Set during New York City’s Gilded Age, the TNT psychological thriller series The Alienist follows Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Brühl), a brilliant and obsessive man in the controversial new field of treating mental pathologies who, along with the help of newspaper illustrator John Moore (Luke Evans) and Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning), an ambitious secretary determined to become the city’s first female police detective, decides to hunt down a ritualistic killer gruesomely murdering young boys. Inspired by the novel by Caleb Carr, it is a fascinating story of the emergence of the world’s most powerful city, with enough darkness and madness to overtake it all.

While at the TCA Press Tour for TNT, actor Daniel Brühl spoke to Collider for this 1-on-1 interview about the appeal of The Alienist, his attraction to dark material, this interesting triangle of characters, and the show’s gruesome mystery. He also talked about working on the third Cloverfield movie, due out in theaters on April 20th, the secrecy and wanting to tell a story set in space.

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Image via TNT

Collider: There is so much to this character that it’s easy to see why it would be attractive, but was there a specific aspect of the character or story that reeled you in?

DANIEL BRUHL: It was everything about it, really. The second I started reading the book, I was mesmerized and fascinated. I felt like a 12-year-old with a torchlight under the blankets. I couldn’t stop reading it. I think I read it in a day or two. It was the combination of it being a gripping psychological thriller with very compelling characters. It is also a fascinating history lesson about New York, at the time. It was probably the most fascinating city in the world because it was an exploding melting pot with all of these different aspects and social classes, from the Vanderbilts and Roosevelts, down to the rotten tenements. Also, you get to learn about the politics, and the corruption within the police department, at that time, and there’s the combination of having real characters, and then the fictional characters. And then, personally for me, my wife is a psychotherapist. We’ve been together for seven years, and since I’ve been with her, I’ve always been interested in what she does. She was equally happy that I was offered this part because it deals with the beginning of the science of psychology, which is a fascinating science. I found it very endearing to follow these characters, not only mine, but also the others, who were all pioneers in their own fields. It’s so interesting to learn about the beginning of forensics, of psychology, and of having Sara Howard be determined to be the first female detective in the police department.

This trio would likely never have been friends under different circumstances. They have nothing in common, aside from a curiosity that drives them all.

BRUHL: Exactly! And then, later in the show, you’ll find that they do have something in common. Sara Howard and Laszlo Kreizler have to fight their own demons, and they have a very tough background with horrible traumas that they’re facing. Another thing that I love about the story is that it’s also a journey into the minds of these characters. Nowadays, my wife told me that every psychologist does instructive analysis. They go to see their own shrinks to cope with the pressure and all the issues in the job, to keep sane, but back in those days, they did not. I love that my character is so arrogant, in a way, that he wants to show everyone that he can analyze and understand the people around him, but when it comes to face his own past and his own persona, he becomes quite nervous.

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Image via TNT

It’s interesting that Dr. Kreizler takes no issue with Sara being a woman, the same way that everyone else does. Why do you think he’s more accepting of that?

BRUHL: I think he’s a liberal modern soul, surrounded by very conservative people who are not accepting what was then seen as a very controversial science. Psychologists were seen as charlatans by religious people. This is a man who’s used to dealing with prejudices and criticisms, so his thinking is far more advanced. That’s why he knows that Sara Howard is smart and has as much of a psychological understanding as he does.

What do you find most interesting about the mystery aspect of the show?

BRUHL: I’ve always been into [dark material] since I was a teenager. I was thinking of Sherlock Holmes, Jekyll & Hyde, Jack the Ripper, the gloominess of Edgar Allan Poe, and so many stories that I’ve loved since I was young. I’ve always been attracted by darkness and mystery stories. It was just a perfect combination for me. I’m happy to see that this is a thing that’s pretty current, at the moment, with shows like Mindhunter, among others. The fact that there are serial killers is something that always fascinates people, trying to understand what’s behind these vicious murders and why people do these things. It’s an interesting approach by Laszlo Kreizler to think that ultimately it is in each one of us, it just depends on the circumstances in which you live and grow up and what happens to you. Every human being could be capable of doing these horrible things, depending on your life.

Along with Luke Evans and Dakota Fanning, the three of you guys are known as film actors. What’s it been like to do your first American TV series with them?

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Image via TNT

BRUHL: I’ve been looking for the right series, and there have been offers, but fortunately there was always something about it that made me step back because I could feel that it wasn’t right. So, when this came along, I was so excited and was just hoping that they would choose me. I was jumping up and down when I finally got the call because everything about it was just right. Even that the guy is from a German/Hungarian family and has that background was perfect. Also, when I heard that Luke and Dakota were in it, I’m a huge admirer of their work and always have been, so I felt like it was a perfect triangle. Those are things you cannot foresee, chemistry wise. You expect it to happen, but then you never know until you meet. That was the case, fortunately. It just clicked, immediately, and it felt like we’ve known each other for quite awhile. We even spent our private time together, most of the time, so we weren’t tired of each other. Even know, we’re happy to see each other, and that could have been different after six months. It was a wonderful working environment with very passionate directors. It was the first time I’ve experienced working with different directors. It’s a different challenge, but ultimately, as an actor, to have the privilege of time and the luxury of being able to have such a long arc and to be able to spend so much time with a character that you love is a gift. I was as enthusiastic on the last day as I was when it started.

Would you like to continue playing this character, in future seasons then?

BRUHL: Oh, yes! We’d all be happy to go back.

You also have the third Cloverfield film coming out. How do you prepare for a movie set on a space station? Is it hard to research something like that?

BRUHL: Yes, it was, and my knowledge is zero. I went to UCLA and I met some very brilliant students and scientists there. It was only 2% of the information that I was given by them that I remotely understood. It’s based on many interesting ideas about a near future scenario, which is an interesting vision of what could happen or what might happen with the Earth. I’m bit scared to talk about it because it’s so extremely secretive. I’m afraid of ending up in a Bad Robot prison.

Had you been familiar with the other two Cloverfield movies, and did you know how anticipated this film would be?

BRUHL: Yeah. I was aware of the movies and wanted to enter that universe that they created. J.J. Abrams is such a mastermind in that genre. It was very attractive to work with all of these wonderful actors. I’ve always wanted to do a space movie, so I couldn’t wait to end up floating in space and solving huge problems.

The Alienist airs on Monday nights on TNT.

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Image via TNT
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Image via TNT

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