Teacup: Chaske Spencer and Rob Morgan discuss being in the horror with the characters

When it comes to horror, a lot of it has become stereotypical. We know what is going on before the other characters do, losing some of the suspense. Teacup puts us in the horror with the characters, and that’s something we discussed with Chaske Spencer and Rob Morgan in this exclusive interview.

Spencer plays Ruben Shanley, a principled farmer who focuses on hard work. He has a teenage son an wife, and they all end up somehow trapped on the Chenoweth property. He doesn’t like James, but he does put his grudges to one side for the sake of safety and the group. So, why doesn’t he like James? What is the family history? That’s something we get to find out throughout the series.

Morgan plays “The Gas Mask Man.” Yes, this is the guy you’ve seen in all the promotional material, although we also know that he paints a mysterious blue line around the Chenoweth property. He’s also known as McNab, and is known by the people of the area as the “conspiracy-spouting mess.” Does he actually have something to share that could help the group?

Chaske Spencer and Rob Morgan discuss being in the horror in Teacup

This series puts us all in the same horror. We have no idea what’s going on or why people are trapped on the Chenoweth property, and that’s what brings the suspense from the start. It turns out that’s what it was like for the cast.

Morgan shared that he got the scripts as they were being written, so he had no idea what the real horror was.

"The newness and the plot twist was just like ‘wow!’ Shocking to me…It was just very fun to be a part of something…so well written."

He shared how great Peacock and showrunner Ian McCulloch were with the series, which also helped to bring it all to life.

Spencer likened being on the show as being at summer camp. There’s the opportunity to laugh and build relationships, but at the same time, there is work to be done. This is going to be something that they both hold onto forever in their careers.

"The term that’s been thrown around a lot is ‘summer camp.’ And it kind of feel like that…You break and laugh between tapes…You have to keep it light. It was fun."

What pulled them both into Teacup?

There’s usually something that makes an actor want to work on a particular project. Spencer started by telling us that it for him with Teacup was all about McCulloch. It can often come down to a pitch, and when a pitch comes across just right, you know you need to be a part of it.

"[McCulloch] pitched the character in the story, and I thought the story was fascinating and the character was for me…When I started to work on Ruben, I didn’t really know how to do it…Sometimes you just have to act as if and the tools will come to you…I found him quite challenging, but the payoff is it’s a character and you believe that character."

He certainly did the job. Ruben is one of those characters that you immediately want to know more about—and that’s not just the TwiHard in me who loves Spencer from New Moon.

While the role was challenging for Spencer, it was also rewarding.

"When I’m doing those characters, when I’m working, I don’t know if I’m doing a good job…I just have to listen to the director and hopefully they like it. I started off in plays and when you do plays, you get that sudden reaction right off the bat. With film, you don’t know until a year later."

As for Morgan, it was also about McCulloch and the production company as a whole. Peacock really does seem to be the place to turn for horror right now!

"[McCulloch]’s a very cool, personable guy. Peacock, seeing the phenomenal shows they’ve been working on and putting out and how they really raised the bar on production. I wanted to be a part of something like that."

For Morgan, it was also about the cast. Not just the individuals, but about how everything came together.

"The diversity in the whole cast from race to age. I thought that was very attractive for me."

Morgan went into his character and how McNab just wants to get his daughter back. This is the driving force to begin with, and it all adds to the mystery but also the empathy for the character as you learn more.

Check out the full interview with Chaske Spencer and Rob Morgan for Teacup below:

Teacup premieres with two episodes on Thursday, Oct. 10 on Peacock. From there, we’ll get two episodes per week until Thursday, Oct. 31.