Billy Crystal "couldn't shed" haunted Before character
"I was always him."
Billy Crystal has revealed he "couldn't shed" his character in his new psychological thriller Before, opening up about the pain that led him through the most emotional scenes in the show.
The new Apple TV+ series follows Crystal's character, child psychiatrist Eli, after the loss of his wife. He soon meets a child, Noah (Jacobi Jupe), who has a disturbing connection to Eli's past.
Eli is clearly haunted by the death of his wife in the show and, speaking to RadioTimes.com about how he approached emotional scenes, Crystal explained: "You don't even prepare, you just have to do it.
"I was so in his world every day. It was one of the first times I was with a character that I couldn't shed, because the schedule was so compacted that I'd arrive at the set early in the day, be there 12, 14 hours, go home, learn my lines for the next day, and then the same thing happened for weeks and weeks and weeks and months and months and months."
Crystal added: "I was always him, so when the [emotional] scenes would come, they just came out of a pain that I was almost in all the time. And so that was very thrilling, because I was sort of being him, instead of acting him."
Showrunner Sarah Thorp said that viewers will see another side of Crystal, who's most prominently known for his comedic performances, and for iconic films like When Harry Met Sally.
She added to RadioTimes.com: "You come in feeling like you know Billy, you're with him from the beginning and he takes you on a completely unexpected journey that is so emotionally-based.
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"There are all these great genre elements and a little horror and a little mystery and a little atmosphere, but it's all rooted in those emotional scenes that Billy is so incredible in, and Judith [Light] too."
The 10-part series will follow the connection between Eli and Noah, as shocking truths come to light about both of their pasts.
Before will begin on Apple TV+ on 25th October.
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