STACK NZ Mar #60

DVD & BD

FEATURE

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With the release of the penultimate season of Hell On Wheels , showrunner John Wirth talks about the challenges of location shooting and deciding on which characters will live or die.

In Season 1, the focus was Cullen‘s search for vengeance for his family. Now it’s the search for his family. Did you go back and study Season 1 when planning Season 4? JOHNWIRTH: In life, we sometimes go in circles when we don’t necessarily want to. It is a common theme that runs through the series. Cullen’s search for his family now is more about healing himself and becoming a whole person, as opposed to just trying to get the anger and anguish out. Do you know what will happen to each character by season’s end, or do you allow the characters a chance to develop with the storyline as the season progresses? The writers have a lot of lead time before we begin production, so we have a pretty good road map before we get started. We have an idea of where we want to take them over the course of the season because we develop themes and storylines for each character, but we’re always open to things that pop up. We start watching the film as we make it, and start seeing actors working together and certain onscreen dynamics sometimes dictate the story. That’s always a fun discovery. After four years of Hell On Wheels , it’s clear that no character is safe from the dangers of life on the frontier. How do you decide who gets killed off ?

What are the most challenging aspects of producing and filming Hell on Wheels ? For me, the challenge is to figure out a satisfying story that will sustain over the entire season, and to get the scripts out in a timely fashion. For the producers and crew in Calgary full-time, the rain, mud and cold is probably the most challenging, physically. Two years ago, I remember standing on the bank of the river when The Swede killed the Dutson family [in Season 3]. That very afternoon, we were all evacuated because of thunder and lightning. The river rose so far, and by the next day, the place was no longer there! Have you started to get sentimental about the show entering its final season – and can you give us any hints about what to expect in Season 5? I am getting sentimental. Both Anson [Mount, who plays Cullen] and I spoke about the bittersweet nature. We all feel gratified that we’ve had this many episodes to tell this story and that we’ll be able to tell it through to the end. I can tell you what the end to the story is: pounding the golden spike at Promontory. I can also say that we’ll be exploring the Central Pacific side of the railroad next year, including the Chinese laborers; Cullen will be searching for his family; we’ll see a lot more of Huntington and his relationship with Cullen; and we’ll be dealing with building the railroad through the mountain, which may perhaps involve tunnelling. That’s about all I can say!

The advent of cable television allows us to put people in situations where their lives are in danger all the time. In our world, Hell on Wheels is a dangerous place. Cullen Bohannon and Thomas Durant – being a historical person who didn’t die [then] – are probably the only two people who are safe. It’s not an easy thing to kill somebody off. It requires careful thought, consultation and respect for everyone involved, including the actor.

It’s not an easy thing to kill somebody off. It requires careful thought, consultation and respect for everyone involved, including the actor.

Hell On Wheels: Season 4 is out on DVD and Blu-ray on March 24

MARCH 2015 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.co.nz

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