Week after week, unsuspecting wedding guests are killed off on Harper’s Island and we’ve seen them all die gruesome deaths. The latest victim of the inhumanity is Malcolm Ross, a groomsman who got a bit too greedy and ended up incinerated just as he was about to repent. Chris Gauthier, who plays the recently deceased character on the hit thriller recently talked about his experience on the show and who he believes is responsible for the murders.
On an interview with Fearnet.com, Chris Gauthier revealed the excitement and difficulties of working on Harper’s Island. He said he auditioned for the role of Booth (played by Sean Rogerson) initially, but was called back to play Malcolm. He had a week-to-week contract with the producers and, like the other cast, had no idea how long the stint took.
“I don’t think they were firm on any of the characters that early on, especially that far down the cast list,” Gauthier said. “I think I heard that some people got, like, a five-episode guarantee or a seven-episode guarantee.”
The actor also admitted that the situation of impermanence on the series actually made him less nervous than he expected. “There’s this sense of doom when you are dealing with a set amount of episodes,” he explained. “At least this way, if the producers like you, you might get to stick around a little longer. It didn’t necessarily work out in my case, but the theory was sound.”
Gauthier went on to talk about the length of time he worked on the show, with his character making it until the seventh episode. “I was absolutely surprised to make it as far as I did, especially in light of episode four, where I left Booth in the woods and opted to take my buddy, the money, home instead.”
“You know, thinking the money would be more worthwhile to take home than Booth. It was probably a bad decision, and I didn’t know how much longer after that I would last. I think it was great to go that much farther.”
Despite that, Gauthier knew that things were coming to an end for Malcolm Ross. The hellish murder was terrible enough to watch, but apparently the writers intended something else. The bloodier scene was cut, perhaps to be left as a bonus to the lucky consumers of a Harper’s Island DVD.
“It was a gory good death,” Gauthier exclaimed. “Originally, there were going to be [body parts] thrown in to the incinerator. We filmed it, so I am hoping they will release it on the DVD. I even had a head mold made, which was a really grueling process.”
“Apparently the network saw both versions, and decided the one with just my hand on the furnace, and the screaming, was enough.”
Chris Gauthier might be dead on the show, but the killer’s identity will always be on his mind. “I guessed at the beginning, and I am going to stick with my guess: Danny Brooks, one of the other groomsmen. I think there is a lot more to be fleshed out with his character.”
-Maria Gonzalez, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Fearnet.com
(Image Courtesy of CBS)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
