John Cameron Mitchell barely made it through a single episode of “Tiger King,” but he was so excited about “Joe vs. Carole” that he sent in his first audition tape in 25 years.
The scripted Peacock series, which premiered Thursday and is based on the Wondery podcast, takes on the same story as Netflix’s pandemic sensation: The battle between big cat enthusiasts Joe “Exotic” Maldonado-Passage and Carole Baskin that starts with Baskin trying to shut down Exotic’s zoo and ends with him behind bars after trying to have her killed.
“I saw one episode of the docuseries and though the characters were popping out at you like 3D [private parts] in a '70s porn film, I didn’t feel a lot of empathy happening with the filmmakers,” Mitchell, who plays the over-the-top Exotic, told the Daily News. “I want empathy. I love camp … but I need to care.”
“Joe vs. Carole,” which co-stars Kate McKinnon as Baskin, claws deeper than “Tiger King” into Baskin’s relationships before current husband Howard (played by Kyle MacLachlan), including her second husband’s mysterious disappearance. It also delves into Exotic’s 17-year relationship with first husband Brian Rhyne, who died of complications from HIV in 2001, and their families and co-workers.
It’s the quieter moments that connected most with Mitchell, an actor, director and playwright who has appeared on Broadway as well as in TV and films.
“I found I had a lot in common with him. We grew up in the same part of the country, same age within six weeks, a showman,” the 58-year-old Army brat born in El Paso, Texas, told The News.
“He created his shows, his communities, his zoo. I create my own plays and movies and concerts with all the misfits.”
Exotic considered himself a misfit too, but that’s why he thought he was special. It comes out on stage, when everyone’s eyes are on him, even if only because he’s holding a tiger cub (“Joe vs. Carole” uses visual effects instead of real animals). He’s skinny, covered in tattoos with a shock of a blond mullet and a Southern drawl.
Mitchell compared Exotic to Richard III, the English king whose Machiavellian rule was often blamed on his physical deformities.
“It can make you very angry or it can make you very empathetic to other outsiders,” the actor said. “In the end, (Exotic) felt he needed to conquer and destroy. He felt attacked. Eventually it became bigger than self-defense; it became offensive.”
In September 2018, Exotic was arrested and charged with hiring two hitmen to kill Baskin at her Florida rescue center. He was found guilty on two counts of attempted murder for hire and other charges including violating the Endangered Species Act by killing five tigers.
Exotic was sentenced to 22 years behind bars. In January, a federal judge cut one year off in a resentencing.
In portraying Exotic, Mitchell points to the people surrounding him: His mother, who tried to understand him; his cousin, who called him a scam artist; an ex-boyfriend who was convicted of murder and sexual assault. He points to the irrevocable grief of losing a loved one.
“You have to approach every role with some kind of sympathy. There are no pure villains. There are damaged people. There are psychopaths. I don’t think Joe was a psychopath but he was definitely a narcissist,” Mitchell told The News.
“You’ve got to honor his humanity without excusing his behavior.”
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