On Hell on Wheels, Anson Mount’s portrayal of the Southern anti-hero Cullen Bohannon is a welcome addition to a long line of classic Western leads. The character’s quiet nobility while still performing acts that shock us makes for fantastic television. As Hell on Wheels approaches the finale for its rollercoaster of a second season on AMC, we caught up with Anson on a break from working on the show and asked him about his character, his approach to acting and teaching.
Nerdist: How did you get involved with the show? When you first read the script, what was your reaction?
Anson Mount: It was probably the best pilot script Iâd ever read. I was in tech week for a play when it was sent to me. My manager at the time called and said, âHave you read it?â I said, âNo. Leave me alone. Iâm in tech week.â She said, âDo me a favor: just read this first scene.â I read the first scene, the scene in the pilot when Iâm pretending to be a priest and I shoot the guy in the face. I just couldnât put it down. I was like, âWow, it was like somebody had written a role for me.â Iâve been looking to do something like that for a long time, something Southern and complicated and period. I had actually been praying for a Western for a couple years. I just threw myself at it. It wasnât easy. It was a very long audition process.
N: Cullen is very complicated. What’s the dynamic been like finding this character?Â
AM: Thereâs always a dialogue between the writers and I in terms of what they think the motivation is and where itâs going. We donât always agree. No, I donât ever play just from the page. I think that would be irresponsible on my part. Acting wouldnât be a craft if you just played things from the page. In terms of wanting to hunt down and kill a bunch of people, I, Anson Mount, have never wanted to do that. I probably never would. I had to think through imaginatively what that is like for Cullen. Then, I take it on a moment-to-moment basis and play it according to each scene. Each scene is a building block to a whole. I find ways to relate to him at any given moment, but not as a whole. If I was trying to relate to him as a whole, Iâd go out of my fuckinâ mind. I donât think any actor has the responsibility to do that. I think actors who think that they have a responsibility to do that either need to take a vacation or spend some time in a local mental facility.
Nerdist: Early in the season he was having some internal struggles about where he belongs and getting away. Your thoughts?
AM: In terms of going to Mexico, that was a stumbling block for me. I certainly donât think that Cullen is the type of person whoâs ever going to fantasize about having a ranch in Mexico and settling down. The way I justified it is that I decided that was just an excuse, that this whole thing is just a suicide by train robbery.
Nerdist: Were you a history buff before you took the role?
AM: To a degree. Growing up in the South, itâs pretty sure that if you go to a decent school, youâll have a firm education in the Civil War. Itâs rare that you get a good education in the Reconstruction. Itâs the Civil War, and then you skip ahead to World War I. Everything is just referred to as âthe most recent unpleasantness.â I had to go back and do some research on the Reconstruction, particularly the reconstruction on the Transcontinental Railroad. I read a great book by Stephen Ambrose called “Nothing Like It In The World,” which filled in a lot of gaps for me and was a source of good information. It didnât necessarily activate character. At a certain point, you just got to toss all that aside and go out and play make-believe.
Nerdist: For you, what are some of the daily challenges of doing a period piece like this? Â Whatâs the daily grind like? Are you able to take a break from the environment and just feel like youâre making a show? How do you break from character? How do you enjoy your moments when youâre not filming on-set?
AM: I donât know. I take off my hat and I talk about sports. Iâm serious. For me, acting is a process of make-believe. Thereâs no getting stuck in character. Thatâs a complete mess. Sometimes, I feel like Iâm on a one-man mission to change American minds about this. I think that there is this tendency in our society to think about actors as these shamans who channel these alter egos and go through soul-crushing experiences in order to create a performance. Itâs not. Itâs just not. Itâs make-believe. I think that thereâs a lot of actors out there who buy into that myth because it makes their job seems more important. Itâs just not. Itâs just make-believe. Itâs playing make-believe well. Itâs playing make-believe with a sense of craft and responsibility to the material, but itâs make believe.
Nerdist: Thatâs interesting. Laurence Olivier had a lot of the same ideas when it comes to acting.
AM: Heâs a damn good actor.
Nerdist: In your filmography, youâve led shows, but youâve also been the guest actor. Does that ever matter to you in the way you approach work? Would you play a part differently if you were coming in for one week as a guest actor, similar to what you did with Dollhouse?
AM: In terms of my commitment: no. In terms of how I approach a character: to a degree. When youâre playing the lead or the eyes through which much of the material is seen, there could be a very large open portal for the audience to be able to participate in that with you, you know? I donât think itâs often successful for an actor to come in with a wholly formed character on Episode One. First of all, I donât think itâs possible. Second of all, I think youâre setting up traps for yourself later on down the line when you start to learn more about the character. It is a little bit different. There are times when I prefer to play this small, one-off role thatâs coming in and doing some sort of flashy thing. Thatâs what I got to do in the movie that I did recently called Supremacy. Iâve heard itâs going to Sundance. I donât think thatâs guaranteed. I donât know whatâs happening with it right now.
Nerdist: I know you said you were looking for a Western. You fill the classic âMan with No Nameâ archetype really well. Are there any other genre pieces youâd like to get into and play in?
AM: For me, the Western was definitely a genre I wanted to do. I like Westerns as a whole aesthetic. But I donât normally think of work in that way. I like classical stage. Thatâs where my training is. I keep going back to it. I just had the opportunity to do The Three Sisters. I think I want to do the rest of the Chekhov nature plays. In terms of genre, I donât know. I was a comic book geek when I was a kid. There is part of me that wants to do stinking action comic book-based movies. Other than that, not really.
Nerdist: Who was your favorite comic book character growing up?
AM: Gambit. Heâs a Southerner. [LAUGHS] I think it would be a great franchise.
Nerdist: What else do you have coming up?
AM: Iâve got a movie coming out later this year that the Weinsteins are releasing called Code Name: Geronimo. Itâs about the operation to kill Osama bin Laden. Iâll be interested to see how that turned out. Other than that, there are things floating around. There are a couple opportunities. I havenât decided what Iâm going to do or if Iâm going to do anything yet in the off-season. Thereâs a big part of me that just wants to take a vacation. Iâm also still teaching at Columbia. Iâm going to be spending some time with my class.
Nerdist: What level of students do you teach at Columbia?
AM: I teach the third year of the Masters program. I teach the third year of the Acting Program and the MFA, the MFA acting program at Columbia.
Nerdist: How did that come about?
AM: I would go back occasionally. I would talk to the third years. After doing it a few times, I was answering all the same questions. Then, I noticed there werenât a lot of people from the program other than myself that were working. There were a few that were working in theatre. I was running into people from NYU or Julliard who were auditioning all the time. I wasnât seeing a lot of people from Columbia. I suggested maybe I come in and help them re-haul the third year of the program. They took me up it. That was a lot of work for three years. Finally, I passed the position onto another alum. I still teach theater. I still teach the audition class for the third year.
Nerdist: What drives you to want to teach?
AM: Itâs fun. Itâs good for me. I learn so much from teaching. First of all, it forces me to be honest about my work, if Iâm telling students to do certain things in a certain way. Second of all, it reminds me how far Iâve come in a nice way. It gives me a perspective.
Hell On Wheels airs this Sunday on AMC and the two-hour season finale airs October 7.Â
Anson makes you believe that your watching history re-enacted and he does it with ease, I imagine him being a teacher also makes him endearing to the audience because of the sincerity he brings to the role… Can’t wait to see him play a bad guy ( gangster type) or some type of hero role in the future, non thd less I’m sure he will be great !!!
I teach a Westerns film class at the college level and have showcased Hell on Wheels to my students as an example of how the Western genre remains relevant as a tool for both understanding North American history and interpreting contemporary issues. They learn how Hell on Wheels explores the themes of American expansionism, race relations, Indigenous territorial rights, the lingering resentments of the Civil War and notions of social class. I recommend contacting AMC to ensure a third season!
Anson’s lack of pretension is very endearing, I think his sense of humor (and irony?) keeps him grounded—reminds me of Paul Newman.
I admire Anson Mount’s willingness to be so candid in an interview situation. His comment about acting NOT being about channeling an alter ego in some shamanistic ritual was definitely a viewpoint that I’m sure much of Hollywood would rise up in righteous indignation over. Bravo, Anson, for clear-eyed observation and the nerve to vocalize it.