Tonight, season two of The Hunting Party premieres on NBC. Equal parts procedural manhunt and serialized conspiracy thriller, the series follows a small team of investigators led by Bex Henderson (Melissa Roxburgh), who track down and capture the worst of the worst serial killers who have escaped from the top-secret prison known as the Pit. Picking up where the season one finale left off, in tonight’s all-new episode, Bex works to have the team reinstated to continue their search for the missing inmates, the first of which is Ron Simms (Eric McCormack), an escaped killer targeting women who are searching to find love.

Eric McCormack, along with his son, Finnigan McCormack, who plays a younger version of Ron, spoke with SciFi Vision about working on the premiere, getting into the dark character, keeping it consistent, working with rabbits, and more.

Watch the interview and read the full transcript below.



SCIFI VISION:   So, to start out, Eric, what was it like getting to have your son on set and getting to work with him? Even if you didn't share a scene together, obviously.

ERIC MCCORMACK:   Well, we didn't get to share a scene, which is our next goal, hopefully one day. But for me, the whole process, from the minute that JJ and Jake went, “What about putting your son on tape?” to the moment where he wrapped, the whole thing was just, it was great.

And it was not always easy. We're playing a tough part. It's his first shot at it. He had very little notice. But it was something we got to do together, and I loved it. I loved watching him step into those shoes, and he did a great job.

And it was, I don't mind saying, a proud dad moment that the producers, the director, everyone was really thrilled with what he brought.

SCIFI VISION:   What was it like for you, Finn, getting to work with your dad as well?

FINNIGAN MCCORMACK:   Oh, it was really special. I mean, when I heard about the opportunity to do a little tape, I had no expectations as to what could come of it. I've been acting for some time, so I was excited about potentially having an opportunity.

But then as soon as it happened, we hit the ground running. I had a couple of days to prep and fly over there. And I think it was really special, that despite the fact that we weren't playing two different characters in the same room dialoguing with one another, we got to play the same character in two different periods of the same life, which allowed us to really look at the script and create the character together.

So, for me, that was probably the most rewarding experience, was just being able to figure out who Ron Simms was based on the information we were given with the script, but also the little added pieces that we had. And you mentioned, Dad, you mentioned, too, just like being that I'm your son and that we've existed in the same space for a good amount of our lives, there're the little things that I've picked up on how he interacts and the things he's picked up on me, like little gestures, movements. So, we're kind of excited to see how many of those things get picked up on camera.

SCIFI VISION:   Yeah, I was going to say, did you guys purposely, I guess, do it, kind of concurrently trying to do the same things? Or did you not really? Maybe you didn't really need to as much, because you are around each other all the time.

ERIC MCCORMACK:   I think it's half and half. I think, luckily, I shot the first day. He shot the second day. I shot the third. So, we were sort of stealing from each other. We're not stealing so much. It's just going, “OK, that's interesting. I wonder if I naturally do what he just did, or if I should just choose it.” But it was interlocked…I suppose, and it could easily have been the opposite. On a film where you're playing the younger version of someone, you could shoot six months apart from them. So, the fact that we just got to really integrate daily, and at the end of the day have a beer and go, “OK, what have you learned about Ron Simss today? What are you going to take tomorrow and run with?”

SCIFI VISION:   Was there any difficulty, I guess, getting into sort of the darker parts of him? Because obviously, he's not, for the most part, a very nice guy? For both of you.

FINNIGAN MCCORMACK:   It was definitely, I wouldn't say a rude awakening, but that's how it felt in the moment. Because I was like, oh, great, this opportunity - I heard about the script. Let me take a read. And then you just find out all the horrific things he does.

And I think the one thing that made it palpable, the one thing I could actually get by with, is trying to find some sort of empathy with the character. For being as monstrous and horrific as he is, there is some understanding that he doesn't necessarily want to kill the people, kill his victims. It's a byproduct of his system of controlling and knowing that he's traumatized and lonely and sad. There're little moments where you can try to find some empathy for why he does the things he does.

And when you realize that he's not necessarily killing because he's a sadist and he's maniacal, but that he's killing because he just wants to have a friend, it's kind of terrifying. It's almost even worse than just being outright evil, is being able to recognize there is some humanity in such a void of a person, you know?

ERIC MCCORMACK:   He wants to also, it's such a cliched phrase these days, but he wants to be known. He wants someone to know him. He didn't have it with his parents.

And so in Finn's opening scene, he reaches out with a movie quote. Just that's his way of sort of saying, “Know me.” And by the time he gets to be my age, he goes too far. He succeeds quite well. He's a great first date for a few hours. And then suddenly he's like, “Oh, I also want to tell you about my serious killing,” which is, you know.

SCIFI VISION:   Yeah, I have to question if he actually expected somebody to be okay with that!

ERIC MCCORMACK:   I think he does. Like, I think he really thinks truth, the truth will make them empathize with me.

SCIFI VISION:   Talk about working with the bunnies for both of you, because I know it's supposed to be very hard to work with animals. Not that bunnies are, you know, vicious or anything, but they can be a handful.

ERIC MCCORMACK:   The first day that we met the bunnies, we were both going to do the same scene, sitting in a chair. Obviously, Finn is the first, and then we cut to me twenty years later, but when we came in to meet the bunny wranglers, I don't know if you remember this, Finn, like they were so excited to meet you and to show you the bunnies. Then, I was sort of standing behind you, and they were almost kind of like, “Yeah, we're just dealing with the guy playing Ron.” And I was like, “Well, I play Ron too.” [laughs] He's awesome.

It was really great. They released, they saw you and this look, and just the first moment that Finn holds a bunny was a very moving moment.

FINNIGAN MCCORMACK:   Yeah, no, the bunnies were definitely one of my favorite parts. Mel Rocco and the rest of the animal handlers were really great and considerate and stuff and making sure we figured out what we figured out. But you picked up a pretty big bunny.

SCIFI VISION:   It was huge!

FINNIGAN McCORMACK:   Rabbit? Hair? I don't know, it's huge. I got this tiny little thing that wanted to, you know, stay up next to me, and they're telling my dad like, “Oh, just be careful. He might try to run off on you. He might try to kick you in the face.” It's like, oh.

SCIFI VISION:   Yeah, it was big.

FINNIGAN MCCORMACK:   You handled it though.

SCIFI VISION:   What do you guys, other than working together again, what's something that you guys still want to do? Do you have like a dream role that you want to be a part of, for both of you?

ERIC MCCORMACK:   I'm writing a script right now with a friend that we're trying to, that we're gonna book for next year. And it's a role of someone, I don't know if you remember the movie, Being There, Chauncey Gardner, the Peter Sellers' role, but it's a role I'm looking forward to playing is someone very quiet, someone who we don't, who doesn't give everything away with the words he says, someone enigmatic. That's sort of my next part.

SCIFI VISION:   All right, what about you, Finn?

FINNIGAN MCCORMACK:   Yeah, I mean, being that I've had the opportunity to play such a strange and scary character, I think it would be nice in some capacity in the future and whatever it brings to be able to play somebody a little bit more lighter, a bit more fun. I think it would be, I would love to - In some ways, I wonder if comedy and jokes can be almost a bit more difficult to play than scary, quiet. So, I think, for me, it would be just experiential to be able to try more personalities, more experiences.

SCIFI VISION:   Well, at least you got your dad to ask lots of questions.

FINNIGAN MCCORMACK:   Yes, asking all of the right questions, too, yep.