IF you've watched HBO's "In Treatment," you've seen Gabriel Byrne sitting in a chair, playing therapist to Melissa George's seductive patient. "Let's talk about what's really going on here. Mmmmm?" he says as the camera closes in on his warm blue eyes boring into hers. He raises an eyebrow. Silence. He crosses his legs. He taps his fingertips together.
The central role, with an abundance of close-ups and tiny nuances, could have been an actor's dream. Or nightmare. For Byrne, perfecting it to his satisfaction was more like toothache -- fine, now that it's been dealt with.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday, March 22, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 85 words Type of Material: Correction
'In Treatment': An article in Friday's Calendar about Gabriel Byrne said the show he stars in, "In Treatment," had 450,000 viewers according to "HBO-estimated" numbers. Those figures are not the ones that HBO provided. Each episode of "In Treatment" plays on the multiple HBO channels as well as its on-demand service. For the first five of the eight weeks "In Treatment" has been on (the period for which data are available to HBO), each episode drew about 2 million viewers when totaled across those platforms.
Byrne's Dr. Paul Weston dominates nearly every scene in every episode of the five-night-a-week therapy drama. The action consists mostly of talking and listening, and takes place in one room -- either his home office or his own therapist's home office.
The first season of "In Treatment" draws to a close next week, and rumors abound over the fate of the series, which like the network's "The Wire," has a cultish following, but relatively few viewers.
Those who like the series love Byrne's portrayal of the troubled Dr. Weston, tempted by a severe case of mutual erotic transference with Laura (George). Judging by the lovelorn postings on Internet sites, they also love the 57-year-old Irish actor. Those who don't tuned out long ago.
In any case, there's little doubt that Byrne, after a career of small independent films and stage acting, has finally found a star vehicle on TV.
"It's a delightful kind of surprise that people like it," said Byrne recently during a short visit to Los Angeles. Even the HBO-estimated 450,000 viewers are more than he's used to. He admitted he was thrilled to get a congratulatory call from his favorite actress (whom he refused to name) but was also frightened by a New York woman who approached him on the street and sternly admonished, "Don't you go with that Laura!"
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Something of a struggle
A singular and intensely introspective actor who aims to reveal himself in his roles, Byrne called Dr. Weston and the 12-week shoot on a cramped set particularly challenging. His opinions on how he wanted to play it -- no props, extended silences, totally engaged --eventually prevailed on set, but apparently not without creative debate. None of that matters now, he said. "All that matters in the end is that it got done."
