Alan Cumming’s Role on The Traitors
If you think Alan Cumming, host of the U.S. version of The Traitors, gives off a certain vibe, you might be onto something. In episode 8 of season 2, he sent the contestants off on their mission, jesting to the camera, “And they were never seen again.” Cumming admits, “I said that many times, on every task. I wanted that to be my new catchphrase, but they only used it a couple times.”
This is exactly what the team behind Peacock’s hit reality game show wanted Cummings to bring to the table. Initially confused, Cumming met with producers out of curiosity and later realized that they wanted a particular character. He visualized himself as a sort of Scottish Laird, with a Machiavellian persona, dressed in a “dandy” Scottish tartan, petting his menacing dog while staring down contestants. “I really love this character,” Cumming expresses. “It’s funny how life brings these unexpected opportunities. I never thought I would be hosting a big, successful competition reality show in Scotland and a castle with a bunch of reality stars. I mean — you couldn’t make it up. But I obviously go out going through life open to certain things. I’ve always been quite eclectic. And these things come to me and actually, this one I really, really enjoy.”
Despite taking the role seriously, Cumming maintains a distance between himself and the cast, exuding a daddy demeanor that leaves the contestants scared. He’s been surprised by some of the contestants’ actions, such as when a person he thought was reliable turned out otherwise. “That’s what’s great about the games — there was a person I thought was doing really well, a faithful, and was going to help tear the whole thing apart. And people turned on them. It was like hyenas going for a baby elephant, it really was. I was gobsmacked.”
Cumming is just as eager to let it all play out as the rest of us, even though he lives in fear about bumping the wrong shoulder when selecting traitors at the roundtable.
The Traitors season 2 (the U.S. version) airs new episodes on Peacock every Thursday at 6 p.m. PST/9 p.m. EST.