The new Hulu crime drama Candy follows the real-life crimes of the 1890s homemaker Candy Montgomery and comes from the minds of The Act collaborators Robin Veith and Nick Antosco. Jessica Biel plays the title character, well-respected churchgoer who appears to have everything going for her: a loving husband, two kids, and a place to call home. However, the fall out of a messy affair and the mundaneness of her everyday life might have tipped her over the edge. Following the brutal murder (41 times with an ax) of her best friend Betty Gore (Melanie Lynskey), Candy finds herself as the main suspect.
SAG winner Timothy Simons plays Candy's husband, Pat Montgomery. Known for his brash, comedic roles (Jonah in Veep), the actor toned things down to step into this character - a simple, easy-going guy who likes outings with his family and keeping the peace. While he's a bit boring, Simons plays him masterfully and his every move packs a punch as his sneaking suspicions build from his wife's infidelity to her connection to the local murder.
In a conversation with Game Rant, Simons commented on playing Pat, unpacking at the end of the day, and his most anticipated scene. While speaking about getting into character, he described it an "easy" feat, compared to what his costar Biel went through - however it still had its challenges.
"Playing somebody uncomplicated can be really challenging. As actors, we're always trying to find whatever is wrong underneath or whatever is not being said, like, 'what is the subtext of this?' In those first couple episodes, I would joke around with Jessica [Biel] about this, how my job was so easy compared to hers. Especially in that first episode because Pat's just having the time of his life, everything's going great. In a strange way that can be hard to play."
He went on to share that while the series is based on real events, it is meant to be a dramatization. Due to that nature, he was able to take the information he needed to "build a foundation," but if something didn't work, it wasn't the end of the world. Through the process, he didn't meet with any of the real-life subject.
"We had consultants who had met the real-life people. I never talked to any one of the people who are portrayed in the show. Because it is a dramatization, I didn't feel like it was necessary. I just talked to the consultants who had worked on the case or were reporters, and [I] did a lot of reading."
While Simons' character does not get his hands dirty in the series, he still feels the intensity of the events. He is present when the details of the murder unravels, and he is forced to come face-to-face with Betty's killer. However, unpacking at the end of the day was not a difficulty for Simons as his eighties' transformation allowed him to detach from his character.
"It makes it easier to unpack at the end of the day when you have to take off a wig, and you have to take off a bunch of clothes you would never wear day-to-day. You walk out feeling like a completely different person. You know what I mean? Like, I would never wear a suit like that. At the end of the day, the physical change made it easy to leave all of that there."
Simons isn't the only one making a physical transformation. Biel sports a few fun looks and disguises herself behind a short curly wig and a pair of wire-frame glasses. The Pat actor commented on his most anticipated bits from the series - including Biel's new look and a volleyball scene.
"I think Jessica does a great job in her physical transformation. I am excited for people to see that. The costuming, the production design, it's all incredible. And there's a volleyball scene in the second episode that I'm really excited for. I'm excited to see it myself, because I haven't seen it yet. I think it's supposed to be great, just very sweaty and a lot of armpits. I just love it."
Candy is currently streaming on Hulu. The first episode premiered May 9 and will be followed by one new episode daily until the finale on May 13.