When a Swedish-born Australian actor takes on the role of America's greatest novelist, there's bound to be a few challenges. Yet David Hoflin, who plays F. Scott Fitzgerald in the new Amazon series Z: The Beginning of Everything, steps into the role with convincing ease.

Perhaps because, for once, Fitzgerald is not at the center of this narrative. Instead, Z, which premieres January 27th, focuses on his wife, Zelda. From her high school days in Montgomery, Alabama to her raucous New York City life with F. Scott (whom she lovingly refers to as Goofo in most scenes), in this series, it's Zelda's world—and Fitzgerald is just borrowing from it.

We caught up with Hoflin at the Crosby Hotel, where he opened up about the dark underbelly of the 1920s, what drew him to playing Fitzgerald, and how his co-star and producer Christina Ricci ignited Hollywood's latest flapper craze.

What were some of the challenges you faced in filming this series?

It's always tough when you're trying to portray a character who lived in real life. One good thing is that there is very little video footage of F. Scott, so it's not like I had to emulate him or mimic the way he spoke exactly. It's not like people are going to watch it and say "That's not how F. Scott acted." But I guess there's the pressure of making sure that you're respectful to a character that's so iconic.