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.”
