Dark Matter star Jimmi Simpson is no stranger to sci-fi, having starred in some of the genre’s biggest shows but there’s something special about the new Apple show.
“I care so much about the stories that I get to be a part of. I don’t have much overhead, so I don’t have to choose for money. I can choose for what I really connect to for whatever reason. I’ve just been blessed. I chose Westworld and I chose Twilight Zone because I think they’re all beautiful,” Simpson tells GamesRadar+.
The actor perhaps most notably played William in Westworld, whose dark and complex character has a surprising plot twist at the end of season one. In The Man Who Fell to Earth, a TV series sequel to the 1976 David Bowie movie of the same name, Simpson starred as a CIA agent whose obsession with finding the alien’s true identity pushes him to the brink of madness.
He also starred in the critically acclaimed Black Mirror episode ‘USS Callister,’ and in the season 2 premiere episode of Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone reboot. When it comes to Dark Matter, Simpson says it’s a different experience.
“I’ve never worked on such a beautiful exploration of a concept I’m interested in personally, which is, ‘Does everything happen for a reason?’ It’s a philosophy to me. It’s not a wishy-washy, like, ‘Oh, this’ll make everything okay.’ I think it’s an applied philosophy. And if it’s that, you’ll see how true it is. And so to be working on the antithesis of that and the dissection of that with a group of people that feel like my family, some from 20 years ago, David, one of the producers who really shepherded this for years and years. I already loved him and now I love Blake [Crouch], and now I love everybody. Chris Parnell, the people at Apple.”
Dark Matter is a TV adaptation of the bestselling novel by Blake Crouch – who serves as creator, showrunner, and executive producer. Joel Edgerton stars as Jason Desson, a physicist and professor who goes to a bar one night to celebrate the accomplishments of his longtime friend Ryan (Simpson). On his way home, Jason is abducted and thrown into an alternate version of his life – only to discover that he was kidnapped by himself.
“It was beyond satisfying. It’s a gorgeous experience because the story has such value and the people telling it care. No one came into this, ‘I hope we can make some dough on a TV show.’ It’s a whole ‘nother level to me of storytelling. And so for that reason, I’m just so lucky to be part of it. Currently, it’s my favorite thing I’ve ever been a part of. “
Dark Matter hits Apple TV Plus on May 8. For more, check out our list of the best new TV shows in 2024 and beyond, or, check out our chat with Dark Matter producer Matt Tolmach about how Jason Dessen is a lot like the Green Goblin, why the series stood out to star Jennifer Connelly, or our chat with Blake Crouch about why helming his own adaptation made perfect sense.
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