For Johnny Berchtold, filming Murdaugh: Death in the Family meant preparing to eventually film the scene where Paul Murdaugh gets shot.

During the Wednesday, November 7, episode of the Hulu series, Paul reunited with mom Maggie (Patricia Arquette) as they reflected on their family’s scandals. Paul and Maggie were both looking forward to moving on from the past when they were both shot and killed by an unseen assailant.

“It was so, so heavy. But it was handled with such sensitivity and care,” Berchtold, 31, exclusively told Us Weekly. “I felt so protected — and especially with Patricia. Because Maggie and Paul, they didn’t know what was coming. It was surprising to me how at ease I felt with her.”

He continued: “If it was in the wrong hands, it could have been a very different shoot. I’m so grateful that it was this cast and crew. It was very safe and protected.”

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While Wednesday’s episode didn’t show who murdered Paul and Maggie, Murdaugh: Death in the Family is centered around Alex Murdaugh (Jason Clarke), who was indicted in 2022 on double murder charges after his wife and son’s death.

Alex is currently facing a total of 102 grand jury criminal charges and 19 indictments relating to fraud and drug offenses. He was disbarred, had his assets seized and is serving two consecutive life sentences for the murders of Maggie and Paul.

Daniel Delgado Jr. / ©Hulu/Disney / Courtesy Everett Collection

Based on the “Murdaugh Murders” podcast, Murdaugh: Death in the Family has attempted to unpack the scandals, deaths and murder trial surrounding the infamous family while still allowing a more “nuanced” outlook — especially when it comes to Paul.

“I just think that Paul didn’t stand a chance in the way that he was raised,” Berchtold told Us. “It breaks my heart. But that being said, you don’t want to excuse anything yet you want to try and understand. All I was trying to do is just try to understand.”

Before his murder, Paul was under criminal indictment in the wrongful death of his friend Mallory Beach following a boat crash.

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“We meet him and he’s in a very specific headspace. He’s the party animal in that period of his life and he’s been raised without consequence. He’s getting away with a lot and he’s the youngest in the Murdaugh family, which is so much pressure. It’s a little bit of calling out for attention,” Berchtold explained. “Then this happens and he’s seeing the consequences of his actions — tragic consequences. He’s defensive and he’s scared. But then we find a young man who’s just trying to pick up the pieces. That was really beautifully crafted by the writers and our team in just bridging the gap from villain to victim. I was so grateful to be able to play that and show that side and that journey because I think it’s such a real one.”

Berchtold noted that filming the show changed his perspective on true crime, adding, “As an actor, you want to feel empathy for any character that you play. With this, I was familiar with the case and was forming my own opinions at the time and hearing other opinions. Getting to do this made me really sit back and just contemplate so many aspects of how we see people when we don’t want to see them as people.”

New episodes of Murdaugh: Death in the Family air Wednesdays on Hulu.