'American Gods' Was Such A Strange Idea Ian McShane Had To Take The Part

Hard to resist playing god, or at least a god. Ian McShane has enjoyed a long and diverse career, but American Gods gives the actor such incredible power he couldn't say no to the role.

The long-awaited adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel finally premiered on television, to an amazing reception. American Gods has resonated with a wide audience, due in large part to its excellent cast and characters. In addition to McShane, actors like Gillian Anderson and Crispin Glover have important roles. McShane is front and center as one of the leads, and he explained the appeal of the show in a new interview.

The interview covers Bryan Fuller's vision for the project and the true identity of McShane's Mr. Wednesday. Here's what got the actor excited to play the role:

"...when I read it I was fascinated by the whole thing. And it’s hard for an actor to resist playing a god! I mean I think it’s because he behaves more like a normal person than anybody else on the show. That’s what makes him so interesting. It will be intriguing to know where to go with it in the second year. They can’t repeat themselves in terms of the coming to America thing. I mean you need to know how they go about expanding the characters, the ongoing war between Wednesday and the new gods and how it fits in with the relationship between Shadow and his dead wife Laura."

Despite McShane playing a god, he thinks his character as the most normal on the show, meaning the brief glimpses we've had of Media (Gillian Anderson) and Vulcan (Corbin Bernsen) are a good indication of what the rest of the cast is like.

And from what's been shown, Crispin Glover appears to be delivering his own dose of insanity as Mr. World. We should expect even more abnormal characters to join the series in the next season.

McShane vaguely hints at where his character will go in the second season of American Gods, by pointing out his interest in seeing the character develop beyond the premise of Season 1. Keep in mind that McShane phrases his comment in the form of a question, so even he's unsure of where Mr. Wednesday is headed.

Some fans could argue that the novel foretells his character's fate. But don't forget that the American Gods television series isn't being adapted word-for-word from the novel. So, at any given moment, a specific aspect of McShane's character could be altered to better fit the plot being established for Season 2.

Nevertheless, the mystery behind Mr. Wednesday and what he can offer in Season 2 will keep fans on their toes. No one knows when the series is going to pull a fast one and take a drastic turn from the novels. If that were to take place, any number of changes could be made, including changing which path Wednesday takes after his initial war with the Gods in Season 1.

[Source: Variety]