For Adrian Lester, the draw of PONIES was rooted in both the creative team and the unique historical setting. Lester noted that he was already an admirer of the work of creators Susanna Fogel and David Iserson. Having previously met Fogel in 2021 while performing on Broadway, he viewed the series as a great opportunity to collaborate with them.

Nick Williams of Temple of Geek sat down with Adrian Lester to discuss the transition from Broadway to the Cold War, the attention to detail required to recreate 1970s Russia, and working with the cast.

Adrian Lester on Dane Walter’s Cold Exterior and Empathy

In PONIES, Lester plays Dane Walter, the head of the CIA in Moscow. While the character often appears cold or emotionless, Lester worked to weave in a distinct human element. He credits the script for providing various tones to play with in each scene. Allowing the editors to find the right balance.

Lester revealed that by the midpoint of the season, Dane’s true feelings begin to surface, particularly his protective instincts. By episode five, it becomes clear that Dane genuinely cares for the “PONIES” and wants to ensure their safety. He also maintains a high level of professional respect for them. Viewing the lead characters as special because they have achieved things that many veteran agents before them failed to do.

Lester was particularly captivated by the script’s intelligence and its 1970s Moscow setting. He highlighted how the era shifts the focus of the genre toward the human element. Being set in the 70s moves the story away from modern gadgetry and into a world of human interaction, memory, and trickery. He described the script as layered, clever, and intriguing, noting that it does not insult the audience’s intelligence. Furthermore, Lester was intrigued by the vulnerability of his character, Dane Walter, who is dealing with a psychiatrist and the brink of a breakdown.

Nick Williams: What first drew you to the role of Dane Walter in PONIES?

Adrian Lester: It’s the fact that I got to work with Susanna Fogel and David, and I admired their work before. They were great. I had met Susanna. Previously, when I was on Broadway. And I just thought this would be a great opportunity to work with them.

And then the script comes along, and it is layered. It’s intriguing. It’s very, very clever. It does not insult your intelligence. The fact that it’s set in the 1970s means we’re away from a world of gadgetry and spy stories. And we’re into a world of human interaction, memory, and trickery, if you like. And so I just really got swept along by that.

Additionally, the fact that they were considering my character, having a psychiatrist, and experiencing a bit of a breakdown, almost, was also taken into account. And I thought, okay, “I’m up for this. This will be good.”

Nick Williams: You play the head of the CIA in Moscow, a role that often requires a cold exterior, yet you bring a lot of humanity to Dane. How did you balance those layers?

Adrian Lester: That was absolutely down to the script. There were various tones you give to each scene, and they can choose which tone they want. By halfway through episode five, you can see that Dane really cares about the agents. And doesn’t want anything to happen to them. He thinks they’re pretty special. He thinks they’ve managed to do something that so many agents before them have not managed to do, And he thinks that’s precious.

All eight one-hour episodes of PONIES are streaming exclusively on Peacock. The full season dropped on January 15th at once, so you can watch all episodes now!