From the mind of #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly comes a new kind of thriller that blends the suspense of a detective story with the eerie chill of the supernatural. “The Safe Man,” an Audible Original podcast, features Jack Quaid (known for his role in “The Boys”) as Brian Holloway, a man caught in a terrifying mystery that begins with the opening of an antique safe. In a recent interview at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Quaid shared insights into his experience working on “The Safe Man.”

Jack Quaid discusses working on “The Safe Man“ at San Diego Comic-Con 2024

Holloway, hired by renowned horror author Paul Robinette (played by Titus Welliver), finds himself entangled in a series of disturbing events after cracking the safe. Haunted by supernatural encounters and chilling prophecies, Brian’s life takes a dark turn as he becomes a suspect in a criminal investigation. The line between reality and the supernatural blurs as Brian races to save those he cares about.

He was drawn to the role of Brian due to the character’s internal conflict and the compelling nature of the story itself. Quaid praised Michael Connelly’s writing, stating that the script was a page-turner he couldn’t put down.

The Unique Challenges of Audio Drama

Quaid, no stranger to voice acting, highlighted the unique challenges of performing in an audio-only medium. Without visual cues, the actor’s voice becomes the sole instrument for conveying emotions and driving the narrative. However, Quaid’s experience with his Dungeons and Dragons podcast, “Hero Club,” helped prepare him for this project.

All you have is your voice and the audience is probably looking at the car ahead of them or you cooking. Even in a cartoon, you have the animators who make incredible animation. And there’s a person who is a surrogate for your voice. They can actually watch you. But this, when it comes to performance, it all has to be your voice. You know, if there’s nothing that we can communicate with our faces or, like, a cartoon face. So, that was definitely the challenge, but, I have a I have a little bit of experience with this. I produce a Dungeons and Dragons podcast that my friends created. it’s called Hero Club. And, yes, that is a plug for Hero Club. So what they do is, they basically cut out all the crosstalk of D&D, and they just kind of present it as a radio play. So, I don’t know, I kind of I spent years doing that with them. And I think that everything that prepared us for this project. – Jack Quaid

A Collaborative Recording Experience

Unlike many modern voice acting projects, “The Safe Man” was recorded with the actors together in the same studio. Moreover, Quaid emphasized the value of this collaborative approach. Especially those that allow for natural reactions and a deeper understanding of each character’s performance. He even recounted running through the studio hallways to capture the authentic sound of a chase scene.

With this one, I was really impressed with the team. They tried to get everybody in there, to, bounce off of each other. And it was just so much fun. And Titus, is an incredible director, but also an incredible scene partner. And I got a little too used to it. I want that back. I want to do that more often. Is it kind of felt like, you know, like Orson Welles and like the Mercury Theater, like, radio plays is such a cool thing…

It’s essentially a table read where, like a scene with the Titus, for example. They’ll set up two microphones, in a room, and, we’re just we’re reading off each other. We have the script in front of us. But it’s nice to, you know, understand what the actor is bringing to their role. So you can very naturally react off of that. The best thing they did with this was for the more action bits like there’s a whole heist at one point where they put a lav mic on me. and I just ran through the hallway, the hallway of the studio, several times throughout the story. And the story is just me running through the hallways screaming, and it just it kind of captures that, you know, obviously it’s not a soundproof booth, with incredible audio, but how the story lends itself to, you know, there’s there’s always a camera recording in that story. Right? So it was really nice as an actor to get that energy of, like, hastily running because it’s so weird to replicate that when you’re just standing still. – Jack Quaid

Jack Quaid on his Passion for Storytelling and what drew him to “The Safe Man”

When asked about his motivation for choosing projects, Quaid revealed that he’s drawn to stories that resonate with him as a fan. In addition, he wants to be part of projects that he would genuinely enjoy watching or listening to. “The Safe Man,” with its gripping narrative and supernatural elements, clearly captivated Quaid’s imagination.

I think if the story is something that I would be interested in as a fan, that makes me want to do that. It’s like when it comes to, like let’s say the boys. I remember reading that first script, the first episode, and being like, man, I would watch the hell out of the show. I really want to make sure I book this. I really want to audition. Well, but if I can’t be Hughie, I would love to be an extra. Like, if I have that feeling about a project, then I know that I have to do it. and that just speaks to Michael’s writing and how it was such a page turner, and I was like, I can’t not be a part of this. – Jack Quaid

“The Safe Man” promises to be a thrilling audio experience, combining Michael Connelly’s masterful storytelling with Jack Quaid’s compelling performance. With its eerie atmosphere, supernatural twists, and a character caught between two worlds. This Audible Original is sure to keep listeners on the edge of their seats.