Michael Shannon and Matthew Macfadyen initially aimed to highlight a turbulent point in American history with <em>Death by Lightning</em>, only for it to take on surreal dimensions with its real-world connections. The Netflix historical series delves into the brief Presidency of James A. Garfield, whose attempts to reform various government structures and advocate for civil rights for African Americans were abruptly halted by his assassination by Charles J. Guiteau.

Shannon and Macfadyen headline the star-studded Death by Lightning cast as Garfield and Guiteau, collaborating with Nick Offerman, Betty Gilpin, Bradley Whitford, and Shea Whigham, marking their seventh project together. This show also represents the latest partnership between Netflix and Game of Thrones veterans David Benioff and D.B. Weiss following their extensive adaptation of 3 Body Problem.

In celebration of the show’s premiere, ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley interviewed Michael Shannon and Matthew Macfadyen to discuss Death by Lightning. The conversation shifted to the show’s timely parallels, particularly the attempted assassination attempts on President Donald Trump in 2024, alongside the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk.

Macfadyen expressed that it became “kind of surreal” working on the Netflix political title in light of these events, especially since the first attempt on Trump occurred “bang in the middle of our shoot in the summer“. He also found it “quite alarming” to be involved in something that is “so prescient and current“.

Matthew Macfadyen: It feels incredibly modern, and sometimes I feel anxious because, like Mike says, it’s not a dusty period piece. It feels really modern. Human behavior doesn’t change, really.

Shannon agreed that there is much in Death by Lightning “that people will recognize in the current situation” of the country, also noting parallels with “Biden stepping aside” during the Presidential election coinciding with the show “filming the convention scenes“, which gave the production team a sense of “a huge wind at our backs“:

Michael Shannon: I just can’t imagine a more relevant story right now, which is so odd because this happened in the late 1800s and yet it feels [all too timely].

Michael Shannon Has Been Hesitant With Taking Some Of His Roles

ScreenRant: Michael, specifically speaking to you, one of the brilliant scenes in Death by Lightning is in that first episode when we have the Republican National Convention and everyone’s rallying around James, even though he’s not yet on the ticket; he is being willed into this nomination. To flip it on you as an actor, has that ever happened for you regarding a role—something you were hesitant to take on but were encouraged by friends, family, or fans to pursue?

Michael Shannon: So many times it would be hard to name them all in this brief interview. Yes, fairly constantly. I’ve played Elvis, I’ve played George Jones, I’ve played a president, I’ve played a Mossad agent who grew up in a concentration camp. Each time people reach out, I find myself asking, “Are you sure? Is it really me that you’re looking for?” But it’s thrilling to receive opportunities that you thought you’d never get. That’s what keeps it interesting at the end of the day. Often I feel kind of like Chauncey Gardiner from Being There; I show up and there’s Shirley MacLaine thinking I’m all that when I’m just this guy. Maybe that’s a bit falsely modest; I don’t know. But yes, I do.

Here you can find the original article; the photos and images used in our article also come from this source. We are not their authors; they have been used solely for informational purposes with proper attribution to their original source.[/nospin]

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