Emmy winner Panjabi feels lucky to be cast in HBO's 'I Know This Much is True'

MANILA -- HBO’s new mini-series “I Know This Much is True” has gained positive reviews from critics since it was released last month.

Yet despite the raves, others also find it difficult to watch and recommend to others especially at a time when there are a lot of things transpiring globally including the coronavirus pandemic.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News and other entertainment media across Southeast Asia, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Archie Panjabi explained why she thinks all six episodes are worth watching.

“Occasionally, something comes along which is so magnificent, so powerful. Having something as authentic and real and raw, to me it’s very reminiscent of some of the filmmakers like Ken Loach where you feel that you are a fly on the wall into these people, it’s very visceral,” she said.

Panjabi thinks it is admirable that director Derek Cianfrance is unafraid to explore that dark and ugly side of life in the series, “which at some point we all have gone through it, or we will go through it.”

“He explores it in such an authentic way… it almost forces us to deal with some of our own issues or happenings in life,” she said.

According to Panjabi, she was drawn to the series because of its script, which was also written by Cianfrance himself.

“It was very powerful and moving knowing that Mark Ruffalo was attached to it and playing both the brothers and, of course, Derek Cianfrance, whose work I am a huge fan of. He’s renowned for being incredible authentic and being very performance-led,” she said.

“I Know This Much is True” follows Dominick Birdsey (Ruffalo) whose twin brother Thomas suffers from schizophrenia. Things take a turn after Thomas committed a grisly act of self-mutilation while at a public library that landed him in a maximum security prison facility. Despite his own personal issues with his stepfather, wife and late baby daughter, Dominick feels bound to take care of his ill twin brother in an attempt to fulfill a promise he made to their late mother.

Panjabi enters the picture as Dr. Patel who, as the therapist of the twin brothers, gains deeper insights as to what runs in the minds of both Dominick and Thomas.

When asked what is the hardest part about portraying her character, Panjabi said: “I think the most challenging aspect of playing Dr. Patel was how do you play a therapist who is dealing with somebody that has accumulated or is harboring over 40 years of pain and anger.”

“He’s gone through so many events in his life like the loss of his mother, not knowing who his father is, an abusive [step] father, losing her daughter. Where do you begin with somebody like that? How do you handle somebody like that so that they don’t just shut down and walk out the door?” she added.

Panjabi said it also helped her build Dr. Patel because she was able to read the best-selling 1998 novel by Wally Lamb on which the series was based.

“I had an opportunity to read the book. It’s incredibly long but thankfully, it’s an interesting book to read. I couldn’t put it down. I always find it helpful to get a deeper understanding of the character and just the world in which the character inhabits so I read it,” she said.

Although the plot may be grim, Panjabi said there are many things she wants viewers to take away from watching “I Know This Much is True.”

“While it can be depressing, I think it is about life and it is about family,” she said.

“The conflicts that Dominick’s character goes through, I think, is one that anybody who cares for somebody who is ill go through in terms of the love in wanting to care for them, but also the hatred because of the burden that it has. It is back and forth love and hate relationship. I think a lot of people would be able to relate to that,” she added.

At the end of the day, Panjabi feels fortunate to be cast in this HBO mini-series which she considers a “very, very special show.”

“It’s a labor of love. They have worked incredibly hard to make it happen. Derek was very keen that the energy of the set was very calm, very relaxed. The actors that he chose are very humble, hardworking actors who just got on well with everybody. You never felt any tension on set. It was a fantastic environment,” she said.

“Derek also likes his actors to improvise. You can only really improvise and sometimes make a fool of yourself when you are with a group of people who you feel very relaxed with. It was a very special job for me,” she added.

As to working with Ruffalo, Panjabi could only come up with good words to describe the actor.

“I call him a gentle and wise soul. He is a good guy. He is humble and witty and he is very giving and supportive to every member of crew and cast,” she said.

“I Know This Much is True” premiered on HBO Go and HBO last May 11. The series is only on its fifth episode and the finale will be released on June 15 at 9 a.m. with a same day encore at 10 p.m.

Read our review of the mini-series here.