(L to R) Patricia Arquette and Jason Clarke star in ‘Murdaugh: Death in the Family’.
Premiering on Hulu October 15th is the new miniseries ‘Murdaugh: Death in the Family‘, which is based on the true story that was featured in Mandy Matney’s ‘Murdaugh Murders Podcast’.
Air Date: October 15th, 2025
Matney serves as executive producer along with series creators Michael D. Fuller and Erin Lee Carr. The cast includes Oscar winner Patricia Arquette (‘Boyhood’), Jason Clarke (‘The Last Frontier’), Johnny Berchtold (‘Broke’), Will Harrison (‘A Complete Unknown’), Noah Emmerich (‘The Americans’), Gerald McRaney (‘Focus’), and Brittany Snow (‘John Tucker Must Die’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Patricia Arquette and Jason Clarke about their work on ‘Murdaugh: Death in the Family’, the true story it is based on, their research into their characters, and their first reactions to the screenplays.
Related Article: Jason Clarke Talks Apple TV+’s New Thriller Series ‘The Last Frontier’
Patricia Arquette in ‘Murdaugh: Death in the Family’. Photo: Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.
Moviefone: To begin with, Patricia, what was your first reaction to the screenplays for the series and the true story that it is based on, and what were some of the aspects of Maggie’s character that you were excited to explore on screen and bring to light?
Patricia Arquette: I was excited about this story just because it was such a nightmare, your family’s supposed to keep you safe. Here’s this guy who was this bastion of the community and this legal family with all this history and to see it reveal itself and to watch him lie. Then I started doing a lot of research and he lied about this, he lied about that, he stole this, he betrayed this way, he did that. Then looking up personality disorders, pathological people, eternal victims, charming people, I just thought that the other side is the codependent. The other side is the person who’s supporting everybody. “I support my husband. I support my kids. That’s what I do”. That’s a very dangerous personality trait, because you can get taken by somebody like this. But also, I liked in it that it was a family story, and you could feel their love, their history together. Jason, you know, he’s got to drive this whole thing. He’s this hustler who is constantly covering everything and he came in ready to go.
Jason Clarke in ‘Murdaugh: Death in the Family’. Photo: Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.
MF: Jason, were you aware of the true story the series is based on before you were cast, and how did you research into the case help inform your approach to playing Alex?
Jason Clarke: Well, it’s everything. It’s all you’ve got, isn’t it, really? It’s everything and you either pick it up or you don’t. I read everything. I listened to everything. The Audible books, I listened to it a lot before I watched it. I started eating to put on the weight as I’m playing a 265-pound redheaded man from South Carolina who loves the Gamecocks. So, I watch the Gamecocks! You know, I did a lot. I tried to do as much as I could, but it was terrifying. You know, everybody from Australia to France, the places that I was in between, and America, knew this thing, if not back to front, and were obsessed with it, or knew of it and were horrified by it or intrigued by it, or couldn’t help leaning into it. It was a massive undertaking, but what I felt interesting was that this man had deceived so many people. Hindsight was easy where you go, “Oh, he’s a bad man.” But to pull the wool over so many decent, lovely people’s eyes in a community, he had to be gregarious and fun, loving and generous, and that was what I was interested in showing. Because for me, on the human side of it, that just shows how much destruction and pain he wrought, if you could show everything that he had in his hands that he decided to destroy.
(L to R) Patricia Arquette and Jason Clarke in ‘Murdaugh: Death in the Family’. Photo: Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.
MF: Finally, Patricia, was there anything you learned from your research into the Murdaugh family that helped you to understand these characters and their actions?
PA: It’s weird because on one hand, these people know what they’re doing, and sometimes they delight in getting away with things. But on the other hand, there is almost a part of themselves that really doesn’t admit to themselves they’re doing any of this. Like, “Well, I just invested your money. I was going to pay you back and you were going to get interest. You were going to make more money, man. You don’t know anything about that”. So, it’s like they’re conning themselves at the same time they’re conning you, which is just so confusing, honestly.
(L to R) Mina Sundwall, Will Harrison, Jason Clarke, Patricia Arquette, and Will Harrison in ‘Murdaugh: Death in the Family’. Photo: Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.
What is the story of ‘Murdaugh: Death in the Family’?
Maggie (Patricia Arquette) and Alex (Jason Clarke) enjoy a lavish life of privilege as members of one of South Carolina’s most powerful legal dynasties. But when their son Paul (Johnny Berchtold) is involved in a deadly boat crash, the family is faced with a test unlike any they’ve ever encountered. As details come to light and new challenges emerge, the family’s connections to several mysterious deaths raise questions which threaten everything Maggie and Alex hold dear.
Who is in the cast of ‘Murdaugh: Death in the Family’?
‘Murdaugh: Death in the Family’ premieres on Hulu October 15th.
Discussion about this post