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HBO.COM: Tell us about the premise of Carnivàle from your character's perspective.
CLANCY BROWN: Well, throughout the history of man, there has been a constant struggle between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. God and the Devil have decided to wage this war on Earth - with human proxies. Occasionally, these two avatars of light and darkness meet. And subsequently, a Dark Age or an Age of Enlightenment ensues.
This is the story of the final confrontation, between these two entities, the final battle between God and Satan, for the soul of man. And, well, we are the products of that battle. So, you decide, who won or who lost. Are we creatures of light, or are we creatures of darkness? We'll tell you, in the show. But you have to stick around - for the whole thing. [LAUGHTER]
HBO.COM: Give us some background on your character, Brother Justin.
CLANCY BROWN: Brother Justin is an immigrant. He and his sister, Iris, were taken in by a man of the cloth - Norman Balthus - and raised in the shadow of the church, and the crucifix, and things holy. But he has harbored the knowledge that he is different than other men, because of certain abilities that he has. And he doesn't know why he has them, or what their purpose is. But because of his training, the default position is that it is God - God's will, and God speaking to him.
Instinctively though, as we all do, he knows when his darker side is taking over. And there is definitely a dark impulse in him. And so, that creates some confusion and psychosis, trying to determine what his destiny is.
HBO.COM: And is he aware of his powers?
CLANCY BROWN: He is aware of his powers. He just doesn't know - what their meaning is. You know, he is a metaphor for all of us, in that we do have these dark impulses. We do have the reptilian side of our brain. And that creates in him a need to explain this. He is very much a metaphor for our constant battle --to be good people, or impulsive people, you know?
HBO.COM: How is that applicable, to what's going on in the world in the early thirties?
CLANCY BROWN: Well, it's the time of my father's youth. And my father put it very well once: he said that, for the first time in human history, a father could not with confidence say to his child, "I know what the world is going to be like."
So the undermining of that authority, the authority of the elderly, started then, because the world just began to change at such a pace. It used to be that a son could look at the father, and pretty much know what life was gonna be like as an adult. There was confidence in that, and comfort in that, and frustration also. But for the first time, in the early decades of the century, a previous generation could not guarantee the future of the next generation. And there was going to be a generation of disenfranchised people, that were just gonna blow away in the dust; the dust of the dustbowl. And the next generation is gonna go on, and create something that has never been seen before.
And I know that feeling now, because I look at my daughter, and I just have no idea what the world is gonna look like, when she is my age.
HBO.COM: The story seems to have a lot of ambiguity to it. Does any character really know who he is?
CLANCY BROWN: No. Even to themselves. None of these characters are really what they seem. And none of 'em really know who they are - or the role that they are playing. All of them seem to be aware that they are players in some drama. But, that makes sense, in a way, because it's a carnival. And things are never what they seem, even to the to the denizens of the carnie.
HBO.COM: Let's talk about the scene in the pilot where Eleanor spews the coins out of her mouth. Are you forcing her to do it?
CLANCY BROWN: No. It's this ability that overtakes him, actually. It kinda happens in moments of stress. It happens in moments of fury, really. And, you know, it reaches inside somebody, and causes pain and misery - and truth - to reveal itself. And that's a harsh thing to have happen.
Just imagine, if you were walking along the street, and all of a sudden, you were assailed with everyone's demons, you know? Somebody walking by you, and you know what their dark secret is; the most horrible thing in their experiences. That'll turn your head around a little bit. And especially for somebody like Justin, who is raised in the world of the New Testament and visions of love and light and generosity and humility.
HBO.COM: Well, on the conscious level, what would you say Brother Justin's intentions are?
CLANCY BROWN: Brother Justin's intentions are to spread the good word. He is a trained and talented preacher, a man of God. And that's the path that he has chosen, that's the calling he is hearing.
HBO.COM: We know you can't reveal what's going to happen...
CLANCY BROWN: I am just dying to see what happens next. [LAUGHTER] You know? I know everything that's gonna happen this year. And I just can't wait to see what happens next year. [LAUGHTER] I am just dying to see it.
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Carnival Fact
Sideshow performer Stanley Berent, A.K.A. Sealo the Seal Boy, was afflicted with phocomelia, which caused his hands to grow directly from his shoulders.
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FATE Game
Try the strategy card game that puts a twist on Tarot!
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