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| Hettienne Park. Photo Credit: Eric Lacour |
Bryan Fuller has been taking us on a journey to the early years of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant forensic pshychiatrist and a cannibalistic serial killer and his relationship with Will Graham, a gifted FBI profiler, disturbed with his ability to empathize with the serial killers of the cases he works on.
Being part of a story like that has certainly an impact on its cast and Hettienne Park, who plays crime scene investigator Beverly Katz, took some time to tell us about this experience. Check it out!
SpoilerTV: Let’s start off by talking about your career on Broadway. You’ve won awards for both your Broadway and Off-Broadway debuts, right?
Hettienne Park: Yes, that’s right. I was awarded the Theatre World Award for Tony Kushner’s, Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism & Socialism With a Key to the Scriptures at the Public Theater, and Seminar by Theresa Rebeck on Broadway. I had the rare privilege of making my Broadway and Off-Debut debuts in the same year.
SpoilerTV: Do you still play the piano?
Hettienne Park: I like to tinker on the keys now and then.
SpoilerTv: And which do you prefer: theater or TV?
Hettienne Park: Truly, I love both.
SpoilerTV: Hannibal is an intense psychological thriller and we can see how focused the whole cast is in the scenes. Were you a fan of the films? And can you take us through how you got the role of Beverly Katz?
Hettienne Park: Bryan Fuller, the creator of Hannibal, saw me on stage in Seminar. And then I was invited to audition for Beverly Katz. And then I got offered the role.
SpoilerTV: How do you prepare to play your character? Did you have to take any special training classes for the role?
Hettienne Park: We worked with a forensics expert who gave us a crash course on processing crime scenes. We also had real life SWAT guys on set in several scenes with us, so they would coach me on firearms, protocols, procedures.
SpoilerTV: Speaking from the viewer point of view, it is really shocking to watch the FBI working with a cannibal psychopath and having no clue about it. Will the FBI (or Will, for that matter) ever know who Dr. Lecter really is?
Hettienne Park: Hannibal Lecter is not your average criminal. His supreme intelligence and cunning always keeps him a step or two ahead of us. He’s got professional credentials, personal references, tremendous success, respect…and he’s also quite a charmer. I mean, how well do any of us really know the people we work with? Hannibal is the prequel to Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs, so sooner or later somebody is going to figure out who Dr. Lecter really is.
SpoilerTV: Is your character going to be invited to eat one of your Dr. Lecter’s exquisite recipes as well? Lol I can’t express in words how much I get grossed out whenever he has a guest for dinner!
Hettienne Park: I don’t want to give up any spoilers, so you’ll just have to tune in to find out.
SpoilerTV: What’s been the best/most intense scene you’ve been involved in so far? And what are the acting challenges when it comes to a show like Hannibal?
Hettienne Park: It’s impossible to narrow it down. Every single episode involves something awesome and intense. I guess as an actor, for me personally, it’s challenging not being too affected by what’s going on in the story. My character has to compartmentalize her emotions so she can do her job. And she’s also extremely brave in my opinion. These are things I struggle with in real life. I have a really hard time just reading the news sometimes. And I don’t have the stomach for violence.
SpoilerTV: Any juicy teases you can share with us? What are you looking forward to the most?
Hettienne Park: Well, I know Bryan’s got seven seasons mapped out. If the audience demand is there – which I do believe it is – and Hannibal gets to live on, I’m most looking forward to the finale episode of that final season. Fuller is the most creative, gifted, and twisted minds I’ve ever known. And I’m dying to see where it goes. And a juicy tease?....If you like sausage, stay tuned for some recipe ideas. EAT THE RUDE!
And how does that sound for dinner? Follow Hettienne Park and Hannibal on twitter. Catch Hannibal on NBC on Thursdays 10/9c.
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