Bill Paxton Talks about Playing A Polygamist

On New HBO Drama ‘Big Love’

Staff Reports

According to a joint report issued by the Utah and Arizona Attorney General's Offices, July 2005, “approximately 20,000 to 40,000 or more people currently practice polygamy in the United States.”
The Mormon Church officially banned the practice of polygamy in 1890.
The new HBO drama series Big Love tells the story of Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) and his life in suburban Salt Lake City, balancing the needs of his three wives - Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Nicki (Chloe Sevigny) and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) - their seven kids, three new houses and the opening of his newest home improvement store. Debuting new episodes Sunday nights (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO, the series was created by Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer, who executive produce Big Love along with Playtone's Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman.

Q: How did you get involved with Big Love? You're known for movies, not for television.
Bill Paxton: I really wasn't looking for a project. I was in the middle of pre-production in Montreal on my first studio directing assignment, for The Greatest Game Ever Played. But as soon as I read the pilot, I said, “How can I make this work?”
We were able to work my schedule so that I could shoot the pilot even though I was in pre-production. Then, towards the end of filming on Greatest Game, I got the call that HBO had ordered a first season.
I've stayed in features for a long time, because that was the career I always wanted. But HBO does motion picture-quality work. And I thought the character was great. The show is about family, which is the richest vein you can tap into.

Q: Were you one of those actors who said, "I'll never do TV"?
BP: Pretty much. I got series offers every year. But to work in an ongoing format like this really gives you a chance to explore the subtleties and complexities of a role you're playing.

Q: How do you view your character?
BP: Bill Henrickson is a patriarchal figure who's trying to juggle a lot of the same things other people are trying to juggle - marriage, family, career. And on top of that, he's in this weird family situation. As much as he tries to get away from the life he was born into, the more he's pulled back into it.
I keep discovering different things in the part. I think my character represents a lot of people who are boomers, not only dealing with their own families, but also with their parents. A lot of people try to escape where they came from, but there's always family to pull you back.

Q: There are many different directions Big Love could take, from farce to tragedy.
BP: We're not playing it for camp. We're playing these people in earnest. With polygamy, Will Scheffer and Mark Olsen have found a lens through which they can examine social mores and contemporary views on marriage and family, and all that implies.
In my own life, I have a wife and children, and a career, and just keeping that all straight is a full-time job. Now multiply that times three and suddenly the wheel starts turning a little faster, and the music starts to speed up, and it gets more than a little crazy.
I find a lot to admire about Bill Henrickson. He's a guy who has a moral code, who is trying to do right by his wives and his children, and his beliefs.
He means well, even if it leads him into some pretty tangled and dark places.

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