Elisha Henig stars as Julian on The Sinner.
How did you get the role of Julian on The Sinner?
For this role I was actually casted entirely from taped auditions and skype sessions. So the first time they met me in person was the first day I arrived on set!
Did you watch season one of the show?
I watched parts of the first season as preparation for my auditions in order to try to understand the general vibe and pace of the show, but I’ve never actually watched it linearly from beginning to end.
What are the challenges of playing Julian? It’s definitely not an easy role!
Most of the scenes for Julian are very emotional, with a lot of intense emotional reactions such as crying, grunting, panicking, and those can be very taxing especially when you have to repeat them many times to cover all the angles and other actors in the scene. It’s also the first role I’ve done that has a character arc that changes throughout the story and that was a challenge, especially when the scenes were not shot in a chronological order.
What is your favorite episode of the year?
I’ve only seen the first one so far! In terms of shooting I think the very last day of shooting, which will happen next week, should be a lot of fun, but I can’t tell you why because that will be a spoiler!
Any fun behind-the-scenes stories you would like to share?
There were a couple of times when I got into the scene maybe a little too much and realized later that I had actually injured myself slightly. It was also very interesting to meet and act with Bill Pullman and towards the last few episodes I found myself involuntarily adopting some of his mannerisms, which was funny. I think I can pull a pretty good Pullman by now.
Do you watch a lot of TV?
We don’t have TV at our home so I only watch things on the internet or streaming. I watch a fair amount but I try to keep enough time for reading, which is probably a good idea for an actor because it keeps your imagination working.
Is there any show you would like to guest-star on?
Maybe Saturday Night Live.
What are your plans after The Sinner?
To go back home and rest for a while, and let’s just say I wouldn’t mind if my next project was a lighthearted comedy.
The Sinner airs on USA every Wednesday at 10/9c.