Johnny Berchtold knew he had his work cut out for him after being cast as Paul Murdaugh in Murdaugh: Death in the Family.

“We meet him and he’s in a very specific headspace. He’s the party animal in that period of his life and he’s been raised without consequence. He’s getting away with a lot and he’s the youngest in the Murdaugh family, which is so much pressure. It’s a little bit of calling out for attention,” Berchtold, 31, exclusively told Us Weekly. “Then this happens and he’s seeing the consequences of his actions — tragic consequences. He’s defensive and he’s scared.”

Berchtold enjoyed showing the onscreen development.

“But then we find a young man who’s just trying to pick up the pieces. That was really beautifully crafted by the writers and our team in just bridging the gap fro

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