Actor Jamie Hector explains why Apple TV’s remake of Cape Fear expands on and pays tribute to the 1991 film
Asked what audiences should expect from the series adaptation of Cape Fear, one of its stars, Jamie Hector, says, “Prepare to be uncomfortable.” The pillars of the American Southern gothic thriller, about a convicted criminal seeking revenge against his former defender after being released from a lengthy prison sentence, are still there. But in the hands of series creator and showrunner Nick Antosca (The Act), and his lead actors Amy Adams, Patrick Wilson and Javier Bardem, the clear division between good and evil that played out in previous versions of John MacDonald’s 1957 novel gets very muddied.
Hector, best known for his roles on The Wire, Bosch and We Own This City, vividly recalls the iconic 1991 film, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro as the menacing Max Cady. “It lives deep inside of me — I was a fan before I signed onto this. When I was training at Lee Strasberg, the conversation was De Niro. There was nothing that he could do wrong. All of his work was spot on,” he says. “Fast forward to this, you think about a project being remade. You always want it to be done right. When I saw they signed Javier and Amy, I was like, ‘Yeah, this is going to be a heavy hitter right here.’ And they did not let me down.”
Hector plays Ray Rawlins, a former prison inmate that Amy Adam’s character, Anna Bowden, has helped release from prison after overturning a false conviction. Rawlins is now a private investigator and Bowden’s right-hand man, who can smell the danger emanating from Bardem’s Max Cady a mile away. “What happens when you go in, no matter how you go in, you come out different,” says Hector. “That’s the reason why Ray Rawlins can look into the eyes of Max Cady and recognize trouble. He knows it. He can sense personality and energy very quickly, so he recognizes good people as well.” Hector’s character is also a window into an off-the-clock Anna Bowden, who is making poor decisions under pressure. “Amy does an amazing job being so vulnerable, and Patrick too, because as a husband, having to deal with this individual that is floating around his wife and his family . . . It’s very — to echo what we just said — uncomfortable.”
Taking a two-hour film and expanding it into a 10-hour series allows for the inclusion of themes that were not part of the source material. Antosca’s version delves deeper into a flawed justice system where too many serve long sentences for crimes they did not commit. For Hector, his storyline as convict-turned-PI was an opportunity to pay homage to a real-life hero. “I had a friend, Ken Thompson, who was a District Attorney in Brooklyn. One of the first things he did, in office, was [look into] individuals that were wrongly incarcerated, brought their cases back to life, partnered with a professor at Harvard, and released over 23 wrongly convicted inmates,” says Hector. “A lot of them become private investigators. Having that level of intel made this [project] a no-brainer.”
Then, of course, there was the exceptional talent attached to the project. “When you know the forces that are behind this one, you know it’s going to be good,” Hector says, of having executive producers Scorsese and Steven Spielberg at the helm. Academy Award-winner Bardem, says his co-star, was also a delight to work with, despite his severely disturbed character. “The beauty of working with him is that he flips the switch, and you don’t even see the switch get flipped,” says Hector. “He’s present, having fun and aware of everything going on around him, in terms of making sure everybody’s at ease and comfortable, but he’s really locked into the work and the inner life of the character that he’s playing. I really had a good time watching him go into it. He sucks the air out the room.”
What Antosca creates in 10 hours is a pressure cooker that never seems to release any air out of its valves. “Nick and his incredible mind continue to place the family in a position where they come up for air and then come close to drowning again. If you can do that in a way where it’s dynamic, you don’t know what’s coming next, but every time you think you’re winning, you’re losing,” says Hector. “They’re doing everything in their power to survive, and this one person is a master manipulator. He is a craftsman at destroying other people’s lives. When you’re telling somebody the truth and they don’t believe you, it’s a painful feeling, especially when you know you’re not lying, but somebody else has figured out a way to convince the world that you’re crazy.”
That tension is a product of teamwork under Antosca, a leader who hires the right people and trusts them to do their job. “If you come to him, and ask him a question, he’ll chime in, but other than that, I saw his trust in the talent, his trust in the directors and what they brought to the stage,” he says. “Nick handpicked the directors and the actors. I mean, they’re living legends. And when they say it’s a go, you really want to do the work the best you can.” To the degree that one would be willing to sacrifice ample screentime for the opportunity to be part of something potentially iconic. “Sometimes there are projects where you’re willing to carry the waterfall. You want to be a part of great work,” says Hector. “But I also loved the scripts, I loved the cast, I loved the team behind it. Just an opportunity to be a part of it was wonderful.” Even if the end result is, well, uncomfortable.
Cape Fear streams on Apple TV