Apple TV‘s new psychological crime thriller, Nocturne, shows Stephen Graham like you’ve never seen him before, as a sociopathic serial killer who knows how to turn on the charm.
Based on The Sandman and Lazarus, two books from the 10-book “Joona Linna” series by Lars Kepler (husband and wife co-authors Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril), Nocturne unearths the infamous investigation into Jurek Walter (Graham), a man suspected of taking more than a half dozen lives and kidnapping two young siblings. Though he’s locked away in a concrete cell in the Restricted Housing Unit of Riverside Psychiatric Hospital, Jurek still spends the season pulling strings and sending shivers up spines.
In an interview with DECIDER, Graham said the demanding role, which shows his remarkable range, required serious transformation and prep — from physical training and voice coaching to studying psychopathy, sociopathy, and even watching crime documentaries with his wife.
“A lot of it, at the very beginning, once I’d read the script and I had an idea of where I might go, it was the physical aspect that I wanted to create,” Graham explained over Zoom ahead of Nocturne‘s October 30 premiere. “I wanted to try and create a man who was menacing in a way, but who had the capability of killing you with his bare hands. So I worked a lot with my trainer back home, Rob. He was fantastic. And we got into quite good shape. For a 53-year-old, I was happy with where we got to. I like to work externally and then bring it into the internal.”
Jurek’s brawny physique was a key change from the novels, which described Graham’s character as an emaciated man in his 60s. As viewers quickly learn, however, Jurek doesn’t rely on physical strength to subdue others. By pinpointing and preying upon personal weaknesses, the master manipulator uses psychological warfare to sneakily wrap people around his fingertips — the same ones he’s doing pull-ups from the first time his caring new nurse, Karl (Rory Culkin), encounters him.
“[Jurek] picks up on people’s vulnerabilities, and he can read people really well,” Graham explained. “He notices that in the outside world, Karl is kind of invisible, so for the first time, he’s going to make Karl feel seen and be present.”
One way Graham wanted to show Jurek’s manipulation at play was by developing different, downright chilling voices for the character.
“I had an amazing voice coach, Susanne [Sulby], who was just wonderful. She was absolutely brilliant. And I had these ideas of wanting to find two different types of voices for this man. The true him, and then this kind of illusion that he plays, this chameleon character that he can be to charm and get the things that he wants, and to be able to manipulate Karl in particular,” Graham revealed.
As noted in Decider’s full Nocturne review, Culkin perfectly portrays a soft, tenderhearted soul at war with himself over his proclivity to see Jurek as more man than monster. In brief chats through a wired window and small door hatches, the two develop one of Nocturne’s most curious, compelling dynamics, with Graham and Culkin’s palpable chemistry fueling an unexpectedly intimate connection.
When approaching the psychological aspects of their relationship, Graham told DECIDER that he and his co-star intentionally played into the palpable tension between them. “We played with that ambiguous sexuality a little bit, which is real fun to do,” Graham said, praising his scene partner and the “wonderful” collaborative process.
“Rory’s such a wonderful actor. You get in there and just play. Our directors were also great. Each one for every single [two-episode] block that we did was fantastic. And they were always looking, which I found really interesting, for new ways to develop our relationship,” Graham recalled. “It was great, because every time we’d finish a block, a new director would come with, ‘Oh, look…I was thinking about this as well.’ And we were like, ‘Yeah. We like that. Let’s go down that road for a little bit.’ It was a joy to play.”
Crafting Jurek’s intricacies and physicality — everything from his eerie chuckle and meditative presence to calculating mannerisms, subtle smiles, and withering stares — was a lengthy, thorough process. But the hard work paid off in a gripping character adaptation and a truly stellar performance from Graham that only grows more intense.
Stay tuned for more of DECIDER’s interview with Graham and the cast and showrunner of Nocturne.
New episodes of Nocturne premiere Fridays on Apple TV.
