The first season of USAs mystery-thriller The Sinner told the story of a seemingly normal woman, played by Jessica Biel, who snaps and stabs a random person to death. Its only through the dogged detective work of Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) that the exonerating truth behind the violent crime comes to lightand that truth is as much of a release for audiences at home as it is for the characters on-screen.

Each season has dived deeper into Ambroses psyche, revealing the complexities in the somewhat broken yet endlessly empathetic detective, all the while inviting viewers to peer into the brink alongside him. Season 2 explored his troubled childhood as it connected to a deadly poisoning at a cult in New Yorks Hudson Valley, pitting Pullman against Carrie Coon's cult ringleader with questionable intentions. Season 3, which aired its finale last night, twists the knife deeper into Ambroses vulnerability, as the murder suspect (Matt Bomer) is able to weaponize Ambroses empathy against him.

Over the course of three seasons, Pullmans Ambrose has fully become the shows main character, a grounding force whos tasked with solving a strange new crime each season. Amidst the shows twists and turns, Pullman wasnt necessarily expecting that the biggest would be his rise to prominence (I wasnt needy. I wasnt like Wow, its going to be about me, Pullman says).

Pullman, who is perhaps best known for uniting mankind against an alien invasion in 1996s Independence Day, intentionally doesnt cut quite as confident a figure in The Sinner. As Ambrose, hes somewhat squirrelly, and always seems as though hes debating whether or not he should say... well, anything at all. At times, given all his hangups and mannerisms, Ambrose is a bit frustrating to watch, but the detectives peculiar way of inserting himself into bizarre crimes results in a deeper experience than your average cop procedural. Season 3especially its finaletakes The Sinner to some very upsetting places, but Pullman says he finds catharsis in the darkness, with the ultimate humanist message underneath.

I think its been gratifying to see, even in these times, that people are following a dark story, Pullman says. I was thinking This could be terrible for people who are watching, to watch something this gritty. But its almost like [having] strange, disturbing dreams that allow them to exorcise their own sort of demons when watching.

GQ spoke with Pullman about The Sinner, developing a character over time, and turning to another of his famous roles for some pertinent advice.

GQ: What do you think makes The Sinner different from other crime shows on TV?

Bill Pullman: Theres quite a bit more use of guns on other shows. Even when guns come out on The Sinner, theres not a lot of gunplayshooting at people and ducking and running around, shooting back, you know. Its more about watching all the nuances of human behavior and how it can present in ways where you cant draw conclusions at first glance.

How did you make Ambrose more than just another Difficult Manbecause there are certainly no shortage of characters like that on TV?

Thats a good way to summarize it. He is a difficult man. Hes somebody who is clearly not the macho, Im gonna fight crime and expose bad guys kind of thing. He does have a lot of empathy for people; thats surprising, because he can seem so isolated. You can see all the ways in which he doesnt look like the kind of cop who would be successful. Hes a loner, he has a lot of stubbornness, and even the fact that hes still doing it when most people would get out of it. He hasnt finished what he senses is his compelling interest in still being a detective.

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The Sinner Interview: Star Bill Pullman on Last Night's Finale and More - GQ