Season three of FX’s vampire creature-feature “The Strain” ended with a bang — literally. A nuclear blast in the heart of New York gave control of the city over to the undead Strigoi menace and sent doctor Ephraim “Eph” Goodweather (Corey Stoll) scrambling into hiding. “It’s looking pretty grim,” Stoll told amNewYork.
Before the fourth — and final — season of “The Strain”, we spoke with the 41-year-old actor about endings, beginnings and making the constant leap between stage and screen.
Where do we find Eph?
I’m finally out of New York. I’m living literally and figuratively underground in Philadelphia. I have no interest in being in any part of a resistance. I have no real friends or associates, certainly no family, and I’m trading medical care for food and supplies. Very quickly I get wrapped up with some people who are very idealistic and are fighting back and I really don’t want anything to do with it.
How did moving the show out of New York change the tone?
I think everybody is starting off at an incredibly low point, but the size of the world of the show has gotten bigger. There’s a loneliness to it. In the first season there was this great sense of a team of unlikely strangers forming. By the time we get to season four, we’re scattered around the country. It’s pretty grim in terms of the chances of fighting back against this new regime.
You recently did Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” in Central Park. What skill has the most crossover from stage to television?
Television is a lot closer to stage acting than film acting is. You have this character that you get to develop over a period of time. With a play you’re obviously doing the same events and the same words night after night, but over time from show to show, week to week, it deepens. It becomes richer. You’re informed in a way that’s really satisfying. It’s the same way with a TV show. You’re living with this character over years.
So, what’s the biggest change you’ve seen in Eph over the years?
He’s come face to face with his limitations and his failures. Eph started in the pilot as cocky and self-assured as possible. He did have a lot to be cocky about. He was incredibly bright and intuitive, but as we saw very quickly his expertise was never going to be able to solve the problem at hand. By season four, he’s pretty relegated to that. He started off thinking he can solve everything through scientific means, and by now he’s beyond just skeptical. He’s really a cynic. A lot of the journey of the final season is him believing that he can make a difference again.
On TV The fourth season of “The Strain” premieres on July 16 at 10 p.m. on FX.
