EXCLUSIVE | 'Reprisal' star W Earl Brown on how the show was 'gloriously weird' and 'right up my alley'
Hulu's 'Reprisal' is a revenge drama with a femme fatale leading it. Once upon a time several years ago, Abigail Spencer's Doris Quinn was wronged by her brother and those closest to her.
Left for dead, Doris has risen out of the ashes of what was once left of her. And while revenge is a dish best served cold, it doesn't come easy.
To avenge herself, Doris must find a crew. The plan is to rob Burt's Bang-A-Rang, a nightclub and the world of pin-ups and merry-making for The Banished Brawlers, which is also their headquarters.
And Doris is not going to find this team herself. So when she happens to cross paths with Witt (played by W Earl Brown), together they start looking for recruits.
Witt, as we discover later, works for The Banished Brawlers, for Doris' brother Burt. And as we discover much much later, is in love with Katherine Harlow, the woman Doris was before she was left for dead.
Witt's character is an interesting one. Throughout the time that he is working with Katherine Harlow right under the nose of The Banished Brawlers, there is admiration, and might we say a certain longing for her — something that even if he wishes he could act on, isn't something he can bring himself to do.
W Earl Brown, in an exclusive chat with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), confirms Witt's feelings. "He was in love with her, which made it easy for her to manipulate him," he tells us.
It is true that Katherine manipulated Witt, who further manipulated Ethan (Mena Massoud) into working for her without really knowing that he is working for her. But it also shows just how opportunistic Katherine is.
Brown is very careful about choosing his work. "I don't like boring and staid material," he says. "'Reprisal' was the exact opposite of that, it was gloriously weird. Its sensibilities were right up my alley."
As we follow Doris Quinn/ Katherine Harlow on her quest, there are a lot of ups and downs along the way. And while it is easy to fall victim to revenge drama tropes, Brown believes that "it doesn't look, or play, like other similarly-themed shows".
So does 'Reprisal' get a Season 2? Even though Katherine got herself successfully avenged, the show kept the conclusion of season 1 open-ended. There are multiple plotlines that can be explored should the series return for a second season. But we can't know for sure. "I have no idea. Witt is dead, so if there is a second season, I won’t be part of it. As a fan, I hope there will be more to come."
There is little that Brown can tell us about what is in the pipeline for him. "I have an NDA on the show I've been recently working on as an actor, so I can't blow the trumpet. Other than that, I’m trying to get a horror film I’ve written off the ground and into production next year."
Season 1 of 'Reprisal' is currently streaming on Hulu.