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Tim Van Patten has directed individual episodes of some of the greatest television shows in recent history: “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood,” “Sex and the City” and “Game of Thrones,” just to name a few. More rare for the two-time Emmy winner (“The Pacific,” “Boardwalk Empire”) is the opportunity to direct an entire project from start to finish. Van Patten does just that in the new Apple TV+ limited series “Franklin,” which stars Oscar and Emmy winner Michael Douglas as the titular Founding Father. “Shooting just one episode of television is exhausting, emotionally and physically,” he exclaims. “But shooting eight is ridiculous!”
Those challenges aside Van Patten is unequivocal in his feelings about making “Franklin.” “It was probably one of the most satisfying experiences in my career,” he says. Watch more of our exclusive video chat above.
Filmed largely on location in Paris, Van Patten wanted the series to have a sense of reality on every level, with the director arguing that modern audiences want authenticity. “I feel like today’s audiences are really sophisticated,” he says. “Especially with Franklin, who is such a complex character, there’s so much to work with across the board. So we wanted to bring him forward and see the world through his eyes and make him feel very much alive, and the world he lives in.”
When Douglas signed on to play Franklin, there were initial conversations of putting the actor in complex prosthetics. Ultimately, both star and director decided that this was not the right approach. “I felt like it created a layer between the audience in terms of accessibility to the character and Michael’s spirit,” explains Van Patten. “It was really Michael — his spirit sort of embodies Franklin.”
For both Van Patten and Douglas, who were also executive producers on the series, the importance of casting went beyond just the main roles. “We wanted to approach it as an ensemble,” he says. “Michael was all for it. I think it blew him away the level of talent in the cast with our English actors and our French actors, right down to the day players and the background. Very often we would even pull background actors and give them lines. They were on the spot and they never failed. It was really amazing.”
After such a long and successful career, Van Patten does not take any of his success for granted, especially considering the monumental change in the television landscape over the past two decades. “I just look at it as opportunity,” he argues. “The truth is I love my job. I always try to make sure we build a family. That means something. It’s on the screen.”
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