Chris Diamantopoulos, a character actor known for his various roles over a nearly four-decade career, recently lent his talents to Peacock's upcoming original series Mrs. Davis. The show follows Simone (Betty Gilpin) and Wiley (Jake McDorman) as the pair travel across the globe to destroy the titular Mrs. Davis, an all-powerful artificial intelligence that seems to have the entire world in the palm of her, or rather, its hands.
Diamantopoulos plays JQ, a character demanding the audience's attention from the moment he arrives on screen. JQ is a revolutionary freedom fighter of sorts, a bros-bro with layers to the character that can only be unraveled by following along on the journey. He seeks to free the world from the grip of Mrs. Davis, whom he believes is distracting society from the real problems they face by sending people on "quests." Though he may initially be misunderstood, Diamantopoulos lends a performance to JQ that will lead him to fan-favorite character status by the series' end.
With Mrs. Davis set to premiere the first four episodes on Peacock on Apr. 20, audiences may wonder what Diamantopoulos brings to the series with star power across the board. The actor recently shared details of his character with MovieWeb, whether it be his bleached hair, a thick Australian accent, or some of the most incredible wardrobe choices of recent memory.
A Big Swing and a Leap of Faith
Despite the success that Mrs. Davis will likely have, there's no sure thing in Hollywood. While discussing the project's potential, Diamantopoulos shared the worries of working on a series when you never know what the outcome and reception will be. "You know, this project was a labor of love," he said while describing his working process. "You can never know if something's going to work. Even if you're Spielberg or Kubrick, you just don't know. You can have the best screenwriter, you can have the best cinematographer, the best director, the best actors, you can have it all lined up, but it's that one little intangible bit of alchemy." Luckily, Diamantopoulos praised his fellow cast members and crew, sharing his experience with writers Tara Hernandez, Damon Lindelof, and lead actress Betty Gilpin.
"In this instance, everybody involved from Tara Hernandez, Damon Lindelof, Betty Gilpin, by the way, we should take an hour just for me to talk about how incredible Betty Gilpin is. But everybody put their hearts into this one with a real leap of faith." He continued, saying, "It really was because this is such a big swing from a story standpoint, from a production value standpoint, for me personally from a character standpoint, and I think it's a big swing."
Animation vs. Live-Action
Diamantopoulos has seen an immensely successful career in both the live-action and animation realm. He's lent his voice to countless animated projects, including roles in American Dad, Animaniacs, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, and various Mickey Mouse projects where he voices the iconic titular character. And, of course, there is a difference in preparation regarding the physicality of a role like JQ in Mrs. Davis.
"You know, I've been really lucky that I've been able to explore avenues of my craft and my talent and you know, little idiosyncratic elements of my voice and my being in animation and on screen. Can't say I love one more than the other. They both give me so much joy and they both allow me to flex different muscles. With something like JQ, it's one of the first times in a while that there was some necessary physical preparation. Yeah, my hair. I had to get into relatively good shape. Because JQ really doesn't like wearing anything."
Banana hammocks, suspenders, bleached hair — JQ stands out from the rest of the cast from the very beginning. "I gotta tell you something. You're gonna see JQ's wardrobe on the runway next year in Milan. Mark my f*****g words [...] We had such a specific look to JQ that I really wanted to dissect and find the right Australian accent because the whole thing Damon [Lindelof] and I talked about is he's an epic guy. Like JQ is the hero in his comic book." Though the Australian accent was initially intimidating, Diamantopoulos nailed it by the time filming rolled around.
"Australia is a tough one. I've never done it before. But my good buddy, who's an actor and also helped me out around the house. He's from Australia, so he was like 'Don't worry about it. I got you. And we read through the scripts and I picked up his little isms and we got it done. So you know, preparing for something like that. Really? I mean it was an ongoing thing."
Religion, Acceptance, Purpose, and the Future of Technology in Mrs. Davis
Mrs. Davis presents several heavy themes throughout its eight-episode run on Peacock, allowing audiences to dive deeper into each and every character's beliefs in the series. Religion, acceptance, purpose, and technology are deeply examined, and Diamantopoulos shared his thoughts on those themes in Mrs. Davis. "Those themes are strong, they're powerful. And it's interesting. The show to me, poses the question of what happens to faith, what happens to religion, what happens to spirituality when something we've created can answer our prayers, right? And what happens to us when everything that we've ever wanted can be at our fingertips?"
Indeed, the titular Mrs. Davis presents an answer to all your questions, giving power to technology that has yet to be seen, whether for better or worse.
"We've seen throughout history that absolute power corrupts absolutely no matter what, no matter what it is. I think one of the things Mrs. Davis does really, really well with some really sensitive topics like religion is it both over-mystifies and demystifies. It takes us through the gamut, where it challenges the convention of what we've always questioned or believed something to be and then it all sort of smacks us in the face with the very definition of it. And then it sort of leaves us with the question of, you know, how do you feel? I think at the end of all this total, supremely personal, your relationship with technology is as personal as your relationship with a higher being."
As artificial intelligence begins to take shape in the real world, advancing at a rapid pace, things are changing across various industries. In Hollywood, the use of de-aging and other technologies continues to improve, though Diamantopoulos isn't too worried about a real-life Mrs. Davis quite yet. "I mean listen, it'll get more powerful. I mean you see Mark Hamill and The Mandalorian [and] what they're able to do. But I don't want to watch a series called Luke Skywalker that stars a CGI-rendered Mark Hamill. I'm not interested."
Of course, this has become a growing topic of discussion over the last few years, with the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny de-aging Harrison Ford for portions of the film as well. However, Diamantopoulos believes there will always be a place for genuine performance in TV and film.
"I think the key to remember in all things is that we live in a society where we have access to information so readily, and it's such a knee-jerk reaction to either ascribe panic or praise," he says. "And I go to the old stoic adage, which is we were given two ears and one mouth. Use them in the proper ratio. Just to calm down. 'Okay, yes, this is happening. Terrific.' Take a beat, go for a walk."
The Sticky and the Future for Chris Diamantopoulos
It won't be long until audiences can find Chris Diamantopoulos on the small screen again with his upcoming project, The Sticky for Prime Video. The project is described as the true story of the "Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist," which should be enough to intrigue anyone.
"Yeah, I'm actually working on it right now [...] and we're in the midst of shooting. We're starting the second block of episodes three and four, oh, it's terrific. Think about this. Maple syrup is also known to the maple syrup farmers and purveyors as liquid gold. Each of those drums of maple syrup runs thousands of dollars. There are these warehouses that hold tens of thousands of these drums, and they're just in these warehouses, unguarded, unsupervised in Northern Canada. And some idiot decided, 'hey, wait a minute, there's millions of dollars in these. I should just steal that s**t.'"
Diamantopoulos on Sharing the Screen with Betty Gilpin and Jake McDorman
Diamantopoulos may be great in Mrs. Davis, but he's joined by an equally stellar cast that propels the series into something special. Betty Gilpin stars as Simone, leading the cast alongside Jake McDorman as Wiley. Together, the pair plan to take down Mrs. Davis once and for all, though their globe-trotting journey is anything but straightforward. Diamantopoulos discussed his time with the cast and crew, commending their performances.
"They nailed it. Absolutely nailed it. But I was really blown away by the entire cast. I love Jake and I think he's got such a winning quality to him. And you know, for a guy that's that handsome and that charismatic to also have such a keen sense of comedy and humor and timing. He's also just a lovely guy to have on set. I should say that about Betty too [...] As compelling as she is to watch on screen. She's 100 times that as a human being on set. I'm saying this right now: actors, actresses, take note. That's what you need to be like when you're leading the set. And because I've worked with a lot of them. I've worked with a ton of them, up-and-comers, or, you know, flash in the pan sort of flavor of the month, whatever it is. And it's usually insecurity that guides bad behavior. But boy oh boy, man, does she have her head screwed on straight. Excellent."
Fans can look forward to the first four episodes of Mrs. Davis premiering on Peacock on Apr. 20, followed by weekly installments with the finale set to air on May 18. Chris Diamantopoulos, Betty Gilpin, and Jake McDorman star in the series from Tara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers), which should send audiences into a flurry of emotions regarding the advancement of technology in the modern day, and our outlook on what the future holds.