Tom Pelfrey is not a villain. He has just played on television for 20 years.
After running a local theatre in New Jersey and training at the Globe Theatre in London, Perfrey made her television debut with the CBS melodrama “Guide Light.” In 154 episodes, he played the demon Jonathan Randall (a truly amazing soap villain).
He has been working consistently since his groundbreaking role in 2004, which landed Perfrey on a two-day Emmy statue. After guests appearing in a handful of procedures, including “Blue Bloods” and “Law & Order: SVU,” he played a key role in the Cinemax crime drama “Banshee.” He had a hard time shaking the “Soap Opera” label. “You’re coming out of there and starting from scratch,” he says, but eventually landed a regular part of his first series on Netflix’s “Iron Fist” in 2017.
Three years later, when Perfrey was cast in “The Ozark” (on Netflix), everything changed. He appeared in just 11 episodes, but the high-profile role put him on the map and raised his resume from daytime Emmy winner to Primetime Emmy nominee.
Currently – After honing his skills as a character actor for over 20 years, Perfrey is 43 years old and has stepped into the spotlight of “Task,” which will premiere on HBO’s Marquee Sunday Night Slot on September 7th. Brad Ingelsby’s complicated thriller – his highly anticipated follow-up to 2021’s “Mare of Easttown” – allows Pelfree to shine in a way that viewers have never seen before.
However, on this swelling August day, Hollywood feels so far away as he roams the 40-acre ranch outside of Ventura County, Los Angeles, counting his partner Kaylee Cuoco, his two-year-old daughter Matilda and many other animals. After a few minutes of conversation, Pelfrey pauses as one of the dozens (literally!) of horses arrives on the fence.
“Hello, buddy,” he says, gently pampering the horse’s nose. I will meet bunches of rescued and retired animals that have been housed here, from horses and dogs to chickens and goats. Pelfrey introduces their zonkee, a cross between the zebra and the donkey. He is “very thin, but clearly adorable,” and calms down with Pelfree’s voice and a distinctive, goofy, too abundant laughter.
But we’re here to discuss business, not zonkee. In “Task”, “Mare in East Town” (Ingelsby’s detective novel and character study) has become a pandemic sensation for HBO, winning Emmy Awards for Kate Winslet and Evan Peters, and receiving 16 nominations overall, before “Task” is filled with big shoes. And yes, the “task” set in the suburbs of Delaware County in Philadelphia takes place on any “mares” road, but blinks and misses the nod. But for now, it’s the closest we’ll reach for a sequel.
As Robbie PrenderGrast, Pelphrey offers a tiered performance as a single father who works as a Gerberman during the day, but at night he can steal from various members of the motorcycle gang and keep his family floating. His wife leaves and he raises two children with the help of his sister Maeve (Emilia Jones).
On paper, Robbie is the villain of the series, but of course it’s even more complicated than that. As the show’s co-leader, Perfrey grabs her toe with Mark Ruffalo, who plays the FBI agent who ruined her life. Theoretically, on the other side of the law, characters’ values are consistent. Both are willing to keep their families intact and often do anything to reach them in their own way. The cat and mouse dynamic leads to an intriguing game that unfolds in seven episodes of the show.
The moral complexity of “Task” caught Perfrey’s eyes, but at first he caught Kuoko’s. She read the pilot before he could. “She says, ‘This is one of the best episodes of television I’ve ever read,’ he recalls. “And then, “Did he write this for you?”
Perfrey understands why she asked: The lobby has a strict appearance, but inside, he is warm, soft and sometimes very interesting. “The truth is, I didn’t have to look for a lot of souls with this,” he says. “I felt like I knew what it was pretty quickly.”
He also wanted to work with Ruffalo after becoming a “fan from afar” for many years, but Pelfrey says, he has struggled to explain exactly how Ruffalo’s process can help him. Then come to him: “There is a way to truly exist. Also, in many invisible, unrewarding ways, he holds real space for others. Mark, in that sense, is one of the most generous people I have ever worked for.
Especially when the duo finally meet up (no spoilers!). Especially in one scene, when emotions are high for everyone involved, the two actors are inches closer to each other, making it difficult to hold their breath while watching. But the opposite was true of filming the scene, Perfrey said. “I think we were laughing a lot!”
When many people look to lighter content – comfort television, like the CBS thriller “Tracker” and the Tiktok video, is all rage – there are still places for dark dramas, says Perfrey. This is mainly because the “task” is doing something different.
“What Brad does really beautiful and acquiesced is that he says there are consequences. We’re not going to praise all this shit. We’re not going to have anyone who can take drug homes from dangerous gangs and escape it,” he says. “So it’s difficult and heavy, but there’s some real beauty there too.”
“Tasks” are not played safely. Perfrey was one of millions of viewers who saw every episode of “Marle in East Town,” and was impressed that Ingelsby wasn’t afraid to kill the character he loved.
At this point in our conversation, the ranch temperature is caught at 104 degrees, so we move to the house. Inside, the walls have floor-to-ceilings, covered with portraits of family animals, including the late Cuoco dog. “This is the famous Norman,” says Perfrey, showing him the photo. “A real icon.”
Kennedy Moyer, Oliver Eisenson, and Tom Perfrey on “Tasks”
Peter Kramer/HBO
Pelfrey’s simple charm was what captivated him while watching the actor’s self-tape audition, Ingelsby says. “We need a guy who can go home and believe in him as a burglar, and we also need a guy who can go home and have a sense of humor,” he says. “He can lie down in bed with the kids and talk to them. I think that’s difficult.”
Pelfrey doesn’t hurt that it seems Ingelsby imagines the lobby. Because Perfrey never saw a barber (or razor) during the actor’s strike in the months of 2023. Ingelsby remembers that very well. “We were like, ‘Oh, my god. I think Tom had a very clear sense of what this character looked like.”
Pelfrey leaned into the appearance, with the encouragement of Ingelsby, especially because of his roots, not his East Coast. Growing up in central New Jersey, not far from Delco, he knew blue-collar men like the lobby. Early on, Perfrey worked closely with makeup artists to create a tattoo for the lobby.
“He knows this world and these people in a way that no other actor would do,” Ingelsby says. “This is the part where he felt ownership from the jump. He came from this part of the world. Tom was really confident in his understanding of the characters.
Neither Ingelsby nor Pelphrey considers Robbie to be the villain. “Even within this illegal activity, there is a moral code,” says Pelfrey. “I think his heart is in the right place. I think he has the right intentions.”
However, without revealing any details, Robbie commits serious crimes throughout the series. How did Pelfrey justify that?
“Well, we were able to have another armchair quarter conversation about the best way to move things forward,” he says of the financial stresses of Robbie’s life and the choices he has made. “What criminals do you take away from criminals?”
He says that Pelfree’s last feeling about the character served as a “real learning experience of working with experts” among “Ozarks.” Linnie remembers treating him like a real brother from the moment he joined the cast.
“The “Ozark” was like hitting a 777 on a fucking slot machine,” says Perfrey. “The job definitely opened up more doors. Success is increasing the ability to make good choices. “Ozark” meant reading better scripts. This is everything I’ve ever wanted.
It also changed his personal life. At the premiere party for the final season of the show in 2022, Perfrey met Kuoko, one of the top TV stars, after a huge success with “The Big Bang Theory.” And although he was not used to business, when he saw the world of Cuoco, he was introduced to a completely different side.
“It’s incredible to see how Kaley navigates all of this,” he says. “I’m so grateful that our daughter gets it as an example.”
What’s more, the different approaches to Hollywood are what they love each other. “The way we think about this shit is really fun because it’s different from each other,” he says. “She is constantly rolling her eyes and becoming mysterious at the amount of work I am doing and the way I work on anything.
Its ease is different for Pellfrey. He has always loved acting – “If you’re not hooked, you’ll probably leave,” he says – but the bigger industry and necessary gamemanship often threw him for the loop.
“I love crafting and practicing. I can connect it to this huge business. It’s very difficult to try and navigate it,” he says.
There is also a big difference between being an actor and being a celebrity. I’ll point it out. Each has its own challenges. However, when asked what they are, Pelfrey smiles before answering.
“I don’t consider myself a fucking celebrity on any level,” he replies, followed by a laugh of his signature. “I live together.”
No, he doesn’t mention Zonkee.
