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Perry Mason: 3 reasons Matthew Rhys is the perfect Perry

By Brittany Frederick

TORONTO, ONTARIO - SEPTEMBER 07: Matthew Rhys attends the "A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood" premiere during the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 07, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TIFF)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - SEPTEMBER 07: Matthew Rhys attends the "A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood" premiere during the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 07, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TIFF) /
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Matthew Rhys is perfect to play the iconic Perry Mason on HBO.

Perry Mason is a timeless character, and starting tonight HBO puts their own spin on Erle Stanley Gardner’s hero with its new series. That’s a daunting proposition, yet the network hit the bullseye in casting Emmy Award winner and Golden Globe nominee Matthew Rhys (The Americans) in the title role.

Rhys is an incredible actor who should have more than a lone Emmy on his mantel, and if anyone can honor Perry’s lengthy history and place in the TV crime drama world, it’s him. Here are three reasons we’re thrilled that he’s leading the Perry Mason reboot, which premieres tonight at 9:00 p.m. on HBO and HBO MAX.

Matthew Rhys is a modern-day chameleon

Very few actors can completely disappear into the roles they play, but Matthew Rhys is one of them. He had to play a new character almost every week as Phillip Jennings in The Americans, and just took on a very different part as Lloyd Vogel in last year’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

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Whatever project he’s in, he has an uncanny knack for getting viewers to forget about his past roles and just see that particular character. When many actors bring similar things to the table all of the time, or they’re so good that you have a hard time not seeing them, Rhys is on a whole other level where you forget he’s acting.

Lloyd, for example, was a blue-collar magazine writer and family man, and Rhys played him like someone you’d run into at the grocery store. There weren’t any of the same hints or qualities he brought to Phillip. And both roles were miles away, understandably, from the absolutely monstrous character that he portrayed when he previously appeared on HBO as a guest star on Girls.

Perry Mason is a character with a long and beloved history. There’s going to be a lot expected of Matthew Rhys and a natural comparison between him and Raymond Burr, as well as between him and Robert Downey Jr., who was originally supposed to play the character (Downey remains as an executive producer on the project). So the absolute best thing right now is that Rhys will totally vanish into this iconic lawyer-investigator, and instead of trying to judge or compare, we’ll get lost in his version of the character.

He plays complex characters subtly

Most of the characters Matthew Rhys has played have a lot going on. Even Lloyd had issues (both with his dad and with being a dad). But while unpacking all of the baggage, Rhys never overdoes it. Even when he’s got a huge emotional scene, he delivers it with dignity and never loses hold of the character.

By all accounts, HBO’s version of Perry Mason is not going to have himself together the way that the Raymond Burr version did. The guy looks like he’s permanently hungover and seems like he’s jaded with the whole world. There are going to be scars here, and secrets to reveal, and Rhys will be the right guy to do that—the one who won’t overact, who won’t let the core of the character get lost in a bunch of plot twists or surprises, and most importantly, who’ll make it all feel real and genuine.

He’s got a great sense of humor

The biggest issue with the film noir genre, and also with a lot of shows on premium cable like HBO, is that things can become too dark and gritty. With Perry Mason taking place in the early 1930’s, it will be a pretty moody show and run the risk of either bringing down the audience after a while or just losing their interest.

Rhys will be able to bring some much-needed levity. The Americans could be very dark at times, too, but he was able to work in some funny moments for his character there without taking away from the story. He had a downright hilarious guest appearance on Archer a few years ago, and he’s naturally witty by himself (please go watch The Wine Show). He will find ways to provide little moments of lightness, and that will go a long way on Perry Mason.

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Perry Mason airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and can also be streamed on HBO MAX.

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