In Netflix‘s limited series Eric, Gaby Hoffmann and her husband Vincent (Benedict Cumberbatch) are the parents of a clever boy who goes missing on the mean streets of ’80s New York City.
Desperate to find their only child, Vincent — a TV puppeteer by trade — recreates a life-size blue monster that he discovers in his son’s drawings, hoping that it will lure the boy home.
Here, Hoffmann — a three-time Emmy nominee best known for her work in Transparent and Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty — talks about her initial hesitation to starring in what looked like a “dead kid” story, and how she felt about acting in the vicinity of a veritable Muppet. DEADLINE I’m surprised at how many people have Googled whether Eric is a true story.
What do you make of that? GABY HOFFMANN Oh God, I didn’t know that was happening. I have no idea. Maybe because of the specificity of the era and the place, and I guess the loose connection to Etan Patz, the little boy who went missing in downtown New York in the late seventies. DEADLINE What was your initial reaction to this role? HOFFMANN I was actually a little bit hesitant when I started reading it.
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