Peter Sarsgaard plays peacemaker in suspense thriller

MANILA, Philippines - He is noted for his range and ability to access what is behind the often complicated facades of the characters he plays, as seen in such films as Kinsey, Shattered Glass, Jarhead and Rendition. Now, Peter Sarsgaard stars in Warner Bros.’ new terrifying suspense thriller Orphan from producer Joel Silver.

In the film, the tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Sarsgaard), taking a toll on their marriage and Kate’s fragile psyche as she is plagued by nightmares and haunted by demons from her past. Struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple adopts another child. At the local orphanage, John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman)…but Esther is not what she appears to be and, concerned for her family’s safety, Kate tries to get John and others to see past Esther’s sweet facade. But her warnings go unheeded until it may be too late for everyone.

Sarsgaard appreciated the realistic base to Orphan’s story. “At its core, this is a family that was broken. Kate has extreme guilt over their daughter’s accident, the drinking, and even the stillbirth. Despite trying to get past all of that, John’s still not sure he can trust her, and even blames himself. Esther comes in and shines a light on these things, and uses them to her advantage. I think the best horror movies highlight the human condition and play on the fears and problems so many of us are faced with in our own lives.”

The actor describes his character as “kind of a peacemaker,” adds Sarsgaard. “He is frequently trying to buffer things, put them in perspective and bring everyone together because he thinks Kate is taking things too seriously and seeing things that aren’t there.”

Sarsgaard acknowledges his character is far from perfect. “John has had a fairly rich extracurricular life that you catch little glimpses of here and there throughout the film,” he says. “I think he is mainly interested in what is positive around him, so when something bad happens, his first instinct is to try to assuage, or even ignore, the situation. Adding to that he has difficulty overcoming Kate’s past problems, so he doesn’t believe her warnings when it comes to Esther.”

Director Jaume Collet-Serra was thrilled to have Sarsgaard in the film. “Peter was on the top of my list,” he declares. “And as it turned out, the chemistry between him and Vera could not have been better.”

Orphan is opening soon in theaters nationwide.