'Preacher' Star Joe Gilgun Discusses a Brand New Kind of Vampire for AMC's Next Drama
Preacher is a cult classic comic book series with arguably the most memorable cast of characters the medium is likely to see, or at least one of the best. Joseph Gilgun brings Cassidy to life for AMC's adaptation, and the actor has the task of bringing a vagabond into an ironically violent world of religion and belief.
Since Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon brought Cassidy to life on the page, vampires have thrived depending on where you stand. They've sparkled, they've been horror monsters. They've seen their time in the spotlight of mainstream entertainment. But Ennis tore down the at the time niche concept of the monsters and ultimately crafted one of the most human depictions of the creature ever written.
Whether Gilgun has considered the fact that Cassidy comes into a post-Twilight world, the actor was blunt. “No,” Gilgun bluntly says. “I don't think about anything at all. I just do. It's very dangerous for me to think. Last time I had a think I had a mental f—-ing breakdown. I just avoid that shit all together if I can.”
Co-star Ruth Negga stated that being a vampire “isn’t the most important thing about Cassidy.” Gilgun agrees. "For the TV show, it's not just about a man who is a vampire. It's about this guy who's 119 and still trying to work sh*t out and deal with it. I think, as the story progresses, the arc of what Sammy [Catlin] and the boys have been doing, I think for me, playing Cassidy, the one shocking thing I've found that I wasn't expecting is absolutely the emotional aspect.”
“I think in the comic he is a bad ass. He's super bad ass,” Gilgun explains. “The reality of it is that he's been alive for 119 years. I'm 32 years old. He's got another 200 years in him. All anyone's done until now is fuck off and leave him. He might have died. Eventually he's doing that thing where he's started to self-sabotage.
"I don't know a soul on earth who hasn't done that. Only Cassidy, with no support and no one around him, just escalates. This is how it works with substance abusers... I think he's lonely. He's this jovial character in the comic. He has moments where he can be a bit of a hero."
For concerned fans, “I've not made him a p—-y. He's hard as nails. The guy's not to be f—-ed with. He's a complete sociopath like the rest of them. That s—t comes as a cost. It's his mental health.”
Source: Comicbook
