How the men of 'Task' see the show's troubled fathers and the damage they've caused

Brad Ingelsby knew aft the breakout occurrence of HBO’s “Mare of Easttown” — a transgression play astir a constabulary detective (Kate Winslet) investigating the execution of a teenage miss successful a fictional working-class municipality — helium didn’t privation his adjacent bid to beryllium different whodunit.

“That’s Mare’s thing,” helium says connected a caller precocious afternoon. “So, you commencement to go, if you’re going to constitute different communicative successful the transgression genre, what would get the assemblage to support clicking to the adjacent episode? I conscionable thought, ‘Well, possibly a collision people show, wherever [in] each episode, we get a small closer, a small closer, a small closer, until things collide.’ ”

In “Task,” which concluded Sunday connected HBO, Mark Ruffalo stars arsenic Tom Brandis, a priest-turned-FBI cause starring a task unit investigating a bid of robberies successful Delaware County, Pa., an country commonly referred to arsenic Delco that was besides the mounting for “Mare of Easttown.” (And with references to Wawa and Scrapple, on with visits to Rita’s Water Ice, it slips into its relation of expanding the universe.) It leads Tom to Robbie Prendergast (Tom Pelphrey), a sanitation idiosyncratic who robs cause houses astatine nighttime to supply for his family. Both men are emotionally tortured by beingness events — Tom’s woman was murdered by their adopted son, who is incarcerated; Robbie’s member was killed by a subordinate of a motorcycle pack — that person acceptable them each connected different, but destructive paths.

In “Task,” Mark Ruffalo, left, Alison Oliver, Thuso Mbedu and Fabein Frankel represent instrumentality enforcement officers who are portion of an FBI task unit investigating a drawstring of robberies.

(Peter Kramer / HBO)

“ ‘Mare’ was astir the moms — the harm that each the guys person caused and the women are benignant of having to prime up the pieces of that,” Ingelsby says. “This [show] is each astir the fathers and being near behind, seeing the harm they’ve done to their kids, however they’re going to hole that successful their lives — oregon not beryllium capable to hole it. The guys who are really doing the harm without knowing.”

Ingelsby says his uncle, who was an Augustinian priest, helped animate the throughline of the series.

“I’ve ever been precise intrigued by his thought of religion successful God implicit the years, and however it’s changed implicit time, and what helium believed erstwhile and what helium believes now,” helium says. “I was intrigued by the thought of a feline who, everything helium held arsenic truth, each the pillars of his life, person travel crumbling down. And Robbie has a overmuch antithetic faith. And it’s done the gauntlet of the story, however their lives intersect, that they some get to navigate their ain journeys of faith.”

Over meal astatine a West Hollywood hotel, The Times sat down with Ingelsby, Ruffalo and Pelphrey to sermon their religion journeys, economical inequality, fatherhood — and Wawa, too. Here are edited excerpts from the conversation, which contains spoilers astir the finale.

After the occurrence of “Mare of Easttown,” creator Brad Ingelsby wanted his follow-up, “Task,” to consciousness connected, but not repetitive: “ ‘Mare’ was astir the moms,” helium says. “This [show] is each astir the fathers and being near behind, seeing the harm they’ve done to their kids, however they’re going to hole that successful their lives — oregon not beryllium capable to hole it.”

(Bexx Francois/For The Times)

The themes of the amusement impact forgiveness and faith. Every idiosyncratic has experienced thing successful beingness that has tested those ideas. How has your ain narration to religion and forgiveness evolved arsenic you’ve lived much beingness oregon taken connected roles that inquire you to unrecorded antithetic experiences?

Pelphrey: My faith, to me, is erstwhile I got sober. God willing, Oct. 1, which is 3 days from now, it’ll beryllium 12 years. That’s genuinely by the grace of God — you perceive that phrase, but I genuinely, I mean that. That’s however I’ve experienced faith, done my sobriety. I was raised Catholic, but the acquisition I had astatine 31 was similar successful a antithetic magnitude to what I thought of religion oregon ideas. It’s 1 happening to person an idea, it’s different happening to person your bosom opened. It’s decidedly an important portion of my life. And I deliberation Brad did specified a beauteous occupation conveying that. My grandma utilized to person 1 of these things erstwhile I was a kid — not a existent gem, but similar a solid chopped happening truthful if you enactment it successful the window, the prima shines done a cardinal antithetic ways, and the colour goes everywhere. I consciousness similar you [Brad] did that with immoderate themes successful the amusement wherever you’re like, “Let maine conscionable clasp it up, and we’ll conscionable look astatine it a fewer antithetic ways.”

Ruffalo: My travel with religion is astir apt precise akin to Tom’s. When you get a occupation oregon something, it tin instrumentality you connected a travel that you’re ripe to take. It touches your beingness astatine a precise infinitesimal wherever you request it. I’d say, aft my member died, the full conception of religion conscionable went retired the model for me. But oddly enough, I person a batch of addiction, alcoholism successful my family. I say, either you are 1 oregon you emotion one. When you emotion idiosyncratic who’s struggling with that, it takes a batch of religion to fto them spell and to spot it volition beryllium OK. My person says to me, “They got a God and you ain’t it.”

My religion has been renewed, actually, done Tom [the character] — helium is an alcoholic. It’s touched my beingness successful truthful galore ways, adjacent with my brother, that it’s similar wherever I mislaid my religion and wherever I gained my religion again has been done this travel with alcoholism and cause addiction. And I waver. You look astatine the satellite and you’re like, “Where is God successful this? Please amusement yourself. ” But the happening astir religion is it requires you to judge without immoderate grounds of its existence. I’d alternatively judge successful that than nothing. Although, I fought him [Brad] each the time. I was like, “He’s [Tom] not truly praying here. He’s trying to pray. He’s going done the actions of praying, but helium can’t rather get to the opening sentence, which is “ ... God ...” He does pray, eventually, but it’s a journey.

There’s the almighty infinitesimal successful that car erstwhile Tom and Robbie yet conscionable successful Episode 5. Robbie says, “I don’t deliberation I’ve ever experienced God successful my life.” This is simply a antheral that hasn’t felt hope, and helium has this glimmer of it with this extremity of escaping to Canada. Tom, however was it getting into the mindset of this feline conscionable trying to get retired of this life?

Pelphrey: It’s heartbreaking. We’re articulating an American imagination that acold excessively galore radical don’t get to experience, and possibly are starting to suffer the anticipation of ever experiencing it. That’s a precise existent happening — unfortunately, mode excessively existent and progressively mode excessively common. It was conscionable perpetually reminding myself: What does this quality want? And astatine the extremity of the day, careless of however utmost immoderate of the things Robbie’s doing, helium conscionable wants a decent beingness for his kids. And the information that he’s having a hard clip getting it is heartbreaking.

That country and successful the car, the archetypal clip I work it, I was like, “Oh, he’s [Brad] got immoderate balls.” You person truthful overmuch s— boiling implicit — the crippled lines, the violence, the stakes are done the extortion for everyone present successful the show, and we are going to beryllium successful a car for fractional an episode? And 2 dudes are gonna talk?

In Episode 5, Robbie Prendergast (Tom Pelphrey), left, and Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) yet meet.

(HBO)

Ruffalo: There’s nary chase! And erstwhile they yet look each other, they’re not adjacent [actually] facing each other! They’re some pushed to the borderline and you don’t cognize wherever it could go. Tom surely doesn’t cognize wherever it volition go. Tom’s benignant of astatine that point, like, “F— it. Go ahead.” We talked astir it a lot, I was like, “I deliberation Tom should die.”

[They interruption into laughter]

Ingelsby: Every azygous time helium was pitching it.

Ruffalo: I was pitching Tom should person a bosom onslaught astatine the extremity and helium virtually sees God and helium says to God, “I’m ready.” He yet finds his faith. It’s yet paid disconnected and helium says [gasping], “I’m ... reaaady.”

Ingelsby: Enough radical dice here. But that peculiar occurrence has ever been precise peculiar to me. That’s erstwhile the amusement is operating astatine the highest of its powers. It conscionable felt like, however bash we subvert the expectations of the assemblage and bash that successful a mode that inactive feels existent to who these characters are? I retrieve talking to you [Tom] astir this. You were like, “As soon arsenic I cognize Cliff’s done, I’m connected a one-way street. I person a plan.” But with you [Mark], erstwhile they get retired of the car and you consciousness similar you’re going to die, you’re like, “I privation to telephone my family.” That’s erstwhile you get activated successful a way. You’ve been going done the motions successful life, but that’s erstwhile it gets precise real.

Ruffalo: It’s similar being reborn. It opens his heart. He sees however beingness tin beryllium taken away.

We’re successful a governmental and taste infinitesimal wherever the temper of the state is simmering — there’s choler and rage connected each sides, and a batch of it stems from people and systemic issues that are successful spot that enactment radical successful definite positions. There’s that layer, but there’s besides the grief constituent some these men are facing.

Ingelsby: With Robbie successful particular, I was funny successful a feline that felt truly stuck. What I liked astir Robbie was, if helium didn’t instrumentality action, what would hap to Robbie? He’d beryllium a trash antheral successful excessively heavy his full life. Who cares astir Robbie and his family? Nobody. He was near behind. In aboriginal versions of the script, I precise explicitly said, “He wants his wound of the apple.” There are tons of radical similar that now. I loved penning Robbie due to the fact that it felt similar helium was raging against being near down and and I felt, successful galore cases, successful the script, wherefore wouldn’t you bash something? Whether you hold with the actions oregon not —

Pelphrey: He had his f— beingness stolen from him. What he’s going aft is simply a precise circumstantial thing. He’s not lashing retired blindly against anybody to get immoderate wealth astatine immoderate cost. He’s like: “I’m gonna instrumentality it from these parent f—, who are atrocious dudes.” Even wrong that, helium has principles. No one’s gonna dice — obviously, the rules each spell retired the model Episode 2, but we’re not going to instrumentality the drugs, we’re not going to merchantability the drug. We’re going to destruct the drugs. We’re going to instrumentality the cash. Even wrong his marque of lashing out, helium really has a acceptable of principles that he’s operating by.

Mark Ruffalo, left, and Tom Pelphrey prima arsenic 2 troubled men connected a collision people successful “Task.” Ruffalo portrays an FBI cause recovering from a household tragedy, portion Pelphrey plays a garbage collector and transgression progressive successful a bid of robberies. (Bexx Francois/For The Times)

Mark and Tom, arsenic sons and fathers, however did you deliberation astir the father-child relationships of these 2 men and the collateral harm of their choices?

Ruffalo: It’s truthful hard to beryllium a father, particularly present due to the fact that this procreation is like, “We’re not going to bash it the mode our parents, our fathers did. We spot that there’s different mode to bash it. We’re really talking astir it.” At the aforesaid time, we don’t precisely cognize what it is that we should bash differently, positive we person the work of, financially, keeping it together. It’s evidently hard to beryllium a ma too. These guys are doing the champion they can.

Pelphrey: Becoming a dada 2 and a fractional years agone now, it’s conscionable the astir f— awesome, wild, intense, brainsick s— I’ve ever experienced successful my life. It’s similar getting struck by lightning. I’m truthful successful emotion and I consciousness truthful susceptible and I consciousness truthful blessed — it’s all the feelings. Then suddenly, erstwhile you’re reasoning astir however you feel, you go, “How bash I equilibrium this? How bash I support her, but marque definite that she’s brave and experiencing things? And you rapidly recognize determination is truthful overmuch to this that I volition person nary powerfulness implicit and the realization of that, successful the deepest consciousness — and I’ve already had moments of that and we’re conscionable getting started here. You ideate what it’s like, erstwhile you don’t person kids, but you person nary f— clue. One of the things I could accidental without blinking, ever, is, “I wholly recognize wherefore he’s doing what he’s doing.”

Was determination a mentation wherever Robbie lived?

Ingelsby: No, I felt similar structurally what needed to hap was Tom had to witnesser Robbie’s kindness, past his sacrifice. It felt precise indispensable to beryllium like, “Oh, wait. Robbie — helium went up to the woods...” Because he’s ever like, “What’s the plan?” Tom realizes, “Oh, I cognize what the program was. He went determination to die.” Part of Tom’s travel to getting escaped of the choler and to believing successful thing astatine the end, was to person witnessed the goodness successful Robbie. He [Robbie] besides gets successful truthful heavy eventually, helium has pushed himself into specified a country and there’s nary bully mode retired of this. What’s an assemblage gonna deliberation if helium gets retired of this unscathed? Even if helium were to survive, he’s gonna beryllium successful jailhouse for the remainder of his life. The thought of sacrifice would talk to Tom arsenic a quality and get him to his eventual determination to springiness the lad [Sam] up, but besides forgive his ain lad and, rather literally, get the location acceptable for him.

Mark, however did you consciousness astir the connection that Tom winds up giving astatine the proceeding successful the finale?

Ruffalo: He had to beryllium down and constitute that. I don’t deliberation helium truly knew what helium was going to beryllium writing. He’s taking banal of his beingness and his son’s beingness and the communicative of the life. It’s connecting him to the full story. It’s not conscionable the nonaccomplishment of my wife, but besides we raised that boy. We made this beingness unneurotic and, adjacent successful the hard portion of it all, that’s wherever we learned what emotion is. Then erstwhile helium gets successful there, helium doesn’t adjacent cognize that he’s gonna accidental it. He doesn’t cognize he’s going to face him with it and accidental [to his son], “Look astatine me.” But the full journey, leads america there.

There’s something, too, astir his composure successful that moment.

Ingelsby: That’s the genius of Mark. That was the archetypal oregon 2nd take, what we used.

How galore versions of it did you write? Was determination an overly affectional oregon melodramatic version?

Ingelsby: There was a longer version. But I deliberation what was important astir it was — and Mark does specified a beauteous occupation — was that helium had to beryllium honorable astir however hard it was. I was ever disquieted it would beryllium a spot maudlin, if helium conscionable went successful and said consecutive away, “I emotion you.” It was astir similar helium had to beryllium truly honorable with everybody, like, “Hey, this was f— horrible.” And the shame of changing your sanction —

Ruffalo: Yes. To beryllium that honorable and to accidental that I pretended similar I wasn’t his father. It’s truthful shameful. It’s truthful honest.

Ingelsby: I deliberation due to the fact that he’s truthful honest, it makes the forgiveness adjacent much impactful. When helium says, “I forgive you,” you judge due to the fact that he’s earned the spot successful the code by admitting the things that were truthful shameful .

Ruffalo: It doesn’t conscionable spell 1 mode — forgiveness. There’s a batch of shame connected it connected the different side, that’s wherever the choler comes from. There’s ever this question: What could I person done? The backstory was I left, knowing that helium was successful an episode, but I had to go. I near her with him, reasoning it would stroke over. And it didn’t. He has to besides beryllium honorable astir his portion successful it. What dada says, “That’s not my kid. You’re successful retreat already.”

Ingelsby: That’s what we privation the ending to be. It’s not that everything’s going to beryllium easy. I deliberation the aforesaid for Mare — it wasn’t similar Mare’s beingness was truthful large astatine the extremity of the show. There was a batch of going on.

Ruffalo: She’s going to an AA meeting. Tom and Mare tin conscionable astatine an AA meeting.

Tom Pelphrey arsenic Robbie Prendergrast, a garbage collector trying to avenge his brother’s decease by hitting trap houses belonging to a section pack earlier getting caught successful a deadly standoff. (HBO)

Mark Ruffalo, Silvia Dionicio and Phoebe Fox successful “Task.” Ruffalo plays a priest-turned-FBI cause who hasn’t confronted his feelings astir the execution of his woman astatine the hands of their adopted son. (HBO)

To that point, was determination thought astir whether to incorporated “Mare” characters successful this show, if they’re successful the aforesaid universe?

Ingelsby: It’s comic you accidental that. [In] 1 of the aboriginal scripts, we had a country wherever Emily (Silvia Dionicio), astatine the extremity of the show, went to a performance with her boyfriend, Leo, the feline that’s a magician. And Mare’s daughter, Siobhan (Angourie Rice), was playing. And determination was different connective portion I’m missing. I deliberation Leo’s member was successful the band. And they had a infinitesimal together, due to the fact that I felt similar Emily and Siobhan were very, precise similar. That they had the value of the satellite connected their shoulders successful immoderate way, Emily particularly —

Ruffalo: They’re good suited for each other. They could conscionable descend to the bottommost of the water together.

He’s got a crossover play mapped retired for you.

Pelphrey: If we clasp hands, we tin descend faster.

Ingelsby: But we did person thing connecting them. But I’m gladsome HBO work it and were like, “Is it a spot much?” It felt similar possibly we were reaching to bash thing that the communicative didn’t require. And erstwhile we took it out, I felt similar this communicative exists connected its own, and we didn’t request that. If we had threaded it done the communicative successful a much absorbing way, possibly it would person worked, but it would person felt truly tacked connected and benignant of conscionable instrumentality work for the involvement of instrumentality service, which I didn’t want.

Can we speech astir the Phillies cup? It’s seems similar specified an obscure detail, but that cupful triggered me. I cognize it well. A begetter trying to fell his vice.

Ingelsby: That’s different item of my ain beingness that I tin repurpose, steal. That’s my dad. He drinks retired of that. He watches each Phillies game. There’s 162 games. And if helium can’t watch, he’s listening to it successful a vigor successful the car. I consciousness similar we ever speech astir successful the specific, is the universal. And Mark did the swirly thing.

Ruffalo: That’s what made maine privation to bash the show. That helium was drinking retired of that. And past helium swirled his hand. I said, “This feline is penning quality similar cipher is doing that I’ve seen successful television.” I lone work the archetypal occurrence and I was like, “I privation to go. I spot this travel with him.” And it was from that nuance thing. I cognize that guy. He’s a clergyman who swirls his vodka and tonic with his finger. In a Phillies cup. And helium thinks he’s pulling it over. That’s my family. It’s truthful honest.

The accent was specified a diagnostic of “Mare of Easttown.” I ideate that had its ain expectations oregon unit for this show.

Ingelsby: “Mare” was much a assemblage — very, precise circumstantial community. I felt like, successful that show, we had to spell each successful and Kate did. A batch of Mark’s quality was driven by my uncle, who has nary accent astatine all. Because helium went to the seminary, past helium went to Merrimack College, helium was a teacher — helium bounced around. And adjacent me, there’s a mates words I’ll accidental that you can’t prime up a dense accent. There’s a mates words, wherever possibly you could prime it up.

Ruffalo: We tried. I tried it. I kept kicking it out, it conscionable didn’t consciousness right. He does deed immoderate of those words. He does accidental wooder — cheery wooder ice. We kept immoderate of it in, but we didn’t spell arsenic hard astatine it due to the fact that helium goes different way. I consciousness similar helium mightiness person ended up successful South America astatine immoderate point. I was reasoning helium traveled the world.

Did you wage galore visits to Wawa? I retrieve Kate telling maine astir her Wawa experiences.

Pelphrey: I grew up going to Wawa. I was Wawa each the clip due to the fact that I was surviving retired successful the suburbs.

Ingelsby: I deliberation Kate ate hoagies oregon something.

Pelphrey: They marque a bully sandwich.

Ruffalo: Oh, bro. I started with a abdominous suit and past I had to instrumentality it off. I conscionable kept getting fatter. My woman saw maine and she’s similar [to the kids], “huh, your father’s eating his mode done Philly.” But, man, I’d beryllium like, “How astir a sandwich for the scene?” [Mimics scarfing down a sandwich.] Like a troll.

Ingelsby: He is an astonishing sandwich eater. We were talking astir it.

Pelphrey: We were.

Ruffalo: Oh, I knew I was going to beryllium eating a sandwich that time [in a scene], truthful I starved myself truthful I could conscionable plow that thing.

Are you funny successful a Season 2, Brad?

Ruffalo: No 1 wants a Season 2. [the trio laughs] No, I’m kidding. That would beryllium amazing.

Ingelsby: It would beryllium amazing. If radical respond and we get a accidental to bash it.

Could we get that “Task”-”Mare” crossover?

Ingelsby: A batch could happen.

Ruffalo: Some “Mare” radical could amusement up. There could beryllium a emotion affair.