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LMGI COMPASS
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Spring 2022
section, plays out over dozens of locations in the U.S. across a
span of some 50 years. In the '80s timeline alone, the Location
Department would be called upon to nd such diverse locations
as Salt Lake City, Utah, Reno, Nevada, and Miami, Florida.
The series stars Academy Award nominee Andrew Gareld
(tick, tick… BOOM!) and Gil Birmingham (Hell or High Water) as
detectives Jeb Pyre and detective Bill Taba, both composites
of the real-life investigators who asked not to be included,
along with Normal People's Daisy Edgar-Jones as Brenda Wright
Lafferty. The historical portion is experienced through the
eyes of detective Pyre as he begins to question his own faith
during the investigation that would reveal dark secrets about
the Lafferty family, pillars of American Fork, a close-knit Latter
Day Saints (LDS) community.
But the project would allow Matt to join his family who had just
moved back to Calgary after spending ve years in Vancouver
when local work had dried up back home. It also meant he'd get
to work with people he knew and trusted. He had worked with
both producer Dennis and showrunner/executive producer
Dustin Lance Black (Lance to his friends), before. Matt also knew
that Black had grown up Mormon—and gay—in Texas, and that
he would bring a personal perspective to the material. So, Matt
decided to read the rst few scripts before he made a decision.
In the end, it was the opportunity to return to Calgary and the
strength of Black's writing that sealed the deal and convinced Matt
to accept the job!
Over the course of seven episodes, three distinct stories are
told on two distinct timelines—one of which, the historical
Palace Theater, Calgary/Photo courtesy of FX networks
