Dennis Quaid Reveals Why He Was Hesitant to Sign On For New Series 'Happy Face'
Dennis Quaid and Annaleigh Ashford pose for photos at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival premiere of their new series Happy Face on Monday (March 10) in Austin, Tex.
The two actors lead the cast of the upcoming Paramount+ drama, which is based on a true story, and they were also joined by some of their co-stars.
Also stepping out were fellow series regulars James Wolk, Tamera Tomakili and Khiyla Aynne.
While at the premiere screening, Dennis opened up about why he was hesitant to play serial killer Keith Jespersen.
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“I really had to think about this one for a long time, simply because I didn’t want him to feel any kind of glory about himself being out there, which is exactly what he wants,” Dennis said of the killer, via Variety, who is currently serving four consecutive life sentences at the Oregon State Penitentiary. “It’s entertaining for him, I think. But to play somebody like this has an effect on you. It has to if you have to approach these places, to figure out these people. And it turns out that serial killers aren’t really all that difficult to play because they really don’t have many emotions to speak of. They don’t feel people’s pain.”
The upcoming drama series is inspired by the true story of Melissa G. Moore, the iHeartPodcast Happy Face and the autobiography “Shattered Silence.”
Here’s a synopsis: Happy Face follows Melissa (Ashford) and her incarcerated father, known as the Happy Face Killer (Quaid). After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life. In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man is going to be put to death for a crime her father committed. Throughout, she discovers the impact her father had on his victims’ families and must face a reckoning of her own identity.
Happy Face, consisting of eight episodes, will premiere on Thursday, March 20th on Paramount+ with the first two episodes, followed by one new episode weekly. The season finale will debut on Thursday, May 1st. Check out the trailer here!