The Killing’s Billy Campbell Teases a Tense Season 2!
We didn’t find out “Who Killed Rosie Larsen?” at the end of Season 1, but The Killing still went out with a bang. As in, the shot that rang out with mayoral candidate Darren Richmond’s name on it. Snakkle sat down with Billy Campbell, who plays Richmond, to find out what we can expect from Season 2 and so much more! By Erin FoxThe raw and suspenseful AMC thriller, The Killing, returns Sunday, April 1, with a special two-hour season premiere, and hits the ground running. Series star Billy Campbell, who plays the charming, yet slightly sinister City Councilman Darren Richmond, tells Snakkle, that the first episode picks up about 90 seconds from where Season 1 ended. “It’s intense I mean I got the first script and I just—my jaw was on the floor and I had to read it again right away.”
When we last left the mystery of 16-year-old Rosie Larsen’s stunning murder, Richmond was looking more and more like a suspect, until the moment (and what a moment!) that we discovered Detective Holder (Joel Kinnaman) planted evidence and is really working for someone who wants to take the Councilman down. But even if Richmond is innocent, he still has a ton of demons to exorcise (not to mention a bullet to extract!) for someone who is running for office.
Snakkle asked Campbell about those demons and if there was a particular moment in the script where the hairs stood up on the back of his neck, and he thought, “I’m not sure I like where my character is going.” He coyly answered, “There were, there were points when the hair on the back of my neck stood up because I did like where my character was going. But that’s about all I can say.” (Well played, sir.)
Playing a sketchy politician or possible murderer must garner some interesting reactions from fans of the show—especially given the controversial ending where the killer was not revealed. So, what are people saying to Campbell on the street? “I mean the reactions have just been wonderful. And I have had that reaction from a few people, you know, ‘I hated the ending!’ And I was like, ‘Oh so you’re not going to tune in next year?’ And they’re like, ‘No, I’m tuning in, but I hated the ending!’ So I think everyone feels very strongly about the show.”
At the heart of all the intrigue, twists and turns and red herrings, lies the tragic story of a young girl, gone too soon, in too horrific a manner. How could this have happened? Why didn’t her parents know more about her life? Who would benefit from such a heinous crime? And, for Campbell, there is one scene in the pilot episode that stands out as being extraordinary in a season full of incredible moments. “If there has been anything ever on television as powerful as Stan (Brent Sexton) going to the crime scene while his cell phone is still broadcasting, she’s (Michelle Forbes) in the kitchen hearing him discover that Rosie is dead, and the children are standing in the living room watching their mother discover that. It’s making my hair stand on end right now.”
The Killing season premiere airs Sunday at 8/7c only on AMC.