‘Trust’: Michael Esper To Co-Star In FX Getty Drama Series; Veronica Echegui To Recur

Michael Esper is set to co-star as John Paul Getty II, alongside Harris Dickinson, Hilary Swank and Donald Sutherland, in FX’s Trust, a 10-episode limited series about the kidnapping of the young Getty heir. In addition, Veronica Echegui has been tapped for a recurring role.

Esper’s John Paul Getty II is father to John Paul Getty III (Dickinson) and son to J. Paul Getty (Sutherland). “Big Paul” is a recovering heroin addict and recluse, who finds himself in a fog of grief following the death of his second wife. Echegui will portray Luciana, the youngest member of J. Paul Getty’s harem and also the most highly strung. Previously announced Swank plays J. Paul Getty III’s mother Gail.

The first installment is set in 1973, when the young Getty is kidnapped in Rome and his mafia captors are banking on a multi-million dollar ransom. Trust charts the young man’s nightmare ordeal at the hands of kidnappers who cannot understand why nobody seems to want their captive back. The Italian police think it’s a prank and decline to investigate. Paul’s father is lost in a heroin daze in London and refuses to answer the phone. Paul’s grandfather – possibly the richest man in the world – is marooned in a Tudor mansion in the English countryside surrounded by five mistresses and a pet lion. Only Paul’s mother is left to negotiate with increasingly desperate kidnappers. Problem is, she’s broke.

Esper, known for his recurring roles as Donnie Pomp on NBC’s Shades of Blue and Gabe on Showtime’s Nurse Jackie, is coming off two critically praised stage performances in David Bowie and Enda Walsh’s Lazarus and John Tiffany-directed The Glass Menagerie in London’s West End. He’s repped by Gersh and Lillian LaSalle of Sweet 180.

Echegui can most recently be seen in UK drama series Fortitude, opposite Stanley Tucci, on Sky Atlantic. She’s repped by Silver Lining Entertainment, Troika, and Mesala Films.