGHAM: Well, that ending is interesting, right? Because it’s left open, and it depends. As the actor, I had to make a personal, concrete choice as to what I thought happened with Don. I couldn’t leave it open. Jeffrey, when you watch it and revisit it, you can see how he shoots it. It definitely leaves the ending open. 

DEADLINE: Oh my god. Are you saying that she might not be there? Or he might be dreaming on the brink of death? Now, I’m having an existential crisis. 

WHIGHAM: That’s beautiful [laughs]. 

DEADLINE: You’re such an everyman type of actor. You’ve done many films and genres outside of a straight horror and romance type. Is there anything you’d like to do that you haven’t done yet? And what do people know you from when you’re out in public? 

WHIGHAM: It depends on how I look. Right now, I think I’d get Boardwalk or Mission: Impossible or Jim Bridger from American Primeval. But when I get approached, it’s nice and respectful. People will want to talk. They don’t come in and say, “Give me a picture.” They’ll say, “Do you mind?” But I try to stay as far under the radar as I can. When it comes to my roles, if a rom-com or horror does come up, my kids love horror. They’re always like, “Pop, why don’t you do a horror?” And I’m like, if the Exorcist comes back around, I’d love to do that. 

DEADLINE: You often switch between these big blockbusters and smaller films. Is there some relief in that? Or does it take more out of you as an actor? 

WHIGHAM: I like the challenge a lot. Getting in the ring with Tom Cruise and having an amazing scene in Mission: Impossible and then doing the same kind of work in projects like Lake George [is rewarding]. Regarding preparation though, it’s never the same way twice for me anymore. I really look at it on a macro level when I start, and then I just keep chiseling away at whatever the piece calls for and read it over and over again. [Sometimes I find myself] walking around, getting into the marrow, talking to myself, and people see me doing that in public, and I’m insane it seems like. It’s all about playing the truth. I don’t care if I’m chasing Cruise all over the world and just missing him, or if I’m Don, what does Don need? He just needs redemption, and he feels guilty. So, there are similarities. 

DEADLINE: Is there any particular technical acting difference in approaching a smaller film versus a bigger blockbuster?  

WHIGHAM: No. Honestly, you’re looking for the truth. You’re working off of another actor. Whether it’s Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, or Carrie, I go from a fantastic season of Fargo to movies like this, and it’s nice. 

DEADLINE: What current films or television shows are catching your eye right now? 

WHIGHAM: I love Sean Baker. I just saw Anora. It blew me away. That’s a guy I would love to get on the floor with. I watch Gary Oldman and anything he does, but currently, Slow Horses, he’s the Bobby Duvall, Gene Hackman and Meryl Streep to me. He’s doing his best work right now. 

DEADLINE: Speaking of Mission: Impossible earlier. What are you looking forward for audiences to see in the upcoming Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning? 

WHIGHAM: I have gotten my hand slapped for just saying the slightest thing. Here’s what I’ll give you. [Christopher] McQuarrie and Cruise are the two most amazing people to be around to make a film with. And it shows, if you look at it, there’s kind of a line of demarcation. You look at Mission pre-McQuarrie and Cruise and then post; I think they’re getting better. And we’re up there now in seven and eight, but five, six, seven, and eight, and they just keep getting better, and they’re amazing to be around. So, more to come as we get closer to that.

 Lake George opens Friday, Dec 6 in select theaters and on streaming 
 [This interview has been edited for length and clarity]