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HBO
Palek seems like a pretty conflicted guy, what's going on inside his head?
AS
It's interesting because we start the season off, and he's just trying to support his wife and make her happy. And, through that, he thinks he'll make himself happy, and everything will be fine. I think we're catching them right at the point where that is starting to not work for him. He starts acting out a little bit, in a more selfish way, because he's been dysfunctional in the way he's been trying to make everything okay.
HBO
Is there any back story you can share that doesn't come out in the show?
AS
You know, one interesting thing that Cindy [the show's creator] said right at the beginning was that therapy was Palek's idea, which didn't immediately occur to me. It's never really alluded to in the show, but just thinking of that as how their therapy started is very interesting.
HBO
Cynthia has also said that the show depicts one relationship shown throughout its stages. When Palek was in his twenties, do you think he was anything like Hugo?
AS
I think that Palek's a bit less of a free spirit than Hugo seems to be. But I think all guys go through what Hugo's going through when they're in their twenties, which is: "I want to be a free spirit, I think I'm a free spirit but wait ... I really love this girl. So maybe I'm not..." So I imagine Palek went through something similar, but I don't think he was quite as loose-limbed ... I think that Palek was probably a serial monogamist through his twenties. Eye on the prize.
HBO
How closely do you, personally, fall into this thirty-something stage that Palek represents?
AS
I'm married, and I have an 11-month-old boy. My boy was born two weeks after we started shooting the show. So I was on three hours of sleep for the series, basically. It was so crazy. I was running on fumes the whole time, which actually was good for the show, I think, because these people are – over the course of the season – just strained and at their wits' ends.
HBO
The series itself is an emotionally heavy lift, and you're having a kid at the same time – what was that like?
AS
It was a very emotionally vivid part of my life. When something really heavy is happening in your life, you remember every single thing about a period of time ... Going in there every day, it was emotionally draining. And then I would come home and it's our first baby, so we were just finding our way. I think of the two together. I think of Graham being born and the show being born – of course, my son being born is the most important thing – but I think of them as being together. They kind of grew with each other, and I'm very proud of both.
HBO
On HBO.com, some viewers are saying that the show has jumpstarted their sex lives. How does it feel to take credit for that?
AS
Hey, I'll take it. That's great. I think that nothing unhealthy can come from that; that's fantastic.
HBO
How do you imagine people watching this show – as couples, by themselves?
AS
I think it functions in either of those. I think couples watching it together could have its uncomfortable moments, but I think that it's good. I know friends of mine, couples that have watched it together; there's always a conversation to be had afterward. "Is that us? We can never let that be us." But, it's not all dire sadness on the show. There're a lot of really loving, sweet moments as well. I've watched them with my wife – I've watched some episodes with her and some by myself – and it really is quite an experience to watch it with your loved one.
HBO
How was watching it with your wife?
AS
You know, it's fine because she knew what the show was, and she read the scripts every week as they came in. She loves the show. So when she finally got to watch them, it was a little shocking, but she knew what it was and what was coming. And she and Sonya know each other and are friends, and it's totally fine.
HBO
What have your guy friends had to say?
AS
I got some pretty funny emails the next day. It's funny, once the jokes kind of completed their cycle with all my guy friends, the show strikes a chord with their lives in a way that TV shows usually don't. It reminds them of stuff that actually happens in everyday life. You know, sometimes TV shows will deduce a man's issues as submarine sandwiches, football and chicks. And women are shoes, shopping and how many bites of a Snickers they keep in the freezer. It's entertaining, and it has its place on TV. But it's bullshit. And this show is dealing with people as they are – as we know they are. So it is a bit uncomfortable for some to watch it, and some even accuse it of not being entertainment.
HBO
Sometimes, as a viewer, you feel like you're in therapy yourself.
AS
I think that in a way it's a healthy thing to watch. But it's not all eating your vegetables. It has enough cool, soapy elements to keep you addicted.
HBO
You and Sonya do a great job of portraying that weird loving/antagonistic relationship that real couples have. Do you two have an oddly deep friendship because of it?
AS
Yeah. It's really interesting because, by the time we started shooting the show, we knew each other quite well, because we did the pilot beforehand and then stayed in touch because we became friends. Working with Sonya was just so easy, and we just had a real understanding of who these people were. The scenes themselves were not always easy; sometimes they were a hard egg to crack. But it was always a very satisfying feeling when we would finish one of these tough emotional scenes. We felt like we kind of solved the puzzle. I just felt very lucky to be working with her because, if you're working with someone who you don't exactly click with, that would make for 10 very long episodes of shooting.
HBO
What was it like the first time that you guys had an intimate scene?
AS
Tequila shots. I think we did two each, which can get you a little drunk. Two or three. And it made it a lot easier because we were so petrified. We still didn't know each other that well, but tequila shots are the key. The social lubricant. It was the scene in the pilot where we go off into the room during dinner. But then immediately after that we did the hand job scene. That was a long day.
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