‘A Man in Full’ Star Jeff Daniels on Embracing Charlie Croker’s ‘Larger Than Life’ Character
Jeff Daniels is no stranger to commanding the screen, but he’s taking things up another notch in Netflix‘s new David E. Kelley series A Man in Full.
Stepping into the shoes of Atlanta real estate mogul Charlie Croker, Daniels puts on a larger-than-life accent and steals the spotlight as the businessman is faced with sudden bankruptcy. As political and business interests collide, Charlie tries to maintain control of his real estate empire without falling from grace.
Mark Hill/Netflix
It’s a tightrope act, but one that the performer was more than happy to take on. “He is the star of his own show,” Daniels tells TV Insider of Charlie. “And he’s not just a guy walking through life. He is a guy who wants everyone to notice when he comes in the room. And that’s very starlike. That’s fun. That’s larger than life.”
“Even the accent I had to come up with,” Daniels notes. And viewers won’t take too long to pick up on the thick drawl Daniels is serving up in the six-episode series directed by Regina King and Thomas Schlamme. “The Southern accent had to be larger than life. [Author] Tom Wolfe wrote that his accent was at times indecipherable. You couldn’t understand what he was saying.”
Ultimately, Daniels points out, that the tale of Charlie Croker is “the destruction of a man’s man, the male ego… It’s like the end of an era, and certainly, the country and society have gotten over people like Charlie Croker, but this show actually watches him destruct. It’s a lot of fun.”
As for potential inspirations behind the character, Daniels acknowledges the book written by Wolfe as the main influence. “The book was written in the late nineties, and I read that Tom Wolf based it on three people and actually talked to some people in Atlanta who knew the people that Tom Wolf based it on,” the actor shares. But if viewers notice a resemblance to other figures, it’s not exactly a mistake. “What’s happening with Trump and others who have overextended themselves today or who maybe are acting like they’re worth more than they really are, it’s relevant. Let’s just say that.”
Don’t miss Daniels in A Man in Full when the series premieres on Netflix, and catch his full interview in the video, above.
A Man in Full, Series Premiere, Thursday, May 2, Netflix
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