Warning: This article contains spoilers for the finale of HBO’sThe Outsider.
“They were some of the worst days,” says the Australian actor, who played Det.
Ralph Anderson in the HBO crime series based onStephen King’s novel of the same name.
Credit: Bob Mahoney/HBO
“Those were tough days, intensely difficult… awful fing days.”
Don’t hold anything back, Ben!
Plus, did Holly’s final words to Ralph mean there will be a second season ofThe Outsider?
Bob Mahoney/HBO
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let’s start with those caves.
They were in the great state of Tennessee or the great state of Alabama.
I know we were staying in one and traveling to the other, so they’re in the borderlands.
I might have erased them due to the traumatic PTSD thing [after the shooting].
By the time we hit those caves, boy, we were in bad shape.
The caves were like OMG.
We’d done the shootout and that was an incredibly tough series of days.
But we kind felt like, okay, that’s it.
We’ve just had it as bad as we can get it.Forget it.
Now, here’s the thing…
It started to become a body count.
So the shootout was horrendous, and then we immediately shot the cave scenes and were gobsmacked.
So you had a bad day at work; that’s why they call itwork.
Sometimes it ain’t easy.
So I’m not moaning, I’m not complaining.
But it really like, oh man.
They were some of the toughest weeks I have worked in my 30-odd years.
If we didn’t go and get him, if we didn’t go in and finish the job…
I’m not trying to be trivial here.
That’s really important that I say that.
If Ralph and Holly can’t, who can?
That’s the whole point.
It was almost impossible odds, but you have to do it because the alternative is unthinkable.
You’ve got to follow through.
I couldn’t be entirely sure, but that was my guess.
I saw that as a sort of a psychic attack.
Yeah, it’s great, isn’t it?
And I love that they are confused about it because there’s an aliveness to it.
I might say at that moment, who gives an F?
It doesn’t matter to her.
What about that look you shared with Holly after you threw the rock down on the creature?
Is that another one up for interpretation?
I really do think so.
I think it’s the look of two people who think, “Have we concluded?
Are we done here?
Or WTF was that?”
That’s important to me as a participant, that people get genuine value out of what we do.
I believe we need stories.
We’ve always needed stories.
I am delighted it’s turned down as well as it has.
I have to ask you about Holly’s look when Ralph ask her what else is out there.
Isn’t that great?
Isn’t that fing awesome?
I was so proud of her of that day.
You have no idea the love I had for Cynthia when that was her reaction.
Like, I just was so happy.
She just made me feel 10o feet tall.
It was just beautiful.
So, is there a next chapter of this?
What are they telling you?
So no one knows.
That’s the God’s honest truth.
Were you sad when production onThe Outsiderwas over?
No, I wasn’t sad at all.
Make no mistake, that was a brutal one.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
