The following contains spoilers for season four of Evil, now streaming on Paramount+.

Michael Emerson is known for bringing great villains to life – and DevilishLeland Townsend is one of the worst in his repertoire. As the would-be leader of a demonic organization trying to bring about the biblical end of times, Leland has none of the good qualities that the best villains have. Yet Emerson brings a compelling, grounded side to the character… and even a little comical at times.

Leland is exactly what the audience sees. He is ruthless, violent and unreliable on a level usually reserved for supervillains who shoot their own henchmen. While much is said about Devilish is open to interpretation, but series creators and showrunners Robert and Michelle King have given audiences one of the most obvious villain characters on the show and television in general. Emerson tells CBR why Leland is fun to play — and remembers playing one of the most moral characters on television. Person of interest‘s Harold Finch.

CBR: You have played many villains: Brainiac in My adventures with SupermanCayden James about ArrowJokers in The Return of the Dark Knightand of course Ben Linus from Lost. Yet Leland Townsend seems like the most hideous character you’ve ever played. What’s it like to bring him to life?

Michael Emerson:
He’s just awful and just plain disgusting. I think he’s kind of immature or childish, a little too happy or vindictive. He enjoys it so much and I think that annoys people. He’s very annoying. He doesn’t have a lot of charms. He’s not brave or handsome or anything like that.

I would say he is kind of perfect for me – at least the mix of (acted) aimless mischief. That is his trademark. His uncompromising acceptance of all things dark and his smug joy in it.
It’s so nice to be beaten down. It’s so nice to have demon babies spit on him or things go wrong or him crying over a defeat he suffered.
It’s good. I find it satisfying in that respect to see an evil actor get his just punishment as regularly as Leland does.

CBR; Leland’s past – from being bullied as a child named Jake Perry to his failed priesthood – plays a major role in the progression of Devilish Season 4. Do you think Leland really believes in these demonic goals or is he just someone who will attack a world that rejects him in any way he can?

I think it’s a mixture of those two things. I don’t know if he thinks deeply enough. Sometimes he seems really well-read and intelligent, and sometimes he just seems to be on the run. He’s always just trying to gain power and influence, no matter what. He plays the ends against the middle.

CBR: Leland has murdered two of his demonic bosses in the series. In season 2 he killed his therapist and in season 4 he took out the manager whose voice was voiced by your Person of interest Co-star Kevin Chapman. Is this simply how you climb the hierarchy of the 60 demon houses?

I think Leland realized what the real currency of this world is. He’s smart enough. It’s quick, bloody action. Your reputation goes up tremendously when you’re capable of such acts… like bloody mutiny against your superior. It’s a satirical take on everyday nine-to-five jobs. There are always multiple layers of commentary in (Robert and Michelle King’s) work.

It’s all just fun to learn. It’s fun to play. Most of these scenes could be played about 15 different ways, so it takes a lot of experimentation to figure out which version of the scene or text is the most ambiguous, the most open to interpretation, and potentially the funniest.

CBR: Your Devilish Scene partner Christine Lahti spoke to CBR about the sexism Sheryl often experienced from Leland and the other managers at the evil company. How do you think Leland ultimately viewed Sheryl? Was she just another means to an end?

I think he assessed her correctly when he recruited her. Of course, when he first approached her, his motives were a little self-destructive. He was blind to the depth of her abilities. He used her to annoy Kristen (Bouchard, played by Katja Hebers).
If they had formed a real partnership, they would have been virtually unstoppable.

CBR: You have played several heroes, especially in the popular CBS drama series Person of interestin which you played the role of Harold Finch. Finch and his team were committed to the simple morality of saving lives, regardless of whether the person was a criminal or an innocent victim. Was Finch the most thoroughly good character you have ever played?

Yes, I think Harold Finch was a really good man. He carried the weight of the earth on his shoulders. It was a great role. I couldn’t make him particularly scary, but I could make him ambiguous or at least mysterious.
That’s always my goal. I never want the audience to really “get” a guy.
What really drives him? Playing that was an interesting experience.

CBR: Person of interest was also a prescient television series in many ways, from its take on the surveillance capabilities of technology to the modern debate and interest in artificial intelligence.

That’s what I thought. It all boils down to good writing, I must say, in (both
Person of interest
And
Devilish
). Jonathan Nolan (creator of
Person of
I was totally thrilled with this book. It was about the uncovering of a surveillance state that was not science fiction, but already a reality.

And then we examine in detail the vagaries of our relationships with intelligent machines. What kind of relationships are they? What are their limits? And is there care? Is there love?
I was so pleased with the stuff in
Person of interest
where Finch can’t let go of the machine.
The machine has… what? It is more than just a presence, it has the essence of a creature.

CBR: The machine loved Finch.

Yes, yes. And he loved the machine.

Season 4 of “Evil” streams Thursdays on Paramount+.