Colin Hanks and Jan Broberg on the Amazing True Story Behind Peacock’s ‘A Friend of the Family’

 For Colin Hanks, playing Bob Broberg, the father of a girl abducted twice by the same man, in A Friend of the Family (Peacock, October 6), was an “exercise in going completely 100 percent out of my comfort zone,” he told Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott. Based on the true story of Jan Broberg, who also produced the limited series, the show lays out in heavy and disturbing detail how the Broberg family, starting in 1972, fell prey to the predatory actions of Robert “B” Berchtold (played by Jake Lacy). “There's a lot of stuff that Bob did that is unfortunate and questionable. So I just did everything I could to try and explain why Bob made all those decisions.” Hanks and Jan Broberg spoke with Newsweek about the limited series, the impact of Mormonism on the case, and how Jan finally got to a place where she could talk about the trauma that happened to her. Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer and to catch up on the latest news. While you’re there, subscribe to Newsweek’s ‘For the Culture’ newsletter. Follow H. Alan Scott on everything at @HAlanScott.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.