Following a few more small roles in films and television shows including “Still Alice,” “Nashville,” and “Forever,” Shane McRae was cast as a main character in Amazon Prime Video’s “Sneaky Pete.” Conceived by prolific series creator David Shore (“House,” “Battle Creek,” “The Good Doctor”) and former “Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston, “Sneaky Pete” tells the story of a skilled conman (“Avatar” star Giovanni Ribisi) who attempts to fleece the estranged family of his former cellmate, Pete, in order to avoid the wrath of a crime boss he stole from.
McRae starred as Taylor, the real Pete’s cousin and childhood best friend who is excited to reunite with him after 20 years apart. Unfortunately, due to the deception, Taylor and “Pete’s” reunion is far from joyous — it also doesn’t help that Taylor is a police officer dangerously close to discovering a crime happening right under his nose.
“Taylor and I are [at] about the same point in our lives…” McRae told The Knockturnal ahead of the series’ second season. “I used to joke … about how much Taylor and I were sometimes alike. Taylor is a little bit like me times ten.” He continued to assess Taylor’s own flaws and how they remind him of things about himself — though he felt they both have done a lot of growing up since the show began. “Taylor has really been able to, through the crime of the family, find himself… he’s sort of saying ‘who am I and how can I embrace that and become the most whole version of myself?’” McRae said.
“Sneaky Pete” is also executive produced by “Justified” showrunner Graham Yost, who also created, writes, and executive produces Apple TV+’s “Silo.”