Matt & Jack on how to get away with ‘it’

MANILA, Philippines – Just two seasons into it, the television hit How to Get Away with Murder (or HTGAWM to its loyal fans) has already generated a cult-like global following so few sophomore TV shows ever get to achieve. Well-deserved credit has been given to visionary producer Shonda Rhimes whose two other shows, the long-running Grey’s Anatomy and the perennially topical Scandal, have been leading American television dramas for years and years now.

The provocative title itself commands instant attention: How does one really get away with murder? For many fans, this show seems to have all the answers — literally and figuratively. And, as what millions of fans all over the world would attest, once you start watching the show and try to get an answer to that question, you’ll find yourself sucked into the world of this conniving legal minds whose merciless attempts at mastering the justice system they are studying are only rivaled by their heartless attempts at concealing their devious and vicious attacks against their lovers, husbands, friends and even their occasional, unwanted enemies.

Just consider how the explosive first season went: Annalise Keating, played superbly by Oscar-nominated actress and Emmy Award winner Viola Davis, was introduced as a law professor and criminal defense attorney at Middleton University who was in the process of selecting five students to intern at her firm. She set her eyes on five promising students who would be collectively called the Keating 5 later. Season 1 explored two cases of murders and told skillfully mostly through flashbacks — a brilliant ploy to confront the viewer’s sense of morality. The first case involved the death of a student at Middleton and a mistress of Annalise’s husband, Sam Keating. The second is the murder of Sam himself at the hands of Annalise’s interns.

Season 1 ended with Annalise and the Keating 5 apparently getting away with murder — and the allegiance of many fans who are in on the secret!

When Season 2 rolled in, a new set of complications faced Annalise and the Keating 5. More murder cases, more dead bodies. Revelations from the past surfaced and one member of the Keating 5 even shot Annalise! All will come to a head when the season finale airs on March 18 at 8:50 p.m. on the Sony Channel.

Sony Channel is seen on SKYCable channel 35, Cignal Digital TV channel 60, Destiny Cable channel 62 and Cable Link channel 39.

Last January, this writer met with actors Matt McGorry and Jack Falahee to talk about the series, its success, its significance, their characters and the all-important finale — or whatever they can freely divulge, that is.

Matt portrays Asher Millstone, a brash, arrogant and self-entitled member of the group who was born into a world of Ivy League educations and country club memberships but who would later win over the trust of his fellow Keating 5 members.

Jack portrays Connor Walsh in the series. Connor is the smartest person among the Keating 5 (or at least he likes to think so.) A sexy, sly heartbreaker who is used to getting any prize he lays his eyes on no matter how dirty the deed is. He is also hiding a deep personal secret: He is HIV-positive.

The handsome pair was mostly funny during the interview and both expressed effusive praise to their co-star Viola and their producer Shonda Rhimes.

Here are excerpts from our interview:

I’ve always been interested in asking the cast members about the title because it’s very provocative, you know, How to Get Away with Murder. Do you have incidents in your personal lives where you’re able to ‘get away with murder’ that you can share with us?

Matt: I killed my father when I was 12 (laughs).

Jack: I’ve had some hard times.

Matt: No, I mean, I wish I had a better story. I think the worst is I stole a pack of gum when I was in fifth grade and then I felt really bad and paid for it after. I don’t know! When I was young, I was kind of a terror, like, at some point when I was really young. I remember in fourth grade running out of the school and being chased by the security guard down the block or holding up a chair to a teacher as defense — I wasn’t attacking, I mean I was defending…

Jack: Sure.

Matt: I mean that’s a way to get away with murder (laughs).

Jack: Right.

Matt: Because, I mean, quite frankly, I’m white, and someone who wasn’t white and didn’t come from a decent background — you know I was in public schools, but in Manhattan — who wasn’t in those positions could have had a very different outcome. So, you know.

Jack: That’s very true.

Matt: I’d say I’ve had a lot of leeway, you know, in my life, you know.

Jack: Yeah, we both have.

What have you learned from the show?

Jack: How to break up a body with a crowbar? (Laughs)

Matt: Yeah, to be honest, I don’t know that I’ve learned a ton of things about the legal system through the show. I’ve had a lot of interests in the criminal justice system that have, kind of, been very much of interest to me. I’m very interested in sort of the idea of, like, mass incarceration and, like, the war on drugs, and what effect that’s had on communities of color in the United States.

Jack: Yeah, those court scenes, I think, have proven fruitful for all of us because we’re sitting in the background essentially, and Matt and I will just be talking about some article we read or bouncing ideas off each other. So really, the real education has come just amongst our peers, while watching Viola Davis act.

Jack, your character has been something of a breakout character on the show. Do you feel like you’re part of the change in the way gay characters are portrayed on TV?

Jack: Yes I do. I mean, I feel honored to be a part of it. Growing up watching television and not seeing marginalized people and communities represented on television always bugged me. And now, to be a part of, like you said, change, is really inspiring and positive. I can’t really speak for the writing too much, but I do think that, you know, obviously we wanted to talk about HIV. We wanted to approach it in an organic and very real way, and show audiences, “Hey, this is how a couple living with an HIV diagnosis might approach it.”

Is the series going to tackle more social issues?

Jack: Yes.

Matt: I think the show, not to speak for Pete (Pete Nowalk, executive producer of the show), but I think that that’s sort of something he’s interested in, and something that’s very much of interest in the ShondaLand world, you know. I think that that’s just sort of the nature of it, and it’s pushing in that direction. And interestingly, it simply reflects real life, you know, simply having diversity that matches the diversity that we see in America. Sometimes, Shonda talks about that. She’s not writing, you know, gay love scenes; she’s writing love scenes! And it’s an act of defiance to simply portray things the way they really are in our immediate culture.

Are you secret-keepers like your characters?

Jack: I think we’re pretty honest. I mean, you know, we’re like a big family on set.

Matt: Exactly. It’s always useful to have people who sort of understand those circumstances very intimately, to be able to bounce ideas off of them and, you know, share those experiences. It really does, I think, help us bond, sort of in the same way it does with murdering people on the show (laughs).

Just in terms of playing this role, how challenging has it been for you as actors, and how have you grown from prior to taking on the role in the series?

Jack: For me, astronomically! I mean, this is my first, like, big gig. So just to be able to go to work every day on a set with talented co-workers has been incredible. I mean, you know, practice makes perfect. And I get to practice a little bit every single day with Matt, but also with, you know, Viola Davis.

Matt: Yeah, it’s been a lot of fun and really enjoyable. And, you know, getting to do the comedy aspects of it, too. And they’ve given me a lot of freedom, in terms of my improv, and finding that comedic tone within a drama also has been interesting, too. It is interesting changing gears in that same body in that same character and probably having to do some of the most emotional scenes I’ve ever had to do.

If it were up to you, where would you like your characters to go? How would you have them evolve?

Jack: I think it would be great if Connor was on a yacht in the Mediterranean. (Laughs)

Matt: Asher would be there too, right?

Jack: (Laughs) Just shoot on location in Greece for a while. That would be cool! I mean I’d like to survive! I’d like to live! That would be good. We’re always joking on set about who’s going to be the next one to go. But, you know, I like to leave that up to our brilliant writing staff. They’re the ones with the master plan.

Matt: I think I’m very much open to wherever it goes. I’ve enjoyed doing the comedy with Asher, but I really liked doing the heavy, sort of, dramatic stuff that we get to see towards the end of the approach of our hiatus. It’s really draining but incredibly engaging and really uses all my faculties and challenges me in a way that I get to kind of grow.

Jack: It’s funny to see Matt join the rest of us in the mid-season finale on murder night; he sort of turned to us while we were filming, and he was like, “This is tough.” And I was, like, “Yeah, welcome to the show.”

Is there anything you can tell the fans of what’s in store for the rest of the season and the finale?

Jack: Oh man, what can I say without losing my job? We see a lot more about Annalise and where she’s come from and what her deal is, which is super compelling.

Matt: And some of the other…

Jack: And some other folks… We see Philip. He’s around, which is super not great for us! But the majority of the rest of the season deals with us trying to stick to this plan of pinning it on Catherine and trying to get away with murder, if you will (laughs).