Daniel Brühl takes on his first major television role in TNT’s murderously successful limited series, The Alienist.
TNT’s period drama The Alienist has been so successful because of the dedication the cast and crew have paid to the original source material. The adaptation of Caleb Carr’s Gilded Age horror series is not only a feast for the eyes but a lesson for any other studio that wants to dive into period filmmaking for television.
At the center is Daniel Brühl’s title character, Dr. Laszlo Kreizler–a doctor who prides himself as being the most progressive man in the room. But with that intelligence comes an air of superiority and arrogance. Even though Dr. Kreizler is so ahead of his time, he can sometimes be met with suspicion and unease from those who don’t truly understand what he is trying to accomplish.
Brühl embodies Dr. Kreizler with a quiet intensity and a fierce mind. His chemistry and relationship with his co-stars, Luke Evans and Dakota Fanning, solidifies them as one of the most compelling trios of the year.
This is your first real foray into America television. What made you want to want to join The Alienist?
For a long time I wanted to have the privilege of spending time—a long time—with a character, so I was looking to do something on television. I’ve been a fan of such wonderful shows from the US like The West Wing and The Sopranos and other shows from the UK. I wanted to be a part of something where I’d have the luxury in the storytelling. I was immediately attracted by the book, and I knew that when this particular opportunity came along that I wanted to be a part of it.
I’m curious if you read Caleb Carr’s novel since it has such a following.
The script is very accurate to the novel. I made sure to go back to read descriptions of the character. Of course, when you adapt something, you get the freedom to change things. But the script is very accurate—very coherent to the original material.
Laszlo can be pretty difficult. Do you like Dr. Kreizler? Do you have to like the men you play?
When you take on a character, you have to have a certain level of understanding. You have to know what drives him and you have to understand his motivations. Most of the time, I like the characters I play. Kreizler is obsessive, cocky, and anti-social. He has some unpleasant qualities. But he has a good heart pumping. He’s a liberal, modern thinker and a pioneer in his own way. In the end, people will realize that his heart is good.
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One of my favorite relationships is between Laszlo and Mary, played by Q’orianka Kilcher. Since her character doesn’t speak throughout the entire series, how did you establish a relationship for your scenes together?
We really rehearsed that to find the right temperature for that pulse and that tone. We spent quite some time together. Generally, there was a good chemistry among the actors, and we depended a lot on each other. With Q’orianka, I had a good relationship so we really worked hard to create something romantic. It means a lot to Kreizler to open up because of the many issues in his past.
Laszlo and John Moore are such different people, but you get along really well. Can you describe the relationship between the two of you?
Underneath all that cockiness, there is a mutual respect from the Harvard days. John is a protective ally of Kreizler—maybe his only ally from his past. John is a romantic man. He possesses a self-confidence in a way that he moves around New York City. Kreizler is very clever in surrounding himself with people he doesn’t have a lot in common with. It’s a group of social outcasts really.
Your character has a physical disability with his right arm. It’s not as strong as his left. How did you remind yourself of this when you think about Kriezler’s physicality?
When you work for months on a show, you almost forget sometimes. There was one scene in the opera where I
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was clapping, and I had forgotten to take my arm into consideration. I sometimes double or triple check the footage. I even ran to the editing room once because I had to tell the director that we couldn’t use that take in the opera since Kreizler wouldn’t have clapped like that and I remembered after the fact. I eventually had something limiting sewn into my sleeve of my shirt to remind myself.
What I’ve noticed is how timely The Alienist is even though it doesn’t take place at the same time.
The investigation is a guideline but there are many interior journeys. The relationships really remind you what these people have to face. Sarah faces harassment every day. The Isaacsons are always enduring comments from people because they are Jewish. Kreizler is even seen as dangerous or a charlatan for trying to identify the human being behind the mind of a killer. He’s seen as a monster, or a devil even. What’s fascinating is that even in 2018 we are still dealing with these problems that these characters faced in 1868 New York. It’s fascinating because we are still now seeing the differences in class division and the corruption in the police department.
The show itself is a huge hit for TNT. That must be crazy for you since it’s the first time you’ve been on television.
The response has been rather overwhelming. Those numbers are like half my country watching my show. It’s a huge relief since I am playing the title character. But my wife is a psychiatrist. If I let it go to my head, she would bring me back to earth. Don’t worry.
The entire first season of The Alienist is available now online.