‘Fargo:’ Joe Keery On the Art of Taking Big Career Risks, Gator’s Vicious Cycle of Violence [VIDEO]

Everyone knows actor Joe Keery from his star-making turn as Steve Harrington on Netflix’s Stranger Things.

But the talented actor put his heartthrob days behind him with a much darker turn in the 2020 soon-to-be cult classic Spree. In Eugene Kotlyarenko’s film, Keery played Kurt Kunkle, a social media-obsessed rideshare driver turned serial killer who livestreams his crimes. The film is a smart social satire and brilliantly adopts the way most of our kids are consuming media. Keery received praise for his darker, satirical performance that went deeper than anything Steve allowed him to do.

“That movie was made for nothing, and it was very tiny little movie. But the script was amazing, and Eugene [Kotlyarenko] is an amazing director. He is the reason why that movie is the way that it is because of his dedication. That was so helpful for me as an actor because this relationship was a real 50-50 relationship,” Keery praised. “I’d like to do more stuff like that in the future. One of the best parts of being an actor is the relationship you get to have with the director.”

Now, Keery parlayed that turn into a far more mature role in Noah Hawley’s masterpiece Fargo season five. As Gator Tillman, Keery put on additional muscle mass, cut his trademark hair, and picked up a vape pen to become the ne’er-do-well deputy / son to Sheriff Roy Tillman (the great Jon Hamm). Gator wants so badly to please his father, but no matter the scheme, he fails at every turn. Needless to say, this wasn’t a “method acting” role for Keery: he underwent exactly zero training to become a sheriff’s deputy. That complete lack of skill is exactly what the role demanded.

The tragedy of Gator, as bad as he can frequently be within the season, is that he grew up completely absent of love or encouragement, according to Keery. He feels the creeping sense that he’s constantly unworthy, nearly always running “I’m a winner! I’m a winner!” through his head.

It’s a cycle of violence from which Gator seemingly cannot escape.

“It’s nature versus nurture. This guy has been trained to be this way. Deep down, I think that if he was given a different life and a different opportunity, yeah, he probably could have turned out differently,” Keery remarked. “That was the strength of that puppet sequence [Episode 7: “Linda”]. I didn’t even do that, but it really brought a depth to the character. You see him as this little kid. This is not his fault, but he cannot get out of this twisted cycle.”

That twisted cycle leads Gator to accidentally kill an elderly woman beloved by the mysterious Munch (Sam Spruell). Munch tracks Gator down and exacts his revenge by plucking out both eyes. Gator spends most of the final episodes of the season wandering through the barren landscape with a bandage wrapped over his bleeding eye sockets.

Ironically, Munch repaying a debt — an eye for an eye — was one of the most fun experiences he had during the shoot.

“You don’t have to pretend — you just are actually blind because you’re totally wrapped up. He’s just like a turtle with no shell for the rest of the show, and it’s so fun to be able to play that and to allow yourself to do that. To be honest, I could have done more blindfolded,” Keery laughed. “I love being able to just like lean into the how pathetic he is, how pathetic he has become. I like that for the character. He made these mistakes in his life, and then he pays the debt. It’s a show about debt. What does a father owe a son? What does a mother owe a daughter? Spiritual debt for Munch, and so he pays his debt. Now he’s sent off into the abyss, and it’s up to him. It’s a fresh start. He lost something, but maybe he’s also gained something as well.”

But what did Keery gain from the experience himself? How did he grow as an actor, and what will he take away from such a fantastic experience?

“I think it would be just to like take risks, just take big risks. Don’t don’t be afraid of failing. Be prepared enough, obviously, that you can trust that you’re prepared enough,” Keery considered. “Even now I feel like my process for shooting on Stranger Things — we’re doing this new season — does feel a little different. It’s cool that you can take little things from jobs and use them moving forward.”

See our full conversation below!

Fargo season five streams exclusively on Hulu.