LOS ANGELES _ There is an interesting balance to the two main characters in the new AT&T Audience Network series "Loudermilk."
Ron Livingston ("Office Space") plays Dave Loudermilk, a recovering alcoholic and substance-abuse counselor with an extremely bad attitude that extends to everything in his life. Through his uncensored assault on the world, Loudermilk has managed to make enemies with almost everyone. But, the series will reveal that underneath all that anger and angst is a person looking to be a better person.
Then there's his roommate, Ben, played by Will Sasso. He's a warm and charming person who dishes out words of wisdom the way a grandmother hands out warm cookies. He's also battling a substance-abuse problem but appears to have it under control. But just as Loudermilk has a lighter side, there's a darkness to Ben.
"They are the good news and the bad news," Sasso says. "Dave is not doing it on purpose but he just doesn't know how to be any different. On the other side, Ben is way more careful on the surface but he also doesn't know how to be different. There are things that will come out about Ben that even he can't justify."
Getting to play such a complicated character is a real change of pace for Sasso. The Canadian actor tends to get cast in more traditional comedy roles starting with his long run on "MADtv" to playing Curly in "The Three Stooges" movie. Ben is one of the more layered characters he has tackled and Sasso embraces the chance to get to show all those layers.
Sasso likes that Ben comes across as one type of character at the beginning of the series but that will change as more is revealed about what ended up making him an alcoholic and how he's dealing with that. The fact his character hasn't completely conquered his addiction problem is one reason Sasso likes the character so much. He sees Ben's struggle as a reflection of the real world where so many recovering addicts find themselves.
"When I look at the where Ben is, and the way I am playing him, there's been some good choices and some bad choices. He's not a dumb guy who knows the rules inside and out. The problem is that these are just absolutes he's memorized and I don't think Ben has really done the work," Sasso says. "I think Ben is hiding. And I think if he had a five minute conversation with himself, he'd realize that he's not meaning well, that's he's not meaning anything, which can be destructive and destructive to his best pal."
"Loudermilk" is the creation of Peter Farrelly ("Something About Mary") and Bobby Mort ("The "Colbert Report"). The key for Farrelly was getting the right actors to play these complicated roles. He knew that Livingston would be able to deliver the blunt lines while still being likable enough the audience would not turn away from him. With Sasso, he got an actor who has such a kind face and likable nature that any dark turns would be a surprise.
Livingston's approach to Loudermilk is that he's really not a guy who wants to be nicer. He just wants to stay sober.
"I think he's been through the immense process. His thing was booze, although I'm sure there's plenty of the other stuff in there. I'm sure there was a lot of coke flowing and the odd thing here and there. And he was particularly susceptible on it because he was on the road with bands, doing like a lot of long form, you know, pieces. And so the idea is that when he's he spun out of control," Livingston says. "And then when he started to put his life back together, was wise enough to know that he couldn't go back to that environment and do that, and so he's got a new bag now."
Most of that new bag is the relationship between Loudermilk and Ben. Sasso explains that the majority of what plays out was in the original script but there were times when he could bring his own spin to a scene. The difference for Sasso was that Farrelly's not as much interested in freeform ad libs but is willing to take input from actors and even the crew is there is a way to make a scene funnier.
In the case of Sasso, that means making sure the two characters remain a perfect balance as the story of their imperfect lives unfolds.
The 10-episode season of "Loudermilk" begins Oct. 17.
