PITTSBURGH — Sure, "Archive 81" is largely set in and around New York City. But to Matt McGorry, who plays podcaster Mark Higgins in the Netflix horror series, "Archive 81" is as much about where it was actually shot — western Pennsylvania — as it is the Big Apple.
"The spirit of where something is filmed usually makes it into the DNA of the show," McGorry told the Post-Gazette. "I do feel like that is true in this case as well. As much as we're supposed to be in New York City, I know for me it was always Pittsburgh and will forever be Pittsburgh in my mind."
"Archive 81" is a television adaptation of the found-footage horror podcast of the same name that premiered last week on Netflix. It's set across multiple timelines as present-day archivist Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie) races to understand what's going on in the mysterious tapes he's restoring. He's also trying to help filmmaker Melody Pendras (Dina Shihabi), the main figure on those tapes, get out of a supernatural situation that's been plaguing her since 1994.
McGorry's character is Dan's loyal friend and a bit of a meta character who hosts a paranormal podcast that features stories reminiscent of ones on the real "Archive 81" podcast. Though he's skeptical at first about some of the things Dan claims to be experiencing, Mark gamely helps him track down information and people that prove invaluable in his quest for the truth about what happened to Melody.
This is the second time McGorry and Athie have played on-screen friends after they appeared together in the 2020 film "Uncorked." He feels like all the time they've spent together is obvious in "Archive 81."
"Mark doesn't necessarily show up for a lot of people other than himself," McGorry said. "But when it comes to Dan, he really does show up. And that makes him enjoyable to play and witness as a viewer."
Television diehards probably are familiar with McGorry thanks to his roles as John Bennett in Netflix's "Orange is the New Black" and Asher Millstone on ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder." McGorry's own pop culture consumption doesn't include much horror, but being in one was fun for him because of the "great pleasure" he takes as an artist in exploring new genres.
He said that Mark skews closer to Asher than John in terms of their wisecracking, but otherwise, "Archive 81" is different from anything he's worked on before.
"There's a sense of groundedness and competence in him that I haven't played before in 'Orange' or "How to Get Away with Murder,'" McGorry said. "Mark has a very deep center. There's also a sense of dry humor that I don't use a lot in my day-to-day life."
"Archive 81" was the first major production to get up and running in Pittsburgh after the COVID-19 pandemic shut all such work down in March 2020. It filmed here alongside another Netflix television project, "The Chair," which premiered on the streaming service in August. McGorry found "interacting creatively through masks and shields to be difficult at times," but otherwise enjoyed shooting the series here.
Before "Archive 81," McGorry had been to the Steel City twice to attend political events. The New York City native appreciated how Pittsburgh "felt like a city and a small town at the same time" and enjoyed hiking while he was here. On one excursion, his city-boy upbringing left him wondering if a group of deer he encountered on a trail were "going to try to kick my ass." Luckily, that was not the case.
"One of the reasons I hope we get a Season 2 is for the opportunity to explore the city when it's full and vibrant and things aren't as closed down," he said.
It's a good thing McGorry had a "cheat sheet" of the show's scripts before actually watching "Archive 81," a show that otherwise might have been too intense for his taste. After watching all eight episodes, he appreciated what "a really good job of sustaining tension" the show pulled off, how its horror was more atmosphere-based and less reliant on jump scares, and how the direction made him feel just how isolated Dan was.
McGorry loves "making a role uniquely mine" and hopes to explore Mark's backstory in a potential Season 2 that would also most likely bring him back to a less pandemic-altered Pittsburgh.
"It was an incredible gift and a blessing to be able to work during that time," he said. "Sitting in my house for an extra five or six months might not have been the best thing for me. I really loved the experience of getting to be in a new city for filming."
