Mark Harmon admitted that he was excited for the part, just as any other working actor likely would be. "My very first reaction upon reading the screenplay was a real potential excitement to have the capabilities or the opportunity to play a character that stretches an emotional range like this character," Harmon said (via YouTube), also adding that he was excited by the opportunity to work with Marvin J. Chomsky, the director on the project.
Throughout work on the miniseries, Harmon met with a number of people who knew the real Ted Bundy. According to Harmon, some of Bundy's former acquaintances actually confused him with the evil man he was playing, at times even calling him Ted. "I spent time with people who knew Bundy pretty well," Harmon said. "That people were at times confusing me with the real person I guess is kind of a pat on the back."
"The Deliberate Stranger" was released about three years prior to Bundy's much-anticipated execution on January 24, 1989, but Harmon purposefully avoided meeting the man for reasons beyond the obvious. "My preparation was done from reading material. I consciously stayed away from meeting Bundy himself," Harmon said. "I'm proud of the fact that this four hours does not glorify this guy."
For his work on the series, Harmon was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1987 (via IMDb).
