The first two episodes of the new series Before premieres today on Apple TV+. Before stars comedy icon Billy Crystal as Eli, a child psychologist mourning his late wife, Lynn (Judith Light). Eli meets Noah (Jacobi Jupe), a young troubled boy, when he shows up at his doorstep. Eli soon discovers Noah has a mysterious link to his own past. As he endeavors to help Noah, their bond intensifies, revealing haunting memories and unsettling truths about Eli’s past.

It's not the first time Crystal played the role of a psychologist before, having starred as Dr. Ben Sobel in the Analyze movies almost twenty-five years ago, but it was really being a grandfather of four that helped prepare him for playing Eli, the actor told SciFi Vision in a recent interview. “I've helped them grow up,” explained Crystal to the site. “So, dealing with them and through their problems, obviously nothing as traumatic as Noah has, but it's just how you talk to a child. How do you communicate with them?”

The actor added that he also spoke to a couple of pediatric psychiatrists about different techniques.

Jupe, who is fairly new to the industry learned a lot from the veteran. “Billy is so supportive [and] and helpful towards me acting,” he told SciFi Vision. “I'm really new to it, and he was really helpful in that way.”

For more from both Crystal and Jupe, watch the interview or read the transcript below. The first two episodes of Before can now be streamed on Apple TV+ with new episodes premiering on Fridays.




***lightly edited for clarity***

SCIFI VISION:   My first question is for you, Billy. I know you've played a psychiatrist before on Analyze This a long time ago, but I assume a child psychologist is a bit different. So, can you talk about the research and prep part of it?

BILLY CRYSTAL:   I'm a grandfather of four children. I've had two of my own, and then these four of all different ages. And, you know, having done all the work I did on the Analyze movies, that was 25 years ago. But these kids have grown up, you know, I've helped them grow up. So, dealing with them and through their problems, obviously nothing as traumatic as Noah has, but it's just how you talk to a child. How do you communicate with them?

And I spoke to a couple of pediatric psychiatrists about approach, about gaining the confidence of a patient and different techniques. So, that was pretty much what I did.

SCIFI VISION:   For you, Jacobi, talk about what it was like to work with Billy, but also, was it hard, I guess, acting in the scenes, not being able to use a lot of words and being able to get your emotions across without that?

[JACOBI JUPE:   Billy is so supportive [and] and helpful towards me acting. I'm really new to it, and he was really helpful in that way.

Some scenes were difficult, but with the support and the help from everyone, I really was able to do them. And I just want to thank everybody, cast and crew.

SCIFI VISION:   You did a really good job in it. I really enjoyed the series. So, are there still things you learn, I guess, because he's talking about learning from you, but you've done this from a long, for a long time. Are there still things that you take away from it each time when you do a different project?

BILLY CRYSTAL:   Take away from working with Jacobi?

SCIFI VISION:   Just from working as an actor.

BILLY CRYSTAL:   Oh, well, it's a joy. It's a thrill to stretch and do a genre piece like this, something I haven't done and play a character that is at, at wit's end and exploring all of that and what grief can do to people and, you know, this full plate of a compelling character and his relentless pursuit of helping this boy get to a hopefully a normal life. That was all, it's thrilling, you know, at any point in your career, but now, at this point to find something new that's exciting, that's thrilling.

And again, like to echo what Jacobi just said, our crew was phenomenally supportive of us and and everything that we did, especially our scenes, the way they moved around the set, lighting. They knew that it was a quiet space where we were going to be working, and it was all very respectful and everyone was just so taken with the maturity and the approach that it was so professional that when Jacobi was on set with me that it was about the work, and it was just about the two of us. They were really great to work with throughout the weeks and weeks and weeks of shooting, but in our stuff in particular, it was really great.