‘Looming Tower’s’ Jeff Daniels on Why “It’s an Exciting Time to Be an Actor”

Jeff Daniels was one of the many people who were initially clueless about the story of John O’Neill. The FBI agent was not-so-quietly investigating the growing terrorist threat of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida before he ended up in the World Trade Center during the tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001. Thanks to Hulu’s adaptation of Lawrence Wright’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Looming Tower, O’Neill’s story has now been told through the 10-part limited series of the same name. Daniels was tasked with embodying the larger-than-life Bureau legend in his final years and days. “The only thing you hope for as far as the reaction is of those who knew John,” he says.

The Emmys doubled-down on Daniels this year, handing the actor a leading nomination for The Looming Tower and a supporting nod for his other limited series role in Netflix’s Godless. Below, to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor shares his hopes for any Looming Tower spinoffs and explains why he’s still interested in doing a long-running series in the future — after he reunites with Newsroom‘s Aaron Sorkin on Broadway: “With these last three shows and now Mockingbird, it’s fun to risk failure.”

Did you have expectations going into Emmy nominations day?

No. You hope. But I’ve hoped before over the years and you end up watching at home, so you’re always surprised. And then I was doubly surprised. Who knows. It easily could have been that they split the vote and you don’t get it at all. I don’t know how it works, just that it worked out that I got two of them and I’m really appreciative.

Is there extra significance to being recognized for a limited series, since you only have one shot?

I guess so. (Laughs.) That’s a great way to look at it. A couple of friends of mine — David Harbour [Stranger Things] and Mandy Patinkin [Homeland] — we were doing a photoshoot and having a lot of fun, because we’re all thrilled to be invited. But they were going, “Limited series, right? You’re a limited series.” I was like, “Yeah. Yeah.” I was cracking up, it was great.

How do you split your hopes about which show you want to win for?

Oh, you don’t hope at all. The first time I was nominated for a Tony — it was the first big thing I was nominated for, God of Carnage — and you get in the room at Radio City, look around and you see you are just a part of all this great work this year. And these are just the people that are nominated. You really are glad to be invited to the party; a celebration of a lot of great work. A few people get to make a speech and the other people still get to be a part of the great work that happened this year. That’s the only way to look at it. To hope for something to happen is ridiculous. You don’t have any control over that.

It works out that you are a supporting nominee for Godless. Could you imagine going up against yourself?

That would have been all kinds of fun. I don’t know what the rules are, but Jack [O’Connell] was the protagonist in Godless and I certainly wasn’t. He was on the show a lot longer than I was. It made sense to me that at least in Godless’ case that I was a supporting role. Other people make those decisions and then you see an ad and you realize, that’s supporting and that’s not. OK.

We spoke when Looming Tower was first coming out. Now that time has passed and people have been able to watch and digest it, what’s the most unexpected response you’ve gotten?

The most common response is also the most unexpected, which is: “I had no idea. I had no idea who John O’Neill was, what he did, what he tried to do or what happened to him.” No idea. Watching the show, people got an education about the lead-up to 9/11 about what really went down, according to Lawrence Wright and his book [The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11] and [showrunner] Danny Futterman’s work. You think you know what happened on 9/11, you think you know exclusively who to blame. And then you find out there were some other things involved leading up. A lot of people said that: “I had no idea.”

Have you had any people close to John O’Neill whom you hadn’t spoken to reach out since the show has aired? Have you gained any new perspective?

I haven’t been contacted by anybody that I hadn’t talked to. But the rave review for me was from Ali Soufan [the real-life FBI agent and show consultant who is portrayed by Tahar Rahim], who knew John as well as anyone. That’s a smart, smart guy. You hope it’s a thumbs up, and it was. I was very appreciative of his response to what I did. The only thing you hope for as far as the reaction is of those who knew John.

There is certainly more to explore of the Looming Tower story, maybe a spinoff from Ali Soufan’s perspective. Since John dies at the end of the season in the World Trade Center attack on 9/11, that wouldn’t involve you, unless they did flashbacks.

I remember when Speed was coming back and I had gotten blown up in the house, and my agent actually called them going, “Flashbacks?” And they went, “No,” and hung up.

Would you have the same response if there were more Looming Tower?

I’m a little busy with [the upcoming Broadway adaptation of To Kill a] Mockingbird. I don’t think they’re thinking that. If they go on, they’re going to wrap it around Tahar, as they should. I’d like to see it happen just for the people involved. I was hoping that the show would have gotten nominated and it didn’t, which puzzles me. But for Tahar’s sake, I’d love to see him have a great run at this. He did some great work.

Does the recognition for your work on these series make limited more enticing to you moving forward, compared to a long-running show?

I’ll go wherever the writing is, whether it’s limited or not. If the writing is there and the writers are there to follow up season after season, I’m still interested in doing something beyond a limited. However, limited is terrific, too. Because it’s a one-and-done. It’s an exciting time to be an actor. Stars are having a little bit of trouble but the actors are thrilled. And with Netflix and Hulu and Amazon, this whole cable end of scripted television. It feels like the ‘70s.

I remember when we were doing Newsroom, [co-star] Jane Fonda was talking about the ‘70s and how the artists kind of ran what was going on: Coppola, Spielberg and Woody and all those people were given money to do what they do. Before it became: “We’ll give you the money but, we want you to do what we want you to do with it.” There’s far less of that [now]. Certainly, at least in my case with Looming Tower and Godless, and even Newsroom, the artists were hiring you because you’re good. “Now go do what you do and we’ll support you.” That’s been the wonderful change in Newsroom, Godless and Looming Tower, compared to being on another studio movie and getting notes from some junior executive who really feels your sweater should be red instead of blue. It’s a wonderful creative time, as long as it lasts. You’re not shooting a 120-page short story. You’re shooting a six, seven or 10-hour novel with all 10 chapters. You get to do more. As an actor, with the right material and the right role, you get challenged for 10 hours. That’s where it’s going on. That appeals to me at this stage.

Mockingbird marks a Newsroom reunion with you and Aaron Sorkin. What excites you most about going from TV projects to the stage? And are you still open to doing TV in the near future?

Right now it’s Mockingbird. We start rehearsals in September; we’ve had some workshops and some readings over the last almost year, so we’re ahead of the game. Then we open in December after some previews. If we get past the critics then I’m in it for a year, which is perfectly fine. It’s probably the role of a lifetime, if I pull it off. With these last three shows and now Mockingbird, it’s fun to risk failure. It’s one thing to talk about it, but to actually do it and stand onstage is another. Aaron and I are basically standing onstage with this thing going, “I know you know Gregory Peck, I know you know the book and here we go.” I really like that. The great thing about Broadway is that, if it’s a hit there’s nothing better. At 8 o’clock when the curtain is about to go up, you can hear them. The critics have decided that you’re good, the audiences have read the critics and now all of a sudden, it’s electric. It’s Hamilton, it’s God of Carnage, it’s Hello Dolly with Bette Midler. There’s an electricity on the other side of that curtain. Some people waited months for tickets to see this thing and it’s a Thursday night in February and you’re Springsteen at the Garden. It’s just great. But you have to do the work; it all has to come together, the critics have to hold it up. A lot of things have to happen.

Who are you most excited to chat up at the Emmy afterparties?

I know I will chat up David Harbour. David and I had a great relationship on Newsroom. I could barely look at him without cracking up. (Laughs.) We’ve already talked about Emmys night. We have a Matt Damon-Jimmy Kimmel going on, it just cracks me up.

Which one of your Looming Tower co-stars is best suited to run for office?

Because actors should be politicians, now? I don’t know whether he’s the best choice, but he has no problem sharing his opinion, and that would be Alec Baldwin. I’d like to see Alec Baldwin in a debate. (Laughs.) I think it would be not only informative, but entertaining. And, who knows? Whomever he’s up against, it could come to fisticuffs. But I have a feeling he wouldn’t be able to not drop into the voice of President Orange Hair.

Is there something you would like to be asked about on red carpets that you aren’t asked?

I would like to be asked, “Do you know the way to avoid this entire experience of being on the red carpet? Do you know where the door is to walk through to avoid all of this?” And I would say, “No.” And they would say, “It’s right over there.” And then I would walk through it.

Finish this sentence: There should be an Emmys category for …

Best driver. As in, the person who picks you up at 5:15 in the morning to drive 90 miles north of Santa Fe to make a 7 a.m. call in the middle of who-knows-where. The guys where you get up and walk out at 5:15 a.m. and they’re there — and there’s a coffee. I had a guy named Felix in Santa Fe who got me a special brew from his own special coffee shop there. People like that.