Steven Lippman/SHOWTIME One actor. One show. Four characters. That's par for the course when you're on The Affair.
By adding two new point of views in season two, the Showtime hit has tasked its four stars--Ruth Wilson, Dominic West, Maura Tierney and Joshua Jackson--with playing four versions of their characters. Season one gave us Noah (West) and Allison's (Wilson) versions of the truth, while Helen's (Tierney) POV was introduced in the premiere. And in tonight's episode, Cole (Jackson) finally got to share his truth with viewers...and it was not what we expected at all.
Jackson admits that he was surprised by "the depth of his insecurity" when he first read Cole's POV, saying he loved finally seeing Cole "in a place in his life where he's just undone and how he sees himself now as a failure...riddled with insecurity," as opposed to in season one, where he was the "broad-shouldered guy who can take care of stuff and is competent."
But which version Cole is the most difficult for Jackson to tap into? We asked Jackson, as well as his co-stars, that very question...and their answers were surprising!
Josh Jackson: Allison's POV proved most challenging for Jackson, who explains that he and Wilson "spend an inordinate amount of time on-set" hashing out their character's elaborate backstory and history. "It's unending," he says.
Ruth Wilson: After "going through so much stress and trauma" in Allison's POV in season one, Wilson says she liked the two new versions this season. "They're stronger in a way. My version is always she's slightly a victim, she's the victim of circumstance and other people and doesn't have confidence. Sometimes I'm like, ‘Come on, Allison!'" she explains. "But then you see her in other people's view and she's standing up to people, she's strong. I quite like playing those bits, and because they're brief, they're one scene here and one scene there. They can be quite fun."
Maura Tierney: Season two has been quite an adventure for Tierney, who admits Helen's POV has been the most challenging for her to play. "I'm still figuring it out and they're still writing it and she's evolving," she explains. "At this moment, it's Helen's POV that I don't quite have a finger on yet."
Dominic West: West's answer has changed over time. "Initially, it was the worst one, so Helen's view of me during the divorce or when we hate each other," he says. "Her view of me is I'm this guy and I'm wearing this tight leather jacket, which I hate it—the John Varvatos look—which they keep trying to put me in. This aging rocker look. They had me in this midlife crisis jacket, and a big, arrogant asshole. You find that difficult."
But, West says, "once I was released from that, and co-creator Sarah [Treem] said, ‘Look, it's not your point-of-view,' I loved it. It was great fun, it's great playing villain, especially a real asshole."
The Affair airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on Showtime.
Do you have a favorite version of each other? Or one you can't stand? Sound off in the comments!