Scott Speedman is in it for the tingle. The 49-year-old actor has racked up dozens of roles in long-running series like "Animal Kingdom," "You" and "Grey's Anatomy," as well as fan-favorite appearances in hit films like the "Underworld" franchise. And along the way, he's had a few moments where he's felt something a little extra.

He says he felt it for his new Peacock thriller series, "Teacup," where he plays a complicated father and husband whose family is thrown into a terrifying do-or-die mystery. "When I first read these scripts, I had a bit of a tingle," he said during a recent "Salon Talks" conversation, comparing the experience to the gut feeling that led to his memorable roles as a terrorized homeowner in the cult classic "The Strangers" and as the Y2K generation's dream boyfriend on "Felicity."

Embracing what he calls "the madness" of "Teacup" represents a more sedate kind of madness for Speedman, who talked with us about his "intense" years of early fame on "Felicity," why he thinks horror is "family drama," and how becoming a dad made him wish he could redo some of his earlier performances.

And though he's currently juggling a pivotal recurring role on "Grey's" and is hopeful for more seasons ahead for "Teacup," he knows that on some level, he'll never stop being the guy who made America chose Team Ben all those years ago. "I have a theory that whatever the thing that hits is what people remember," he explained. "You can't run from it. It's going to be there, and you've got to enjoy it."

The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Stephen King recently said that "Teacup" is "All killer, no filler." Not bad.

Not bad at all. He doesn't do that a lot. So when I saw that, I was very happy and very happy for our showrunner. He was really excited too.

The buzz has been good.

It's going well. You never know how these shows are going to go. When I first read these scripts, I had a bit of a tingle that happens [with] some of the other stuff I've done, like "The Strangers" and "Felicity." I thought this could connect with an audience. Maybe we'll do multiple seasons, and I think over time it'll build into something people connect with.

For those who haven't seen it, you don't want to give too much away. What does the word "teacup" mean to you about this show? What does that represent?

I know the writer well, and I knew there was a meaning behind it. I didn't want to ask, and he didn't want to even talk about it to me when I got the first three scripts. He was like, "Just let it be. You'll figure it out in the end." So for me, I don't know what I would say because I'll give it away. It's a metaphor for something and containment of some kind. Containment, that's what I'll say.

You're playing the head of this family that is in jeopardy, but very quickly it becomes apparent that this is a complicated guy who has existed in a morally gray area. We, as viewers, may not necessarily be rooting for you. What is it like to play someone who has to win us back, and also his family?

That was interesting to me. Earlier in my career, I probably would've been a little scared off by that, of starting the character where we do, where he stepped out from his family. He's cheating on his wife. He's revealed it off-camera before we meet the family. He's talking about leaving the family for another woman to be with her. You don't see any of that. You don't know the whos and the whats and the whys of how we came to be and how our relationship fell apart to get us to that point. You're just jumping in with these characters, what [series creator and writer] Ian [McCulloch] did there as a writer was challenging. I thought, "Wow, this could be........

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