Billy Zane on “Larry Ray Story” abuse scenes: 'Actors should get emotional stunt pay'

The "Titanic" star plays Sarah Lawrence 'cult' leader Larry Ray in Lifetime's "Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story."

After inspiring multiple true-crime podcasts and documentaries, the wild story of the Sarah Lawrence "sex cult" has reached the necessary next phase of its pop-culture evolution: The Lifetime movie.

Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story stars Billy Zane as the titular devil, an ex-con who moved into his daughter's dorm at Sarah Lawrence college in 2010 and slowly gained control over her roommates' lives through psychological, physical, and sexual manipulation and abuse. The film chronicles how the students — played by Manuela Sosa, Alexis Sides, Frankie Warren, Miles Merry, Erin Walsh, and Tedra Rogers — suffered under Ray's domineering influence for a decade before he was finally exposed in the press and ultimately arrested. (Ray is currently serving 60 years in prison.)

The real Larry Ray was a charming bald man, large in personality and physical size. It's a role that seems tailor-made for Zane — though the actor wasn't familiar with the story when he first read the script. "I’ve played nefarious characters in the past and then shied from it for a while," Zane tells Entertainment Weekly. "I couldn't resist this one because of just the curious nature of it."

Zane tells EW about transforming for the role of Ray (a.k.a. "getting a big belly"), being directed by co-star Elisabeth Rohm, how he and the cast made it through all those intense abuse scenes, and why being the father of two young girls made the role even more "terrifying."

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You had never heard of the Sarah Lawrence "cult” when you first read the script. What intrigued you about playing the infamous Larry Ray?

BILLY ZANE: I was as mind-blown as anyone [by the story], and then started watching the docs and listening to the podcast and thinking, “How on earth…?” I was initially fascinated by how susceptible we are as a species, how easily swayed we are by suggestion and our desire to keep coming back for more.

Then, of course, from a character study standpoint, I'm always interested in the why and what proceeded and what led to this wiring and logic. It was the cycle of trauma, right? Clearly this is a recurring theme in our society. We just see it: bullies were bullied, and rapists were raped, and cult leaders were maybe cult members — even in one's own home without knowing it.

Actors often talk about how it’s important not to judge the character they’re playing — do you agree with that, and how did you interpret Larry’s motivations?

Certainly, you can't help but judge anything. You hold a position [on] the heinous illegality, and the tragedy of the manipulation, and the time lost. But I was absolutely fascinated by the rationalization of how he arrived at these decisions. I don't think [he got] a maniacal satisfaction from it.

Related: Stolen Youth review: Hulu's Sarah Lawrence cult documentary is tough to watch

I don't think [Larry reflected] on it other than solving [problems]: We're out of money? Gotta get money! So, convince himself and convince someone else that they owe you money. And if they don't [have] it, they'll get it from their parents. Just keep the ball rolling. You got to keep the lights on, keep the machine going. You couple this rationalization with chemistry — the guy was an Adderall addict. He was running from his own demons, and his mother. I'm not absolving. I'm not whitewashing at all. The man is doing time and should be, but from a performance standpoint, it was really interesting character study and subject matter.

As an actor, I enjoyed [the] transformation, putting on a bunch of weight because he was imposing not just in height but in mass. Getting a big belly. He was obviously trying to feed something. I think there was trauma eating going on there. Then the accent, and the weird affectation of his lisp. It’s a lot to chew on, so to speak.

What's your go-to move or meal when you're trying to put on weight for a role?

I have two daughters, a 10-year-old and a 13-year-old, and they're bottomless, my 10-year-old especially. She’s skinny as a rail but a foodie. So, I cook. I love cooking. Normally I have to not eat as much as my kids eat and to maintain my weight, but in this case, every meal I was like, “Let’s go.” It didn’t take much. There's a lot of sugar and crap out there, so I just leaned in on the stuff.

In addition to watching the documentaries and listening to the podcasts about the case, what other types of preparation did you do?

I worked with a vocal coach on the regional accent and specifics and then the pitch [of his voice]; I'm much lower register. His was much more nasal and he had a very kind of serious lisp. There were a few features that had to become second nature so I could improvise as him without having to think about every word in turn. A lot of this was through the wonderful direction of Elisabeth Rohm, who as an actor really understood actors and was able to give me the encouragement and the space to play and explore on a macro and micro level. She got the best of all her wonderful actors. It's a phenomenal cast.

Related: Billy Zane on searching for superstar 'contradictions' (and the right wig) to play Marlon Brando

Actors should get emotional stunt pay. [Laughs] The secondary experience encroaches on the primary. It really does. You’re recreating much weird trauma. We're putting coursing adrenaline through our bodies and depleting serotonin and dopamine and freaking ourselves out and the body registers it. In this case, we created a space after cut where everyone can just laugh and check in and go, "Whoo, that was weird."

There are several scenes of the terrible abuse Larry inflicted on the students — hitting them with a hammer, putting a plastic bag over Claudia’s head — which scene was the hardest for you to do?

That one with Claudia. And hammer scene, the abusive scenes. I’ve played nefarious characters in the past and then shied from it for a while. I couldn't resist this one because of just the curious nature of it. And I hadn't gone there in a while like this. I liked the platform a lot for it. I have never done a Lifetime movie. I hadn't considered it. And I thought the network was so well suited for the story, because had it been on any other streamer, the story would've been eclipsed by graphic nudity and violence. The fact that there was restraint and a level of censorship required in this story, we could go deeper into character.

You mentioned your daughters earlier. While Larry preyed on boys, too, most of the students he victimized were girls. Did being a father help you play this role, or did it just make you worry about your daughters more?

It was terrifying. It was completely stressful. I'm like, “Don't go to college. There's nothing there for you. Join the family business!” [Laughs]

As scary as Ray is, he’s also pretty funny at times. What conversations did you have with Elisabeth Rohm about finding the right balance between humor and menace?

Well, he had to be charming to keep them engaged. When you're in a group of people, we gravitate towards the smart, fast, funny ones because not many people are. But for the sake of this entertainment, the counterpoint from what he was asking people to do, like, “I think you should get into sex work.” And his issue with [calling it] prostitution, like there's a difference. [Laughs] It was about finding these dichotomies. And it also led to the icebreaker at cut. After you film those moments, we all laugh going, “What a dick! Oh my God, this guy!” You can say anything if it's with a smile and funny. The tragedy is how susceptible we are, what pushovers we are. It’s a cautionary tale at its heart, a really harrowing piece of drama, but entertainment as well.

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Sir, I am legally obligated to ask you a question about Titanic. When you learned of Cal’s fate — Rose says he shot himself after the crash of ’29 — what was your reaction?

I preferred the following line, which was, “…or so I read.” Who’s to say? I think he did. But my reaction? It was a seemingly fitting cinematic comeuppance.

After not finding Rose on the Carpathia, do you think Cal kept looking for her once he got back to New York?

Yeah, I think he was changed by the experience, and I think he genuinely loved her prior to the incident. It was the age. He was an absolute mirror of the age and the hubris of the age. Cal carried the age in a very specific way. The sinking was secondary. It's like, of course he's getting off this boat. What allowed for [his] level of absolute assurance that he's going to be fine? He thought, this is how the world works, and the one thing he can't control is driving him crazy. That was just awesome to play, and equally funny. I remember with James [Cameron], we would laugh after a cut because it was like, again, “What a dick!” It was so pleasing to play. The hubris, the arrogance was just so… wow.

Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story airs Sunday, June 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.