Review: Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys do battle in Netflix's 'The Beast in Me'
The two Emmy winners star in a cat-and-mouse thriller — one playing to type, one against it
If you've ever watched an interview with Matthew Rhys, seen him goofing around with pal Matthew Goode on The Wine Show, or had the good fortune to encounter him in the real world, you know that he is among the most upbeat, happy, fun-loving actors working today. Acting frequently requires channeling characters who are nothing like yourself, but it's nonetheless remarkable that the last dozen or so years of his career have positioned him as Hollywood's King of the Sad Sacks. Whether playing deep cover KGB spy Philip Jennings on The Americans, detective-turned-lawyer on Perry Mason, a journalist who needs Mister Rogers to pull him out of a personal spiral in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, or whistleblower Daniel Ellsburg in The Post, Rhys is asked to portray some combination of moroseness, anguish, and self-loathing.
You don't get that niche without being good at it, and few actors alive are better at going to these bleak emotional places. But given how irrepresssibly charming he is when he's out of character, it's shocking that nobody has asked him to play a role that would show off that side of himself.
Alan Sepinwall
The new Netflix miniseries The Beast in Me isn't exactly the Happy Rhys showcase the Welsh actor's fans have been hoping for. He plays the apparent villain of a cat-and-mouse thriller: infamous real estate mogul Nile Jarvis, long suspected of having murdered his first wife, and up to shady business besides that. (Basically, he's Handsome Robert Durst.) But as Nile, he spends much of the time at least seeming like he enjoys his wealth, his power, and the fear his reputation puts into people. He smiles a lot, even if most of those smiles are more menacing than joyful.
Hey, it's a start?
