Michael Shannon, who plays President James A. Garfield in Netflix's "Death by Lightning," says the show asks a question that still rings true today: "Why does this country continue, even in the best of times, to make so many people feel so excluded and left out and unheard?"
Mathew Macfadyen as Charles Guiteau in "Death by Lightning."
Michael Shannon & Matthew Macfadyen

NEW YORK – In the new historical TV drama "Death by Lightning," Michael Shannon says he and costar Matthew Macfadyen highlight a period in the U.S. where there were "a lot of disenfranchised people that felt adrift" from society.

People “didn't have opportunities,” Shannon, 51, says to USA TODAY. "There was a lot of poverty. The country still wasn't meshing."

“Death by Lightning" (streaming now on Netflix) isn't set in current times. Rather, the four-episode jaunt is set in the 19th century. It explores the election and death of James A. Garfield (Shannon), the 20th U.S. President. In 1881, and less than four months into his term as president, Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau (Macfadyen). A failed lawyer who was mentally ill, Guiteau felt slighted by Garfield and his administration after the election.

Garfield died four months later from an infection in the wound caused by the shot. As Shannon read up on the former president, he was struck by the politician's strength and pain threshold.

"The fact that he was able to keep thinking about other people and trying to manage the situation, even though he was in so much pain," Shannon remarks. "His faith was enormous. That's what I thought about."

Garfield's death plays out over the final episode, with Shannon bedridden for all of his scenes.

"You like acting (while) lying down, don't you?" Macfadyen jokes.

"I used to," Shannon retorts. "The good ol' days. Well, we won't get into that."

Shannon wouldn't elaborate; perhaps he was referring to his sex scenes in HBO's "Boardwalk Empire"? His character, federal agent Nelson Van Alden, fathered two different children with two different mistresses. As for Macfadyen, he earned stardom of his own on HBO. The actor won two Emmys and a Golden Globe for his role of Tom Wambsgans on "Succession."

Macfadyen says it was "thrilling" to dive into Guiteau's history. "He really wants to matter and mean something and be part of the movement," the actor, 51, says of his character, noting that he found Guiteau's journey "from being a sort of little drifter to the assassin of the President" fascinating.

"I found him interesting and sort of weirdly sympathetic," he adds.

Macfadyen "owns the series" with his "tittering and intense take on Guiteau," USA TODAY TV critic Kelly Lawler writes in a series review. The performance lasts right until Guiteau meets his demise. The assassin is found guilty of shooting Garfield and is sentenced to death.

As he walks to his execution, Guiteau is smiling and waving at the gathered audience. He then recites a poem, "I am going to the Lordy," in which Guiteau credits himself for saving "my party" and "my land." Only after he finishes does he fully realize his fate. Seconds later, Guiteau is hung by the executioner.

"It was extremely hot that day, and it felt very stark and quite lonely," Macfadyen recalls of filming the scene. "We were shooting in this enormous space on the outskirts of Budapest, and they'd built a proper gallows. It was quite odd and eerie."

Production for the series took place in and around the Hungarian capital in the summer of 2024. While the cast was working on the historical drama overseas, major political headlines dominated feeds back in the States. For one, Macfadyen says that on July 13, halfway through the production, the assassination attempt on President Trump in western Pennsylvania happened.

Shannon adds that the show's material started to feel eerily "more relevant" to what was happening in real life. Another example came while the cast was filming the 1880 Republican Convention, where Ulysses S. Grant sought an unprecedented third term in the White House (Garfield made a speech at the convention that ultimately led to his nomination for president).

In real life, members of the Democratic Party were questioning whether President Biden was fit to serve a second term. On July 21, Biden was replaced on the ticket by former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to President Trump.

"Then you think about the fact that (James) Garfield basically died because of faulty medical care and you see who's running the Department of Health and Human Services right now," Shannon says, in reference to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr. has been one of the more polarizing figures in the Trump's Cabinet due to his vaccine skepticism and unfounded claims on the causes of autism).

"The more things change," Shannon says, "the more they stay the same."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Matthew Macfadyen says Trump assassination attempt mirrored 'Death by Lightning' filming

Reporting by Ralphie Aversa, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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