There’s something amusing about sitting down to talk to Irish actor Jason O’Mara about playing George Washington, arguably the greatest American in our nation’s history, in the latest take on America’s founding in the History Channel’s Sons of Liberty, out now on Blu-Ray. Nationalism aside, anytime anyone takes on the task or bringing Washington to life, they take on a huge responsibility. George Washington, historically, is an anomaly; one who has as many myths and legends surrounding him to rival even King Arthur. And the comparison is fair, as many consider Washington the “American King,” which would have rubbed the real Washington the wrong way.
From wooden teeth to chopping down cherry trees, the way 18th century writers painted him, Washington came off as larger than life, when really, he was a so-so general who lost more battles than he won, was deeply isolationist (preferring America to not meddle in world affairs), and begrudgingly took the title as our nation’s first leader to ensure that our young democracy didn’t devolve into another monarchy, which was something he feared and despised.
Jason O’Mara as George Washington
In Sons of Liberty, Jason O’Mara (Life on Mars, Terra Nova, Resident Evil: Extinction, Complications) pulls on Washington’s wig and blue coat and breathes life into an American icon, myths or not. How does a man born and raised in Ireland go about preparing for a role so iconically American?
“I wanted to try and get it right,” O’Mara said. “It’s a challenge, and then I realized, ‘oh my god, where do I start.’ Our director, Kari Skogland, she suggested reading Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow. The book was terrific. We’re used to seeing him as an old guy with problems with his teeth. He couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He had several sets of dentures and they weren’t wooden. In fact, some of them were animal teeth.
“There was also controversy about his height. I’m just about six-foot and I thought I was too short to play Washington. Whether he was six-one, six-three or six four, he has always been this imposing figure.”
Sons of Liberty takes some dramatic liberties with the retelling of the birth of America, but the production is solid, with sets and costumes that are as authentic as possible. And O’Mara’s George Washington truly looks the part.
Washington (O’Mara) leads the Continental Army against the red coats in Sons of Liberty.
“They (the colonist leaders at the Second Continental Congress) were looking for a general. They were looking for someone who could organize an army. And he (Washington) showed up at Philadelphia knowing they were looking for a general and he wore a general’s uniform that he made himself.”
“He was defined by how he turned his failures into positives,” O’Mara explains. “He had a rough time of it early on in the English army serving — he was a career infantry, and his (commanding officer General Braddock) died in the dark in front of him. He didn’t let these terrible failures define him. And he went on to become the greatest American of all time.”
In one scene late in Sons of Liberty, Washington and General Gage (Marton Czokas), the de facto villain of the mini-series, have a face-to-face meeting in front of a campfire. The scene is an expository exercise that sheds light on the backstory of these two historical figures and gives context to the battles that are to come. It was also Jason’s favorite.
“The scene between Washington and Gage, which was my favorite scene, was written while we were in production,” O’Mara reveals. “It wasn’t in the original script. It really added to Washington and Gage’s relationship and it came out really well. It gave a little backstory and was actually pretty accurate.”
Jason O’Mara has played historical figures and military men — or better yet, men in uniform — before. Does he consider himself a history buff?
“Yeah, I am, Particularly military history,” he says. “And it’s strange, as I didn’t take history in high school in Ireland — a catholic school. I took — I took art. I wish I had, of course. But I suppose I’m trying to make up for lost time by reading books and studying military events. The film I’m shooting now (Jadotville), in South Africa, is a true story about a small company of Irish soldiers in 1961 who survived an attack by 3,000 Katangese warriors and held out for six days until the ran out of food and water. It’s a great story. The Irish army was embarrassed by it, and the story and their heroics had been lost until a few years ago. I’m glad to be a part of it.”
Also coming up for Jason O’Mara is another turn as a future American president in To Appamottox, where he is slated to play Ulysses S. Grant. Does he have a U.S. President fetish?
“If I get another opportunity, of course. But it would be odd — a strange thing for the resume, but not a bad thing, you know? I love the Civil War and, like in Band of Brothers, playing a real person who really lived and died, there’s a connection. There’s that sense of respecting and honoring ordinary people who do extraordinary things.”
As our conversation draws back to George Washington and Sons of Liberty, Jason reveals which version of our founding father he prefers to play between the General Washington and President Washington.
“The General is where it’s at,” he said, laughing. “That’s where the drama is. It’s not — I don’t — I still like political drama. The first president was fascinating. I thought John Adams (2008 HBO miniseries) did a great job covering all of that, even though it didn’t go too much into Washington’s presidency.
“He was a younger man when he was a general, whereas when he became president, he was more of a chairperson, He would moderate. It was his skill. He wanted to hear all sides of the story. That’s why he was such a great president.”
(From left) Ryan Eggold (Joseph Warren), Michael Raymond-James (Paul Revere), Ben Barnes (Sam Adams), Rafe Spall (John Hancock) and Henry Thomas (John Adams) make up the Sons of Liberty.
Sons of Liberty ends with the famous Battle of New York, and with Washington on a hillside inspiring his troops into what will be one of many battles that would lead to the independence of the United States. Jason O’Mara’s portrayal of George Washington, along with Ben Barnes as Sam Adams, Ryan Eggold as Joseph Warren, Henry Thomas as John Adams, Michael Raymond-James as Paul Revere, Rafe Spall as John Hancock, and Dean Norris as Ben Franklin does a fine job telling the story of the birth of our nation. It takes dramatic liberties, of course, but all in all, it’s an enjoyable look at history and hopefully inspires viewers to learn more about the true Sons of Liberty and about how the United States came to be.
“I don’t know if there’ll be another part,” O’Mara says in regards to revisiting the story later on in the War of Independence, “but it would be interesting to see how it all plays out.” Luckily, history books have that answer already.
Sons of Liberty, a five-hour miniseries is available now on Blu-Ray.
