I think Dirk [Gently] thinks that he's a brilliant detective, but he's the worst detective, ever. He does have this particular skill, which I suppose you might call a really bad superpower because it's just not very helpful. He is able to sense the connections between things and he's nearly always right, but the problem is that he never knows what to do with any of those messages that he receives from the universe, so he just acts on things and gets himself into terrible trouble, all the time.
Samuel BarnettThe great irony to Dirk [Gently] is that he sees connections in everything, but the one thing he fails and struggles with most is connecting with other people.
Samuel BarnettBecause I'm playing Dirk Gently [ in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency], I'm so fond of Dirk. I really see Dirk's vulnerability, and you get that, more and more. You'll start to see a little bit more of Dirk's backstory, why he behaves the way he does, and why he's doing what he's doing. I see a lot of his vulnerability, his sensitivity and his insecurity.
Samuel BarnettMax [Landis] writes in quite a heightened way, specifically for Dirk. There's a rhythm and a specific speed to it, and it was very easy to learn because it was so well-written. It just rolled off the tongue. There aren't many auditions that I go for, where I feel like I could actually do the part. But with this one, even though I was not quite sure how to pin Dirk down, I thought I could do it.
Samuel BarnettI couldn't have asked for a better acting partner and a better human being to work with. We have to work very closely together, and I felt, in our screen test, that we had really good chemistry, but I wasn't sure if I was just making that up. Max has written a really finely wrought bromance. I have complete trust in Elijah [Wood].
Samuel BarnettDirk Gently [from Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency], needs a sidekick, as all good detectives do, and he gets this message from the universe that this guy, Todd Brotzman, played by Elijah Wood, is the guy to help him through this mystery. But of course, that doesn't really explain the breadth of it.
Samuel Barnett