IN CONVERSATION WITH JOHN HOOGENAKKER

interview JANA LETONJA

John Hoogenakker is one of those rare actors who can disappear into any role, whether it’s a conflicted father, a sharp FBI agent, or a vital supporting character alongside Hollywood heavyweights. With three major projects rolling out in the late summer and fall, John’s about to have a breakout season. He stars opposite Sharon Horgan in Hulu’s ‘The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox’, recurs on the new season of ‘The Morning Show’ (premiering on 17th September), and appears opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn in Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’ (premiering on 26th September). 

You have three big projects launching almost back-to-back this season. How does it feel to see them all roll out at once? 

It’s wild. They were each incredible experiences in their own right and were filmed in all sorts of different places. I love compelling stories, and each one of these projects is rich in that regard. When you work on something, you carry the experience around like a secret until it premieres, and so, in many ways, it’s a huge weight off your shoulders. This feels like that times three.

In ‘The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox’, you play Curt Knox opposite Sharon Horgan. What drew you to this project? 

I love the idea of taking part in correcting a narrative, helping to set the record straight, helping a person who’s been maligned take back control of their narrative. Amanda was wronged so profoundly and in such a public way, and this project goes to great lengths to demonstrate how this travesty occurred. I think this is important for a number of reasons, but perhaps most importantly, it serves to strengthen the muscle inside of you that questions a cursory perspective on a given current event. I believe this is particularly important now that we are in a sort of “choose your own adventure” twilight, where the truth seems so hard to pin down definitively.

How did you and Sharon build the dynamic of the Knox family on screen? 

Honestly, it began with table work and in conversation with our director, Cate Shortland, and our Showrunner/Writer/Executive Producer, KJ Steinberg. Your interpretation of any story is informed by the interactions that have defined your life, your lived experiences. And then you discuss, and see if you can find corollaries in the narrative that you’re bringing to life. There’s a lot here to pick apart because Curt and Edda’s marriage ended a long time ago, when Amanda was a toddler. But it was very important to me that we portrayed Curt as a caring and supportive father completely separate of the fact that he and Edda weren’t married for much of Amanda‘s childhood. When the chips were down and Amanda faced the most awful situation of her life, he showed up and went the distance, and he and Edda, despite their history, formed an incredibly strong team that supported Amanda through this chapter and ultimately helped bring her home.

‘The Morning Show’ has such a stacked cast. What was it like stepping into that world, especially as an FBI agent opposite Reese Witherspoon? 

Honestly, it’s a rush to step into the ring with people whose work you’ve admired, sometimes for decades. And I have found that those other actors whom I’ve admired are every bit as eager to step in the ring and play. As a breed, we love what we do. There is a feeling of gratitude that pervades our industry, because it’s so unlikely that a project gets made in the first place. To find yourself working on a great one, just makes you eager to nail it. The connection we feel when we are deep inside of our roles and telling the stories is simply a rush. And the given circumstances that we are working with act as a sort of great equalizer. They put you on common ground, no matter what you’ve done before. This is true across the board, I feel. Theater, television, film, it doesn’t matter. When you and your scene partners are dialed in, you give yourself over to it, and then you’re just along for the ride.

Without giving away spoilers, can you tease how your character shakes things up this season? 

In season 3, much of the action focuses on the breaching of the American Capitol, which happened on January 6. This event did not go unanswered, and my role represents the federal government’s attempt to respond to and punish the perpetrators, and those who would protect them.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’ pairs you with Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn. What can you share about this project and the dynamic on set with these big names in the industry?

I am overjoyed to be able to report to you that Paul Thomas Anderson creates perhaps the most collaborative and creative environment I’ve ever been blessed to be a part of. My first day on location in Sacramento, I was invited to view the dailies with the rest of the cast and crew and was astounded by what I saw. I’m overjoyed for audiences to see this piece. In this case, similarly to ‘The Morning Show’, I was working with people whom I’ve admired for years, and I felt like I was taken to school. I should say that when I go to work I’m always eager to be “taken to school”. I’m eager to pick up on the skills and talents of my coworkers, and my hope is that they enrich my own work. I feel like PTA’s film was a golden opportunity for that.

You’ve worked on powerful, socially relevant projects like ‘Dopesick’ and ‘Waco: The Aftermath’. How do you decide which stories you want to be part of?

We’re often fed cut and dried versions of extremely complicated current events. I’m always amazed, when I dig a little deeper, at how much I’ve missed on a first pass. Warren Littlefield and the folks at Hulu, along with the great Danny Strong, working from Beth Macy’s book ‘Dopesick’ brought so many things to light that it’s hard to know where to start. But the opioid epidemic was a dirty little secret in far too many American families for far too long, and it was something that, as it turns out, was perpetrated against us. It absolutely deserved the close look that that series gave, and to say I was eager to be a part of it would be an understatement. 

I remembered ‘Waco’ from when I was a teenager, and I mostly just remembered that it ended tragically, and it involved religious extremism. When I saw the first season, I was again placed in a position to learn so much more about the events surrounding the final conflagration and the loss of so much life. This prompted me to read more and to learn more, and when the second season came around, I was more than happy to sign on as Clive Doyle, who had been a Branch Davidian since the 60s. I’m always eager to find more clarity and nuance in complicated subject matter. I hope that both of those projects provided viewers an opportunity to see beyond the shorthand we use to label one another, opioid addicts, people in fringe religious groups, whomever. Anyone we are urged to judge without taking the time to understand.

Who have been some of the most influential collaborators or mentors in your acting journey? 

That’s a tough one, because I’m always tempted to name someone I just worked with. But, I’ll give you four. Kimberly Elise, whom I worked with on ‘The Ben Carson Story’, I learned so much from her in our brief time working together. Her technical skill, emotional availability, kindness and humility were an inspiration to me. Grace Van Patton, in working with her and watching her develop the role of Amanda Knox I honestly felt all I needed to do was stay present and go on the journey with her. She’s a profoundly talented actor and an incredibly fun human to hang out with. Lee Ernst is an American theater icon. I did several seasons at Milwaukee Rep, and his versatility and power on stage, as well as his relentless drive and support of his fellow players have been a guiding light for me for much of my career. Finally, Leonardo DiCaprio. His ability to sink into the given circumstances of a situation and to commit himself fully to them absolutely blew me away. He’s a virtuoso. I had a great time working with him, and I think he is a huge artistic asset to any project that he lands in.

Some of the things you enjoy on your days off are hiking, harvesting honey, and DIY. How do those hobbies keep you balanced in between heavy roles? 

I love these questions. Hiking, or a long walk in a beautiful place, provides me with the headspace to reason out difficult decisions and to achieve calm amidst all the craziness in our world, plus I just love listening to birds and identifying trees. Listening to the wind and the streams. It’s just the best, and I think it would ground anybody. Except when you stumble upon bears, which happens every now and then. Working with bees has been a fantastic learning experience for me, and very exciting because it’s something I’d wanted to do for a very long time. I got into it for the honey, but I’ve stayed for the bees. They have a different job at every stage of life and they work until they can’t work anymore. This inspires me and calms me. DIY is about satisfying the curiosity that I live with about the things all around me. I find the internet to be an incredible place when it comes to learning how to tackle projects and fix things. I’ve learned to really enjoy the journey, and I love the experience of learning a thing and saving money in the process.

What do you hope audiences take away from your performances this year across these very different projects? 

I’m extremely interested in challenging assumptions. My own, as well as those that others carry. I want people to see one another with empathy. My hope is that each of these projects provides opportunities for viewers to take a closer look at issues and people that they may have already made up their minds about. I hope that they inspire both conversations, and a second look.

CREDITS

photography CHRISTINA NOEL