Mayor Of Kingstown’s Kyle Actor Told Me Why Filming Big Prison Scenes Can Feel Genuinely ‘Scary’

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Be warned: the following contains spoilers for Season 4, Episode 5 of Mayor of Kingstown. If you haven’t watched it yet, proceed with caution! New episodes are available to stream every Sunday with a Paramount+ subscription.

At the end of season three of Mayor of Kingstown, Kyle (Taylor Handley) was arrested and imprisoned, initially in solitary confinement, which presented its own difficulties. However, the fifth episode saw him transferred to the general prison population, a move that’s likely to be very challenging, as he’ll probably be targeted by other inmates. I spoke with Handley about filming these intense prison scenes, and he explained why they can be so unsettling.

Throughout most of Season 4 so far, Kyle has been kept in a cell right next to Merle (Richard Brake). Given Merle’s connection to Mike (Jeremy Renner) and his bad intentions, this situation is extremely risky for both Kyle and his brother. However, Taylor Handley’s character is currently facing greater danger while interacting with the general prison population.

I also wondered about that, and Handley shared his experience during a TopMob interview. He described what it’s like to film a scene with many prisoners, explaining:

If you recall the first episode of this season, you might remember a scene where Kyle is being led to his cell, surrounded by around 300 extras. They really went all out with their reactions – shouting and saying all sorts of things – which honestly made my job as an actor much easier, as it felt very natural.

That sounds genuinely frightening. If I were in Handley’s position, I’m not sure I could handle it either. This Paramount+ show does an amazing job with its prison scenes – they’re incredibly intense and feel very real, especially because they use so many extras and film on location, which makes it even scarier.

The TV show Mayor of Kingstown films extensively in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and notably uses the old Western Penitentiary as a location for its prison scenes, according to Pittsburgh Magazine. Actor Handley shared that filming within the decommissioned prison helped him connect with his character Kyle’s emotions, especially when surrounded by other actors portraying prisoners. He believes this immersive experience adds to the show’s realism.

Walking past the extras was really unsettling, honestly. It felt incredibly realistic, especially since we were filming in an actual, closed-down prison. There were even stories going around that some of the background actors had actually been inmates there years ago, before it became a filming location. That definitely added to the authenticity of the scenes – that’s what we aim for with Kingstown.

Paramount+ offers a streaming library including popular shows like Mayor of Kingstown and Landman. Subscriptions begin at $7.99 monthly or $59.99 annually. For an ad-free experience, you can upgrade to the Premium plan for $12.99 per month. See the deal here.

This situation definitely seemed frightening. While Handley wasn’t the direct target of the yelling – it was actors trying to unsettle Kyle – the overall intensity likely felt very real and disturbing.

Things are quickly falling apart inside the prison. With Carney gone and Mike battling the new warden, Kyle is in a tough spot. To make matters worse, Merle is causing trouble and clearly trying to exploit Mike’s brother. Sending Handley to general population is only making an already volatile situation even more dangerous.

If you want to find out what happens next and revisit the scene Taylor Handley mentioned, you can watch Mayor of Kingstown on Paramount+.

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2025-11-23 23:38