Exclusive: Tony Goldwyn talks playing Dr. Bruce Ivins in The Hot Zone: Anthrax
National Geographic premiered its scientific thriller, THE HOT ZONE: ANTHRAX this past weekend. The episodic anthology series, starring Tony Goldwyn and Daniel Dae Kim, has a three-night event over Thanksgiving weekend, beginning Sunday, Nov. 28, at 9/8c on National Geographic and will stream on Hulu. The first installment of THE HOT ZONE episodic anthology series, featuring Julianna Margulies, focused on an Ebola outbreak and became the network’s most-watched scripted series ever.
In a timely limited series that depicts the plight and eventual triumph over a national threat, THE HOT ZONE: ANTHRAX takes place in 2001, when the United States was rocked by another deadly act of terrorism. Letters containing anthrax were sent to unsuspecting victims in Florida, Washington, D.C., and New York. The anonymous assault claimed five lives and caused panic throughout the U.S. Despite many false leads, a team of FBI agents and scientists slowly closed in on a shocking prime suspect.
THE HOT ZONE: ANTHRAX, inspired by true events, follows parallel stories of Matthew Ryker (Kim) and Dr. Bruce Ivins (Goldwyn). Ryker, an FBI agent with a specialty in microbiology, risks his career to convince his superiors of the unthinkable just three weeks after the 9/11 attacks: The United States is under attack again. Ivins, a brilliant microbiologist who becomes embroiled in the hunt to find the 2001 anthrax killer, works closely with the FBI to uncover who is behind the deadly anthrax letters, while his growing instability and paranoia give way to deeper unnerving discoveries.
For Goldwyn, who’s done plenty of films and TV projects and is best known for playing Fitzgerald Grant III in the ABC’s political drama Scandal, he can also be seen on the big screen playing opposite Will Smith in King Richard. BlackFilmandTV.com’s Wilson Morales recently spoke with Goldwyn on playing Ivins and learning about the anthrax in the role.