Actor Russell Hornsby. Photo by/copyright of Bobby Quillard.
Over the past year, trying to keep the streets of Portland, Oregon clean when it comes to criminal activity has gotten anything but easier for police detectives Hank Griffin and Nick Burkhardt. Unknown to Hank, the sudden surge in bizarre crimes is due to Wesen, a species of mythical and supernatural creature that live among humans. Our hero is also unaware that his partner Nick is descended from a long line of profilers and hunters called Grimms, who risk their lives to fight the Wesen.
In season one of NBC’s hit fantasy/police procedural drama Grimm, Hank’s life is directly impacted by the Wesen. The first time is in the episode Game Ogre, when an escaped felon who is, in fact, Siegbarste, or an Ogre-like creature, comes after the detective. Later on in The Thing with Feathers, Hank almost dies after a beautiful Hexenbiest named Adalind Schade slips him a love potion in order to get closer to Nick. For actor Russell Hornsby, who plays Hank, his character’s ill-fated romance was all part of the job.
“From an overall story standpoint, what the [show’s] writers and I spoke about ahead of time was how would Hank’s love storyline move our story forward from an episode standpoint as well as for the series as a whole, and I feel that it definitely helped,” says Hornsby. “Obviously, Hank was impacted by the Grimm world, unbeknownst to him, which was exciting and, I hope, leads into some of the events that will take place in season two.
Grimm's Hank Griffin (Russell Hornsby). Photo by Michael Muller and copyright of NBC.
“So I really appreciate that particular storyline for Hank and its three-episode arc because it helped bring my character into the Grimm world. He’s now no longer just a procedural police officer going to a crime scene and asking witnesses to give him, ‘Just the facts,’ do you know what I mean? As an actor, it has made things all the more interesting for me to play. It allows me to tap into my imagination and raise the stakes where Hank is concerned. He has some obstacles along with inner conflict to deal with, both of which are some of the things an actor looks for when taking on a role.”
As if his near-death experience was not enough to shake up Hank, his nerves were further rattled when in Grimm’s season one penultimate episode Big Feet, he got a glimpse, albeit brief, of Nick’s (David Giuntoli) friend and Wesen confidant Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell), transform into a Blutbad or wolf-like Wesen.
“That created a great level of instability and almost sort of insanity for Hank,” explains Hornsby. “There’s nothing natural, first of all, seeing a creature like that. So if you look at my character as being the leveling or grounding force and someone whose feet are firmly in the procedural terra firma world, then that’s not logical, practical and clearly not real. If, in fact, we’re saying Hank has seen something like this, and that he’s in the real world as opposed to the Wesen world, then the poor guy is going to be facing some sanity issues. Going from the first to second season, I think Hank will start to question his sanity and subsequently seek professional help. In doing so, my character also begins to question whether or not he is still capable of doing his job and remaining on the police force.”
Season Two Grimm cast (L-R): Russell Hornsby (as Hank Griffin), Silas Weir Mitchell (as Monroe), David Giuntoli (as Nick Burkhardt), Bitsie Tulloch (as Juliette), Sasha Roiz (as Captain Renard), Bree Turner (as Rosalee) and Reggie Lee (as Sergeant Wu). Photo by Michael Muller and copyright of NBC.
In Grimm’s first season finale, Woman in Black, the unexpected arrival of Nick’s supposedly deceased mother Kelly (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) coincides with a series of murders linked to the search for three gold coins (Three Gold Coins in a Fuchsbau) that give anyone who possesses them influence over others. Meanwhile, following a failed attempt by Nick to tell his girlfriend Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) about being a Grimm and all that it entails, she ends up in a coma after being poisoned by Adalind. After only a short hiatus between seasons one and two, Hornsby and the rest of the show’s cast and crew returned to Portland in May to begin shooting season two.
“Because we didn’t have much time off between the first and second seasons, it wasn’t difficult at all to get right back into the swing of things,” says the actor. “What we do know and can say about the first two episodes of season two [Bad Teeth and The Kiss] is that they’re a continuation and wrapping up of season one. You’ve got Hank dealing with his, I guess, insanity on a certain level, Nick dealing with his relationship with his mother, and Juliette being Sleeping Beauty if you will.
“What’s interesting about Hank is that he has to deal with his ordeal by himself,” continues Hornsby. “It’s one thing to sort of think of yourself as crazy, but it’s another thing for others to believe you’re crazy as well. Because of that, this is a journey that my character has to take on his own, and you see Nick knowing what he knows, but knowing, too, that he can’t help his friend or partner.
Season two of Grimm gets off to an unsettling start for Hank (Russell Hornsby). Photo by Michael Muller and copyright of NBC.
“That’s where we start off with Hank this year. As you might have heard him say early last season, ‘Things are getting weirder and weirder.’ So I think that’s sort of raised his sense of awareness. My character is on the alert now and waiting for the other shoe to drop. I believe that it’s analogous to when crack/cocaine first hit the streets of America. There was a great deal of criminal activity that the police couldn’t quite put their finger on because it was new.People were stealing from their families and taking odd things like china to the pawn shop. Who takes china to a pawn shop?
"That was odd behavior, and it would be fair to estimate that that went on for anywhere from to three to six months to a year. That’s when the shoe finally dropped and the police realized it was connected to people trying to finance their crack/cocaine habit. So I think Hank is in a similar situation right now, where he knows something wicked this way comes, but doesn’t know exactly what it is.”
Although they are not bosom buddies who hang out together in their spare time, Hank and Nick do have a close friendship and extremely solid professional bond. They can always count on one another to watch the other’s back, but because of what transpired last year on Grimm, their friendship is somewhat strained in season two.
Season two kick-off party (May 29th, 2012) on the Portland, Oregon set of Grimm. (L-R): Oregon governor John Kitzhabar, David Giuntoli, Bitsie Tulloch, Silas Weir Mitchell and Russell Hornsby. Photo by Greg Wahl.
“I think Nick and Hank have become more distant then they’ve ever been because of the secrets they’re both holding,” muses Hornsby. “Granted, Nick has been holding his secret longer than Hank, but at this juncture, they both have a secret and are somewhat leery as far as what they say and do. They’re very mindful of their behavior because they don’t want to tip their hand and sort of clue the other in on what may or may not be going on. At least Nick knows why he’s acting weird, and in a certain sense he knows why Hank is acting weird as well, and this creates a distance. So initially I would imagine that they’re going to have to find a new ‘normal’ when it comes to their relationship.”
The goal of any new TV show is to not only grab an audience’s attention but to then hold onto it. Some series succeed, while others fail. When it premiered, Grimm managed to lure viewers into its world and has since garnered a strong and loyal fan base. Having worked in the business for a while, Hornsby is grateful that all the pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place with the show and promises that fans will be in for quite a ride this second season.
“If you saw last year’s promotional poster, it was rather innocuous and sort of safe or tame,” he notes. “It looked very much like this fairytale, with these two detectives kneeling by a brook and this dead body lying on the ground. If you’ve seen the poster for season two, these characters are ready for battle and prepared to walk through fire.
Season two Grimm promo poster. Photo copyright of NBC.
“I’d like to think that the show is heightened. We’re trying to be bigger and badder this year, because that’s what we feel our audience wants and expects. That’s what we’ve sort of built our show up to, and we’ll be dealing more with its mythology, too. There are going to be a lot more nuggets rather than breadcrumbs for viewers to pick up and follow along with. When you have a core audience that will follow you come hell or high water, you have to give them something memorable, which is what we’re going to do,” enthuses the actor.
Steve Eramo
As noted above, Russell Hornsby photo by/copyright of Bobby Quillard, and all Grimm photos by Michael Muller or Greg Wahl and copyright of NBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
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