Patrick Schwarzenegger digs deep in gripping crime drama ‘The Staircase’
Patrick Schwarzenegger grew up in the spotlight, which he says prepared him to take on his role in the new series, based on the mysterious murder of executive Kathleen Peterson in 2001.
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Patrick Schwarzenegger knows more than most what it’s like to live a life in the spotlight.
He is, of course, the son of Arnie (no surname necessary) and Maria Shriver, a member of the Kennedy clan (yes, those Kennedys) so an anonymous life was never on the cards.
Indeed, the 27-year-old reckons his experience helped prepare him for his role as Todd Peterson, the real-life story of a young man whose father is charged with murdering his mother, throwing the family squarely into the public sphere for years.
“I mean, yes, I understand being in the spotlight, but there are moments of Todd’s life I’ve never experienced as Patrick,” Schwarzenegger says over Zoom from Los Angeles.
“As the series goes on, my character goes into a very dark place with drugs and alcohol, so I went to AA meetings and learning about that was tough – seeing what people experience in their lives was eye-opening and interesting for me.”
The death at the centre of The Staircase, a gripping new true crime series coming to Binge on May 5, focuses on the mysterious 2001 death of Kathleen Peterson, a high-powered executive who is found dead at the bottom of the stairs in the Peterson family’s swanky home.
Did she fall? Was she pushed by her husband, Michael (a suitably creepy Colin Firth), or did something else happen entirely?
Stream new crime drama The Staircase on BINGE streaming May 5. New customers get your 14-day trial & start streaming instantly. Sign up at binge.com.au
“I think there’s a big difference between what Patrick Schwarzenegger thinks what happened versus what Todd Peterson thinks what happened,” Schwarzenegger says.
“With my character, I went in with a very firm belief before we started filming however, as Patrick, I did shift and change because as we embedded ourselves into this family relationship, I was learning new information all the time.”
The fact that the production designers built a staircase to the exact dimensions and with the same tiles and materials as the staircase in the Petersons’ home only added to the on-set creepiness.
“There was that ‘whoa’ moment of actually seeing the staircase and going to straight to what happened on those stairs, so you definitely doubt what you think you know, but there is no real answer.”
On the show, Schwarzenegger’s all-American golden boy Todd butts heads with black sheep brother Clayton (Dane DeHaan).
“He’s clearly jealous of his brother, and why wouldn’t he be?” DeHaan laughs, nodding at Schwarzenegger.
“But as the series goes on, things change, and all isn’t what it seems between the two of them.”
DeHaan says “going through the whodunnit aspect of it” was fun for the cast on set.
“I’d be the worst juror every because I have reasonable doubt about pretty much everything in my life,” DeHaan says.
“I can’t really name one thing that I don’t have a reasonable amount of doubt about.”
“It allows people’s imaginations to go wild about what they thought could have happened,” adds Schwarzenegger.
“I’m a huge fan of true crime and there’s a lot of people out there who are. Through these true crime stories, you get to learn a lot, you get to have your mind and imagination go wild, especially with stories like The Staircase where there might not be a definitive answer and there is reasonable doubt and different theories, so I think it allows for conversation between people, giving their argument as to what happened but it also brings out flaws in the justice system or in people’s stories,” he continues.
“What’s great about this show is you don’t know, so you can pick a side or you can try to figure something out but at the end of the day, no one really knows and that’s what’s so compelling about the story.”
Schwarzenegger says getting to work alongside a cast that includes Toni Collette, Colin Firth, Juliette Binoche, Rosemarie DeWitt and rising Aussie stars Olivia DeJonge and Odessa Young was a “dream come true”.
Schwarzenegger has said he has “always had dreams of being in the movies”.
The young Schwarzenegger used to tag along to his famous father’s movie sets and watch him at work.
“It’s pretty surreal because I remember growing up and going to set with him and I loved it,” he has said.
Schwarzenegger also said that his father held no concerns in him following in his footsteps.
“He’s proud of me; both of my parents are proud of me.”
The Staircase premieres May 5 on Binge
Originally published as Patrick Schwarzenegger digs deep in gripping crime drama ‘The Staircase’
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