Film actor Peter Sarsgaard (Jarhead, Dead Man Walking, Boys Don’t Cry) plays Hector on the new NBC mini-series, The Slap. The show has a controversial premise. At a family party in Brooklyn, one of the adults slaps the misbehaving child of another. Every episode of The Slap takes the point-of-view of a different character. Hector is first in line (February 12, 8pm).
Sarsgaard is married to actress Maggie Gyllenhaal (Secretary, Stranger Than Fiction, Donnie Darko). They have two children – Ramona, 8, and Gloria, 2. Sarsgaard said during an interview that his character Hector is in a very similar place to where he is in his life. “At 43, my knee went bad, and I needed dental work. He’s (Hector’s) not succeeding in life the way he wants to. He’s drawn to public service in a geniune way — and I share those ideals. But he’s also deeply flawed. He’s not the outstanding citizen lots of people think he is.” When it comes to parenting, Sarsgaard points out there are different traditions to parenting. It’s difficult to know when, as a society, we tell people how to do it. “I don’t hit my own children but it’s part of lots of cultures.” The Slap premieres February 12 at 8pm on NBC.
