The HBO live-action drama series is currently doing the rounds, with a lot of praise being pointed toward one of the leading stars.
Colin Firth and his take on convicted murderer Michael Peterson apparently shocked 'The Staircase' cast with how on-point his portrayal was.
HBO's 'The Staircase' is currently airing on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW here in Ireland, which is a dramatic retelling of the unfortunate - and still unexplained - death of Kathleen Peterson in 2001. It's based on the Netflix docu-series of the same name (currently trending on the streaming service), which consists of 13 episodes closely following the court case of the man on trial, her husband Michael.
The British Acadamy Award-winning Colin Firth plays Michael Peterson in the series, a novelist who was accused of murdering his wife. Academy Award nominee Toni Collette plays the ill-fated role of Kathleen, who was found at the bottom of the back staircase in her home. Sophie Turner, Parker Posey, Dane DeHaan and Patrick Schwarzenegger also star.
Posey, who plays assistant district attorney Freda Black in the series, told The New Yorker this week that Firth's take on the convicted criminal took some getting used to during script read-throughs. She said: "Well, we all freaked out at the Zoom readings. I just got creeped out because he was so uncanny. He just really stepped it up. Wow.
"He’s worked on this with my old teacher from SUNY Purchase (State University of New York) who I loved, Elizabeth Himelstein. She is a speech teacher, a dialect coach."
The shocking court case of the 2000s unravelled various hidden secrets about Peterson including his sexual preferences. Another bizarre theory suggested that an owl was involved in his wife's death. However, although there were various twists and turns during the court case, it resulted in him being sent to prison for life. Peterson was later released from jail for "time served" due to one of the prosecution's witnesses lying while under oath.
The eight episode miniseries 'The Staircase' continues on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
