Shooting for new show amid pandemic was challenging: Tony Hale
Actor Tony Hale, who is looking forward to the release of The Mysterious Benedict Society, says he followed the "one day at a time" approach to stay focused while working on upcoming series during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hale, best known for series like Arrested Development and Veep and films like Toy Story 4, said the team shot for the show from August-October last year.
I had to live in the moment: Hale
"We were wondering what the news was and what was happening. I had to try to stay present and live in the moment and it was easy to fall into what if this happens... and I couldn't go there," he said. "We were shooting in the middle of this crisis. It's difficult to not see similarities (between the show and the pandemic)," he said.
The show is based on Trenton Lee Stewart's novel
"The show talks a lot about all the noise that we hear on a daily basis whether through fear or creating anxiety and panic," the 50-year-old actor added. The Mysterious Benedict Society is based on Trenton Lee Stewart's novel of the same name.
Story of four gifted orphans recruited for a dangerous mission
The show follows the story of four gifted orphans who are recruited by the peculiar Mr. Benedict for a dangerous mission to save the world from a global crisis known as The Emergency, created by his evil twin brother, Dr. Curtain. The children must infiltrate the mysterious L.I.V.E. Institute to discover the truth behind the crisis.
I fell in love with the mission: Hale
When the offer to star in the series came his way, Hale said he was unaware about the book but fell in love with the mission. "My character of Mr. Benedict is helping gifted kids, who don't have magical powers but their superpower is their intellect, creativity, empathy. After the year we all have had, I would say those are our superpowers," he said.
It's about finding voices of truth amid panic: Hale
The Emmy winning-actor, who stars in the dual roles of the diametrically opposite twins Mr. Benedict and Dr. Curtain, said the series is about finding the "voices of truth" amid panic and confusion. Hale said he connected more with the character of Mr. Curtain.
James Bobin has directed the pilot of the show
The series, which hails from Sonar Entertainment, 20th Century Fox TV, and Jamie Tarsesa's Fanfare, has been written by Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay. Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer are showrunners of the series and also serve as executive producers alongside Manfredi, Hay, Tarses, and Karen Kehela Sherwood. James Bobin has directed the pilot of the show.
The show will stream on Disney+ Hotstar Premium from Friday
Ryan Hurst, Kristen Schaal, MaameYaa Boafo, Mystic Inscho, Emmy DeOliveira, Seth Carr, Marta Timofeeva, and Gia Sandhu are also part of the cast. The Mysterious Benedict Society will start streaming on Disney+ Hotstar Premium from Friday.
