Share
Clip description
Bill McCoy (Tony Martin) accompanies Joe Pelluci (Paul Pantano), to see his dad Tony (John Brumpton) in prison because he needs an adult present. Joe is upset when his father doesn’t return his affection. After the visit, McCoy gives Joe some advice and tries, again, to find information that could lead him to his missing son.
Curator’s notes
According to one of the series directors, Geoff Bennett, Wildside’s actors were often encouraged through rehearsals and in performance to focus not on their own character but on the character they were playing opposite – and what they hoped that character would do.
The intense focus of these characters on one another and in particular the tentative way McCoy and Joe work their way towards one small exchange of confidence makes for touching viewing. The extraordinary performance from Paul Pantano, at the time a relative newcomer to television, is a highlight of the episode.
