Yes, Michael Cyril Creighton has seen that viral fan theory about his Only Murders in the Building character — and he has the perfect response.
Fans have wondered whether Creighton, 46 — who portrays Howard in the beloved Hulu show — could be the series’ overarching antagonist behind certain unexplainable incidents (think: who poisoned Oliver’s dog?). But in Creighton’s mind, the plot twist would have a major hole in it.
“The only thing I will say that I can 1,000 percent guarantee Howard did not do is poison a dog, because I would never let it happen,” Creighton exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the season 5 premiere. “There’s no way that man did it. That would be such a betrayal of the character. So, I hope that’s not the case.”
The theory gained traction online when cocreator John Hoffman addressed several loose ends in the series, noting that the show’s leading trio Selena Gomez, Martin Short and Steve Martin still have unanswered questions that need answering.
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“The poisoning of Winnie and the letter on Jan’s door remain a part of the many mysteries in the Arconia — thinking a little bit like a Moriarty situation if that helps,” he wrote via Reddit in 2022, referring to the fictional criminal mastermind in the Sherlock Holmes series.
Whether it ultimately will be revealed that Howard has nefarious tendencies, Creighton admitted that he doesn’t want to be kept in the loop about his character — until the right moment.
“If that’s the case, I won’t know until someone sits me down and is like, ‘You’re the one. You’re behind it all,’” Creighton shared.
While Creighton has yet to be unmasked as the murderer, he still suspects Howard — the pet-loving, cozy sweater-wearing resident of the Arconia — “every single season.”
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“I’ll play two different angles in a scene so that it’s open, we can have options as far as if Howard is nefarious or not. I always suspect myself because I’m an actor. Everything is centered around me. And I’m like, ‘What if the entire season is about me? What if I’m behind it all?’” Creighton quipped to Us. “So that is in my head sometimes, but I’ll never know until I know.”
The fifth season sees Mabel (Gomez), Oliver (Short) and Charles (Martin) investigating the death of doorman Lester (Teddy Coluca) — and of course, with Howard inevitably becoming involved.
While filming Creighton noted that the cast tries “not to talk about” the show’s spoilers, but that doesn’t stop them from comparing notes with other people on set.
“There are certain crew members that you trade theories and you’re like, ‘I think it’s this person because of such and such.’ That’s always sort of fun. It’s more like a game of theorizing and guessing, but most people generally know,” Creighton shared. “A lot of us don’t want to know who it is until that script comes out. But my eyes are always open. I’m always watching how people are acting on set to see if they’re acting suspicious when the cameras are off.”
The first three episodes of Only Murders in the Building season 5 can be streamed on Hulu now. New episodes will air on Hulu Tuesdays until the October 28 finale.
