To play Duncan Park, the head of a data-mining company who’s desperate to join the upper tier of the tech industry hierarchy in the AMC drama The Audacity, Billy Magnussen has to find a deep well of neediness and striving.
“I empathize with that,” says Magnussen. “I think we all have that imposter syndrome, and that’s easy to relate to with any character.” On the other hand, he explains, “It’s exhausting, his never-ending drive, because he wants to be the top dog. At what point does your bank account look big enough? How much property do you need?”
His character’s answer, not unlike many real-life tech founders, would probably be, “As much as possible, and then some more.” Duncan’s anxiety about his place in Silicon Valley is his animating force, an outward projection of deep-seated psychological issues.
“Not good enough, weak, just below par,” is how Magnussen thinks Duncan sees himself, pointing to a scene in episode three when his character seeks out a diagnosis by taking a neurodivergence test and can’t accept the psychiatrist’s assessment that he’s “typical.”
“He’s constantly searching for, ‘Why do I have this pain?’ And he wants it because I think in the valley, the culture is that you want to be a little off to the side. You want your mind to be different,” says Magnussen. “I don’t think he loves himself, and he’s kind of looking for the answer that would give him clarity on why he hates himself. The truth is, chill out, man, you’re fine.”
