Matt Dillon Leads All-Star Cast In Creepy, Genre-Bending Thriller “Wayward Pines”

L-R:  Juliette Lewis, Melissa Leo, Matt Dillon, Tim Griffin, Toby Jones, Terrence Howard, Shannyn Sossamon, Charlie Tahan, Reed Diamond and Carla Gugino.  Credit:  Frank Ockenfels/FOX
L-R: Juliette Lewis, Melissa Leo, Matt Dillon, Tim Griffin, Toby Jones, Terrence Howard, Shannyn Sossamon, Charlie Tahan, Reed Diamond and Carla Gugino. Credit: Frank Ockenfels/FOX

How do you describe the indescribable? That is one of the biggest challenges facing FOX’s 10-part psychological thriller, Wayward Pines. A secret service agent finds himself in an idyllic town, but upon closer inspection, he realizes that the residents live under a strict set of rules governed by a sinister, omnipresent force. It’s a premise eerily familiar to fans of the cult drama Twin Peaks, or even the short-lived NBC drama Persons Unknown, but Pines comes with a series of tantalizing twists courtesy of the show’s executive producer and director, M. Night Shyamalan.

The series is Shyamalan’s first project for television, and the master of cinematic suspense — who directed shock-ending movies including The Sixth Sense and Signs — had one demand before embarking on the project: “As long as everybody isn’t dead,” he jokes, “I’m in.” Before the series has even premiered, Shyamalan reveals one of the show’s biggest twists — other than the fact that everybody isn’t dead: “The thing that’s groundbreaking about the show,” he says, “is that halfway through the season, it becomes an entirely different genre, and I find that awesome.”

Matt Dillon as Ethan Burke. Credit:  Liane Hentscher/FOX
Matt Dillon as Ethan Burke. Credit: Liane Hentscher/FOX

Matt Dillon is the center of this mysterious character-focused study as Secret Service agent Ethan Burke. When he stumbles into the quaint Idaho town of Wayward Pines while searching for two missing FBI agents, he learns that despite his best efforts, he cannot leave. He also quickly realizes that beneath the town’s picture-perfect facade lies sinister and violent secrets, and the town is governed by a bizarre set of rules that each of the town’s off-kilter residents follow without question. “The situation and the place that they’re in is so strange,” says Dillon. “The absurdity isn’t lost on Ethan.”

Melissa Leo as Nurse Pam. Cr:  James Minchin/FOX
Melissa Leo as Nurse Pam. Credit: James Minchin/FOX

The series boasts a gifted and diverse cast with Terrence Howard, Juliette Lewis, Melissa Leo, Carla Gugino and Toby Jones each crafting deliciously interesting characters. Dillon is wowed by each of his castmates but especially likes the scenes he shares with Terrence Howard — who plays the town’s cool yet threatening sheriff — because of their adversarial relationship. “I like that dynamic,” he says. Dillon also enjoys scenes with Oscar winner Leo, who is particularly jaw-dropping as probably sociopathic Nurse Pam. “She’s pretty heightened at all times,” the actress laughs.

Dillon reveals that he committed to Wayward Pines after reading the series’ first two scripts; he was attracted to his character’s quest for knowledge. “It sounds maybe a little too Utopian,” he says, “but I like the idea of searching for the truth, and then accepting the truth whether you like it or not.” The mantra that Dillon kept as a touchstone for his character became, “Truth is sanity; truth is salvation.”

“I learned this word while shooting the show: verisimilitude — it’s the appearance of truth,” says Dillon. “It’s a very powerful word, it’s a very powerful thing and it’s what we do as actors and it’s what the powers that be are attempting to do in this story — create this sort of appearance of truth.”

Wayward Pines > FOX > Thursdays beginning May 14

1 Comment

  1. Dillon was great when he used to sing Tamborine Man and Lay Lady Lay. He should go back to singing………

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