Interview: Paul Blackthorne Talks The River | Shockya.com

Read Shockya.com's exclusive interview with actor Paul Blackthorne, who can next be sen as producer Clark in the upcoming anticipated ABC horror-thriller series ‘The River.’ The show, which premieres on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 at 9pm ET/PT, was co-created and directed by ‘Paranormal Activity’s writer-helmer Oren Peli. ‘The River’ follows Dr. Emmet Cole (played by Bruce Greenwood), a famed wildlife explorer and TV personality who ventures into the Amazon and never returns. When Emmet’s emergency beacon goes off six months after his disappearance, his wife, Tess (portrayed by Leslie Hope), and his son, Lincoln (played by Joe Anderson), go searching for him.

Tess and Lincoln agree to allow Clark to film the mission for a documentary, in exchange for funding the rescue. The three venture into the Amazon to discover what truly happened to Emmet. Blackthorne discusses with us, among other things, what attracted him to the role of Clark, and he finds appealing about the horror-thriller genre.

Written by: Karen Benardello


ShockYa (SY): In ‘The River,’ you portray Clark, the ex-producer of Dr. Emmet Cole. What attracted you to the role of Clark, and convinced you to appear on the show?

Paul Blackthorne (PB): Well, what attracted me to Clark was the slightly ambiguous nature of his character. Some people might think he’s a self-serving person. But I believe he himself believes he’s doing good things. I was attracted to the fact of, and what appealed to me was, the ambiguous nature of his character, whether he’s good or bad. I guess that makes it a little bit more interesting-is he the good guy or bad guy? I like the ambiguity. So that’s what I liked about the character.

In regards to ‘The River,’ I think the originality of the show was what really appealed to me. It’s as though you’re watching a reality TV show, in the realistic fashion in which it’s portrayed. Also, the paranormal factor, where you’ve got very ordinary people who are about to experience very extraordinary events. In the scope of the paranormal context, I thought it was interesting that you never knew what was going to happen in the next story and the next script.

SY: What was the preparation process like for your role of Clark before you began shooting the series?

PB: Well, I would never bore you with the whole acting process, because that’s terribly boring to hear. But there were certain people in the reality show world that I looked at. I looked at their careers to see what they’ve been up to. But regardless what the man does for a living, he’s a human being. He’s got his needs, he’s got his desires.

I tried to create a character with a background and backstory. I try to think more about his character than what he does for a living.

SY: Oren Peli, the writer and director of ‘Paranormal Activity,’ is one of the co-creators of ‘The River.’ What has it been like working with him?

PB: He’s great. He’s very laid back and insightful. He knows what he’s doing. When you’re in that kind of company, you feel privileged.

SY: Besides ‘The River,’ you’re also known for appearing on such horror-thriller television series as ‘The Dresdon Files’ and ‘The Gates.’ What is it about the genre that you find so appealing, and convinces you to keep returning to it?

PB: Like I was saying before, with the paranormal and sci-fi and fantasy, the story-lines can be stretched around a bit. It’s an unpredictable nature. They’re the classical psychological thriller. You can really create who you want in that world.

That’s the thing with ‘The River.’ There’s some classical, mythological stuff floating around. But they really created a whole new world of paranormal weirdness I’ve never experienced before. Again, that’s what I found interesting.


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