What To Know
- One of Peter Krause’s most defining roles was Nate Fisher in Six Feet Under.
- The HBO series premiered on June 3, 2001.
- Krause spoke with TV Insider about why he was so drawn to the role of Nate.
Twenty-five years ago, on June 3, 2001, the Fisher family entered our lives when Six Feet Under premiered on HBO. Peter Krause‘s Nate Fisher is on his way home to Los Angeles when he learns that his father has been killed in a car accident.
The death of Nate’s father changes the trajectory of Nate’s life. Inheriting Fisher & Sons Funeral Home gives Nate purpose and a chance to reconnect with his family, whom he’s kept at a distance for years. During his visit to TV Insider’s studio at the ATX TV Festival, Krause reflected on why he was so drawn to Nate ahead of the show’s 25th anniversary.
“Well, I could see that the character — and I also had conversations with Alan Ball — was concerned with leading an authentic life, and these other demands from his family members were going to prevent him from leading this authentic life,” he told TV Insider. “And so he was leading this compromised life where he really couldn’t be himself, and I think we can all relate to that at different times, when there are the pressures from the outside that make us, out of a sense of responsibility or obligation, make decisions that take us away from our genuine self, and that particular grind in Nate was something that, at that time in my life, I responded to.”
Six Feet Under ran for five seasons from 2001 to 2005. Five years later, Krause joined another family drama, Parenthood, and played Adam Braverman. The actor noted that the roles of Nate and Adam came into his life at just the right time.
“I can say that when Parenthood rolled around, I was really into being a really good father. I had a little kid, and I wanted to be everything that Adam Braverman was,” Krause said.
Now, the Sports Night alum is gearing up for his new show, Line of Fire, which will air this fall on NBC. Krause opened up about why he’s drawn to the family drama.
“I think it has to do with relationships between people, and then over time, you get to develop working relationships with people. I think that the work gets better because you get to know them,” he said. “I think that what’s fun about Parenthood or about other family shows that existed on Six Feet Under, too, is that you get to push each other’s buttons.”
Six Feet Under, All Seasons, Streaming Now, HBO Max