DopsikHulu’s drama series starring Michael Keaton, Caitlin Dever and Peter Sarsgaard tells the story of the opioid crisis in the United States from 1996 to 2007.
Creator Danny Strong told a panel at Deadline’s Contenders Television: The Nominees event that there is still a chance of justice for Richard Sackler and his family, the owners of OxyContin producer Purdue Pharma.
Contenders TV: The Nominees – Full deadline coverage
He said he hasn’t given up hope for justice, as activists are still trying to get the federal prosecutor to accuse the family of the crimes documented in the eight-part series.
“People haven’t given up,” he said. “I don’t want to call it revenge, but [if that happens]I would just say that justice will be done eventually. For some loved ones, they will be happy if that happens, but without it there will never be true justice. [their] family members.”
Strong, who was in the panel with Dever and Sarsgaard, called it “one of the greatest crimes in American history”.
Dever plays Betsy Malum, one of the victims of the crisis. According to him, there is no formula for playing such a character. “I just had to deal with it in a way that I never had before in my previous roles,” she said. “I felt a lot of pressure to do it right because I represented many people affected by the opioid crisis.”
Sarsgaard plays Rick Mountcastle, the real person who led the prosecution in the case. He says it’s weird to play a real person, but in this case it’s nice to play a hero in some way. “It’s great to play with such high ambitions, such selfless goals,” he said. “I’ve had a career playing people who were, in many ways, pretty dysfunctional, so that was great.”
DopsikThe October premiere garnered 14 Emmy nominations, including one for Outstanding Anthology or Limited Series, as well as actor nominations for Keaton, Dever, Sarsgaard, Will Poulter, Michael Stuhlbarg and Mar Winningham.
Check back on Monday for a video of the panel.
Source: Deadline
