Richard Gadd On Discovering Ruben’s Animalistic Presence for ‘Half Man’ [VIDEO]

It’s very clear from the first episode of HBO’s Half Man that Richard Gadd has no interest in playing Baby Reindeer‘s Donny again. The understatement of this entire television season? Gadd’s Ruben is an imposing, intimidating presence that looms not just over the characters but reaches through the screen as if he is about to yank at the scruff of our necks. It’s almost like Gadd, who created and wrote the limited series, is single-handedly trying to get us to think about rage and masculinity in completely new ways with each and every project.

I couldn’t help but think about Ruben’s stance all throughout Half Man. Gadd makes sure that Ruben invades the space of the other people he is talking to, but it depends on his mood to determine how he wields that power. He will touch foreheads with his brother, Niall (played with astonishing effect by Stuart Campbell and then Jamie Bell) as a means of comfort when things get rocky or violent. When he wants to shake someone up, though, Gadd doesn’t have to do much. His stance is firm and he towers over almost everyone. His build, beefed up since we last saw him on television, certainly helps with our unease with him.

If you have ever been bullied or had someone lay violence on you, the feeling of being around them affects how you feel. You physically feel it. The complex, dark work of Half Man aims to make you uncomfortable, and Gadd has shown us true versatility by embodying a person hellbent on making us feel that discomfort.

Half Man is airing episodes weekly on HBO.