Eric McCormack Talks ‘Nine Bodies,’ ‘Will And Grace’ And ‘White Lotus’

Eric McCormack in 'Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue.'
Cristina Ríos Bordón/Eleventh
"When I heard we were filming in the Canary Islands, I thought, 'Well, perfect, because they must have jungles there.' They really don't," explains Eric McCormack as we discuss the tropical wilderness set six-part thriller Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue. It premieres on MGM+ on Sunday, March 2, 2025.
"It’s a volcanic island, and it’s just very gray, so except a few great cliffs that we shot on, most of the spot where we are trapped in the show was created from scratch on soundstages," he continues. "However, there isn’t a single fake plant in there. It is a real biosphere that was created within weeks. We didn't have to pretend to swat away insects. There were real bugs and ants and stuff. I went to the prop department and asked, 'Did you put insects in here?' They said, 'No, that's just what happens. You're in the jungle now, baby.'"
Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue sees McCormack play Kevin Anderson, one of nine strangers marooned in a Mexican jungle after their plane crashes. As they begin to die one by one, they have to solve the mystery of who is killing them.
"That jungle environment creates a very appropriate claustrophobia. When you're in a jungle, it goes on forever, and you have no idea which direction civilization is going. That is weirdly claustrophobic," the Will and Grace actor recalls. "To be on a sound stage, we knew that from the moment we saw that incredibly production-designed plane crash that we were going to be on that set like Gilligan's Island for seven weeks, and that kind of creeping claustrophobia helped all of us."
"There is some tremendous beauty in the Canary Islands, but a lot of it is ocean and stuff we can’t show. I finally saw the first episode last week on a big screen at the premiere in Culver City. To see something that you've always envisioned as television on a big screen and it looks so lush, it's shot so beautifully, and the constant sound of insects and bugs and the stuff that you can't see because it's beyond the trees, is essential. It becomes quite creepy."