David Morse on 'Outsiders,' Philly, Pittsburgh... and wigs

Philadelphia actor David Morse has made his bones playing strong, reticent characters, like the cop-turned-cabbie on the locally shot Hack that ran from 2002 to 2004. But as of late, Morse has been trying new things, like playing Rachel McAdams' commune leader father in Season Two of HBO's True Detective.

In WGN's Outsiders, premiering at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Morse truly plays against type as Big Foster Farrell, a leader of a lawless Appalachian clan feeling the outside world encroaching on its isolated turf. Morse plays big and blustery, a powerful leader looking out more for himself than for his tight-knit group.

Plus, he gets to wear a killer wig.

This part is different from what we've seen from you before.

Most actors, we get asked to do things that are similar to things we've done before. I've spent a lifetime being asked to do what I just did. This was a world and a character I hadn't done before.

The character was originally written as one-dimensional, he was just a bad, bad guy. I didn't think it was fun or smart. But [creator Peter Mattei and executive producer Peter Tolan] and I got to talking about who he is, why he is the way he is, and it became far more interesting.

How did you get acquainted with this world? Appalachia is pretty different from, say, Philly.

Thomas Wright [The Bridge], he plays the sheriff, he went to Kentucky. He's from Australia and he really thought he needed to. He hung out with police and drug addicts and drank moonshine in the woods. For us, it was different. [The Farrell clan are] not hillbillies, we're not rednecks. I watched films and docs and got familiar with the language, but it was this Celtic old-world feel, as well, with a Shakespearean quotient. Once you start putting on the wardrobe and the wig, it all feeds you.

How did you change Big Foster?

I talked to Peter [Mattei] early on, and I knew the character wasn't all there. But they were open to me as an actor, and this doesn't happen on most shows. Sometimes there are tensions between actors and writers, but it turned out to be great for all of us. It was just exciting for me. I didn't need to know anything. I looked forward to discovering.

It was so inspiring to see what the art department did. They were equally excited about the possibilities of this world. Same with wardrobe and hair. We were free in a way, and everyone rose to the challenge creatively, like the tattoos that were created unique for each character.

The costuming and art direction seems integral in creating these characters.

The first day we all got together, we were out in Pittsburgh early. You can't go to the store and buy these costumes. We got to see each other in this stuff - the vests, the tattoos, the hair. It was exciting. I wanted to go walk around the woods and see what our world would be like, and I spent three hours walking around. It's a challenge to shoot on those hillsides, for 12, 14 hours, especially for the crew, who has to lug equipment around. But it's just magical to be there.

The wig must have certainly helped. That's quite a hairpiece.

It takes time and money to put those wigs together. You need someone talented to create them and someone to put them on and take care of them. It really was the thing that completed the character. It looked cool but it was native in a way.

This long hair was originally not a part of the character. In that first episode, when a character walks into the bar, everyone stops because a [member of the clan] has walked into the bar. We needed something to really distinguish us. There are so many myths about what happens on that mountain. So I showed them pictures of what I had going on in True Detective and they went with it.

This was shot in Pittsburgh, which isn't so far from home.

I love Philadelphia. It's a great city. I don't want to live anyplace else. But I'm happy work is coming to our state. If you're going to be someplace, Pittsburgh is terrific. There's a lot of good people, and they have that same blue-collar attitude that Philadelphia has, with their pride about the city and the pride about the sports teams. I felt very comfortable here, and I was happy I could drive back and forth and do my job.

meichel@phillynews.com
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@mollyeichel

Outsiders
Premieres 9 p.m. Tuesday on WGN