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Spoilers ahead for Part 5 ofTrue Detective: Night Country.
Pete is often a welcome light in the darkness that isNight Country.
First, his wife, Kayla (Anna Lambe), kicks him out of the house.
Then, in the final minutes of the episode, something far more horrific happens.
The most important dynamic in this episode is the relationship between Peter and Hank.
Those are my favorite scenes in the whole show.
Its nice to see a bit of lightheartedness in a script thats so dark and heavy.
Im really fucking proud of those scenes.
We would do them and be like, So good, right?
Its nice just to see the two of them go back and forth.
It feels very comfortable and familiar between them.
Then theres the relationship between Peter and his dad, which is a lot more strained.
It got to John, who was just fantastic.
He had really created this whole world and history in his head.
It was democratic, of course, but he decided that there was a mother.
This is implied in the script that she left the two of them.
I think those issues do stem a lot from the absence of a female figure in their lives.
Nobody should hit their kids, but I dont think its abusive with Hank.
Your role onTrue Detectiveis by far your biggest to date.
What was it like suddenly working with people like John Hawkes and Jodie Foster?It was incredibly nerve-racking.
When the camera was not on them, and it was my coverage, they gave it 110 percent.
These are two men who would rather just live in a complete lie than ever address anything emotional.
Monkey see, monkey do.
Hes emotionally unavailable, certainly, to his wife and even his son.
Theyre two very emotionally stunted men.
Then Hank tells the story about saving Peter from drowning when he was 9.
Hank knows his time is nearly up.
Effectively, hes a dead man walking.
Whatever happens is going to be bad.
We talked about emotionally available men, but he tells this very heartfelt story.
Pete just lets it wash over him.
He says he doesnt really remember much of that day, but Im sure he rememberssomethingof that day.
Its just never been talked about.
This whole episode leads up to the moment when Peter shoots and kills his own father.
Do you think Peter is just acting from pure instinct by shooting him?Yes.
Its a reflex rather than a decision.
But as John has described it, its suicide by cop.
Hank knows whats about to happen, even though hes appealed to Peters rationality.
He knows that Pete wont kill somebody who is unarmed.
Hes defending Danvers rather than killing his father.
That forms his reflex: seeing a gun raised to his idol.
I think its inevitable that even though Danvers treats Peter awfully, he has this hole in his heart.
He will look to her to fill it.
Its not like Hank does himself any favors.
He hits his kid, he goes through his laptop.
Shes the presence that he looks toward for that relief.
How did it feel to shoot those final scenes?I felt like I was in safe hands.
She wouldnt let us fail.
Shes one of those women.
We both kind of needed our space.
After thats a wrap on that scene was called, he gives you this huge embrace.
Hes quite an emotional guy.
So it was incredibly rewarding, because you have this cathartic hug at the end of it.
He cant tell his wife or anything.
He has to live with that.
One of the saddest things for me is that he becomes a dirty cop.
Its done in the saddest way, with the original sin of patricide.
I think he becomes like his father.
Maybe his wife and kid leave him.
She was like, Personally, I dont see it like that.
I think youre being melodramatic.
While Peter will bear this weight, hell be okay.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
