As is the case with any Mike Flanagan series, The Fall of the House of Usher is packed with top-tier performances from beginning to end, something we’ve come to expect from both the filmmaker’s regular forays into episodic storytelling and the regular repertory of talents he’s picked up along the way.
However, if there’s any justice in the world, Bruce Greenwood will be deserving of some awards season recognition for his powerhouse turn as patriarch Roderick Usher. A familiar face without being a huge name, he’s quietly gone about his business of becoming one of the most reliable, consistent, and underrated character actors in the industry.
What makes his turn in The Fall of the House of Usher even more remarkable, though, is that he didn’t join the ensemble until three months after shooting had started. Principal photography kicked off on the last day of January, but Greenwood wasn’t announced until April 29, when he stepped in for Frank Langella after the veteran was dismissed following misconduct allegations.
Filming ended at the beginning of July, and when you consider that Greenwood is all over every episode as Roderick and manages to deliver what’s comfortably one of the best small screen performances of the year, it’s mind-blowing that he managed to do that as what was effectively an emergency recasting.
Reshoots are part and parcel of the film and television circuit, but boarding something as ambitious as The Fall of the House of Usher three months in and stealing the entire show is an incredible achievement, one that’s fully deserving of at least a look-in come awards season.