Homer Gere Shares His Theory About ‘The Shards’ and Robert Mallory

[This story contains major spoilers from The Shards finale, “Stairway to Heaven,” and some spoilers from The Shards novel.]

“You can’t understand him because, in my opinion, he’s not real,” says the actor who plays the mysterious character in Ryan Murphy ‘s adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis ‘ classic novel, which recently concluded its nine-episode first season.

“He’s a reflection of all the people around him. That’s why, from the viewer side in, in particular, you’re like, Who the fuck is this guy? Why is he acting like this? Why is he so different with all these people? That’s something Ryan [Murphy] brought up early on as an option, and I was like, ‘That’s kind of great.’ He’s reflecting off every person he’s talking to. It makes him kind of scattered. It’s an incomplete view of a person, because he’s not really a person. That’s the best way I can put it.” Related Stories TV 'Monster' and the Enduring Appeal of Lizzie Borden Movies 'Closing Night' Review: Sarah Paulson and Naomi Watts Lead a Deluxe Cast in a Shrill Family Melodrama in Search of a Binding Tone

The season one finale of The Shards ended on a cliffhanger by design. Creator Murphy, who has taken liberties from the source material, and Ellis have plans to turn the show into a three- or four-season offering. So as Gere and the audience await official news on a season two renewal, The Hollywood Reporter spoke with the breakout actor, and son to Richard Gere, about his theories for the show (like why he thinks Robert is definitely not the killer) and how his first major role is changing his life: “I’m feeling pretty good. I’m happy to be here.”