[Trending News] Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden on the Grief of ‘Paradise’

Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden star as Xavier Collins and President Cal Bradford in Paradise. New episodes stream Tuesdays on Hulu.

Paradise is set in a serene, wealthy community inhabited by some of the world’s most prominent individuals. But this tranquility explodes when a shocking murder occurs and a high stakes investigation unfolds.

“I mean, it’s an unavoidable part of the human experience and this is what Dan [Fogelman] does so expertly, is he can take this concept of this world that has been created, and then you throw in this catastrophic event and you see who people really become in those moments,” Marsden shared. “Grief, I think, to me, pulls into focus every emotion, but also, what is important to you? What do you stand for? And for some people going through it, that person or whatever it is that caused the grief is gone forever and here you are having to deal with that, it’s part of the human condition and also, to figure out a way of going through that and not around it, right? We learned that you have to actually hit that head-on. But yeah, I think it’s a storytelling mechanism, of course, for this, because it provides a lot of drama to the story.”

“I find the response to grief is very interesting and everybody has their own take. I think sometimes it hardens you. I think in maybe Sinatra’s case, there’s a hardening that takes place. I think a numbing, to a certain extent, for Xavier, who’s just trying to figure out a way to continue to do his job and make sure that his children survive,” Brown, who is also an executive producer, expressed. “I think he’s more in survival mode than he’s like, ‘Oh, what wonderful opportunities to explore now that I have a new lease on life.’ He doesn’t feel that because he’s missing his partner, right? The regret that your character goes through, like, listen, you and Sinatra too, you may not express it the same way that Sinatra is, but the wealth of responsibility for the loss that has transpired is enormous. And so, you’re right, it does bring into focus what is important. I would say for Xavier, just putting one foot in front of the other, because I don’t think he knows how to fully live. I think he knows how to survive, that’s where he is right now.”

We discussed the way that the series presents the concept of paradise and how the characters handle grief.

Watch my interview below:

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