Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
On a grayish Thursday afternoon in the East Village,Alan Cummingcan be found at where else?
But this years cruise was more sort of murder-mystery gays.
Dont get me wrong, I love them both.
They came to me with this, and I was like,What the fuck?
Its true that Cumming isnt the most obvious choice for a Probstian reality host.
People are likely to ask me to do weird things because Ive done weird things in the past.
I said, You kind of want me to be a James Bond villain?
And they were like, Yes!
I decided that it should be my castle.
I live in the castle and Ive invited people to my castle.
I made this narrative for myself for it to be able to work.
Early into filming the first season, he figured out who his character was by playing off the cast.
He came to be this stern daddy.
Hes cheeky, but also, dont fuck with him.
I love being a part of the narrative.
Its like when you see your therapist on the street, like,Oh!
They can stand up!
Very occasionally, a cast member has burst that bubble.
In addition to hosting, Cumming is credited as a producer on the series.
In one birdcall-themed challenge, he wears a floppy beret sprouting peacock feathers, a masterstroke of brand integration.
In a way, I am in drag as the host of this show.
Sometimes, that means a quiet strategist.
Theres got to be drama.
What is good telly and what is a good game?
Most often, they coincide.
The producers decided on their Traitors shortly after the interviews, a couple of hours before the tapping-on-the-shoulder ceremony.
Cumming admits this is the most nerve-racking thing to film.
Its my least favorite part of the whole show.
It makes everyone feel likeIt could be me!Then I go round and round and round.
I squeak my shoes.
I make noises with the fabric of my sleeve.
Last year, I went around backwards.
Its really so terrifying for me because I feel the tension.
Theres 21 of them squashed in at that table.
Johnny Bananas was sitting really close to Phaedra and it was hard to get my arm in.
He compares the show to a sociological experiment, an exercise in pack mentality.
It encourages a very open alliance purely because they were on the same online grid.
Bravo against the others.
But its juicy as anything, says Cumming.
The flip side comes in those moments when he can watch contestants come into their own and upend expectations.
I can hear what theyre saying at breakfast: what the mood is, whos freaking out.
I can hear them talking about me.
Its sort of my villains lair.
They were all so exhausted.
They have to do all these physical things, and they dont get to sleep much.
Its sleep deprivation, physical exhaustion, and mental mindfuck … Theres a wicked gleam in his eye.
In Cummings telling, things are far more dramatic in person.
They really turned on her.
This went on for quite a while before they brought me back.
But these are the twists that makeThe Traitorsso addicting.
Cumming attributes its success to peoples fascination with lying, and also the old-school weekly release schedule.
Its the water cooler we havent had that for years!
Maybe our days of binging are ebbing.
But hell soon have a distraction in season three, which begins filming this spring.
Cumming dons his fluffy white coat, gets Lala leashed up, and heads out.
