'Wayward Pines' Tim Griffins Promises Answers

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or just far, far away from the internet) for the past few weeks, you’ve already heard of FOX’s hit miniseries Wayward Pines. The creepy, mysterious show follows an FBI agent investigating the disappearance of two fellow agents (including an ex-girlfriend) who vanished when they went to this unknown town in Idaho. This is M. Night Shyamalan’s first foray into television and with an all-star cast (including Lucious Lyon himself, Terrence Howard) it has not disappointed, delivering twist after twist. One of Wayward Pines' stars Tim Griffin, who plays Ethan Burke's mystery boss Agent Adam Hassler, explains what it's like to work on a show with so many secrets.

“It is an enigma wrapped in a mystery,” Griffin laughs, reflecting on all of the different Wayward Pines questions that still need answers. “It is a really cool project. It is a project I really wanted to see because I’m a huge Twilight Zone, Twin Peaks, and Lost fan. Imagine the mystery of Lost, but all questions are answered because its done in 10 episodes.” His confidence in the show’s ability to solve the mysteries it lays out is contagious, something he was clearly conscious of when signing on to do the show. That, and Shyamalan’s vision of what he wanted Wayward Pines and its action to really look like.

“Night really set the table," Griffin says of the famed director and Wayward Pines' executive producer. "He directed the pilot, we rehearsed it at his compound and he was chronologically telling the story. There was a progression he wanted to cover.” Griffin also details how he fought against reading the books at first because he “wanted a blank slate” with no foreshadowing of what happens to his character. An instinct it seems that was shared by his co stars. “When we were all assembled, Night had us together and Terrence Howard was like ‘I don’t want to know if I’m good or if I’m bad,’" Griffin recalls. "He wanted to strip out all the punctuation and discover the character for himself.” However for Griffin, the temptation was too great. With the scripts so good and mysterious, the actor admits, “I broke down halfway through the pilot and read it through, because I just had to know.”

When pressed for spoilers or hints he is careful, cryptically stating that nothing is as it seems, and crediting everyone who works on the show for crafting so many mysteries. “There are so many amazing talents you don’t know what they’re going to use," he says. "They have so many different stories to tell. They were true to the books, but still made it their own.” Having such an amazing cast is part of what makes Pines work so well, and Griffin was proud of the limited edition, lightning in a bottle feel that the miniseries brings.

“I know this is the golden age of TV and we take it for granted…I think this is one of the few times you’ll ever get a cast like this," he says. "Where it’s a group of all-stars coming together on both sides of the camera.” Shyamalan’s leadership combined with such layered source material and an excellent group of actors like Griffin is clearly the secret to Wayward Pines' success, and he is not exaggerating when he talks about the cast and crew. “It’s a spectacular gathering of talent, It's rare thing and something I’m proud to be a part of.”

Images: Ed Araquel, James Minchin/FOX