Billy Bob Thornton, a Goliath on TV: "There are great injustices in front of our eyes"

The war between rich and poor, the people suffered against the powerful evil, homeless neighbors in front of unscrupulous businessmen. David's story against Goliath is a classic that has been taken to film and television in all possible versions, from Erin Brokovich , the tape with which Julia Roberts proved that it was much more than a captivating smile, to The House of Paper , the Spanish series that sweeps the world.

But the biblical passage in the hands of Billy Bob Thornton acquires a different projection in Goliath , series whose third season has just been released on Amazon Prime Video . The American actor talks to Papel about this new installment in which the plot revolves around the problem of water scarcity in California , and that leads Billy McBride to face a new goliath, a powerful family of Central Valley farmers who Orchestrate a plan to steal the most precious resource in the state.

"This time we are going to have a good combination of what we saw in the first and second season, some characters repeat and old ghosts of the past reappear. It is true that there will not be as many scenes in the courts as at the beginning, something that people I was asking, but the action has to continue and it will be interesting to see how Billy manages to solve this new case, "says the actor. "Seeking the truth is not always easy, because sometimes what you find is a horror," he warns.

For this season two of the big news are Dennis Quaid and Amy Brenemann , who play the millionaire brothers that McBride has to fight against. "Working with Billy is a delight," says the actress, who along with her co-star celebrates bringing light to a drama, the drought in California, which is spoken very little in the media. "Do you know how much water is needed to grow a single almond? Five liters."

This time it is water, but it could also be money or oil, according to Thornton, who acknowledges being perplexed with everything he has discovered. "I think that more than having learned something, I have confirmed things that I feared might be true and I had a hard time believing , and indeed, it is very true that there are great injustices in front of our eyes that we neither imagine nor can remedy," says the actor, who recognizes that he is afraid to see how large corporations affect our routine "without even realizing it."

From McBride, the character that earned him a Golden Globe as best television series actor in 2017, he says that we will continue to see his transformation, a man overwhelmed by his "demons" who on the road faces situations in which The border between legal and ethical is very diffuse. "He tries to find mechanisms for the laws to function and remain a good person. But sometimes the unethical is the right thing , and vice versa, and that is the point I like to highlight from Billy," he adds.

In fact, Thornton openly acknowledges that he has "many similarities" with McBride, a lawyer who always lives with the feeling that he is not doing enough for himself or for others, and he does so even speaking of the character in the first person. "Sometimes I'm tormenting working on these cases, that's why I have problems with alcohol, my relapses for those demons that persecute me, knowing that I could give a little more of myself and I don't do it."

At 64 , the American actor and musician is not here to teach anyone, but he has wanted to show this season that there is a "kind" side of the world of law and law, although "unfortunately it is not always the case." . As he says, in this profession, as in so many others, "there is a lot of scum" , people who are only interested in money or win a case at all costs. "Sometimes the laws encourage this kind of behavior, big companies with so much money that judges, lawyers, whatever they can buy can buy ."

Thornton is satisfied with the evolution of the series and believes that there are still many stories to tell, many goliats to fight against. "I come from the world of cinema and I'm not used to recording television , so I don't know how much longer this is going to last, but I hope to continue as long as I feel as well as now, as long as I still want to keep telling stories that allow us to keep the I think that the moment I need to give the script more turns than necessary then I will leave it, "he says.

The new 'goliats' of the 21st century

Thornton already has other goliats in mind that he would like to fight against. The first is the discrimination of the elderly , and refers to its members as those expelled from society that nobody defends, "sometimes not even their families." He would also like to talk about the power of big technology companies because "they seem untouchable." "I think it would be very interesting to raise these dilemmas to Billy," says the actor, who also does not rule out addressing the issue of immigration , "and more in the times that run with this government." In any case, he clarifies that he is not an "activist" and does not want to give lessons. "There are many things that interest me, but I don't like to talk about something I don't know enough about. Other celebrities who have their own political platform do it, but it's not my case. I prefer to do it through my work instead of giving speeches. "

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