EXCLUSIVE | 'Ozark' actor Tom Pelphrey says he found Ben's 'honest connection' with Wendy, Ruth very relatable
In its third season, 'Ozark' unpeeled a set of uncanny human relationships and insecurities. Perhaps, one of the most striking characters was Ben Davis, who is introduced in the show as Wendy Byrde's (Laura Linney) younger brother.
Played by Tom Pelphrey, the character suffers from a bipolar disorder and in his introduction scene, he explodes in a fit of rage. The actor, who has been a part of television shows like 'Guiding Light', 'As the World Turns', 'Banshee' and 'Iron Fist', opened up about his role in an exclusive interview with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW).
For a show that already had a brilliant cast in its first two installments, adding Pelphrey was like a feather in the cap. Shedding light on how he came on board, the 37-year old said, "Ozark is cast by Alexa Fogel, with whom I have a relationship going back fifteen years. When the role of Ben came up, Alexa thought of me. I didn’t have access to any scripts before my audition, but as a fan of the show (having loved seasons one and two), I was excited at the idea of being a part of that world and part of that show."
While Ben is an extremely complicated character, Pelphrey did point out a few things that were relatable and appealed the most to him. "What I found most appealing about Ben was his innate sense of justice. I related to his desire to cultivate an honest connection with the people around him, especially Ruth, Jonah, and Wendy.
Ben goes on to have a close relationship with Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) and cares about her more than anyone else. Not just that, his bond with his sister and her son Jonah Byrde (Skylar Gaertner) was the highlight of the season and who knows it may probably turn Jonah against his own mother if season four is greenlit by Netflix.
Talking about his character, Pelphrey also said, "Well, the biggest elephant in the room is Ben being unaware of the 'family business'. To that end, his honesty is at odds with the secrecy and discretion required in that world." Now, that the series is out on the streaming site, we can say that Ben's honesty created chaos in the lives of Byrdes and ultimately led to his death. If not for that, we may have seen his character grow and be a part of the next season too.
‘Ozark’ has introduced us to several strong and unapologetic female characters and they seem to have overpowered their male counterparts in the second and third season. Talking about that, Pelphrey said, "The women on the show are incredibly talented, formidable actors, and powerful human beings. I think the writers were smart to recognize that, and take great advantage of an abundance of riches."
Moreover, he also revealed a "memorable moment" from the sets with the gifted actors behind those badass characters. Opening up about what happened behind-the-scenes, he said, "Janet McTeer and Laura Linney walked me through how and why I should be cleaning my kitchen more often." Doesn't that image make your heart squeal with delight?
Well, it's sad that Pelphrey won't be a part of the next season, now that his character is dead. But, don't worry, there's more to look forward to. "I recently finished filming 'Mank' for Netflix, a David Fincher film about Herman Mankiewicz (who wrote Citizen Kane) starring Gary Oldman!" he signed off.