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Tom Payne On Understanding Serial Killers in 'Prodigal Son': 'It's An Endless Riddle'!

Michael Sheen, Bellamy Young, Tom Payne and Lou Diamond Phillips all got together to attend their SAG-AFTRA Foundation conversation panel for their series Prodigal Son held at The Robin Williams Center on Sunday (December 15) in New York City.

Tom, 36, and his co-stars sat down for a panel discussion following a screening of the show.

In the hit Fox series, Payne plays the son of a serial killer (Sheen) who draws on his knowledge to help the New York Police Department solve crimes and stop killers.

“It’s a never-ending riddle. It’s never one thing that (triggers the killing). It’s a variety of things. Generally, there’s anger and pain involved,” Tom expressed. “The human condition is endlessly fascinating. Everyone is seemingly born as a blank canvas and then ends up being a fully formed person. How much of that is nurture and how much is nature?”

“I was in the (series’) writers’ room and they had a book that was literally an encyclopedia of serial killers,” Tom continued. “You learn there is no common thread. The reason Ted Bundy is so fascinating is he was a well-put-together guy, an attractive man, intelligent and yet he did all these terrible things. It’s an endless riddle.”

READ MORE: Fox’s ‘Prodigal Son’ Gets Full Season Pickup!

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