Ray Donovan season 5 episode 1 video: Susan Sarandon on Sam Winslow

The Ray Donovan season 5 premiere is coming on Showtime tonight, and there is one thing that we are excited to see above all else: Susan Sarandon. The actress is going to be a part of a major arc this season as Sam Winslow, a movie executive who gets things done and honestly couldn’t care less as to the mechanics behind it. She will do everything that she can in order to ensure that she furthers her own narrative and her career.

In the video below via Showtime, you can get a pretty good sense via Sarandon as to who Sam is and what she brings to the table. She begins with the following:

“Sam Winslow is very good at what she does, and she’s very smart. [That may] be her problem — she’s too smart … She’s got the bigger picture in mind. She’s powerful. She’s the head of a studio, and she’s worked her way up.”

One other thing that’s super-interesting about this video is how Sarandon actually does cite Bette Davis and a famous quote that applies to her portrayal of her character. (Sarandon played Davis in Feud: Bette & Joan earlier this year.) She also described how she uses certain objects as almost her touchstone with her character (here it is the use of gold jewelry and the color black), and also why she ends up calling Ray in the first place. After all, he does have a history of solving problems.

“Sam calls Ray because she’s being blackmailed, so she finds him and says ‘I know you can be trusted.’ That’s where it starts.”

Knowing Ray Donovan the series, our expectation from here on out the rest of the season is that things are going to spiral out of control. Sam’s going to realize that her problems stem far beyond the superficial, and both her job and those close to her could be in danger … but these are just our expectations. Nothing is for certain as of yet, but with this show, there is reason to be afraid for just about every single character by the time you get to the end of the season.

What does Liev Schreiber have to say about the story?

The series star spoke out on the subject in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, and he offered up a pretty interesting tease for what is coming the rest of the way:

“I think the wheels really come off this season … [Executive producer] David [Hollander] and I talked about it; how do we initiate some change, some massive seismic shift in this character and in this world? And, well, you take the ground out from beneath them.”

What do you want to see on Ray Donovan, whether it be with Susan Sarandon or some other characters? Be sure to share in the comments below!

Meanwhile, you can head over to this link in the event you do want to get some additional news right now when it comes to the show. (Photo: Showtime.)