Matthew Rhys’ dogged pursuit of justice in ‘Perry Mason’

Matthew Rhys slips into the skin of the famous fictional private investigator in M-Net’s upcoming period drama, “Perry Mason”. Picture: Courtesy of M-Net

Matthew Rhys slips into the skin of the famous fictional private investigator in M-Net’s upcoming period drama, “Perry Mason”. Picture: Courtesy of M-Net

Published Jul 5, 2020

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Matthew Rhys is back on the small screen in M-Net’s upcoming period drama, “Perry Mason”, which is based on author Erle Stanley Gardner’s novel of the same title. 

Fans will remember Rhys from “Brothers & Sisters” and “The Americans”. Once again, he delivers a mind blowing performance in a role far removed from his other recent TV characters. 

The mini-series, which is written and developed by Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald, is set in Los Angeles during the Great Depression. Perry Mason, a down on his luck private investigator, who is retained for a high-profile child kidnapping case. The more he delves into the circumstances around the kidnapping, the more he unsettles prominent and influential figures. 

In a recent virtual junket for “Perry Mason”, executive producer Susan Downey (wife of Robert Downey Jr.) and director Tim Van Patten shed light on the show. 

Downey kicked things off. She said: "Team Downey (the production company founded by the couple) originally brought the idea of doing it as a feature film. 

We played with it for a while but realised there were so many facets that, to do it in a two hour timeframe, wouldn't be doing it justice. So, we pivoted to television and we were very excited to try and tell the story of our three leads (Perry Mason, Della Street and Paul Drake) - but primarily Perry - as outsiders taking on all the bigger systems and organisations and the corruption that lies within. 

“It was actually our show runners - Ron Fitzgerald and Rolin Jones - who suggested taking a step further back to his origin story and bring him up to being a lawyer. 

"It was really our ambition to follow the journey of somebody who is very much an outsider in this incredibly bustling city, try to come in and take on these larger forces. To create that outsider element, we decided it was best to portray him pre-lawyer and that's how the origin story came about.”

Van Patten weighed in: “When we find Perry, he's in a state of paralysis. That's an element typical of noir, where you're introduced to a character who's just drifting along in his life, somewhat disconnected. 

"He's doing detective work, he's doing some bottom feeding; he's just in a state of paralysis and as the show goes on, you realise a lot of this came from his experience in World War One and also that he had a broken marriage and lost a child. 

"He's alone and isolated physically in the burgeoning community of San Fernando Valley; if he catches this case, it will change his life.”

On the director’s overall vision for the series, he shared: “If you'd come to me and said, ‘We're going to do the Perry Mason story and it's going to be in a courtroom all the time’, I'd be like, ‘Err, I'm not interested’. 

“As a storyteller, I'm always looking to work from the inside out of a character. What makes a character a character and being there from the beginning, that's the journey for me. And that's the journey of the whole season actually. You get to create the physical world around him which is exciting, and it's a great period of time.”

To date, there have been other “Perry Mason” TV series and movies, which dates back to the late ‘50s. But the character remains timeless and relevant. 

Downey added: “There's always something interesting about someone who has a dogged pursuit of justice and what makes Perry even more interesting is while he has that, and he has his own moral compass, he's not some purist; he is willing to break some rules and bend some laws if he knows he's ultimately going for a result that is the greater good.”

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Interestingly, Downey Jr. was earmarked for the role but due to a scheduling conflict, it went to Rhys. 

“Matthew is totally accessible, as a person and as a performer. He's the exact right actor in the exact right role in the same way James Gandolfini was Tony Soprano. 

"Matthew is the perfect collision of this particular human being and this particular part because there's a lot of drama and there's a thin line with the comedy. Matthew knows exactly where he's at and where it's appropriate. He's so well prepared, it gives him a freedom to play within the scene. 

"He brings a lot to the table. As a director, he only makes me look better because he's so darn good,” added Van Patten

"Perry Mason" starts on M-Net (DStv channel 101) on Tuesday, July 28 at 10pm. The first episode is currently on DStv Catch Up. 

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