Long before audiences actually met Wayne Whittaker in the gripping series Lucky, his menacing reputation had already been established. Characters whispered about his formidable presence, setting the stage for a character shrouded in mystery and fear.
While some seasoned actors with extensive filmographies might easily overlook a character like Wayne due to his limited screen time, William Fichtner, a distinguished character actor, found the enigmatic mentions about Whittaker too intriguing to pass up. His reputation alone was compelling enough to keep Fichtner engrossed in the screenplay.
“As an actor, it’s a delight to portray a character who is talked about before he even appears on screen. Questions like ‘What does Wayne think? Did you consult Wayne on this?’ create an intriguing aura,” Fichtner shared in an interview with DECIDER, comfortably seated in his exquisite “man cave.” This phenomenon teased Wayne’s looming presence, making his eventual appearance even more theatrical.
In the Apple TV crime series, Wayne’s first appearance might be in the latter part of Episode 2, but it’s unforgettable. Clad in luxe sweats, sipping homemade green juice, and residing in an ostentatious mansion perched in the Hollywood Hills, Wayne’s introduction culminates in a shocking display of brutality against his ex, Priscilla, portrayed by Annette Bening. By the series’ fifth episode, Wayne exits with a climactic flourish, and Fichtner expresses his satisfaction with the dramatic conclusion.
“I’m immensely proud of our work on Lucky. You can never predict the outcome of a project,” Fichtner remarked. ”But I believe that those who watch all the way through to Episode 7 will find it well worth their time.” His enthusiasm underscores the series’ ability to engage and surprise viewers right up to the finale.
Despite Fichtner’s penchant for playing fractured, fear-instilling characters, the actor is as lovely in real life as his co-star Bening promised. So after watching Wayne unleash his wrath on Priscilla, show nearly non-existent levels of empathy over the death of his son Cary (Drew Starkey), and order the murders of Lucky (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her dad John (Timothy Olyphant), hearing the Lucky star thoughtfully break down his performance is quite the trip.
In honor of Lucky‘s finale, Fichtner spoke with DECIDER about bringing his complex character from page to screen, working with Bening, what music he had on his Wayne Whittaker playlist, that big finale twist, and more.
DECIDER: You’ve spoken about not choosing roles based on the salary or the size. When you were reading these scripts, what first piqued your interest about Whittaker, or was the deciding factor?
WILLIAM FICHTNER: Because it was a limited series, we had the opportunity to read all of it. So even though Wayne was scattered throughout, it felt like the whole thing — start to finish — I enjoyed the journey. Very much so. Good writing is good writing. And Wayne’s one of those characters that, for an actor, it’s lovely to have a character that, before he even shows up, people are talking about him. “What does Wayne think? Did you talk to Wayne about this?” That’s a cool place to be. So by the time he shows up, he’s already had such a great intro. But especially when you get to Episode 7, the finale, everything’s on the table. It’s literally soup to nuts. You find out everything. And it’s just really cool.
When we finally meet him at the end of Episode 2, he’s wearing this expensive-looking sweatsuit. He’s got some jewelry. He’s making a smoothie in this gorgeous mansion. What did those details tell you about him?
I have to give props to our costume designer, Christine Wada. I’ve not seen the finale, but when I watched the first six episodes of Lucky, her work is so amazing in defining even Annette’s character, Priscilla. Her look is just so spot-on, and Christine creates this earthy look for Wayne that gives you so much. It’s kind of not what you’re expecting, but what it told me is that he lives in this incredible place that I don’t think a lot of people get to go into. Priscilla does, because she is a unique person in Wayne’s life, even with the ups and downs and the intensity between them. But you take somebody who has a place like this, and he has this health [obsession]. “I’m gonna treat my body a certain way.” He’s not a drug crazy guy. He’s going to treat his life a certain way. He’s going to live protected. He’s got to live separately. He has all of these things, and they add up, and it’s like, “Wow. You’re just that alone.” Without me even looking, it’s giving me so much about how somebody exists, and how they live, and what’s important to them. And all of that pays off for me as an actor. You just keep putting these pieces together and peeling another layer off.
I read that you make soundtracks for your character. Did you do that to better connect with Wayne as well?
Yeah, I actually did. Usually when I finish something, I don’t tend to go back and hit the playlist. I’m too stuck on 70s on 7, and my wife refuses to let me go with 60s on 6. That ship has sailed. She’s like, I’m sorry, honey. [Laughs] But there was some rock and roll in there. There was INXS; there were some very sexy, cool rhythms.
Emotionally and physically, you share intense scenes with the great Annette Bening. What was it like working so closely with her and developing that toxic, very lived-in dynamic?
An absolute joy from the very moment that I met her. I mean that. I’m such a huge fan of her. I remember seeing Annette in a play called Coastal Disturbances back in the late 80s in New York, and just thinking, “Oh my God, who is this actress?” And the entirety of her career. And then here we have this first scene in Episode 2 in this beautiful mansion, and Annette comes in, and just the way she is in that scene, there’s a quality about her that you can’t act and you can’t play. It’s you. And she has that. She’s very alive, and when she comes in, it just pours out of her like Priscilla does. That dynamic of who she is and what she has to say and what is written in the script, and what Wayne has to say because Priscilla’s like “BOOM!” And Wayne is like, “That’s your problem.” So when you have all of that, and you put it together, and you have an amazing set, great writing, and an actress like that, let’s just stay out of the way and see what happens.
What was your initial reaction when you found out how Wayne was going to die?
Well, I kind of knew — I think it was mentioned somewhere along the line what would happen to Wayne in the end. But I must say, as the season unfolded, and we shot everything, and you get to that final thing… If Wayne had a blind spot, it was Priscilla, because no way did he see that coming. No way. Which is really fascinating. So if Wayne trusted anything in his very twisted dynamic and relationship, it was the trust that he had with her.
Whitaker is isolated in his house for most of his scenes. What was it like to come together with Annette and Anya Taylor-Joy and Timothy Oliphant, who I know was in Go, to film those big dialog-heavy finale scenes?
The whole ending was four or five intense days up in the north of LA in these like high desert oil fields. I remember that, mark my words, it never dipped below 100 degrees for five days. And that’s intense, but it all goes back to, “If it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage.”
That’s really a well-written sequence. I have not seen the final episode yet completed, but it’s funny. Yesterday I went back, and I looked over Episode 7 again and was re-reminded. I remember it, but then I remembered all the details, and I thought, “Wow, no wonder you read this episode and were like, ‘I’m in!’” It’s such a great sequence that happens from the car ride, which I have to tell you was probably my favorite scene to shoot in the whole thing, being with Annette in that car getting to that finale showdown. I love the dynamics in that scene between the two of us. It’s different colors for Wayne and Priscilla, but a really cool scene.
He opens up about his father’s abuse and finally expresses something resembling the bare minimum of empathy for Priscilla’s loss, only to conclude by saying he never had a kid. Do you think there’s any part of him that felt that loss of Cary?
Honestly? I don’t, and it’s not heartless; it’s more of the way that Wayne lives. That’s the way I always read it. It’s what he says to her in the car at the end. “I told you from the beginning, this is your journey. I’m not taking this journey.” He just says, to me, “This has always been on the table. And maybe I should have expressed that sooner, my remorse about what had happened to him. But you know, and I know, that I was never going to be anything but what I was.”
Looking back at the bittersweet limited series experience, what’s your takeaway?
I’m just really proud of what happened with Lucky. You never know how something’s gonna come out. I remember when I watched the first episode when it aired, I thought, “Okay, all right. All right, they put the script in a cannon and blew it out. Great.” And Anya was just riveting, and I just enjoyed it. I’m really proud to be a part of it. And I think if people tune in and get to Episode 7, the finale, then they’re not going to be disappointed.
Your first IMDb credit was in 1989. Nearly four decades later, is there any specific role, or genre, or collaborator you’re still very eager to pursue?
The people that are out there and directors who I haven’t worked with, who I would love to, the list is so long I couldn’t even get into it. And there are so many actors that I’ve never met who I would like to work with. But there are only so many hours in a day. And it happens all the time that you get a chance to work with someone, and you’re like, “Wow, that was really special.” A couple of years ago I worked on a little indie film [Cutman] in Upstate New York with a 10-year-old girl from Long Island named Caroline Concannon, and she plays this daughter of a heroin addict, and we have this friendship, and I am an angel for her. One of the best experiences I ever had was with this 10-year-old; it was just such a remarkable thing. A remarkable human being and actress, and that’s exciting stuff. So you never know what’s gonna come [into your life]; you can’t plan it.
For people who are becoming new fans of yours through streaming, be it through new shows like Lucky or older ones like Prison Break, is there a project you worked on that you don’t feel got the attention or love you thought it deserved that you recommend they go back and watch?
I love Talamasca, which is why I’m really glad it’s coming out on Netflix. I think there are several reasons why it isn’t going for a second season, but I do think that Netflix will certainly help the journey of that show. And it was one of the better times I ever had.
I’ll also add The Company You Keep, which I loved and was canceled far too soon. Love Milo Ventimiglia. Loved your Prison Break reunion with Sarah Wayne Callies.
Oh I love Milo. I love Sarah. Literally just a few days ago I sent both of them a message out of the blue. I haven’t seen Milo in a while, haven’t seen Sarah. I just woke up like three days ago, and I’m like, “I gotta check in with them.”
Well, as always, I’m ready for the reboot.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Lucky Season 1 is now streaming on Apple TV.