Ian McShane is a hell of an actor. He’s probably best known for his work on the critically-acclaimed HBO series “Deadwood,” which is getting its own movie this spring. But he’s also one of the stars of the TV series “American Gods,” in addition to his various other film and TV work throughout the years. Needless to say, the man knows a thing or two about quality projects. So, when McShane has recommendations for fans, we should all take heed.
Recently, the actor took time to take part in the Variety podcast “My Favorite Episode,” where he didn’t want to sing the praises of “Deadwood” or “American Gods,” though they do get mentions. Instead, he wanted to talk about his love of Donald Glover’s FX series, “Atlanta,” particularly the episode titled “Barbershop.”
“It was half an hour of pure delight,” McShane said. “You never know what’s coming next. It’s a very fabulously entertaining show. I picked that one because he just made me laugh continuously.”
For those that haven’t seen the episode, “Barbershop” is really a showcase for one of the series’ stars, Bryan Tyree Henry. The installment specifically involves Henry’s character, Alfred aka Paper Boi, as he goes through hell just to get a trim from his local barber.
“You see faces you’ve never seen before, actors you’ve never seen,” he said about the appeal of the FX series.
But don’t sit there and think that McShane is just a fan of Glover’s series. No, sir. He’s also a fan of the actor-writer-director-producer’s music as Childish Gambino.
“I think he’s hugely talented,” McShane said. “And then I heard his music… His music is seriously good. He appears to be a very laid-back guy, which only adds to that marvelous mystique.”
But it isn’t all “Atlanta” love for McShane. The actor also wants to let people know they should check out the underseen comedy series on HBO, “High Maintenance,” about the life of a bicycling weed courier that has his fair share of eccentric clients.
The actor says that watching “High Maintenance” takes him to a world that “always looks like it’s Brooklyn in the summertime. Everyone is cycling around, it looks like [star Ben Sinclair] is having a good time. And then you come across some extraordinarily graphic stuff. But he’s the center of it, he’s sweet, he doesn’t judge anybody. Same with ‘Atlanta,’ they’re not judging anybody, they’re just living their life, getting on with it in Atlanta.”
As fans of both series, we couldn’t agree with McShane more. So, do yourself a favor and listen to the man, he knows what he’s talking about.