Celebrated for his roles in Avatar, Public Enemies and Don’t Breathe, Stephen Lang, 72, is still enjoying his career and his latest role as the prophet Samuel in the House of David Biblical  drama series. 

Q: You grew up in a Jewish/Catholic household. Did your faith attract you to this role?

STEPHEN: I think every actor has a checklist in your brain with genres that you have to do during your career. And the biblical epic was unchecked in my head. So I thought, well, I’m going to have to do a Bible thing at some point, aren’t I? And, I’m kind of aging into the Prophet, seer kind of category. I had a long conversation with the creators of the show, and addressed my concerns, and we spoke frankly and beautifully, and they made a good case.

And it’s just such a terrific role and an amazing story, a great yarn. I’ve known it since I was a boy, and always been very interested in it. I think mainly my interest had to do with Saul who I always thought was such a sad and tragic character. David, of course, is David. It doesn’t matter whether I like David or not. David’s doing just great. So it struck me that there was no reason not to do this and Samuel was a very challenging role, so that’s what got me going.

Q: Have you personally visited any of the Holy Lands?

STEPHEN: I’ve been to Israel at least four times over the years. At one point or another, I’ve visited many of the sites. My goodness, there’s so many things to see. You can’t see everything but, sure, I’ve been from Sharm el Sheikh up to  Galilee and back again. But I haven’t been in a long time. I think there’s always a degree of turmoil there, and it’s a tough time there now, as it is with the rest of the world.

Q: You’ve done Shakespeare, action, period drama, sports, romance, thrillers, war, horror and sci-fi. After House of David, what’s left on your bucket list?

STEPHEN: Oh, gosh, you never know until it comes along. Always looking for a good part. I have no intention of stopping doing what I’m doing, and I’m happy to. My goodness, it’s an interesting year, because I’ve got this, which was a fascinating role and then later this year, Avatar: Fire and Ash will come out. So I’m just going to keep on grinding.

Q: How did you prepare to play Samuel?

STEPHEN: Well, I prayed that I’d be able to do it. But when actors pray, we usually pray to Thespis. I mean, really, that’s what it’s about. But I saturated myself to the extent one can in Samuel I and II and in the Old Testament, just refreshing, because it’s a while since I cracked it. And then reading commentary on it, of which there’s a huge amount, and conferring with old friends who are biblical scholars. This is a historical drama, but it’s where history and legend coalesce big time, and that becomes history. Legend is not legend, and history is not history. And if you are going to be speculative and imaginative with a character, then I think you have a responsibility to know the history as well as you possibly can. In other words, don’t change it, if you don’t know it. And I don’t mean change it. I mean enhance it or characterize it. Because the Old Testament itself is written in a very black and white kind of fashion. It does not develop character. But it tells a great story.

Q: In your career, you’ve played many powerful military leaders. How does Samuel differ?

STEPHEN: Well, I think I’ve moved into an area of vulnerability along with the strength, because in some respects, Samuel is the most commanding and powerful role I’ve ever played. And when it comes to his constituency, it’s all the tribes of Israel, you know what I mean? So, this guy has got some gravitas and he’s tough, but he’s also much more rounded than that. It seems to me, he’s got a very interesting and a sweet soul. Samuel is God’s own – before he ever emerges from the womb – so what does that mean? How do you play that? But I do think that probably was different in different periods of his life. I mean, there were times when he was so homesick for his mother Hannah, that he probably just lay there all night crying. But then he took the role on and eventually became the last judge and really the de facto leader of Israel.

Q: You’ve been married 45 years to Kristina Watson with whom you share four adult children.  How did you meet your wife?

STEPHEN: She was a costume designer and we met on a PBS show called Anyone for Tennyson in 1978 where I played Percy Bysshe Shelley. It was my first television show and I was in the third of a three-part series called The Glorious Romantics, covering John Keats, Percy Shelley and Lord Byron. Of all places, it was filmed at a public television studio in Lincoln, Nebraska – and that’s where I met my wife.

Q: What’s your secret to aging with attitude?

STEPHEN: I just try to remain optimistic and hopeful about everything. And hope is a great nutrient, it seems to me, for the soul. Also, the only tool I’ve got is me, it’s my resource. It’s what I bought as an actor. And so a long time ago, I made a commitment to try to do my best to keep it as in tune and as strong as I possibly can, so that’s what I do. So today, I’m in a hotel but I did a full yoga class, and I went down and used the gym. So I think it keeps me young but, in any case, I have moved into old man territory. I mean, Samuel is an old geezer, but he’s got some power too.

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NB: The first three episodes of House of David premieres on Prime Video on February 27 with one episode weekly thereafter.

Photo:  Stephen Lang as Samuel (left) alongside Michael Iskander’s David; Photo Credit: Nikos Nikolopoulos/Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC

Gill Pringle began her career as a rock columnist for popular British newspapers, traveling the world with Madonna, U2 and Michael Jackson. Moving to Los Angeles 27 years ago, she interviews film and TV personalities for prestigious UK outlets, The Independent, The i-paper and The Sunday Times – and, of course, Senior Planet. A member of Critics Choice Association, BAFTA and AWFJ, she wrote the screenplay for 2016 Netflix family film, The 3 Tails Movie: A Mermaid Adventure. An award-winning writer, in 2021 she was honored by the Los Angeles Press Club with 1st prize at the NAEJ Awards.