Fran Kranz on Bringing Celebrated Public TV Icon Russell Morash to Life in HBO Max’s ‘Julia’ [VIDEO]

If you know actor Fran Kranz from cult horror classic The Cabin in the Woods, then you really don’t know him at all.

Granted, his performance as stoner Marty Mikalski was an incredibly fun and memorable addition to the cast. However, look at his more recent work, and you’ll see the extraordinary range the actor, writer, and director boasts.

Last year, Kranz brought the deeply emotional MASS to art-house audiences, winning a Hollywood Critics Association award for Best Original Screenplay in the process. Starring Ann Dowd, Martha Plimpton, Reed Birney, and Jason Isaacs, the film illustrates a painful meeting between two couples whose lives have forever changed due to a school shooting. It’s a film, process, and current events tragedy that Kranz still has yet to shake.

As an actor beyond Cabin, Kranz appeared in acclaimed stage productions (Death of a Salesman), notable films (Much Ado About Nothing), and celebrated television series (Homecoming). His latest project brings Kranz to the 1960s world of public television and Julia Child. In HBO Max’s Julia, Kranz plays legendary public television producer Russell Morash who, after initially producing and directing Child’s The French Chef would go on to create such notable public television staples as This Old House. Kranz breathes remarkable life into his interpretation of Morash as a man looking to make his mark on the world but failing to see the opportunity is right in front of him.

Here, in a fun and insightful interview with Awards Daily, Kranz talks about his research into Russell Morash’s life and how that influenced his interpretation. He talks about potential parallels between Morash’s career and his own. He also talks about Morash’s journey through the series and how it culminates in one of the most difficult sequences he’s ever had to film. Finally, he talks about Julia season two and what’s in store for Russell Morash (hint: it’s not a trip to France, sorry Fran!).

Julia streams exclusively on HBO Max.