Playing Perry Mason’s Paul Drake is a double-edged sword for Chris Chalk

Matthew Rhys might find his role easy to play – largely due to the excellent script – but it’s not quite the same for Chris Chalk. The actor faced a difficult challenge playing a principled and moral man trying to do what is right in a society bent on forcing him into an outsider role. In the fifth episode of season two, Paul Drake is deeply conflicted after being forced to punch a low-level mobster for information, even after giving up what Drake needs. He eventually returns home only to ask his wife if he’s “okay” – expressing his inner conflict and insecurity about who he is.

And for Chalk, playing this deeply contradictory character who constantly comes to terms with who he is as a man was a double-edged sword. Speak with colliderssaid the actor:

“It was delicious and exhausting for Paul to always be on the edge and on his limit and confused. It was a wonderful exhaustion, but I was definitely going home all the time, like, ‘Oh my god, I have to go back tomorrow and get more lost?’ So it was delicious. We as actors are always grateful to get something so well rounded. And then there are the consequences to deal with.”

Having to portray such an intensely emotional journey day by day must have been a lot for Chalk to narrate New York Times He enjoys playing characters with that kind of depth and inner conflict, adding, “The stuff I did was mostly about trauma. I like doing that. But it might be time to do Sesame Street.”