Ryan Hurst, David Morse & 'Outsiders' Cast Talk WGN America Show Premiere! [INTERVIEW]

WGN America just hours away from the highly anticipated premiere of their new show, Outsiders. In an exclusive interview with MStars News, cast members David Morse, Ryan Hurst, Thomas M. Wright, Kyle Gallner, Gillian Alexy, and Christina Jackson discuss the fight for power and control within the Farrell Clan.

As we previously mentioned, Outsiders takes place high in the vast Appalachian Mountains. The wild and criminal Farrell Clan is pitted against the outside world, which is even more corrupt than they are. The Farrell Clan have spent 200 years surviving on Shay Mountain. The Clan is up against a group of money-making investors and a small town looking to move them out as they expand. This close-knit family of anti-heroes has to protect themselves in order to preserve their way of life.

Before the premiere Tuesday, January 26, at 9pm on WGN America, the cast of the Outsiders dish on their character motivations and and what's in store for the Farrell Clan.

MS: Tell me what interests you about Wade Houghton.

Thomas M. Wright: I think David [Morse] will say that Big Foster was probably not as complicated on the page as he is on the pilot and that's an interesting thing too to take something that's a strong statement, a strong set of ideas and breathe real life into it. In terms of the character I'm playing, he's a train-wreck, so that's really great to step into he's being pulled apart by everything, pulled apart by his family, his job, his self, his past.

MS: Tell me about creating the look of Big Foster (Morse) and Little Foster (Hurst).

David Morse: One of the things we talked about in terms of the Farrell clan was we didn't really know what the clan was going to be like. But we knew that as soon as a character walked in as Kyle [Gallner]s character does. He walks into a bar, everyone knows it's a Farrell. So we needed to find a look that said these are not people we are used to seeing. These are mythical people from up off the mountain, and that evolved with the tattoos and the bones and the hair, and the feathers, and the long hair that really defined us.

Ryan Hurst: Yeah, we all played a really integral role in developing everything from the tattoos to the costumes to the hair. You know, all of the actors were a great source of input for that.

MS: Your characters, Hasil (Gallner) and Sally-Ann (Jackson) are introduced to each other in the supermarket scene. Tell me about filming that opening scene.

Christina Jackson: That was our audition scene! And this is happening, I mean they really wrote that to happen. And then when I booked the series, I waited like 5 months to shoot that scene because I was like, "I can't wait to see this manifest." But I think it's a really cool way to introduce them especially because Sally-Ann has grown up hearing about the Farrells and how dangerous they are. So to actually slam into one and to meet him and to talk and see that he's nice. And all this is happening I thought that was a really cool way to introduce, you know.

Kyle Gallner: Yeah I think it's a great clashing of worlds. I mean you literally ride in and blow her whole world apart in a minute. I think it's a pretty interesting way to have these two people meet, it's almost a pretty aggressive way like it's a very aggressive moment happening. Within that at the center of it are these two people who are really finding each other and finding like "Wow, who are you, what is happening? I really like you." It's a really great way to meet because you take this moment of chaos and slow it down for these two people to really connect.

MS: G'Winn Farrell is surrounded by all these tough macho guys, the Farrell Clan, and you hold your own so well around them. Tell me about that aspect.

Gillian Alexy: [Laughs] I am so blessed that the men playing these characters are all just beautiful sensitive intelligent human beings, and the respect and space that is created on that set for my voice as a female is there. And that is an amazing thing! Gillian Alexy is no wallflower and Gwen isn't either! And that helps a little. And that's what drew me to the character is. Yeah I'm going to get out there and hold my own, and these guys are like over a foot taller than me!

MS: Tell me about jumping into the dialogue and creating the accents to your characters.

GA: [Creator] Peter Mattei has a playwriting theatre background. He has a real love for languages as well. And it was really important to him as well that we maintained aspects of reversing sentences, almost how we would this day and age would say a sentence a certain way. He liked the idea of putting the end of the sentence at the beginning if that makes any sense. Playing with that is just fun and then adding the accent on top of it.

RH: Yeah, there's definitely a rhythm to the way the people on top of the mountain talk and I think it sort of adds to this regalness that they are trying to portray which is almost like this hillbilly Shakespeare.

MS: Tell me what interested you about the project?

CJ: It's unlike anything that I've read for before. I don't get to have as much fun as they do with the whole creation to Farrell's but just reading about this family that lives off of the grid and has chosen to be there for 200 years and even their first interaction at the stores like this is something that happens. It's happening right now, present day, nobody is doing anything about it. My curiosity of seeing where Sally-Ann ties into this power struggle between this family and the coal company. It what allured me to this role.

KG: I think that the story and the characters and just how much is going on - the fascination behind the culture and the Appalachian Mountains and creating the Farrell family - and really digging into who these people are. That was a lot of it for me. These people are made up so we can create the however we see fit you know. The customs, rituals and whatever they want to do. That's pretty exciting as an actor to really build something from the ground up and build these characters from the ground up. And make choices about what to wear and how you want to look, tattoos; things like that. It's a pretty big deal and we get to do that a lot.

MS: Did the show's theme about fathers and sons strike a chord with you?

DM: People will say that that's part of all great stories, that relationship that father/son relationship, you know son mother, daughter. It's hard to find great stories that don't have those relationships at the core of it, and this is no different.

TW: We talk about a lot about the idea that in Appalachia family and community are really at the center of everything, so it only follows that this would be the same in the show and also it's just interesting. It's ultimately where we all understand complex, rough dynamics of how people relate to each other. We all know that from our families because it's difficult to deal with the people in your families; it's difficult to negotiate.

MS: What is it that you want audiences to come away after they see the first episode?

RH: I would love for them to not know exactly how to feel, which I think is good. It's not necessarily like tune in and this is what you're going to see it's like tune in and we're going to give you a great ride. I love the fact that when the end of the pilot comes around people are going to go "what" I love it but I don't understand everything which is what you're supposed to do.

GA: You're not quite sure who you're supposed to root for and where it's going to go and that's what we want, keep you engaged keep you alive.