Nic Pizzolatto Did a Short Interview on HBO Connect

By Reuben Levine | Aug 9, 2015

We’re just hours away from the finale of True Detective season two, and HBO has brought out the big guns to celebrate. HBO Connect, which has previously opened up questions for True Detective’s head of props, allowed people to ask True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto questions for a short period of time. Frankly, the fact that Pizzolatto has done any sort of fan interaction is a bit surprising.

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The Q&A was short, but did actually offer up some interesting questions. One fan asked how much backstory is written for each character, though the answer is not all that surprising:

"“A lot of backstory. Pages and pages of biography go into every character, even minor ones. Most of these things never appear in the show, but still inform a character’s identity and choices, and give the actors more to pull from, even if onscreen we only see the tip of those icebergs.”"

Pizzolatto then goes on to say that backstory is still being written up to the last minute. There is so much going on in True Detective season two that it’s not surprising to learn that a lot of time is spent on backstory. There’s so much backstory that it, at times, makes season two feel a bit weighed down.

Pizzolatto also says that the had an ending in mind for the season from the very beginning. Since the finale airs tonight, we’ll soon get to see whether or not that much planning ahead will pay off:

"“The ending was in mind as I wrote the first two episodes, and I don’t think its final beats changed much, although I questioned it constantly… The actual process of writing differed from last season mainly because there were so many people paying attention, even people that didn’t like the show. We had to work harder to not be influenced, whereas before nobody cared what we were doing.”"

The last statement, about being under a microscope, is certainly true for True Detective. Even though True Detective is very much a niche show in its tone and subject matter, the fact that season one did so well and its use of major stars makes sure that it garners a lot of attention, both wanted and otherwise.

It’s great to see Nic Pizzolatto like this — he seems almost relaxed. HBO Connect really came through with this, and we never expect to see Pizzolatto participate in something like this. The entire interview is worth a read, and contains answers to questions about season two’s shifting opener, where he gets his character’s names from, and how to get started in writing for Hollywood. Frankly, we can’t really think of a better way to welcome the end of season two.

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