Happy FaceSeason 1is inspired by the life of podcaster and authorMelissa Moore(Ashford).
DENNIS QUAID: He’s a real guy.
ASHFORD: I play Melissa Moore, and this guy over here plays my dad, Keith Jesperson.
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ASHFORD: No, baby!
So this is something that could go on for seasons?
It could go on forever.
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TAMERA TOMAKILI: She’s still doing work.
I’m glad I asked this because I wasn’t sure.
Its the perpetrator, the victim, and then both of their families.
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Is True Crime the New ‘Dateline’?
“People are interested in what it means to be human.”
The crime genre, the docuseries, all that, is so prevalent in our society now.
It’s a very popular genre.
QUAID: I think it helps people sleep at night.
Butpeople are obsessed with crime.
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It used to be local news when I was growing up.
It played to people’s fearThat could happen tome.
People are obsessed with, How could people do that to one another?
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I think that’s what grabs people’s attention and holds it.
You filmed the show a year ago in Vancouver.
It’s a pretty fast turnaround.
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Its a really cool place to premiere something.
QUAID: It’s a fantastic place.
TOMAKILI: Its great.
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That’s what it was, and then it grew.
You’re 100% right.
This festival, over the last decade, has grown exponentially.
ASHFORD: It’s socool.
I feel so cool right now.
Then, all of us are really excited to share the story with people.
This is a true crime show, but it’s a unique true crime show.
He was a doting father, and they had a really sweet relationship.
Then, she was about 13 when she found out her father was a serial killer.
So, how [do you] reconcile this really sweet, loving dad with these murders?
So, it’s both sides.
There are so many levels to who she is.
Talk a little bit about getting ready for a role like this and how you want to play it.
You have to show a lot because she’s going through a lot and so many emotions.
You still love the memory of this person before that.
That is not your crime, but it is still your guilt and your strength.
QUAID: Its like, Is that seed in me?
Am I like that?
Will I commit these crimes just as much as them?
And we get to see that.
QUAID: He was caught finally.
He’s still around.
Anyway, I’m off on a tangent.
The true crime series also stars Annaleigh Ashford.
ASHFORD: We had a really special day of filming.
We did a oner.
That oner was exciting.
WOLK: It was in Episode 3, and the director who came in had this idea.
ASHFORD: And there was a dog and children involved.
I like working with them.
[Laughs]
WOLK: Same.
And we had them that day.
ASHFORD: Yes, we love our kids.
We love our children in life and on camera.
QUAID: That’s all I work with are dogs and children.
You see them working this case out together, and you see it coming to fruition.
Those were the things that I was really excited about.
You see these women partnered together and actually get something done.
It’s how we think of ourselves.
You’re playing a serial killer.
What is it like actually getting ready to inhabit that role?
QUAID: Surprisingly easy.
Serial killers don’t really have a lot of feelings.
ASHFORD: I think about this all the time.
It’s a funny show.
So, that’s a great thing.
She did give you $5 to say that.
ASHFORD: Don’t tell anybody.
So, for me, it was very much like, Okay, I need some Cleo Sol.
But it is a lot, and thank god for Annaleigh and always dropping her earring.
ASHFORD: If there’s a crash in the room, I’ll say, My earring!
It’s an old drag queen joke, and it gets a laugh every time.
TOMAKILI: Literally, every single time.
ASHFORD: It’s really good if somebody breaks a glass.
TOMAKILI: I dropped my earring!
Your identity is based upon, especially the family, about, Who am I?
Is there something in me that’s that way?
So, how is that passed on?
Thats what youre afraid of.
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