From creators/showrunners Drew Dowdle and John Erick Dowdle, the Showtime original series Waco: The Aftermath, which essentially works as a sequel to the 2018 series Waco, digs into the fallout from the Waco siege by highlighting the trials of the surviving members of the Branch Davidian sect and the parallels with the American militia movement that is still present today. As one of the key figures in the story, FBI hostage negotiator Gary Noesner (Michael Shannon) is coping with PTSD that he’s experiencing from the Waco failures that led to the deaths of so many individuals, including children and cult leader David Koresh.

During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Shannon (who’s also an executive producer on the series) talked about what led to them deciding to dig deeper into the Waco story, the ripple effect that ran through American culture as a result, how government should be more focused on the well-being of its population than the division that continues to deepen, and why he’s enjoyed working with co-star Shea Whigham (who plays Noesner’s FBI colleague Mitch Decker) on a variety of projects in his career.

Collider: I always very much enjoy the projects that you do because you seem like a very thoughtful actor. I don’t know if I am entirely misreading that or not, but you seem like you really think about the characters that you play, and the stories and worlds that they’re in, and there’s something, as an audience member, that even if you can’t necessarily put a finger on it, you can still feel it when you’re watching something.

MICHAEL SHANNON: I’m very touched that you say that, actually. I really appreciate that. It’s not something that’s necessarily apparent to everybody.

Image via Showtime

I watched the first season of Waco and was surprised to learn that there would be a second season. Were you surprised to return to this and revisit this subject matter, or had you always felt like there was more to explore?

SHANNON: The Dowdle brothers (Drew Dowdle and John Erick Dowdle), who make the show, had tipped me to the fact that they planned on revisiting it, if the first series did well. And then, apparently during COVID, it became quite popular, so when that happened, the studio said, “Well, yes, by all means, let’s do it.” The first season painted, in as much detail as possible, the actual events that happened in Waco. But I definitely think a second series was warranted to explore the aftershock of the event. That event didn’t happen in a vacuum. People were watching and it had a ripple effect through our culture, for some people more than others. I guess some people perhaps weren’t paying so much attention to it, but the people that were paying attention to it had very strong feelings about it, and that’s what this season explores.

It’s so interesting to watch this during the 30th anniversary of the Waco siege. When you look at it out of context, it seems like a self-contained incident that happened. But then, when you really dig into it, it feels like something that is still very relevant today. Were you surprised about that? Had you thought about Waco, in those terms, before doing this?

SHANNON: Frankly, to answer your question, no, I hadn’t thought about that, and that’s why I think this show is so important. It would have never even occurred to me to think about that. I remember when Waco happened, and I remember seeing it on TV, but the whole idea that there was some correlation between Waco and the current unrest that we’re seeing today was not necessarily a connection I would have made, left to my own devices, which is why I think what the Dowdle brothers have accomplished is very significant.

Image via Showtime

Your character makes that comment, “We helped create the monster we’re trying to stop.” That seems like a bleak way to look at all of this, and yet it’s also very true. Why does it seem to be easier to unite that undercurrent of rage than it is to come together against it? It simmers a little bit, and then maybe the flame gets turned up a little, but it always seems to still linger around.

SHANNON: Yeah. The answer to that question is so deeply embedded in our culture and our history as a nation, and how our nation came to be, in the first place. There’s some people that might say we’re cursed because of the way that the country came into being in the first place. There’s some bad juju there. We came in and we took this land, and we took it away from the people who were indigenous to it. That’s the genesis. That’s where it all starts. What that builds or creates is resentment, and it’s a resentment that never seems to be extinguished because somebody always feels like they’re getting the short end of the stick, and a lot of times they’re right. It’s not like people are making it up. There are a lot of places in this country where life is really freaking hard, and people don’t have a lot of options, and they don’t have a lot of hope, and they don’t know what the heck to do about it.

I look at the stuff going on right now with Kevin McCarthy and the debt ceiling and the Republicans talking about how you’ve gotta cut all these taxes and how we’re spending way too much money. And they’re saying all of this as you literally have cities that are crumbling and that cease to function, that cease to have usable water, and that are being leveled by natural disasters. These people are standing around saying, “We need to spend less money.” It just doesn’t make any sense. If you’re a citizen of this country and you’re looking at that, or you’re looking at something like Waco, my point has always been that the government’s main responsibility is to be the stewards of the well-being of its population. I live in this country, and the people that run this country are supposed to help me live. Otherwise why have the government at all? What’s the point? We don’t need all these idiots walking around in their suits saying stupid crap on Fox News. We don’t need all that. As soon as you solve one person’s problems, somebody else’s problems get worse. I’m not saying it’s easy. It’s not easy. I don’t know the answer. I’m not gonna be able to fix it.

Image via Showtime

You’re working with Shea Whigham again on this, and it’s always nice to see you guys together in something. What’s it like to have that level of familiarity with someone you share scenes with? Is he someone that always brings something new and is surprising you, or is there a comfort there, when you’re acting with someone like that, because you know what he’ll deliver? What’s it like to keep reuniting with him on screen?

SHANNON: I love being on set with Shea. Shea is like my brother. I adore Shea. I was just talking to Shea the other day, actually. Shea is gung ho about the work. He’s doesn’t take anything for granted. He’s full of questions. When he comes on set, there’s this energy just coursing through him. He’s like, “We’re gonna get this,” and he’s relentless about it. He’s fearless about not settling for something that’s good enough, but trying to really get it right and go deep. I was so happy that he was able to come back. We only had him for a day, or maybe two days. It was real quick because he’s been real busy, but I’m glad he got to come back.

Waco: The Aftermath airs on Sunday nights on Showtime.