Why Perry Mason’s Harley-Davidson Was Polarizing To Cast And Crew

Why Perry Mason’s Harley-Davidson Was Polarizing To Cast And Crew
HBO’s “Perry Mason” is in many ways a collision of modern and classic sensibilities. It’s a 1930s-set series that has the pulp and murky ethics of a late-40s noir and carries all the glossy prestige of a 2010s premium cable show. It’s no surprise, then, that the vehicle at the center of the law procedural reboot also smashes together the modern and the classic in the form of Mason’s (Matthew Rhys) souped-up motorcycle, a Harley Davidson that got some major updates on set despite being nearly a century old.
In an interview with Collider, Rhys gave the inside scoop on the motorcycle, which Mason crashes during a particularly memorable scene in the season 2 premiere in which he’s haunted by the memory of a client whose life he didn’t save. The actor revealed that the crew of the often painstakingly period-accurate show originally brought a Harley from the era to set with the intention of using it as-is, but quickly realized that wasn’t possible. “The first day, they brought out that motorcycle and it was operating as a 1930s Harley-Davidson,” Rhys recalled. “They started it, and it took so many weird things and it made so much noise that they went, ‘Okay, forget using it as a real motorcycle.'”
The actor says that the motorcycle was handed over to “the action car guys” to be refitted as an electric motorcycle in just two weeks, presumably to cut down on sound and performance issues. “God bless them, it almost killed them, but it was a very souped-up, very fast, electric bike,” Rhys says of the final version of the motorcycle used for the shoot. He also calls riding the bike, one of several stunts “The Americans” actor was able to perform during the action-packed second season, “a dream come true.”