How true is FX's true crime miniseries Under the Banner of Heaven?
While the haunting drama, which debuted April 28 on FX on Hulu, is based on the 1984 murders of Brenda Lafferty and her 15-month-old daughter Erica, some creative liberties were taken in the re-telling of the heinous crime. Case in point: Andrew Garfield's Det. Jeb Pyre, the investigator at the heart of the case in the show, is actually a fictional character.
However, as Garfield, 38, explained to E! News in an exclusive interview, he spoke with a real detective to help shape his portrayal of Det. Pyre. "I happened to get get in touch with someone under the promise of anonymity, that was a detective and a Mormon," he said, "and had a similar crisis of faith while working on a case that was connected to the roots of his faith."
According to Garfield, this conversation game him "a great deal of insight," including "the sense of responsibility to live through this struggle in a way that was real and authentic."
Garfield's dedication to the character had series creator Dustin Lance Black applauding the actor as "absolutely the right choice" for the role.
"He was at the perfect age when Mormons often start asking difficult questions of their faith, because their loved ones are starting to pass away and their kids are starting to grow up," he told E! News in a separate interview. "He also is a person who is very curious and thoughtful about faith. You can see that in the choices he's made in his career. You certainly know it once you begin to speak with him. So it was clear to me he was coming into this role with his eyes wide open."
Garfield's prior religious-based roles include conscientious objector Desmond Doss in 2016's Hacksaw Ridge, Jesuit priest Sebastião Rodrigues in 2016's Silence and disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker in 2021's The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
As for Under the Banner of Heaven? The series follows Det. Jeb Pyre (Garfield), a Latter-day Saints "elder who is committed to his Church and family but begins to question some of the Church's teachings through his contact with a suspected murderer," according to the network.
New episodes of FX's Under the Banner of Heaven arrive Thursdays on FX on Hulu.