Indeed, Garfield not wanting the nomination for President is one of the reasons why his peers end up elevating him to that position at the RNC that takes place in Death by Lightning. Although as Shannon says, that way of thinking about public servants feels very foreign nowadays.

Michael Shannon also talks about his longtime friendship with actor Shea Whigham, who's also in the Netflix limited series.

The Netflix limited series is both a timely exploration of political disillusionment and a frequently amusing character drama.

Michael Shannon stars in Netflix’s “Death by Lightning” mini-series, a recounting of the bizarre events that saw Shannon’s James A. Garfield unexpectedly become president of the United States in