“Actors should be paid emotionally for stunt performances.”

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

After inspiring numerous true crime podcasts and documentaries, Sarah Lawrence’s crazy “sex cult” story has reached the necessary next phase of its pop culture evolution: a Lifetime movie.

The Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story starring Billy Zane as the titular devil, an ex-convict 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 tells 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 by 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 – although the actor didn’t know the story when he first read the script. “I’ve played villainous characters in the past and then stepped away from it for a while,” Zane says Entertainment weekly“I couldn’t resist this position because of its interesting nature.”

Zane tells EW about the transformation for the role of Ray (aka “getting a big belly”) under director Elisabeth Rohm, how he and the entire cast got through all those intense scenes of violence, and why being a father of two young girls made the role even more “scary.”

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You’ve 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 just as amazed as anyone (by the story), and then I started watching documentaries and listening to podcasts and thinking, “How the hell…?” I was initially fascinated by how malleable we are as a species, how suggestible we are, and how much we want to keep coming back for more.

On the other hand, of course, from a character study standpoint, I’m always interested in why and what happened and what led to that connection and logic. It was a cycle of trauma, wasn’t it? This is, of course, a recurring theme in our society. We just see it: bullies were bullied, rapists were raped, and cult leaders were perhaps cult members – even in their own home without realizing it.

Ryan Plummer/A Lifetime

Tedra Rogers and Billy Zane in “The Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story”

Actors often say it’s important not to judge the character they’re playing – do you agree with that and how do you interpret Larry’s motivations?

Of course, you can’t help but judge anything. You are taking a stand on a shameful illegality, a tragedy of manipulation and wasted time. But I was absolutely fascinated by the rationalization of how he came to these decisions. I don’t think (he) gets maniacal satisfaction from it.

Related: Stolen Youth review: Hulu’s iconic Sarah Lawrence documentary is hard to watch

I don’t think (Larry thought) about it other than solving (problems): Have we run out of money? We have to get money! So convince yourself and convince someone else that they owe you money. And if they don’t (have them), they will get them from their parents. Just keep the ball moving. You have to keep the light on, keep the machine running. You connect this rationalization to chemistry – the guy was addicted to Adderall. He was running away from his own demons and his mother. I don’t absolve. I don’t bleach at all. The guy is serving time, and he should be, but from a performance standpoint, this was a really interesting study of character and theme.

As an actor, I liked (the) transformation, the weight gain, because he was impressive not only in height but also in mass. He was gaining a big belly. He was clearly trying to feed himself something. I think there was some traumatic overeating going on there. Then the accent and the strange affectation of his lisp. It’s a lot to chew on, so to speak.

Ryan Plummer/Lifetime

Manuela Sosa, Frankie Warren, Billy Zane, Erin Walsh and Tedra Rogers in ‘The Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story’

What do you eat or do when you’re trying to gain weight for a role?

I have two daughters, a 10-year-old and a 13-year-old, and they’re bottomless, especially my 10-year-old. She’s skinny as a rail, but she’s a gourmet. So I cook. I love cooking. I don’t usually have to eat as much as my kids do to maintain my weight, but at every meal I was like, “Let’s go.” It didn’t take long. There’s a lot of sugar and crap in there, so I focused on that.

Besides watching documentaries and listening to podcasts about the case, what other preparatory actions did you take?

I worked with a vocal coach on the regional accent and specifics, and then on the pitch (of his voice); I have a much lower register. His voice was much more nasal and he had a very serious lisp. There were a few things that had to become second nature so that I could improvise like him without thinking about each word in turn. Much of this was due to the wonderful direction of Elisabeth Rohm, who as an actress really understood the actors and was able to give me encouragement and space to play and explore on a macro and micro level. She brought out the best of all her wonderful actors. This is a phenomenal cast.

Related: Billy Zane on finding the ‘contradiction’ (and the right wig) superstar to play Marlon Brando

Actors should be paid for stunt performances. (Laughter) The secondary experience is intruding on the primary. Really. You’re replaying a lot of weird traumas. We’re putting adrenaline into our bodies, we’re depleting serotonin and dopamine, we’re panicking, and the body is registering that. In this case, we created a space after the cut where everyone can just laugh and check in and say, “Wow, that was weird.”

There are several scenes of the horrible abuse Larry inflicted on the students – hitting them with a hammer, putting a plastic bag over Claudia’s head – which scene was the most difficult for you to film?

The one with Klaudia. And the scene with the hammer, the scenes of violence. I’ve played villainous characters in the past, but then I shied away from it for a while. I couldn’t resist it because of its interesting nature. And I haven’t been there in a long time. I really liked the platform. I’ve never done a Lifetime movie. I didn’t consider it. I thought the network was such a good fit for this story because if it were on any other streamer, the story would be overshadowed by graphic nudity and violence. The fact that this story required restraint and a certain level of censorship allowed us to delve deeper into the character.

You mentioned your daughters earlier. While Larry also preyed on boys, most of the students he hurt were girls. Did being a father help you in playing that role, or did you just worry more about your daughters?

It was terrifying. It was absolutely stressful. I was like, “Don’t go to college. There’s nothing for you there. Join the family business!” (Laughter)

Life

Elisabeth Rohm and Billy Zane on the set of “The Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story”

As scary as Ray is, he’s also quite 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 on their toes. When you’re in a group of people, we tend to go for the quick, quick, funny, because there aren’t many of them. But for that entertainment value, the counterpoint to what he was asking people to do, like, “I think you should go into prostitution.” And his problem with (calling it) prostitution, like there’s a difference. (Laughter) It was about finding these dichotomies. And it also led to breaking the ice in the cut. After we shot these moments, we all laugh and say, “What an asshole! Oh my God, that guy!” You can say anything, as long as you do it with a smile and in a funny way. The tragedy is how vulnerable we are, how easily we give in. It’s a cautionary tale at its core, a really shocking drama, but also entertainment.

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CBS/Getty

Billy Zane and Kate Winslet in “Titanic”

Dear Sir, I am legally obliged to ask you a question regarding Titanic. When you learned of Cal’s fate – Rose claims he shot himself after the 2029 crash – what was your reaction?

I preferred the following line, which read: “…at least that’s what I read.” Who knows that? I think so. But my reaction? It was a seemingly appropriate cinematic punishment.

Do you think that after not finding Rose on Carpathia, Cal continued to look for her when he returned to New York?

Yes, I think the experience changed him and I think he really loved her before the incident. It was the age. He was an absolute reflection of the era and the pride of the era. Cal experienced this age in a very specific way. The sinking was secondary. This is like, Of course he’s getting off that boat. What allowed him to achieve a level of absolute certainty that everything would be OK? He thought: this is how the world works and the one thing he can’t control is what drives him crazy. It was just great to play and equally fun. I remember James (Cameron) and I were laughing after getting cut because we heard again, “What a dick!” It was very nice to play. The pride and arrogance were just…wow.

The Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story airs Sunday, June 23 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on Lifetime.

Read the original article at Entertainment Weekly.