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'Westworld' like a cross between sci-fi and Westerns: Harris

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Press Trust of India Los Angeles
Veteran Hollywood actor-director Ed Harris, who plays the mysterious but sadistic role of Man in Black, in "Westworld", says he decided to be a part of the show because it merges the world of sci-fi with Western genre.

"I never really had done this kind of a series before, but I like the Western genre and I like that this is kind of a cross between that and sci-fi...

"I knew going into this that this was a big thing for HBO - it was important to them. They wanted it to be something that would be successful and so at least I knew it would be seen by people," Harris said.
 

Created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy for HBO, the show's story is set in a fictional Westworld, a technologically advanced, Western-themed amusement park populated by androids. The park gives access to high-paying visitors, who can do whatever they wish within the park, without fear of retaliation.

The show is inspired by 1973 film of the same name.

Harris, best known for his performances in films such as "Nixon", "A Beautiful Mind", "Enemy at the Gates", "The Truman Show", "Apollo 13" and "The Hours", says he liked Nolan's passion for the project.

"I really liked Jonathan's passion about it. Talking to him about what he and Lisa thought, and about what their ideas were for this thing, where they wanted it to go - it seemed intriguing to me. I like working with people that have vision and passion - I just went through this, with Darren Aronofsky, on his movie, and he's a real visionary too."

"Westworld", starring veteran actor Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood, Harris, Thandie Newton, James Marsden and Jeffrey Wright, airs in India on Star World Premiere every Tuesday at 10 PM.

His character is a regular visitor to the futuristic theme park but Harris is not ready to divulge much about it.

"He is a mysterious character, and they are not really encouraging me to speak about who he is and his past, and what he is ultimately after... He has been coming to the park for 30 years. So he is obviously a man of means, or he wouldn't be able to afford that," Harris said about his character.

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First Published: Oct 21 2016 | 8:02 AM IST

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