Profane ‘Deadwood’

TV

Marc D. Allan

William Sanderson plays the role of E.B. Farnum in HBO's western 'Deadwood.'

HBO’s brutal, profane, totally engrossing western Deadwood returns at 9 p.m. Sunday, and that means 12 more chances to watch the wonderful journeyman actor William Sanderson ply his trade as the sycophantic, manipulative E.B. Farnum. Sanderson, probably best known for his role on Newhart as Larry, the guy with two brothers named Darryl, has more than 100 credits, including Blade Runner. Always a supporting player, never the star, he compares his career to being a basketball player: getting a part is like making the team. With Deadwood, he feels like he’s on a winning team. This season, the show’s third and apparently final, finds George Hearst buying up the gold claims and Wyatt Earp coming to town.

“When somebody asks me what’s happening this year,” Sanderson says, “I just say, ‘Trouble.’” Sanderson woke up early to do this interview and, as he put it, the adrenaline, coffee and Nicorette were flowing. He wants readers to know that “I was sparkling and modest and didn’t take myself too seriously. And please watch the show.” Here’s some of the conversation.

NUVO: The character you play was a hugely important person in the history of Deadwood.

Sanderson: He was. He was the first mayor. David [Milch, the show’s creator] certainly has combined fact with fiction. [Farnum] was somewhat unethical, but not to the extreme. I think he was a well-respected guy. He dispensed justice while sitting on a bag of flour. But like a lot of politicians, he probably wasn’t the most honorable person.

NUVO: Do you know why Milch decided to make the character more oily?

Sanderson: Maybe he sees that in Bill Sanderson’s personality. I’m a little worried about it. The cowardliness — I had to look up the word “craven” — I’m sort of a timid person and probably would hook up with Al Swearengen, because he’s strong. I know [Milch] draws a lot on the individuals’ personality. [The character has] evolved into comic relief, but I don’t mind.

NUVO: From what I’ve read, the language in the real Deadwood was as rough or rougher than on the show.

Sanderson: That’s what I’ve read, too. I’m no historian, but H.L. Mencken said the language was astounding. David Milch says the bad guys tried to separate themselves from the dominant group. But if you sat around those tough people who migrated from the East Coast, it was called the Badlands for a reason. They averaged a murder a day the first year. But I don’t think David’s above shocking people.