Wyatt Russell knew he wanted to be involved in the adaptation of Under The Banner of Heaven ever since he read the book a decade ago. Written by Jon Krakauer, the non-fiction opus delves into the 1984 murder of a young Mormon mother called Brenda Lafferty and her baby daughter, and its connections to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS).
Adapted into a series for FX – and now available on Disney Plus in the UK – Russell got his wish, joining the all-star cast as Brenda’s brother-in-law Dan Lafferty. First introduced as an ally to the young woman in the eccentric family, Dan's true colors soon start to show in this tense adaptation.
Total Film spoke to Russell about playing the real-life figure, his research into Mormonism, and taking a deep dive into Lafferty’s psyche. This interview was part of a roundtable and has been edited for length and clarity.
Total Film: What attracted you initially to get involved in this project – did you know a little bit about the real case beforehand, or were you fresh to the story?
Wyatt Russell: I read the book about 10 years ago before I heard that they were making a new movie maybe seven or eight years ago. I drive on that route through St. George, Utah, two or three times a year so I've been through Colorado City quite a bit. There you can go canyoneering, they do a lot of day trips through Colorado City, and it was just an interesting place. It always was fascinating because you'd see kids in traditional garments in this city where every house has super high walls and cameras. It’s very odd.
So, it was always a little fascinating. Then looking at the people [involved] and looking at the characters, sometimes you think, 'I could hopefully do a good job with this, I'll throw my hat in the ring.' And to be honest, when you see Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Dustin Lance Black, Jon Krakauer, and the source material, you know you want to do it. You know you're going to be shepherded in good hands. So that's how it all sort of came together.
What kind of research did you do to get into the role? Did you take a deep dive into the Church of the Latter Day Saints?
I did a lot of research on the family and I did a lot of research on Dan, specifically. There are a lot of things available to watch. There were audio recordings of him in prison talking to people on the phone, which usually gives a better idea of where his head was because he wasn't being interviewed. So the show aspect of the manipulation was a little less and he was speaking more candidly.
So through that, you kind of develop what you think the character would be – how he was in the 80s and what the trajectory was towards where he went. So that was the research into him. And then there was a lot of watching LDS documentaries, as much as you could and in that little timeframe we had before the show started.
The show features an all-star cast, including Andrew Garfield, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Sam Worthington. In one scene at the family B&Q, almost all of you are there together – what was that like to film?
When you get to do that, it's a blessing because it makes the job exponentially easier when everybody's able to work on the same wavelength, or even on different wavelengths, but in the same story. People can play and they're loose, but they're tied to the material, they're not going off into the ether. But they’re also not stuck in what they're doing, they're able to maneuver and manipulate in the way that great actors can. So it was just a blessing. It makes you spoiled because it's all you want to do and that's not the case in everything. You don't have the ability to do that in different shows that require different tones and don't always lend themselves to a tone like this that actors can really sink their teeth into.
It was just wonderful, it was a wonderful acting experience – and one of the better ones I've had. And it was all put forward by the script, so when you have a script, you have a blueprint architecture of a story that's well put together like that, and you get good actors, it's going to hopefully turn out to be a good experience.
Under The Banner of Heaven is available to stream on Disney Plus now. Check our lists of the best Disney Plus movies and best Disney Plus shows.
