Billy Magnussen, Simon Helberg and more stars from AMC’s “The Audacity” convened for Variety‘s Behind the Show presented by AMC to discuss what drew them to the dark comedy and its extreme relevance today.
Magnussen stars as Duncan Park, an “audacious data-mining CEO,” and explains that he was eager to join “The Audacity” in part due to its creator, Jonathan Glatzer. “In 20 years of being in this industry, I’ve never come across a script like that,” said Magnussen. He was also intrigued by the Silicon Valley-set show’s premise, which revolves around a cast of characters typical of those in the tech bubble: “We all have the ability to be so audacious in our daily lives, and its whether or not you cross that threshold,” he said.
Ava Telek, who plays Jamison Park-Hoffsteader, was drawn to the show’s writing. “[It’s] incredible. It’s so funny, but it’s also so dark and we handle so many interesting topics that are really timely,” she said. Helberg, who plays Martin Phister, revealed he actually originally read for the part of Duncan before Magnussen was cast. “I was like, ‘Please, I’ll do anything to be part of this world, to say those words,’” he said. For Lucy Punch, who plays Lili Park-Hoffsteader, the draw was her character. “I love playing unpleasant characters and Lili’s particularly toxic and poisonous,” she said. “Just what a treat!”
