Working in the entertainment industry for over 30 years, Michael Beach has steadily made an impression with audiences in everything from crime dramas to comic book movies. His latest project, Truth Be Told, is part of Apple TV+'s inaugural wave of original programming, with executive producer and star Octavia Spencer portraying Poppy Parnell, a true crime investigative reporter and podcaster drawn to reexamine a case she played a pivotal role in years ago. Beach plays Ingram Rhoades, husband to Poppy who helps protect her as their marriage comes under pressure as Poppy moves closer to the truth at any cost.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, Beach discussed his role on the Apple TV+ series as well as more recent fan-favorite roles, including his appearances as Black Manta's father Jesse Kane in the DC Extended Universe film Aquaman, as corrupt industrialist Nathan Ellery on the short-lived DC Universe series Swamp Thing and as the villainous Charles Pike on The CW series The 100.
With this, you're playing [the husband to Octavia's character] Ingram Rhoades and watching her tackle this case from her past with hints of redemption. Where do you see Ingram in relation to the larger show?
Michael Beach: I think Ingram is her protector. They have a very strong relationship and he's very supportive of her. And I think that's what makes my character so interesting because, as the show progresses, their relationship -- which has been rock solid -- starts to unravel because of the story that she's following and how it's interfering with their personal lives.
How was it finding that emotion and performing opposite Octavia Spencer?
That's one of the highlights of me being on the show; that we get some really meaty material to work on, and Octavia is like me: She's a hard worker and she puts the work in to really delve into what her character is going through and how it affects others. We don't just sit by and go "Okay, this is what I say," we need to really make sense of it. We need to figure out the why, we need to figure out how they're coping, what they're trying to do to get what they want and all the obstacles that are in their way which is usually the other person and what they want.
So, for me, it was exciting to find out that you have this movie star who is really about the work and putting in that time. That was the highlight for me on the show.
Outside of Octavia, you're working with Mekhi Phifer -- who you've worked with before -- and Ron Cephas Jones. How's it been working with the rest of the cast?
I've been doing this for 35 years professionally and one of the things that's the most exciting is the material that you choose and the people that are involved in bringing that material to life. And, acting-wise, when you have a cast like Mekhi Phifer, Ron Cephas Jones, Aaron Paul, Lizzy Caplan, Elizabeth Perkins and [showrunner Nichelle Tramble Spellman], you just go, "Yeah, this is exactly the kind of thing that I want to be involved in."
And with Mekhi, I think this is our fourth time working together. He's a longtime friend of mine when he first started out when we did Soul Food. I've kind of seen him grow in this business and he's another hard worker and a good friend of mine. And then, to work with Ron -- who I had never met -- you had to get ready if you're going on camera with Ron or you're going to be eaten alive. So it's exciting for me because you have to step your game up.
Truth Be Told is in the first wave of Apple TV+ series. How has it been different from your past experiences working in the genre and television in general?
Well, this is kind of [a new take on the genre]; no one in this situation is a professional crimefighter. You have a middle-aged black woman who's a podcaster which is something that hopefully resonates very well with today's audiences because podcasting is so big but she, you know, doesn't walk around with a gun saving lives and she's not used to being in dangerous, risky situations. So that's why this is a little different take than your normal crime show.
And, in terms of being involved in the streaming world which is obviously taking over, it's different than productions that could go, "Well, let's scrimp and save [money] here and there." [Apple] put the money into production to get a high quality product. Apple itself, I think they have a little bit of cash and they weren't afraid to put it into the production and that was something we all appreciated.
A lot of our readers are hugely into comic books, so I'd be remiss if I didn't ask how was your experience working on Aquaman?
Well, I had worked with [director James Wan] before on Insidious: Chapter Two and I worked with him on Swamp Thing after and was actually going to do The Conjuring but something came up and it didn't work out. But working on a huge budget film like Aquaman was not something you get to do everyday and I had a great time. I was down in Australia for months and have to get acclimated to be fitted for these suits. Even though you don't get to see any of my body because I'm in this suit, they were really concerned that everybody be in top shape.
And we had some good rehearsals, the set was huge and I didn't shoot everyday, I shot here and there. I had a lot of fun with [Black Manta actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II] whose father I play and to be reacquainted with [star Jason Momoa] because I did Stargate Atlantis with him 14 years ago. He was a [series regular] and I did a recurring [role] for, like, seven to nine episodes. But it was a great experience; James really cares about telling his story. I think more and more [superhero movies], especially with James, are trying to connect with audiences emotionally and not [be] all action. That's how my character kind of fit in, I had a little bit more of a dramatic role...even though I get to put Aquaman down for a minute. I take pride in the fact that he was down for 30 seconds.
I really am happy and appreciate it because a lot of people told me about the whole death of that character and how it sparks Black Manta and that they really appreciated the impact of those moments that [Jesse Kane] had with his son.
You did mention Swamp Thing. How was it playing Nathan Ellery on the first season of that show?
It was a lot of fun. We were hoping to have more. I don't know...nobody really knows...well, I'm sure somebody knows but I don't know why more [episodes] weren't done. But I had a lot of fun on it. I got to meet a couple actors that I had always enjoyed but never worked with. It was like a little family in [the filming location of] North Carolina. And I came in and did four or five [episodes]. I was hoping more would come with it because [my character Nathan Ellery] is involved in more storylines and the world. That's the way it happens. You do something and you never know how it turns out or what happens to it until you're moving on to the next thing, you know.
One of the more popular things on the site is The 100, so I don't think we can have a conversation without me bringing up Pike. How was it appearing as that character? I don't want to necessarily call him a villain, but he was certainly an authoritarian, antagonistic kind of figure.
That was one of the more enjoyable characters I've played because even though 99% of the fanbase see him as a bad guy -- not just a bad guy, I think he's the most hated character of that show, which is fine, I don't mind -- I have a lot of empathy for Pike and what he's been through. I've been hated on social media but I don't put much stock in it; I don't argue with people on social media and it's not my job, it's not up to me to determine how people feel about a character that I play.
If I were to emphasize anything, it's hard because the show was on for two seasons before Pike showed up and we don't get to see his life in those two seasons. We don't get to see him land on Earth and what he went through; it's told very quickly in his first episode and they lost these children because they landed in a completely different area. And he lost half his people, including children, and so he's coming from a very different place.
If you remember in the first season, the Grounders [the tribes surviving on Earth after the apocalypse] were [seen by the main characters as the bad guys]. But then, in the second season, you start to get to know the Grounders and many of them become good characters. So then you bring [Pike] on and everybody else loves the Grounders after hating them in the first season and this new guy wants to kill the Grounders because the Grounders he knew from the Ice Nation never asked questions, they just killed first.
So Pike is a survivor and is like "Kill or be killed. That is my history here on Earth with Grounders and so before I allow them to kill more of my people, I will kill them." And, you know, that makes sense to me. Whether he's right or wrong to believe that all Grounders are bad...you know [my character] has been compared to Donald Trump and Hitler and you just go "...okay..."
I love it. I loved the character, I really did, and I got so close to many of the actors up there. And the intention was to bring him back, not to kill him but not actually make him a [series] regular. That was the idea, that he would be a regular or just come back as a recurring [character] and stay around but I think that the backlash was so bad from killing [fan-favorite Grounder character] Lincoln and other things that [showrunner Jason Rothenberg] just felt we had to [kill Pike off]. And it was a surprise to a lot of people because that was not the original intention but that's just the way it is, man.
I had a great experience, one of my top experiences in TV. And the writers worked hard on him, they really did. I was originally only supposed to do eight episodes or something and it turned into twelve. I think that character pushed the story and characters and got [audiences] talking and pissed off!
Starring Octavia Spencer, Aaron Paul, Lizzy Caplan, Elizabeth Perkins, Ron Cephas Jones, Tracie Thoms, Michael Beach, Mekhi Phifer and Haneefah Wood, the first three episodes of Truth Be Told premiere Dec. 6 on Apple TV+, with subsequent episodes each Friday.