Chris Evans took a break from movie stardom to take the lead in Apple TV+’s mystery drama, Defending Jacob, and one star had a tricky task. Evans’ co-star, Pablo Schreiber, has opened up about taking on a role that required him to intimidate Chris Evans. Well, it had its complexities.
For those who may not have watched yet, here is some context. Defending Jacob centers on Chris Evans’ Andy Barber, an assistant district attorney whose son, Jacob, falls under suspicion for the murder of his classmate. As the boy’s father, Andy must defend Jacob, but he runs up against some stiff resistance in the form of Pablo Schreiber’s Neal Logiudice.
During Defending Jacob, Neal is the prosecutor who pursues Jacob, believing him to be guilty of his classmate’s murder. The whole scenario requires Pablo Schreiber to act in an intimidating manner with Chris Evans’ Andy, and Schreiber (who is the brother of Ray Donovan’s Liev Schreiber) revealed what that was like, telling Uproxx:
Oh, Chris was a pleasure to work with. He’s quite clearly done incredible work in this series, the best of work of his career, I think, and that’s saying a lot. He’s done fantastic work across his career. I think his work in this is getting more subtle and more nuanced than a lot of stuff in his past, and it’s palpable, you can feel it. It was great fun to work with him and to create...I’ll remember those days in the courtroom for a long, long time.
Pablo Schreiber’s experience working opposite Chris Evans in Defending Jacob sounds like an incredibly pleasant experience. Schreiber even calls Evans’ performance as Andy Barber the best of his career. A remark like that is undoubtedly high praise!
As for having to be the one to intimidate Chris Evans, Pablo Schreiber handled it like the professional he is. They had an intense job to do as their two attorney characters ended up on opposite sides of the case at the heart of Defending Jacob. Chris Evans has some experience playing a lawyer, so that probably helped matters.
Plus, many actors like a challenge, and it sounds like the crime drama provided a memorable time for Pablo Schreiber. Evans undoubtedly knows his stuff, and he clearly brought it all to bear for Defending Jacob, according to his co-star. Schreiber was evidently impressed.
A miniseries, Defending Jacob is an adaptation of Mark Bomback’s once movie-bound novel of the same name. So, it seems doubtful that they will clash again on Defending Jacob.
For those who have not binge-watched it yet, it sounds like there is a strong reason to begin. Between Chris Evans’ performance and the mysterious storyline involving his character’s son, there is a lot to sift through. If you have already watched, though, you can attest to what Pablo Schreiber is saying about Evans’ turn in the series.
Spoilers for Defending Jacob’s ending are discussed below.
As far as the ending goes, Defending Jacob leaves its title character’s guilt or innocence up to the audience. By the time the Apple TV+ series concludes, Jacob’s mom and the wife of Chris Evans’ Andy has come to the conclusion that her son is guilty. She takes lethal action as a result.
Defending Jacob is currently streaming on Apple TV+. If you need more entertainment options, there are always this summer’s premieres.
