‘Manhunt’ Cast on Digging Up Untold History of Lincoln Assassination (VIDEO)
Everyone knows the name John Wilkes Booth. The actor shot U.S. president Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in 1865, only five days after Union forces won the Civil War. But have you heard of Edwin M. Stanton, the driven secretary of war and close friend of Lincoln who led the ensuing manhunt to nab the assassin?
His life-risking 12-day pursuit through a fractured nation is brought to life in Manhunt, a seven-episode limited drama based on James L. Swanson’s 2006 bestseller and starring Tobias Menzies.
“Stanton’s not necessarily straightforwardly likable; he’s fierce, uncompromising,” says Menzies, who counts him among the “deeply complex and contradictory” types he’s drawn to play, such as Prince Philip in The Crown, for which he won an Emmy, and sadistic “Black Jack” Randall in Outlander.
Booth (Anthony Boyle), who sees himself as a hero, eludes capture, despite a broken leg, with the help of a secret Confederate network. Stanton hunts down the traitors and coolly questions them, assuring some they will hang — and they do.
“It’s personal and political [for him],” Menzies says. Not only is he avenging his friend’s death — flashbacks show the depth of the bond between Stanton and Lincoln (Hamish Linklater) — but the longtime abolitionist is also defending the newfound freedoms of African Americans.
Stanton even ignores doctor’s orders for bed rest to recover from one of his severe asthma attacks.
“He’s pushed to his limits emotionally and physically, traveling across large areas, no sleep. Is he going to get Booth first or is he going to die?” says Menzies, who had his own way of coping with the fact that Booth was a fellow member of his profession. “I held the idea that maybe he wasn’t a very good actor.”
Manhunt‘s actors preview the historical drama in the video interview above, revealing the depths of research they each went into for their roles and more. Dive deep into the drama with stars Boyle, Linklater, Matt Walsh, Lovie Simone, Brandon Flynn, and executive producer Monica Beletsky in the TCA 2024 interview above, and see this untold history come to life when the series premieres March 15 on Apple TV+.
Manhunt, Series Premiere, Friday, March 15, Apple TV+
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