/Film’s Valerie Ettenhofer recently interviewed Bolter about the nitty-gritties of bringing such a prolific game-franchise to life, and asked him whether there were anxieties around shooting episode 3, which is essentially Bill and Frank’s episode. Bolter clarified that while there was the understandable pressure of doing the characters justice, the cast and crew knew that they were in good hands, as Mazin’s “golden script” and Druckmann’s involvement made it easier to streamline a profoundly heartfelt story about two people in love. Bolter talked about his perception of Offerman’s body language on set, and how the actor’s nervousness might’ve ended up working in favor of the character:
“I think in terms of that singing scene with Nick … Nick’s a straight man in real life playing a gay character. … The thing that I thought … added to the magic was [that] his character was experiencing these emotions for the first time, and [he] had a great deal of nervousness. So the singing scene, the love scene: I think a lot of Nick’s genuine feelings were perfect for the character, and the character’s journey, and the character’s story.”
Bolter also says that he remembers seeing Offerman’s hand “shaking between takes,” and that this genuine anxiety organically transitioned onscreen into Bill’s anxiety about letting his guard down and experiencing love for the first time. Bolter is right, as Offerman plays Bill with the perfect amount of repressed yearning that is characteristic of a man who has been forever on his guard. With the arrival of Frank, the walls around him crumble — although he is terrified of such intense vulnerability, he slowly allows himself to be known, and opens up to receiving the love he so earnestly wants to give.