You've Never Seen Stephen Root Like This

Stephen Root stars in the Apple TV horror-comedy series about a cursed New England town. He plays Wyck, an island believer who warns others about monsters, while Matthew Rhys plays a skeptical mayor who tries to ignore those warnings. In episode 3, Wyck faces a sea hag, a monster Root especially likes. The sea hag kills by crawling onto a victim’s bed and sitting on their face, with a shanty song that includes Root’s distinctive whisper-sung refrain. Root’s comedic timing turns scary moments into laughs, and his own voice seems to linger like an earworm. His long career includes many recognizable character roles and voice work.

"The gag was always that she kills you by crawling onto your bed and sitting on your face (“I laughed so hard when I read that,” the actor says), but the shanty song didn’t include Root's raspy refrain until he gave it a try on set. “Every sailor knows the story of the hag,” he begins, then he takes a beat and whisper-sings, “Aawoo... Aawoo.”"

"Opposite him is the skeptic town mayor (played by Matthew Rhys), who tries his best to ignore Wyck's warnings until he comes face to face with one of the island's wacky monsters: a sea hag. She's one of Root's favorites. The 74-year-old actor stars on the Apple TV horror-comedy series about a cursed New England town as the island's crazed believer, a fisherman named Wyck."

"Root's performance captures everything about Widow's Bay that makes the show such a delight, including his ability to turn every scary scene into a funny one, or vice-versa. As we talk over coffee and tea at Gabriel's Bar & Restaurant near Central Park in New York City, I swear I could hear one of the busboys “Aawoo” as he walked by."

"Just one look at his lengthy resume and you'll realize that you've seen the 74-year-old character actor everywhere. His IMDb page lists over 300 roles- most famously among them are his stapler-obsessed Office Space character, his voice-acting roles on King of the Hill, and his many cameos in Coen brothers films. But to list all the critically acclaimed projects he's lent his talents to would take another two thousand words."

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