Godless - Interview with Jeff Daniels, Scoot McNairy & Merritt Wever

Every few years we get a full fledged Western comes our way that satisfies the cowboy and cowgirls in all of us.  Hence, look out for GODLESS, the new seven part series on NETFLIX that begins streaming on November 22nd. 

It's not just a terrific new Western, it's a top-notch production that can stand tall with any of TV's best current dramas.

A visual stunner packed with rip-roaring characters and classic Western elements, "Godless" is a veritable bonanza of frontier fun. There are despicable villains to hiss, stoic heroes to root for, suspenseful showdowns that quicken the pulse, sweeping panoramas that widen the eyes and straight-shootin' dialogue that inspires plenty of grins along the twisting trail.

Jack O'Connell stars as Roy Goode, a  gunman who has bolted from the outlaw gang led by ruthless Frank Griffin (Jeff Daniels, sporting a white beard and a black-hearted demeanor). Injured and on the run from the revenge-minded Griffin, Roy finds a safe haven at the ranch of an independent widower, Alice Fletcher (Michelle Dockery).

Roy learns that he is in the isolated mining town of La Belle, New Mexico. It is a community governed mostly by women after a disastrous accident killed most of the men. He also learns that Alice, something of an outcast herself, may be a kindred spirit.

Yes, Roy wants to leave his criminal past behind, but you know that's not happening without a fight (several fights, in fact). How will Alice and the good citizens of La Belle react when they learn that Griffin and his brutal band are headed their way?

Now, this is merely the beginning of the trail.  One of the great joys of this Western journey is that you're constantly encountering an ideally cast player in a delightful role: Scoot McNairy as La Belle's determined sheriff, Bill McNue; Merritt Wever as the sheriff's strong-willed sister, Mary Agnes; Thomas Brodie-Sangster as McNue's young deputy, Whitey Winn; Sam Waterston (looking very Sam Elliott) as Marshal John Cook; Jeremy Bobb as newspaper editor A.T. Grigg; Kim Coates as a pompous newcomer to La Belle; and Christine Seidel as the mysterious Martha.

Let me add that the series is produced by none other than Steven Soderbergh and directed by Scott Frank. 

Merritt Wever in Godless

I spoke with stars Jeff Daniels, Scoot McNairy and Merritt Wever in Los Angeles about working on this amazing Western and how impressed they were about the production value of the project.  Click below for the interviews.