Actor Domhnall Gleeson gets journalists.
He understands journalists and the ones still toiling away under the pressure of not just deadlines, but the fact that journalism as practiced prior to the millennium is slowly being strangled by a myriad of other media and economic pressures.
It’s a topic that drew him to the new Peacock series “The Paper” from Greg Daniels, who adapted the U.K. series “The Office” for American television.
The same documentary crew that staked out the offices of paper company Dunder-Mifflin treks to Toledo, Ohio, through convoluted means to tell the story of “The Toledo Truth Teller,” a struggling newspaper with a skeleton staff and even sparer budget.
Gleeson is the idealistic and occasionally awkward executive editor of that paper, Ned Sampson, and was an easy choice for the role for that very reason, series co-creator Michael Koman said.
“I do think you want somebody who can project both idealism and be a goofball at the same time,” he said.
Gleeson also proved to be dedicated to achieving some modicum of authenticity. Like any actor, he plunged himself into research for the project, visiting newspapers throughout Ohio, he said.
“I went to Ohio because I hadn’t been around that part of the country before,” he said during a recent virtual press conference. “I went to Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo, chatted to loads of journalists from loads of different newspapers, shadowed a couple of people and just chatted to them about what being a journalist was like and being an editor is like these days.”
What did Domhnall Gleeson learn from his journalistic fact-finding mission for ‘The Paper’?
He also believes in staying informed. Gleeson, who admits to subscribing to three newspapers at home in Dublin, Ireland, said that he didn’t necessarily do so with the goal of using much in the show, but learning about the state of the industry actually informed the portrayal of his character.
He listened to working journalists he met from newer, to mid-level, to wise veterans. There were variances in experiences.
“So, hearing the difference, but then what they all had in common was that they were still trying and that they still believe in the foundations of [journalism], and I think that was really useful for Ned, just that constant belief that is possible,” he said.
He also saw the struggles of being a journalist in today’s industry.
“I think maybe I’ve not always understood what it takes to do it and to do it well,” Gleeson said, “but always had a huge amount of respect for everybody. I’ve always been quite romantic about it as well.”
Ultimately, he was also impressed by it.
“And then kind of amazing then to see the reality of the day-to-day,” Gleeson said. “And, in a way, it becomes even more impressive once you’ve seen what people are up against just to keep going.”
Domhnall Gleeson took inspiration from journalists and ran with it
That feeling of being impressed was reinforced by a moment his character has in one episode. In it, he says that every other person he knows who’s a fan of Superman always wanted to be the Man of Steel, while he wanted to be Clark Kent, his reporter alter-ego.
That moment came from advice from veteran film and television writer Richard Curtis (“Love Actually,” “Notting Hill”).
“You don’t have to say who he is, but it should show who he is and how he’s going to function,” he said. “So the Superman thing came from that, came from what Ned thinks is cool is not Superman but Clark Kent. So, I was really, really happy with that and I was really happy it ended up in the show because I think it’s so true of him.”
Domhnall Gleeson was the ‘north star’ for series producers
It took a lot for Daniels and Koman to tread familiar ground given the success of “The Office” both commercially and critically. The show garnered a slew of Primetime Emmy Awards nominations and a 2006 win for Outstanding Comedy Series, in the process launching the careers of Steve Carell, John Krasinski and Rainn Wilson, among others. Daniels said those “Office” cast members were “super supportive” of what they were doing.
Daniels and Koman realized just how lucky they got with that cast many of whom were not well known. Gleeson, 41, with the exception of Oscar Nunez, a face fans of “The Office” will recognize, is the most well-known member of the cast. He appeared in a couple of the “Harry Potter” films along with the role of General Hux in the final “Star Wars” trilogy. Gleeson didn’t audition for his part.
They were surprised and gratified by his interest in doing the show because it gave then an anchor and direction.
“But we needed a person who could be very much a leader who was capable of taking, you know, beaten-down office workers and inspiring them to turn themselves into citizen journalists,” Daniels said, “but also somebody who was super funny.”
A media study via mockumentary is perfect for ‘The Paper’
Based on experience, newsrooms are notorious for its staffers brokering in brutal honesty, gallows humor and they are usually some of the most diligent and dedicated people anyone will meet, making this topic ripe for the documentary or, as it’s known, mockumentary style used in “The Office” and borrowed for series such as “Abbott Elementary.”
It’s something that affected his performance Gleeson said while acknowledging its influence.
“Making it feel real, making it work for these characters in these environments was sort of the new challenge,” he said. “So, it definitely makes you behave differently because you’re being observed. It’s a whole new … it’s not just one person observing you, it’s you being aware that you’re being recorded.”
Daniels and Koman believe there’s an advantage to using that particular style. It certainly aided “The Office” in its United States iteration, running for nine seasons and 201 episodes.
“Well, I think one of the very helpful things about doing something in a documentary style is that you’re already committed to naturalism,” Koman said, “and people behaving the way they would in real life.”
George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Domhnall Gleeson finds inner journalist in ‘The Paper,’ from the creators of ‘The Office’
Reporting by George M. Thomas, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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