Sony Pictures
Matthew Rhys has played all different types of characters in all different types of projects in his acclaimed career. And some of them have been real-life figures — Dylan Thomas, Daniel Ellsberg, Richard Burton, Andrew C. Thornton II, to name a few — none of them have been as iconic or idiosyncratic as the late, great comedian George Carlin.
Rhys portrayed George Carlin in the 2024 film Saturday Night, which chronicled the 90 minutes leading up to the premiere of the first-ever episode of the long-running sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live in 1975, which legendary comedian George Carlin was the host of.
Speaking to BroBible’s Post Credit Podcast to promote his excellent new AppleTV series Widow’s Bay — premiering its first two episodes on Wednesday, April 29 — the Emmy-winning Welsh actor detailed what it was like to play an icon like George Carlin and how that differs from playing a historical figure whom has less presence in the public conscious.
Matthew Rhys tells BroBible about the challenges and pressure that came with playing an American icon like George Carlin in Saturday Night
Eric Italiano, BroBible: Speaking of things outside your wheelhouse — you played George Carlin, who is arguably one of the most distinct comic voices not just in the US but of all time. The cadence, the physicality — everything is so specific. When you’re playing somebody so well-documented, how different a challenge is that than playing a historical figure in a drama?
Matthew Rhys: Absolutely different. I played the poet Dylan Thomas in a movie — the beauty of that was there are no YouTube videos of Dylan Thomas. There’s his voice, which was very different when he was recording. There was a degree of freedom in that. With Carlin, everyone knows how his voice sounded — but his voice in his 40s was slightly different. When you look at him hosting the first SNL, it’s not the Carlin most people know. I spoke a lot with [director] Jason Reitman about where this impersonation lies — where it’s an ode, where it’s the spirit — not trying for a perfect mimicry, but getting it to be undeniably Carlin without veering into caricature.
In addition to Rhys in the lead role, Widow’s Bay — which features episodes directed by the likes of Hiro Murai (Atlanta, Barry), Andrew DeYoung (Friendship, The Chair Company), and Ti West (X, Pearl, MaXXXine) — also stars Kate O’Flynn, Stephen Root, Kevin Carroll, Kingston Rumi Southwick, Dale Dickey, K. Callan, and Jeff Hiller. Check out the official synopsis and trailer for Widow’s Bay below.
You can check out the official synopsis and trailer for Widow’s Bay ahead of its April 29 premiere, via AppleTV, below.
“Widow’s Bay is a quaint island town 40 miles off the coast of New England. But something lurks beneath the surface. Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) is desperate to modernize this fading town. There’s no Wi-Fi, spotty cellular reception, and a struggling local economy. Worst of all, he must contend with superstitious locals who believe the island is cursed. Loftis wasn’t born here, and after all these years, he is still an outsider to these stubborn folk. But he is determined to build a better future for his teenage son and turn the island into a tourist destination. Miraculously, he succeeds: tourists are finally coming. Unfortunately, the locals were right. After decades of calm, the old stories that seemed too ludicrous to be true, start happening again.”