Perry Mason's Mark O'Brien Unknowingly Manifested His Season 2 Role
It's become something of a cliché that, when in doubt, a studio or network simply needs to go the dark and gritty route in remaking an old IP and modernizing it for a new audience — whether it fits the material or not. In decades past, old-school detective procedurals were all the rage on cable television. Oftentimes, these episodic and formula-driven shows kept the violence and gore entirely off-screen, instead focusing on the central private eye and his (it was always a "him") investigators as they sought to discover the truth and save the day for their innocent clients.
The original "Perry Mason" absolutely fell under that umbrella, airing on CBS back in the mid 1950s to the late 1960s and based on author Erle Stanley Gardner's detective novels (who was also a credited writer on the series many times). Led by actor Raymond Burr as the eponymous criminal defense lawyer, "Perry Mason" achieved great success and popularity over its run, due in large part to its relatively lighthearted approach to some rather dark subject matter. In stark contrast, the new HBO series starring Matthew Rhys has taken an unapologetically noir approach that puts the depravity, gore, and moral failings of society front and center for viewers to wrestle with as best they can.
Season 2 has pitted Mason, lawyer-in-training Della Street (Juliet Rylance), and Chris Chalk's Paul Drake against District Attorney Hamilton Burger (Justin Kirk) and Mark O'Brien as Thomas Milligan, the lawyer in charge of prosecuting the trial of Los Angeles golden boy Brooks McCutcheon's (Tommy Dewey) murder. But for O'Brien, joining "Perry Mason" was more than just another acting gig. Between being a fan of the original series and essentially calling his shot for this season, it seems his major season 2 role was meant to be.
Manifesting destiny
Don't let your dreams be dreams, folks. Actors get sucked into new shows and turn them into their new obsession, just like us! That's what happened with Mark O'Brien ("Arrival," "Ready or Not," "Marriage Story") and season 1 of HBO's "Perry Mason," by his own admission. And, in a twist of fate, he all but spoke his casting in season 2 into existence while watching the series with his spouse. In a recent interview with Screen Rant, O'Brien opened up about playing the role of such an unlikable secondary antagonist and his familiarity with the original series. When asked whether he had to do any research into the character and the overall world of 1930s Los Angeles, the actor explained:
"I was very familiar with the original series, the way I think a lot of people [were]. I actually don't watch a ton of television, but in 2020, I watched 'Perry Mason' as soon as it came out and was obsessed with it. I love '30s and '40s noir and LA stories, so I was enamored by that kind of stuff.
In fact, when I was watching it, I remember several times turning to my wife and being like, 'God, I'd love to be a lawyer in season 2 of this.' I swear to God."
Fast-forward a couple of years later, and O'Brien ended up snagging a significant recurring role as the prosecuting attorney intent on sending away two young and seemingly innocent Mexican boys, Mateo (Peter Mendoza) and Rafael Gallardo (Fabrizio Guido), on murder charges. As the series rolls into its final two episodes tonight and next Monday on HBO Max, O'Brien will doubtless have some final courtroom dramatics to come — which perhaps he once envisioned for himself back when first watching "Perry Mason."