‘Franklin’: Michael Douglas Talks Playing ‘Seductive’ Founding Father in Lavish Historical Drama
Preview
“He was very bright, a little bit of a rascal, a philanderer, liked to imbibe, a big flirt, and had a wonderful ability in terms of his idea of negotiating, which was sort of a seduction,” says Michael Douglas of Benjamin Franklin.
In the Oscar winner’s first historical role, Douglas deliciously plays the Founding Father through eight intrigue- and passion-packed hours of the Apple TV+ series Franklin. (Three episodes premiere April 12, followed by one each week until May 17). Cracks the actor, “I wanted to see how I’d look in tights.” Spoiler alert: pretty darn good.
The ravishing series—based on Stacy Schiff’s Pulitzer Prize winner A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America—is a fascinating tell-all about a lesser-known period in Franklin’s life that ended up being his most vital service to his country. In 1776, the charismatic 70-year-old, famous for his electrical experiments, took on a secret mission to France. His job: convince an absolute monarchy to support and fund the American Revolution. His eight-year Gallic adventure gets underway with an undercover arrival in Paris facilitated by his closest confidant, the serious Dr. Edward Bancroft (Daniel Mays). Franklin is also accompanied by his teen grandson, Temple (A Quiet Place’s Noah Jupe).
“At the center, it’s a grandfather-grandson story,” says Emmy-winning director and executive producer Tim Van Patten, an expert in depicting families navigating deadly politics thanks to his work on The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones. “Those shows are all very specific worlds that in some way speak to power and the abuse of it,” Van Patten notes. “Franklin, like any parent who has kids coming of age, must guide Temple through that tumultuous time, but in the most decadent place in the world.”
A dashing family pair: Franklin and Temple (Douglas and Jupe, Apple TV+)
In debauched and gossipy France, news of the Americans’ presence soon gets out. Franklin and Temple are greeted by public and private reactions that range from suspicion to fawning admiration while British spies and French informers lurk. Beginning with the series’ opening moments, Franklin’s ingenious maneuvering is nothing short of enthralling, and he makes good use of the role of captivating outsider. In his attention-getting signature fur cap (so savage!), he charms, banters and gets down to business—all while taking the young family member under his wing.
“Benjamin is seducing the French into his plan, and Temple is completely seduced by the French,” Jupe says. “Being the grandson of this man was tough because his attention was taken away constantly.”
Franklin tries to get on the right side of the old guard. He approaches cautious French foreign minister Le Compte de Vergennes (Thibault de Montalembert) and flirts with rich, well-connected women like sensitive Madame Brillon (Ludivine Sagnier) and the lascivious widow Madame Helvétius (Jeanne Balibar). Temple, meanwhile, finds more chaste romance and also befriends members of a younger generation who champion fighting for liberty in America—among them, the hotblooded Marquis de Lafayette (Théodore Pellerin).
Ninety percent of the show was shot on location in numerous French chateaux and the Palace of Versailles. The production went to great lengths to maintain authenticity, including tracking down a musical instrument Franklin designed in 1761: an “armonica,” a mechanized version of using water-filled wineglasses to produce notes. After a performance, the suave Franklin easily beds one of the audience members. “I enjoyed the ability he had to seduce,” shares Douglas. “Male or female, whether it was flattery or something else, he knew how to bring the best out of them and make them feel like Ben’s best friend, even though he had ulterior motives.”
Apple TV+
As Franklin gets closer to what he wants—like secret arms shipments made possible by joie de vivre-filled playwright Beaumarchais (Assaad Bouab)—his enemies up their game. Spies and informers who are not above plotting to murder Franklin circle like vultures, and someone in his own group commits an act of betrayal. The move, calculated to derail diplomacy, discredit Franklin and divide the family, makes young Temple an unknowing pawn. Says Jupe: “He slowly starts to realize that this is a longer game than he could have ever imagined, and that it’s not just a clear straight line. And I think that that’s kind of a theme that carries on.”
There’s also the problem of a fellow patriot. Just after Franklin and Temple’s triumphant meeting with King Louis XVI (Tom Pezier) in the fourth episode, John Adams (Eddie Marsan) arrives to scold Franklin for his maverick ways and lavish lifestyle.
While his tactics might have been unconventional, historians consider Franklin’s hard-won accomplishment to be one of the greatest acts of diplomacy. Without it, the U.S. would not have formed the Franco-American alliance of 1778, which ultimately led to the peace treaty with England in 1783—and independence.
“For me, it was a reminder in this day and age, and particularly this year, how precious democracy is, how easy it is to lose and how fragile it is,” Douglas says.
Franklin, Series Premiere, Friday, April 12, Apple TV+
