Ed Harris on Westworld: The Role He Regretted Taking

There’s a peculiar kind of torment that comes with inhabiting a character so thoroughly that the lines between actor and role begin to blur. Audiences have long been swept up in the emotional tides of a performance—think of the collective heartbreak over DiCaprio’s fate in Titanic, or the years it took to separate Alan Rickman from his most notorious on-screen personas. Yet, it’s not just viewers who are left reeling; those on the other side of the camera can find themselves equally entangled in the fates of their characters.

Ed Harris knows this all too well. For much of his early career, he was the embodiment of the straight-laced American hero—stoic, reliable, and, if we’re honest, a bit on the dull side. Films like The Right Stuff, The Abyss, and Apollo 13 cast him as the archetype of upright masculinity, a role he played with a certain gravitas. But as time went on, it became clear that these parts barely scratched the surface of what he could do.

From Hero to Villain: A Career Reimagined

In more recent years, Harris has quietly reinvented himself, taking on roles that are far removed from the clean-cut protagonists of his past. He’s been unsettlingly convincing as antagonists and oddball supporting characters—his turn as the enigmatic “man” in Mother! was nothing short of bizarre, while his chilling performance in Snowpiercer as a ruthless industrialist left a lasting impression. And who could forget his menacing portrayal of a murderous father in Love Lies Bleeding? Even his hairstyle in that film was worthy of an award.

But it was on the small screen that Harris managed to truly unsettle a new generation. In the dystopian world of Westworld, he became ‘The Man in Black’, a figure whose penchant for violence and moral ambiguity made him both fascinating and deeply disturbing. For three decades within the show’s timeline, this character committed acts that would make most people blanch, and Harris played him with a cold precision that was hard to look away from.

Unwelcome Twists and Creative Frustration

Then, just as he seemed to have settled into the role, the ground shifted beneath his feet. The third series brought a dramatic overhaul: suddenly, Harris was required to juggle multiple incarnations of his character, all while being kept in the dark about where the story was heading. For viewers, the slow reveal of the villain’s secrets was part of the thrill. For Harris, it was a different story entirely.

He’d signed on to portray a singular embodiment of evil, only to find himself navigating a maze of shifting identities and motivations.

“I wasn’t the happiest camper to tell you the truth,”

he admitted in 2020,

“because I really enjoyed the part I was playing, and I was hoping that he, ‘The Man in Black’, would continue to somehow be prevalent in the story”

. When the very core of the character was upended, Harris found it difficult to reconcile with the new direction, much like many in the audience.

Speaking Frankly: No Sugar-Coating

Where others might have offered a diplomatic soundbite about embracing creative challenges, Harris was refreshingly blunt.

“To tell you the truth, it was hard to enjoy,”

he confessed, adding,

“In other words, I didn’t like it. I still don’t. But that’s my problem.”

Such candour is a rarity in an industry where actors are often expected to toe the line and keep their grievances to themselves. It does make one wonder how many others have quietly bristled as showrunners, desperate to inject life into a flagging plot, throw in a twist that leaves both cast and audience scratching their heads. Game of Thrones, anyone?