Some actors try to find some way to relate to the characters they portray on television and in movies, but for his new show, Secrets & Lies, Ryan Phillippe didn't have to look far for inspiration.

Ryan Phillippe 'Challenged And Scared' By New Series

The actor, who takes on the role of Ben Crawford in the new ABC drama series, which focuses its first ten episodes on his character and whether or not he was responsible for the death of a young boy whose body he finds in the woods, told The Fresno Bee that his years of being in the media spotlight have helped him prepare for the role, as his character is continually hounded by press seeking answers.

"A big part of that is the snap judgments that we make and especially in relation to the way things are framed often in the media. The line written about someone in reference to any sort of case is the one that usually stays with people the longest," he said. "So I think it's a notion of the way he's panted to look by law enforcement and by the media from the outset of the series dictates their reaction and relationship to him"

"it sort of speaks to those ideas of how judgmental a society we've become, and how when something is salacious, it's wind of presented in a certain way that becomes the truth of the thing whether it is o not," he added.

Phillippe also admitted that he didn't judge his character on the decisions he makes solely because of the circumstances he faces either, because he was able to connect on the level of a parent (he has two children, Ava and Deacon with ex-wife Reese Witherspoon), and a daughter, Kai Knappe, with ex-girlfriend Alexis Knappe.

"You don't want to judge the character you're playing so much," he said. "On this project, I worked from the inside out because I'm a father, because I've dealt with odd, like, celebrity, you know, public media based things. There were things that I related to and connected to on that level."

Secrets & Lies premieres Sunday, March 1 at 9 p.m. on ABC.

Tags: secrets and lies ABC television