Romany Malco, who is currently appearing on The Good Wife, plays Darius, their pudgy friend. Romany said that he had been looking to do voice over work for a while. He’d done some work on American Dad but nothing steady until he found out that the Producers of Unsupervised were interested in him. He read the pilot, found out who was involved and jumped at the opportunity.

I talked to Romany in a conference call where he talked about Unsupervised, why he moved out of L.A. and back to Brooklyn and his advice to actors.

Follow Romany on Twitter!

Unsupervised airs on Thursdays at 10:30pm on FX 

I’m a big fan of Unsupervised, a big fan of your work, and I’d love to learn more about what was your interest in the show? How you first heard about it, and was there something in there that was appealing to you personally that you wanted to give it a go? 

Romany Malco: I don’t know if most actors will ever admit this, but look, I tell on myself all the time, you can just look at my timeline on Twitter and it’s obvious that I tell on myself, and straight up, I’ve always wanted to do voice over on something.  And I got to do a little bit of stuff on American Dad, but for whatever reason I had never really landed the gig that I wanted, so when I learned that there was an offer out to me to be involved with this project instantly I wanted to know more.  But when I started learning who was involved, that had a lot to do with it.  

And no matter what happens the track record of these gentlemen, they’re just brilliant people, they really have the type of taste that I like.

The game has changed so much and FX is one of the networks that is in the business of empowering their artists.  They have a different business model to the business model of a lot of these different networks, and what I mean by that is FX is encouraging co-ownership of material.  I call it the network that builds rock stars.  They don’t just throw something out and if it doesn’t get the ratings that you want in the first three or four episodes can it.  They really do take time to nurture and grow an audience around the material that they use, which tells me that they get behind the stuff that they believe in.  So that was another major factor.  Then when I realized Justin [Long] was going to be involved, you know I’m a fan, and…, everybody involved just made me excited to be involved.  And at the end of the day it was the people. 

Then lastly and most important, I read that pilot and was busting up.  My agent read the pilot and she was busting up.  My manager read the pilot and she was busting up.  My dog, who’s going through the Evelyn reading school thing, read most of the pilot.

I wanted to be in business with people that are in business with FX because somewhere down the line I will be doing that type of business with FX.  And it’s good to learn and know the options that you have, the type of business models, and the people with entrepreneurial mind sets are the people that I’m just usually attracted to.  You can take almost any job you want in Hollywood, but I’m the type of person that I want to work with a certain quality of people, a certain mindset of people, and this is giving me that opportunity.  The sensibility and the humor, the relatability of the project, all of it is just awesome.

Normally are working with other actors, you get to interact with them, see their faces, see their reactions, are you reading alone or do you get to read in the booth with all the other actors?

Romany Malco: The truth is, I’m not technically reading alone, because I do read with David.  I read with David almost every single episode, and sometimes I get to read with Rob [Rosell].  But what it is, is they’re sitting in a sound booth in LA, and I’m in New York, because I just recently moved to New York because I’ve been doing The Good Wife here.  And I’m in New York so I don’t really have anyone in the booth, which is a different experience, but I will say something about that …, I think it’s kind of cool.  One, David and Rob know what they want so they know how to guide me along.  They also encourage me to try different takes, different perspectives, we improvise together, a lot of that stuff sometimes ends up in it, sometimes it doesn’t because sometimes I just stink.  A lot of times I’m just asking them for lines, but the point is this, I have a reference point that I think a lot of people don’t have, and that reference point is I grew up in a neighborhood and amongst people like these characters.  So as a result of that there’s this picture and this idea of where they are, what the room is like, what the people are like, what it smells like, what it sounds like in my head that I’ve had since childhood, and getting to play off of that and incorporate that into the show, I can always tell when Dave and Rob are really excited about that, because, first of all, they let you know.  And second of all, it really does resonate as if it’s coming from somewhere genuine.  I guess I just sounded really arrogant right there, but you can tell.  That’s all I’m saying.  There’s a difference between a guy who talks about fighting and a guy who’s been punched in the face.  That’s all I’m saying. 

You have such an interesting career, you kind of flipped back and forth to comedy and drama and now you’re doing voice over stuff.  What’s your advice to actors?

Romany Malco: First of all, let me just tell you this, thank you so much for acknowledging that.  Thank you so much for acknowledging that.  My advice to actors is, everything I tell you comes with a story, and my advice to actors is honor the stories.  Honor the stories first.  A lot of people will jump into work because they get to do something, or they’ll jump into work because of the instant gratification of feeling like you’re working and feeling like you’re doing something, but the truth of the matter is I have a great agent, I have great management, but my best piece of representation comes from my body of work. 

And I’m beginning to believe that the patient are the ones, in the long run I believe the patient people are the ones who ultimately get to that place.  I honestly thought because of the fact that I was being so picky, and not just being picky, but being an African-American who was being picky in this industry, I really…weirdest, I don’t know why I thought this, and it doesn’t even have anything to do with race, I just thought I was being penalized because I always would see my peers getting so much press and being in so many different things, and I couldn’t bring myself to being involved in a lot of the projects that were being offered to me.  And I thought that I was maybe pissing Hollywood off and executives off because I kept saying no, thank you.  And over the last ten years it was kind of trying and I was tempted to get involved in projects that I wasn’t really excited about….

But I didn’t and suddenly I’m looking at today, I’m looking at the fact that I’ve got Unsupervised on the air, and I’m extremely proud of it.  I’ve been doing guest appearances on The Good Wife.  I’ve got a movie called Think Like a Man coming out, which is my first urban film.  I’ve got another movie coming out with Kate Hudson which is a full blown drama where I play her best friend.  I’m doing a show now, an online show, and I get to go online and meet my social people in my social network face-to-face.  And I don’t know, man, I feel really lucky and very fortunate to basically stay true to honoring good story, and that’s it, my advice to actors is to honor a good story and study.

You mentioned that you just moved to Brooklyn.  Was that because of your work on The Good Wife, or you just wanted to change things up and get out of LA?

Romany Malco: Yes, here’s a thing that I’ve noticed about Los Angeles, is that, look, I’ve been there for two decades and the thing that I learned about LA is this, what struck me one day was this, and it was in a meditation that it hit me, when you go to work you modify your behavior, whether you want to or  not you modify your behavior, especially if you’ve got a potty mouth like me.  So what I realized in Los Angeles, no matter where I go I’m at work, so there’s this modified behavior that I have all the time. 

The first 12 years of my life was spent right here in New York and then I lived in the Caribbean, and I lived in Texas, I’m used to a very culturally diversified environment, but when I say culturally diversified I mean it’s an integrated and culturally diversified environment.  So all of the stimulus that comes in those types of environments I was missing out of in LA because even though we have a lot of cultural diversity, LA is very segregated and it’s very industry based.  And as a result of that I was having modified behavior, encountering more and more people with that modified behavior because if you voice your opinion in LA it can be the difference between your kids going to public school and private school.  Literally, if you politically support an opposing party to the masses you can be penalized for that in the workspace.  If an opposing opinion is heard .., let’s make not mistakes, a big part of Hollywood is an enabler for massive egos, do you know what I mean, so let’s not make mistakes.  That’s what that is.  And for me the type of stimulus that I wanted and where I grew up the majority of my life was spent, it just wasn’t the type of environment that I saw me raising a family in and … my life.  I was literally there for work. 

And to be quite frank, there’s another part to this.  I overstayed my time in LA because I had become disconnected, or disengaged with my essence.  And actually taking a break and going away to a health institute for three weeks that it struck me that I didn’t need to be there, and naturally I wanted to come back to where I started, I like it, I like the cultural diversity and the mental stimulation of engaging and meeting people on a daily basis that do things different from what I do, that come from different places than I come, and that are proud of it.  So that’s what really drove me back to New York.  And lastly, because of the fact that I’m doing standup as Tijuana Jackson and there was no better place to do it.  Believe it or not, The Good Wife called me as I was preparing to move to New York.

What do you do when you want to step back when things get a little chaotic in this business?

Romany Malco: I go to the Optimum Health Institute annually, sometimes twice a year, detox, cleanse, meditate, eat raw food, colonics, enemas, whatever the hell.  I genuinely believe that energy and outlook have a lot to do with diet.  In fact, I’ll even go as far as saying I think food might be my religion, the way in which you eat, diet, and when I say diet I’m talking your psychological diet, your emotional diet, your nutritional diet, all of it.  For me I didn’t always take care of myself, but I started realizing that the thing for me that helped me to replenish and refresh and develop appreciation again usually had to do with solitude, going on fishing trips far away, escaping from my immediate environment, and of course spending time with family, which is one of the reasons I moved to New York. 

Do you meditate? 

Romany Malco: I meditate, I sure do.  In fact, you’re going to laugh, I’ve meditated more in the last three months in Brooklyn than I’ve meditated in the last three years in Los Angeles.

Besides Unsupervised, what can we expect from you in 2012?

Romany Malco: Here’s what’s going on, I probably shouldn’t say this, but I’m just going to say it anyway, let me think about it, I’m basically going out on camera to perform a show.  I don’t want to tell too much, but I’m going out for a show and literally meeting the people within the span of my social network, so anywhere from Facebook to Twitter to whatever, I’m actually going on the road on the tour bus and meeting with people and documenting it for a show. 

I’m really excited about that, because if you looked at my social network you’d get a good sense of how I engage, and it’s very personal, because really I’m thinking out loud.  And a lot of people would prefer not to share their private life like that, but for me it’s the whole point.  The people in my personal life, when I engage them I engage them on a very real level.  Why wouldn’t I do the same?  If I could multiple my span or my outreach why wouldn’t I do the same? 

I have a movie called Think Like a Man that comes out in April with me, Kevin Hart, Taraji Henson, Michael Ealy, Gabrielle Union, Jerry Ferrara from Entourage, Gary Owen, Terrence J., who’s the host of 106 & Park, and Regina Hall.  And three weeks after that I have another movie coming out called A Little Bit of Heaven, and it’s got me, Whoopi Goldberg. I play Kate Hudson’s best friend, it’s got Kathy Bates in it, and it’s a complete opposite, it’s a drama, but it’s a really heartfelt drama.  So those are the other things that I have going on.

James Wolk

Calling the whole experience “humbling” and a “huge learning lesson’, Wolk backed away from TV and appeared in Next Fall at the Los Angeles’ Geffen Playhouse. Now, he’s back on TV in Showtime’s Shameless and has a 3-episode-arc on Happy Endings as Max’s (Adam Pally) new/old boyfriend, Grant.

I talked to James on a conference call about working on Happy Endings, theater and surviving Lone Star’s quick cancellation.

Happy Endings airs on Wednesdays at 9:30/8:30c on ABC

Happy Endings is a bit different from some of the other work you’ve been doing lately.

James Wolk: It does definitely differ from some of the work I’ve done in the past. And, you know, when I take a project on or go after a project or get excited about a particular show or film or something, to me it’s all about who’s acting in it, who’s writing it, who am I surrounded by and what that’s going to give me as an actor. 

Have you ever played gay character before?

James Wolk: Actually just prior to this – to Happy Endings I did a play that had just gotten off Broadway called Next Fall where my character was a gay male. And so I kind of went from that and then Happy Endings shortly after it.

So I have played a gay character before. And, you know, for me it has to not be different. You know and being like when I sit down and play this character, and we have these moments and we have these talks, Grant and Max’s character, you know, Max played Adam Pally, Grant is who I’m playing on the show, you know, the moments have to be real.

And you – so to me it can’t feel different. And I try to guide myself with that.

Right now, things are going great with you. You have a recurring role in Shameless and this show as well. But about a year and a half ago everything wasn’t looking so good.  What’s it like to be on a show like Lone Star where the reviews are great and then see it all come falling down in the span of like two weeks?

James Wolk: Wait, that happened? I’m just kidding. You know it’s a very humbling experience. And I think there’s a few ways to go when that happens.

But for me personally I can just say that it was a huge learning lesson as a human being which is maybe the most important thing that we do as we go on this journey. And so I’m actually, you know, something like that you never want to see happen.

But perhaps one day I’ll be thankful for having that experience early on.

As a guest star, how easy is it to come in and work with a cast that’s really clicking?

James Wolk: Yes. These guys they do have an amazing rhythm and it is, it’s like a dance that everyone does on that set. And you just have to jump in.

And luckily these guys are so giving that you kind of jump in and they take you with them. But it was – I was coming off a play when I came onto the show. And that really helped because live theater I think is probably more liken to a comedic setting, a sitcom setting more than dramatic television or a film.

And so coming off the stage really helped me to just jump into that rhythm.

Now that you’ve done this guest spot, is comedy something you would want to do more of in the future?

James Wolk: Yes. I’d love more comedy in the future. It’s a ton of fun as it would seem and it’s a really great challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed doing it.

After Lone Star and, all the casting directors and executives and people who can hire you saw how great you were in the role, after that do you just get a ton of more opportunities to work? Like how did this role come to you?

James Wolk: Yes, I mean I think, you know, Lone Star though was short lived certainly, you know, it was a great thing for me in that people were able to kind of see what work I could do.

So, you know, when – like with any job once you expose yourself and once you work, you know, good work gets work or at least gets, you know, doors open.

And so Lone Star, you know, though short lived was a great experience. And as far as this particular project goes I think it’s just about awareness. I mean I knew of the show and I think or at least I hope they were aware of me. And, you know, it was kind of like hey, we’re both really interested and both really excited.

And it’s a great show. I mean Happy Endings, and I’m not just saying that because we’re doing press and I’m on it. It’s a great show. I watch it. People I know in my life love it and so I was just excited to be on it and thankfully they were excited about me as well.

And you mentioned you were in Next Fall. Any thoughts about maybe heading to New York and doing some theatre there?

James Wolk: Yes, you know, I grew up doing theater. I studied theater in college. And this play for me was the first time I’d been back to the stage since college and was a really invigorating experience. It was like being plugged into a wall going on the stage. And I’d love to when the time is right.

And, you know, so going back to the stage would be great. And I’d love to find time to get to New York and do it there because what better place to do it than New York.

What’s your advice to actors?

James Wolk: Just work hard and then work harder and believe in your self.

You said about starting theater in college. Were in the U of M Theater School?  

James Wolk: I was in the University of Michigan Theater School. And prior to that I had just done, you know, local theater in my hometown in Michigan and did theater in high school. And I had some really great high school theater director that inspired me a lot when I was a teenager, yes.

On the show, did you get to do a lot of improv or did you keep mostly to the script?

James Wolk: Yes, there is a good deal of improv on the show. I think as a guest star you feel like, you know, you kind of want to stick more closely to the script for the writer’s sake and when they created this character and it’s like you’re – it’s kind of like you’re coming into someone else’s home. You want to be a polite houseguest. You know you’re not just going to like use your hands and not use your napkin.

That being said it was so much fun that you end up doing a little bit of that. And so a lot of it is scripted but we played a little bit as well and it’s great to be on a set where they encourage that.

Martin Sheen

Brought to America by Host and Executive Producer Lisa Kudrow, the episode follows Sheen as he travels to Ireland and Spain to investigate his family roots.

I talked to Sheen on a conference call where he told me that he went on this journey because for his children and grandchildren. He said that, “I felt like I had a responsibility to go to this place at this time. I’m 71 years old and I don’t know how much longer I’ll be around and if something could be uncovered that would be meaningful to future generations then I would be a part of passing that on and that would be very, very satisfying.”

In this Q&A, Sheen talks about his roots, his time in Ireland and why as a young actor he changed his name.

Who Do You Think You Are? airs at 8/7c on NBC

After taking the journey like this does it make you feel more like a whole individual as far as giving you perspective about who you really are?

Martin Sheen: Well of course that is the fundamental purpose is to try and identify personally to your foundation. I think anyone that goes on one of these journeys whether it is in front of a camera or on the Internet is really looking for a personal identification with the past.

And what is amazing about that is that as you go back further and further into your lineage in generation and generation and you begin to look at the dates and you start to realize oh like for example, one of my great, great, great grandparents died just at the onset of the American Revolutionary War.

So in that sense it gives you some perspective that you rarely think about in terms of historical value.  When you first started entertaining the idea of going on the show did you have any trepidation about doing it in a public forum and what might be found out? Because it is family history and you don’t know what is going to come up?

Martin Sheen: It’s true. Let me answer that first because yes that was a concern. You know the worst thing – somebody once told me said, look if they discovered that, you know, like your great, great grandfather was a slave trader we are not going to expose you to that if that embarrasses you.

But it is part of your history that cannot be changed. It can only be learned of and then you deal with it but they said that they rarely, you know, embarrass people.

And really, you know, everyone they have asked to explore their past with, of all the people that they have invited no one has ever objected no matter what they find.

But going in as I say, you know, I was a bit trepidatious because I didn’t know.

You went to school in Ireland. Tell us where in Ireland? Did you go to college there or and how long were you there?

Martin Sheen: I did just one semester at the National University of Ireland, NUI at Galway. And I was – I was credited with several courses particularly with Shakespeare course but my main focus was on the environment.

So I studied Earth and ocean science because I have a lot of concern about the environment and I am involved with several organizations here in California trying to protect the environment.

And so I thought I needed some factual scientific information on what’s happening with the environment. And NUI at Galway has the Ryan Institute which is just extraordinary.

And they also have the ship, the Celtic which is a very modern ship that tracks the waters around the island and gives information about the changes in not just the content of the water but the fish life and that was an extraordinary experience.

Other than that I was basically what we call audited many classes, in fact many that I wasn’t even signed up for. I would just attend because I liked what was being studied there.

So it was a great experience and I did one semester from August in 2006 until almost Christmas. So those four months were deeply satisfying and brought me much closer to my Irish roots.

Was there any concern that you might discover that your family history really amounted to only 500 years’ worth of sheep herders?

Martin Sheen: Discovering about my family’s history both in Spain and in Ireland. If they had been sheep herders for 500 years that would have been absolutely fine because they were such good and decent people.

They were Celtic both sides, you know, they were united by a peasant heritage, you know, in love with the land and a deep faith both of them shared the, you know, the Catholic faith and family, loyalty to family, community, country was just overwhelming and deeply satisfying for me to learn on both sides.

They were very similar of culture and, you know, I’ve never, you know, favored one side or the other and this exploration on my heritage strengthened that feeling of that I am of equal measure to both sides.

So I am just as proud of being Spanish as I am Irish. And I really can’t separate the two after this exploration into my heritage. Both cultures confirmed my own sense of humanity and faith and, you know, not a small measure of pride I must say in both cultures.

What would you hope that your descendants would learn about you and your legacy in the future?

Martin Sheen: Well you know that is a very good question because I felt a sense that I was doing it for my grandchildren and their children. It was like I felt like I had a responsibility to go to this place at this time because, you know, I am 71 years old. I don’t know how much longer I am going to be around.

And that if something could be uncovered that would be meaningful to future generations, you know, I would be a part of passing that on and that would be very, very satisfying.

How did your children react to the information that you discovered during your journey?

Martin Sheen: Well in fact they were equally astonished as I was. They found more humor in it than I did because I was giving them information that I had learned weeks, months earlier.

And so they were fascinated with the irony particularly on my Spanish side when we discovered that wretched great, great, great, great grandfather Don Diego Francisco Suarez. That was a knuckleball that we weren’t anticipating and I was – I took it very personal.

But my children and grandchildren were less affected by it. They got a big kick out of the irony. They thought it was, you know, it was a delicious bit of gossip kind of. But they were more delighted with it for its irony.

Professionally, you took the Irish moniker, Sheen.  Why that was that? 

Martin Sheen: Well my real name is Ramon Estevez and in fact I have never changed it. It is my official name. It is on all contracts and my driver’s license and our marriage license and all the children were baptized under that name Emilio, Ramon, Carlos is Charlie’s real name and my daughter Renee.

When I went to New York in 1959, frankly I had a great deal of difficulty projecting a Spanish heritage because there was so much prejudice against the Puerto Rican community, never mind that they were Americans but they were newly considered immigrants in New York City and there was a great of difficulty with that community.

Now of course they are very much an integral part of the city. But at the time I started they were prejudiced against and I was feeling a lot of pressure for assumed a part of that community.

Mind you I was no less proud but I was equally concerned about how that would affect me trying to pursue a life in New York City and so I decided to kind of invent a new character, Martin Sheen.

I took the Martin from the only guy that I knew in the industry at that time, Robert Dale Martin who was very encouraging to me. He was a casting director at CBS and I had auditioned for him when I first came to New York and he was very encouraging.

So, you know, to honor him and our friendship I took his last name as my first name and I took Sheen from Bishop Fulton J. Sheen who was at that time the Auxiliary Bishop of New York and he was a very famous tele-Evangelist if you will. He was the first successful tele-Evangelist.

He had this popular television show in the 50s at primetime called, “A Life is Worth Living” and he was an astonishing character.

He was like a Shakespearean actor, very handsome man with riveting delivery and fierce eyes. And I thought of him as more of an actor than a clergyman and so I took his name and put them together and it sounded Irish and people said I looked Irish. Okay fine.

But I didn’t change my name officially and frankly I never will. Now when the kids started to come into the business I advised them to keep their name because so much had changed since I was a boy.

And one of the big regrets that my father had was that I had changed my name professionally. And so I tried to encourage them and Emilio got that message and he kept his name and, you know, is very happy that he did.

And Charlie decided to go with Sheen and his motivation was to keep my name going because he didn’t want to be separated in the profession from me. And so I was honored equally by him choosing to do that.

So sometimes it gets a little confusing but, you know, as I was saying to a caller earlier I feel an equal measure of cultural nourishment if you will both from the Spanish and my Irish ancestry because I am first generation from immigrants in America.

So I am very close to European roots of Spain and Ireland and very proud, equally proud of both sides and I can’t separate myself from them and that’s I think is as it should be.

I am equally comfortable in both cultures and I am equally proud to be an American and happy about the way I was brought into the world and nourished in it.

Lisa Kudrow

The show traces the ancestral roots of celebrities and follows them as they find out, on camera, their family history. The celebrities featured this season are Martin Sheen, Marisa Tomei, Blair Underwood, Helen Hunt, Reba McEntire, Jerome Bettis, Rita Wilson, Edie Falco, Rob Lowe, Rashida Jones, Jason Sudeikis and Paula Deen.

I talked to Lisa on a conference call where she discussed why she championed and brought the show to America, the most challenging aspects of tracing someone’s past and if some of her Friends might one day appear on the show.

Who Do You Think You Are? airs at 8/7c on NBC

If you come across bad news, as I know some celebrities have on the show, how do you approach that situation?

Lisa Kudrow: You know, most people go into it understanding, I mean, there’s, you know, not a formal conversation, but, you know, most of them feel like I just want information whatever it is. Whatever it is. And they already understand that, you know, if they – if somewhere in their ancestry there were some, you know, unsavory people or they did bad things then, you know, that’s not who they are. And, you know, you can just focus on how the family turned itself around.

So, I don’t know, I mean I think people go into it understanding that this about getting information, it’s not about, you know, getting what you want. 

What do you think are some of the biggest improvements in the series over last year?

Lisa Kudrow: Oh, I think – well, the first improvement came after the first season when we didn’t have that, like, music video montage. That, to me, was a great improvement because then we could have more time to actually tell a story.

I mean, the drag for us is that it’s, you know, like 40 minutes total. And, you know, we would love to even get into more history for – to get some context for what was going on. And like, you know, I know in Helen Hunt’s episode, I think that helped tremendously and really just helps you get invested in the people that we’re looking at because we can see what was going on at the time and, you know, just how it motivated what they did. You feel like you kind of understand them. More than just a name and a date and oh, she was president of, you know, this league and that, you know.

Now that you’ve done this for a few seasons, have you noticed any common elements as to why each person has become so successful in their own life?

Lisa Kudrow: No. That I haven’t. I haven’t thought about that because I’ve, you know, we’ve been mostly focusing on the people who are not famous that came before them. And then it’s generations later that someone, you know, happened to become famous for whatever it is that they’re doing.

Because, I mean, you know, for every famous person, they’ve got like a hundred other relatives that aren’t famous.

Now that people are familiar with the show, are celebrities more or less apprehensive than Season 1?

Lisa Kudrow: Much less. Much less. We’ve got, you know, we’ve got a waiting list now.

I think they know that, you know, this is not – we’re not trying to catch them at something or make them look bad, you know. That’s not what we’re interested in. We’re really interested in just telling these stories as experienced by their ancestors. And hope that they’re engaged because that always makes for, you know, a more interesting episode.

What influenced your decision to be a part of the show as Executive Producer?

Lisa Kudrow: Oh, because I had seen it and – when I was in Ireland and I thought it was – it was on BBC and I thought it was, you know, the most riveting show I’d ever seen.

And what a great way to talk about history and sort of the human condition.

What do you think is most challenging in your search?

Lisa Kudrow: You know, there are different, you know, different countries have different privacy laws, so that’s about getting documents, getting permission to look at documents or shoot documents, so that’s one roadblock. Obviously slavery is a big roadblock. Eastern European Jewish history is a huge roadblock that you – a lot of the times you can’t even get past World War II. I mean, you can get like a name of a parent of someone who came over, but there are no records over there. Period. At all. They’ve been obliterated. So that one’s pretty tricky. That’s why there haven’t been too many Eastern European Jewish stories. But yes, I mean, there are – and I think, you know, we’ve tried to do like Korean subject or Japanese subjects and it’s very tricky.

You mentioned that there’s a waiting list for the celebrities to be on the show and come forward, but do they approach you now about wanting to be on it?

Lisa Kudrow: Yes. Absolutely. They do. I mean, I saw Blair Underwood at a party and just walking by each other he said, “I want to do your show.” And I said, “All right.” Done. I mean, sure.

It’s easy enough to, you know, to get going because it all has to start with a conversation with a researcher and then they get going. And like I said, it can take two years. Like I, you know, Martin Sheen was saying, “I don’t know, I spoke to them and then six months later, they said all right, so when are you – when can you shoot this?” He didn’t hear anything. Brook Shields said the same thing. They’re like, “I didn’t hear from anybody.” Maybe we should get a little better at communication. But, you know, the – it can take a while sometimes.

Have you reached out to any of your former Friends cast mates, and have any of them expressed interest on finding about their pasts?

Lisa Kudrow: Yes, some have and some haven’t and then it’s a scheduling issue.

Have you always been interested in history and ancestry or was there a point in your life where this became something that you were interested in?

Lisa Kudrow: Well, I was always interested in, you know, parts of history. But like I said, when I saw Who Do You Think You Are? on B- on the BBC when I was in Ireland, I thought that this was such a fascinating show and what a great way to deliver history on such a personal level. You know, you personal- you personalize it and it takes on a whole new meaning. And then what a great thing to offer an audience who wants to see it. And luckily we have a lot of show up to watch it.

Carol Channing

At 90 years old, when many people would be happy to accept accolades for past career achievements, Channing made the conscious decision to remove the diamonds, set aside the lashes and discard the wigs in order to dedicate the rest of her life to restore the arts back in our America’s public schools. 

In the new documentary, Carol Channing: Larger than Life (which opens this weekend in New York and San Fransisco), director Dori Berinstein (ShowBusiness, Gotta Dance), follows Channing both onstage and off…past and present. 

The film is both an intimate love story and a rarefied journey inside Broadway’s most glamorous era.  It is, above all, a look at an inspiring, incomparable and always entertaining American legend. 

In this Q&A, she talks about the documentary, what performers she admires and what continues to motivate her.

What do you think of Carol Channing: Larger Than Life? Did you enjoy the filmmaking process?

Carol Channing: Oh, it’s wonderful.  There have been many who have approached me over the years, asking to do a documentary.  However, they discovered how much work it was going to be and it never happened.  Oh, Dori Berinstein was so patient with me as the director.  Sometimes my schedule would change at a moment’s notice and I’m sure it would completely mess up her plans.  I don’t think most actors think in terms of looking at what we’ve already done, rather than what can I still do now.  They don’t write their memoir until someone pushes them and it takes a very special person to go through all the archives … or junk, and I have a lot … to weed out the important things that the audience will want to know.  I’ve always relied on those around me, knowing and caring about what they are doing to make me look good.  It’s a team effort.  You don’t take those people for granted.  The really good ones truly love what they’re doing and believe in it.  I was just lucky enough to have someone like Dori, who believed enough in me, to do it.  And do it so well.  There were times when I thought, isn’t it done yet?  But, Dori wanted it to be perfect and I think she accomplished it … even if I wasn’t wearing my eyelashes in that one scene.

Are there any roles you would have liked to have played, in either a recent or a classic musical or play? What are they, and why?

Carol Channing: I don’t know that I’ve ever had time to think about what or whom I would like to have played.  I would, of course, dearly loved to play Dolly in the movie version.  I remember thinking, Oh Jerry’sMame would have been fun.  But how could you top Angela’s performance?  Although she and I did switch roles ever so briefly… oh years ago, during a tribute to Jerry when she came out as Dolly and I as Mame.  Oh, that was fun!

Which performers today do you particularly admire, and why?

Carol Channing: I wish I could answer that with more knowledge.  So many times I’m introduced to someone whose work I know I should know and I don’t.  I’m always so embarrassed that I haven’t kept up better.  I’m awfully impressed with Catherine Zeta Jones.  It’s pronounced Zeeeeeta, you know … Oh, and Kristin Chenoweth.  I’m impressed with her.   There is also a young man I met from a show called “Glee”.  I’ve never seen him on the show, but have worked with him on stage.  Oh, what’s wrong with me? Why can’t I remember his name.  Anyway, him.

Had you not become a performer, what field would have interested you?

Carol Channing: Oh!  Ahhhhhh, I don’t know.  I’ve wanted to be a performer since I was 7. I imagine if I hadn’t, I’d have found something associated with the industry.

You’ve led an extraordinary life, on stage and off – what continues to inspire and motivate you?

Carol Channing: Others.  When I see someone who’s passionately working on something, whether on stage or for the community, it inspires me.  My motivation is always that next show, that next character or that next appearance.  I’m always so sure that it will be my best performance or my greatest accomplishment.

Imagine if they were real people who met each other, what would Lorelei Lee have thought of Dolly Gallagher Levi, and vice versa?    

Carol Channing: Isn’t that odd, no one has ever asked me that before.  I imagine they would have gotten along wonderfully.   They were both and are such strong personalities that I think off stage they would have been tremendous friends, but on stage …well, the poor audience would have difficulty focusing on just one of them.  They would overpower each other.

Anderson is the son British theatre actors and he told me that even though he grew up surrounded by the profession, he didn’t think he’d ever actually be an actor. After backpacking around the world, he decided he wanted to become a director. But since he couldn’t afford coming to America and go to film school, he thought he’d go to drama school to learn about actors. And the rest is history.

Joe talked to me about the shoot and what it was like to work in freezing weather, working with Liam Neeson, and one particularly bad audition where he had to play an espresso machine.

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download it from iTunes 

I saw The Grey the other night. Freakin’ fantastic film.

Joe Anderson: It’s a fun one. It’s intense, right? But it’s got a lot of heart in there, a lot of heart.  It took me by surprise, the script.

Before I read it, I was thinking of kind of a dude’s movie with guys in the snow and fighting wolves and it is but it’s kind of a way more than that. I was kind of really surprised by that.  

What was in the script, was that the movie that it turned out to be?

Joe Anderson: Yes, very much so, very much so. But also I know that Joe, Joe was working a lot on the script and as we were shooting, you know, his style is very much… he likes to just make it real. 

Sometimes, when you’re observing, I guess as a director, I know for sure as an actor, you see this hole that could be filled or there’s a little clunk there in the scene that could be ironed out with the use of, I don’t know, maybe some additional dialogue here and there. And he’d just throw us stuff every now and then and say, “can you just say that here or say that there?”  And with the ease and the confidence that he’s there with, you kind of trust him and believe him 100% and then when you watch the movie, there’s the line that you what you thought of. It’s like you’re cooking. It’s like, “I’ll just add a bit of this.  I’ll add a bit of that.” It’s kind of magical to be a part of in that sense without sounding cheesy.

Your character, he adds moments of levity to the early parts of the movie. As an audience member, everyone is  tense and on the edge of their seat and then you’ll say something funny.

Joe Anderson: You know, it was an interesting one for me to get my head around to be honest. Because one, you can look at the guy and just sort of find him as an asshole because essentially, he’s that guy.  He’s that annoying guy who just shoots to mouth off all the time. He’s young and he’s scared, and he’s that guy.

I think it’s very brave of Joe to write a character who speaks like that and to give that character that screen time where he’s speaking about stuff that, neither here nor there, drives plot. He just lets you know about this guy so that when the shit hits the fan, when you see how each individual character reacts to this situation, I think you have a very true cross section of what it would actually be like.

And I think that you would have guys that are raging against it. You’ll have guys that are out of it completely, that are in denial about the situation. You’ll have the guys that just won’t shut up. So I thought it was totally clever in that sense.

How did you get the part?

Joe Anderson: I went and met Joe and just walked in and he went, “Flannery” and I said, “Okay.”  I was like, “Do you want me to read?” and he was like, “No.” Then I went home and they called up and said, “Oh, actually, can you just put something on tape?” And so I just sent them a tape and they were like, “Okay, we’ll see you up in Vancouver.”

Nice.

Joe Anderson: Yeah, it was a busy time though. I was doing some other projects, so it was busy. I could only meet Joe briefly In LA and then it didn’t work out to meet again so I had to put something on tape, and then yeah, and then we got to do it.

But it was great because I’ve been watching his movies since I was at drama school back in England, watching Narc and what-have-you. It was just awesome to get to work with him and he’s a fantastic director.  It was cool, yeah.

Did I read, when you guys had rehearsals before filming?

Joe Anderson: Yeah, yeah, we sat around a lot in Vancouver and discussed and debated, and kind of just got to know the landscape that we were dealing with mentally, you know? The mental landscape. Like “Where, hang on, where is our head going to be a for how many weeks?”  And you know, just people sat and bonded and they just discussed things and sometimes it becomes personal and there were some quite moving moments because I think we all shared something. You know, it’s not like we were sitting around in a circle holding hands.

It would be a pretty good story if you did though.

Joe Anderson: [laughs] Yeah, right. I was holding Liam Neeson’s hand. No, no.

We formed a team before we hit the mountain basically and we needed to do that because not only are you acting it but you’re acting through this insane landscape and conditions and wind and snow and ice.  And minus 30 degrees Celsius. I think it was vital that we had that time together just to get to know each other before we hit that mountain, you know?

Dermot Mulroney said that Joe Carnahan was determined to make a movie where the actors were truly suffering.  Was that the case?

Joe Anderson: Yeah, because it’s an interesting thing as a director to take on board, I’m sure, to take on board, you know, do I want to do a movie that shoots in Miami or do I want to do one that shoots at the top of a mountain in minus 30? [laughs]

Even watching the movie I was cold.

Joe Anderson: I can honestly say, I don’t think that any of the visual stuff that you see is enhanced at all. That was what it was. I remember filming when we couldn’t even see the camera and we were just, “Is this pointless? Can they see us?” It was that bad.

On most sets, you have a trailer, hot food. What were the comforts on your set?

Joe Anderson: We had a, I wish I knew the make of it because when I’m old, I want one. I don’t know why, I just want one to play with in my backyard. It’s like a snow cat thing. It’s extraordinary. It’s basically a metal box on wheels, well not on wheels, on caterpillar tracks and it’s got a bucket on the front of it. I’ve never seen one of these things coming from England. This thing would just sometimes at a 45-degree angle plow us up the mountain. That would be it. They would be on top of the mountain and we would sit in the back of those things when we weren’t shooting and they would be running a lot all those time. The heaters would be on and so we had an, I don’t know, an 8 x 9 box just to sit in it and that was that. So it wasn’t glamorous at all. 

What’s it like working with Liam Neeson? I know if that were me, I’d be nervous and intimidated but excited at the same time.

Joe Anderson: Yeah, you said it. That’s exactly how I thought I was going to be until you meet Liam. I met Liam for the first time, he came into one of the rehearsal rooms and we were sitting there and he just came in and sat down and then started chit chatting. And then within about five minutes, you know that you he is… don’t me wrong, the guy is 6 feet something and he’s got a presence and you gravitas to him and a voice that is like no other but at the same time, he’s just a sweet, genuine guy.

How did you get your start?  Did you always know you wanted to be an actor?

Joe Anderson: No, I didn’t. I’m completely dyslexic so school was never an option for me. I mean, I loved going to school but like my brain was somewhere else. I knew I wasn’t dumb, I wasn’t stupid. I don’t know what the PC word is.

My folks were theatre actors so you grow up in this environment where there is a lot of, it’s a lot of fun, it’s fantastic, and it’s wonderful and there’s a lot of magic but then there’s also a lot of pontification and a lot of intellectual snobbery that sort of goes on and especially in England.  And being a dyslexic, I was never an avid reader and so my childhood was movies and I was always watching movies.

I bailed out of school at 17, 18 and went and backpacked off around the world for a bit. And it was when I hit Australia, I was in Sidney and there was a group of guys that were basically just about to go to film school and I thought I was going to go and direct. I came back to England and thinking about it, couldn’t afford to go to America to go to film school so I ended up thinking, “Well, maybe I should learn what actors are about so I can direct actors.” I ended up going to drama school and one thing led from, you know, to the next, to the next and here I am. So, it wasn’t a plan. It was a little plan in the beginning but then it sort of worked and I wasn’t going to jump off the ball while it was rolling. I mean, I was just happy in doing it.

What’s the worst audition you’ve ever had?

Joe Anderson: I’ve had millions. [laughs] I got asked to go… This was when I first started and I came out of drama school and my agent was like, “I’ll just start sending you up for stuff to get you used to it.”

And they sent me up for an espresso advert. And the guy came in and said, “Joe, can you come in?” and it was a huge studio space with one little table.  Honestly, it was a like joke with three people sitting on it and they said, “Can you go to the other side of the room over there and impersonate an espresso machine with your back turned to us? And could you hold your arms out?”

So, I walk over, I hold my arms out and I’m doing [makes espresso noises] and I thought, “I can’t do this. I’m an actor.” I just had to walk.

I take it you didn’t get that part.

Joe Anderson: No, I didn’t. My milk frother was off.

What’s your advice to actors?

Joe Anderson: If you can possibly not do anything else to do this and do it 100% all the time. Just don’t stop doing it. I think a lot of people, especially a lot of my friends always had this idea, and people have this idea that yes, it is tough. Yes, millions of people want the same jobs but isn’t that the case everywhere kind of, you know?  Yeah, sure you can go and get a job that maybe doesn’t pay as well or whatever just for the sake of security or you can just kind of go on an adventure.  Just stick with it and I think that’s the best piece of advice I can give.

The great Adam Baldwin plays Casey and he said in a conference call that he loved his time on the show. Why? “They gave me a lot of fun shit to do,” he said.

I remember first watching Baldwin in My Bodyguard and have been a fan ever since. From Full Metal Jacket, Serenity/Firefly and the over 60 film and TV appearances, it’s always fun to watch him on the screen.

I talked to Adam and Series Co-Creator Chris Fedak about what is was like to work on the show, playing a character for 5 years and what’s next for the prolific actor.

For more Chuck, check out our interviews with Joshua Gomez and Mark Christopher Lawrence

It’s been a fun show to watch and it looks like it’s been a lot of fun to make over the years. What do you guys take away from this series?

Adam Baldwin: What I take away from Chuck first of all, a five-year run on any show these days is a true blessing and to have been able to go through it with people who are nice and creative and funny and hardworking and just lovable. I mean, we’re gypsies really in this business — we’re circus players — and we travel from town to town it seems like and we travel from family to family on different projects. So to land on one for five years has been a joy and, you know, it’s sad to see it go. But at least we have those five years together and we appreciated it while it was happening. So I just feel blessed and honored to have been a part of it. 

Chris Fedak: That’s a great point. And I think the other thing, you know, going off your question this show was a lot of fun to make, but it was also an incredible challenge. It must be one of the most difficult shows to do especially in the amount of time we have. And to do something that challenging to work with such a great team is really, you know, it’s fantastic. To have worked with a great team like this is really one you’re going to measure the rest of your career against.

Adam Baldwin: I don’t and I haven’t envied the work that writers have had to put in, you know. They’re locked in basically in a cage and having to figure out how do we make this – how do we walk this tightrope and for them to have through week in and week out for us has just been – what a great reward.

Oftentimes writers have an idea for their final image or scene or whatever, years in advance. My guess is because of the nature of the way Chuck worked that you guys probably didn’t store stuff up that way or did you?

Chris Fedak: You know, we had a couple of – Josh and I had a couple of big moments that we wanted to get to in the show. You know, we knew, you know, we wanted to do the end of Season 2. We knew we wanted to, you know, bring Morgan into the spy world. We knew that we wanted to explore Casey’s back story and his family. And so we had these big moments that we kind of knew that we wanted to be part of the show each season.

In regard to the very final moment of this season, it was something that we came up with at the end of last season and it was a part of our pitch to NBC, you know, for bringing us back. And so this year we knew we were heading toward this final moment of the show and so that was a year in the making.

Adam, what’s next for you?

Adam Baldwin: Well, we’re working on that. When you’re on a show for five years and then it ends, then you got to find another job so we’re in the process of looking and finding. It’s the beginning of pilot season. Hopefully we’ll land one of those. If not, there’s other things but it’s right now in the period we like to call being at liberty. So enjoying my freedom for now and then, you know, hopefully we’ll, you know, as soon as we know something we’ll say but you don’t want to jinx yourself. There are a lot of possibilities, but nothing in stone yet.

Or you can put, you know, I’ll never work again. The actors lament, I’ll never work in this town again.

What about your character Casey has really surprised you?

Adam Baldwin: That he has emotional ties to – I mean when Mckenna Melvin came on to play Alex, I think is when it really sparked with me. I kept bugging Chris, you know, is Casey ever going to meet his mom, you know, what’s his back story. And Chris can tell how they found Mckenna, I’m sure it’s just an audition process.

But there was a certain spark with her that really it rekindled my love for the character himself because I was looking forward to sitting down with her and just – she’s just very inspirational to me. She’s a smart young woman. My daughter — I have a daughter who’s not much younger than she is — and it just was a joy to play that and that plus my evolving relationship with Morgan was just a pleasure to work with him as well. They’re all so fun, but when you see the height discrepancy between me and them on camera, it’s just hilarious.

Chris Fedak: I mean that’s a great point. I mean I think that the dynamic between Adam and Josh and Mckenna and Carrie-Ann this year, it’s just – he has an amazing chemistry with them – whoever we bring on to play opposite him. And I think, you know, the Mckenna thing was a real discovery and also kind of an accidental discovery because we built a, you know, we built an episode where we could explore Casey’s back story. And we cast Mckenna and she had one line. You know, she said, “Dad.”

That was it and so later that season we had an episode where she was, you know, we got an order for more episodes – we didn’t know that was coming and then we built an episode about her being kidnapped. It was really kind of like do we bring her back in to have her do more lines, you know, how is this going to work. It’s like we weren’t quite certain, you know, what the story was and she came in and she was fantastic.

And there was a scene actually from our finale of that season where we cut it out because of length, but there’s a moment where she growled back at her dad and we just oh she’s fantastic. She’s not only great and emotional, but she’s funny in that same way that Adam brings to his role is like he’s tough, but there’s also just like a great comic underpinning to that.

What does it take to play a character like who is so tough, but at the same time can make you laugh just by grunting?

Adam Baldwin: Well, I learned a while ago to play the positive and with a grunt you can get away with a lot of different nuances. And again, the objective is to be – to win, then you can win no matter what you’re saying. And I don’t know. It’s funny to see it written on the page to Casey growls or grunts or it’s just inserted in there.

Chris Fedak: Well what’s funny is there are a number of different grunts and growls that Adam does, but we would never dare make that choice for him, you know. But it’s a…

Adam Baldwin: I like it when you actually write it down to make it director proof like he growls with animosity.

Chris Fedak: We try to get a little specific. But it was also a discovery in the pilot that there was a moment in the – there was a bridge scene in the pilot in the beginning of Act 5 and Adam was, you know, it was downtown Los Angeles at night and, you know, we’re shooting the scene and there was no growl in the scene. We didn’t know that was a part of the character yet and Adam growled halfway through the scene and the more – we was like “did he just growl” in the cut, it was just something “we need the growl to be louder” and we just worked on it and it became a part of the character. That’s all Adam.

Could you talk about what the atmosphere on set was like? How it was different filming this finale knowing it was a finale versus other seasons where you didn’t necessarily know if you were coming back?

Adam Baldwin: There were a lot of tears, a lot of emotion. I didn’t cry, but I watched a lot of other of the younger people cry being a cold-hearted bastard that I am. It was uplifting and bittersweet and yet it was a sense of accomplishment because we had against all odds persevered and been lucky enough and had the good graces of the network and the sponsors to keep us going, you know. And Chris can tell you the back story more than I can, but that was the sense on the set day in and day out was just that, you know, we made it five years when we didn’t even think we were going to make it past the first season let alone get picked up as a pilot. So while there were a lot of tears, they were tears of accomplishment and of a job well done.

Chris Fedak: I agree with everything that Adam just said and I would also say that the tears were a real disaster. There was people crying at every, you know, for everything. You know, people would type into a computer, it would be the last time they were typing into a computer and they would start crying. So it was an emotional shoot. Thankfully we had the rock that is Adam Baldwin who doesn’t have emotions and we were able to do some scenes without constant crying.

Adam Baldwin: Makeup was on an extra detail on that last show.

What are you guys going to miss the most about doing the show?

Chris Fedak: Free lunch.

Adam Baldwin: Being waved through at the guard gate.

Chris Fedak: It’s the small things we’ll miss.

Adam Baldwin: Yes. Now what we’re going to miss are the faces and the names of the crew and the unsung heroes, I think. You know, the cast members they get some of the glory while being on TV but, you know, we have relationships with the crew members who don’t get on camera that you guys don’t know except by, you know, the credits that roll at the end of the episode and they’re really loving, wonderful people. That’s what we’re going to miss the most I think is that family.

Is Casey a character that you’re going to miss out of all the ones you’ve played before in other series?

Adam Baldwin: Well, I think it’s fair to say that while I will miss Casey, he was a fully developed character that got five whole seasons and 91 episodes to arc through. So again I go back to the sense of accomplishment with him. So I would say that while I will miss it, I won’t miss it as much as other characters that have been short circuited where I, you know, would have liked to explored further. So again it’s kind of an apples and oranges comparison. So yes and no.

Adam, how do you feel that you’ve grown as an actor in your time with the show?

Adam Baldwin: I’ve streamlined the ability to be cranky and funny at the same time. I have a shorthand that can get me there more quickly. And maybe I guess my ability – my patience has also increased which I’m constantly striving for is to increase my patience with all things in life and not that there’s any extraordinary strain on patience (of) this particular show as compared to other shows. It’s just that the patience that I have had has been able to manifest itself in the confines of what this was which was a marathon. I always think of series television as a marathon.

This was a five-year marathon whereas my experience previous to this has been less than one season or only one full season. I did a show with one full season and so there was that. So for five seasons able to carry that again patience through is important for actors – for any actor. I think it’s important to have that so that’s how I’ve grown. Just on a technical personal note and I don’t know, they gave me a lot of fun shit to do so. You know, I was able to accomplish that as well so, what can I say?

Then you’re in luck because Spartacus is back and this time, with a vengeance.

Spartacus: Vengeance picks up where Blood and Sand left off as the gladiator rebellion continues and they begin to strike fear into the heart of the Roman Empire.

Liam McIntyre takes over the lead role of Spartacus from Andy Whitfield who, before his untimely death, told the cast and crew that he wanted the show to continue. Whitfield even gave the thumbs up to McIntyre, saying that he wanted him to have the role. As McIntyre said in the conference call, “To know that the person who made it so wonderful was on your side, as it were, especially considering all the harrowing personal experience he had to survive at the time. That means more to an actor than you can possibly imagine.”

I talked to the cast – McIntyre, Lucy Lawless, Viva Bianca and Peter Mensah – about the upcoming season, the costumes (or lack thereof) and acting in the mud.

Spartacus: Vengeance airs on Fridays at 10pm on Starz

Liam, you played a character that was obviously played by Andy Whitfield. I was wondering, how did you manage to carry on the character that Andy had built, but also leave your own mark as an actor?

Liam McIntyre: Well, I mean I’m very lucky in that I – the writing team is absolutely sensational, and that Starz is really supportive. So Starz early on said, you know, make the character your own, treat it as your own character. You know, that they didn’t expect me to copy anything. I did watch all of Andy’s amazing work. And so I don’t know if any parts was osmosis or kind of like a kind of influenced me in any way. I can’t be sure, but I mean hopefully because he was sensational.

But I mean realistically I just tried to be true to the character which, you know, essentially stays the same. Because the writing is the same and all of that lovely humanity and those difficult choices and all that. Then that struggle that Spartacus goes through, it’s still there this season. So I didn’t get the honor of being able to treat that with respect and truth. And hopefully you have a character that feels the same as the great character that Andy portrayed. 

Are you guys ever affected by the violent scenes you have to perform in? Are you ever surprised by them?

Lucy Lawless: Always surprised, but they look – we’re not affected because they never look that way in actuality. It’s all done in post, you know. Quite brilliant.

Viva Bianca: I think it was David Mamet who said, “An actor must always defend his character.” And so I think as an actor, you become very good at emphasizing a character, however evil or misguided the character is. Certain for Ilithyia or any of the villains on the show. You have to find a reason – or many reasons as to why a character is doing a scene. So like for instance in episode four, Ilithyia does very a brutal thing – I think that’s what you’re referring to.

You become the character, and the truth is for these Roman aristocratic people, they didn’t consider slaves, or people of that class, as people. And to really feel like, for instance, for Lucy and I to get ourselves into that mentality is quite an extreme step. But it is a step that an actor has to make in order to, you know, enter that ancient Roman society, and to play these kinds of women.

Liam this is your first year on this. Do you walk through those sets and see that stuff going on and think, “Wow!”

Liam McIntyre:  I mean I loved the show before, you know, before I got the call to be part of it. So I kind of knew what I was getting into. But that’s one of my greatest memories from the whole year, was watching our director from a distance in what was essentially the sign language version of the scene. So I got to watch him throw his hands around and do all the motions and actions as he described what he wanted to see as this camera panned through there. And that was one of the greatest memories I’ll ever take with me, because that was hilarious.

But I mean there is a moment where I have to attack a gentleman’s (money) making facility, and that was one of the most harrowing moments in my life. Because it’s kind of, you know, a sword, a small little protective kind of steel rig, and his gear, and a whole lot of hope, and so that was one of the very first days of shooting. And I’m like, “Oh god, what have I got myself into?”

Viva, you seem to really enjoy being the bad girl. Does it feel empowering to be that pure evil?

Viva Bianca: I’m a really nice person. You know what, I would so love to play a really virtuous, heroic person after Ilithyia. But Ilithyia’s a very satisfying role to play. And, you know, because she isn’t just pure bad. And the lovely thing in season two is the writers gave me a lovely range and complexity to explore. So I think the audience will get to see many different sides to Ilithyia. And of course there will still be that scheming, naughty girl, and then (almost) a lady now. But yes, I think maybe I see some vulnerability.

Lucy, we all know the show has a lot of nudity in it, is it kind of a source of inhibition when you know that maybe your husband is on set?

Lucy Lawless: No he’s not on the set. And it’s all inhibiting. But if you believe in it, it’s important to the scene.

Liam, you mentioned that you were trying to make the role of Spartacus your own. How did you try to do that?

Liam McIntyre: I guess just you work extremely hard and diligently. And it’s one of those things that early on, you go, well you just can’t – you have to use everything in your power to do the best job you can. And I mean I got trained really well by my first acting coach I hope, and that and you just put your tail between your legs and just work really hard until it’s all finished and cross your fingers. I don’t know, there’s no simple trick, or we’d all be doing it I suppose.

Liam, so this show has crazy, awesome action scenes that are on par with a lot of movies. How did you get in shape for that and what did you go through to handle a sword and all those acrobatic moves they have you doing?

Liam McIntyre: Well it’s a rare and lucky person who gets to be a 10-year-old for a whole year. It’s fantastic. But I mean getting into shape, well I – I mean early on when I started the process of testing for this role, I’d done another film where I was 45 pounds lighter or thereabouts. So I was going for that whole machinist look. And unfortunately I was succeeding. And so getting from that – well first of all, I thought there was no way I’d ever even be considered, but they did consider me.

And I got taught exactly how horrible training can be. In much the way that people say, “Do you get used to sex scenes?” And the answer’s generally “No.” “Do you get used to lifting ridiculous amounts of weights?” No really. I think the point is that you do it and it really hurts. But it’s one of the few things in life where you get to see tangible results. So I guess it’s worthwhile.

So you’re saying you gained 45 pounds of muscle for this role?

Liam McIntyre: Something like that. I haven’t done the math, but a lot. Because, you know, I certainly look a lot more healthier than I did back then.

This question is directed at the ladies. Those sex scenes -can you talk about how approach getting ready to do that?

Lucy Lawless: You know what, it gets – I’ve done things again this season that I’ve never, ever done before and never seen on television before. And it was very heavy duty. There were days when I would just go home and have a – just have a quiet little melt-down and be, you know, just go to sleep. Because it was so demanding emotionally.

This does great things for the viewer’s sex life. Not so much for the participants. It’s like aversion therapy.

Viva Bianca: I think some people think it might turn us on.

Liam McIntyre: It’s difficult to have that conversation. “What did you do today honey?” “Well, long story….”

Lucy Lawless: Sometimes I do need a hug because it’s harrowing. It’s really harrowing.

Viva Bianca: Well I think as well what Lucy might be talking about is, you know, some of the sex scenes or storylines in Spartacus that involves sex are actually not in any way of a turn-on. They can be quite brutal. I mean the show is talking about exploitation of slaves and of women and a lot of the violence is actually talking about some very serious stuff. So it’s kind of far from a turn-on. And can be quite horrific, and as an actor to carry that, you know, it can be quite heavy on us.

Viva, you’ll be coming back to Vengeance after a short hiatus from this Spartacus world. And Liam, you come in for the first time. What have your processes been like for getting into these characters?

Viva Bianca: Well I mean like for me, a year had passed pretty much between shooting – wrapping on season one and starting on season two. And yet at the same time, I mean the reality of our show, it was only about eight weeks that had passed between the end of season one, beginning of Vengeance. So it was kind of quite challenging actually. Yes, it was really quite challenging to go back into the world and feel that level of acute – continuity that was required, and to find the character again. But it was actually so fun to go back into the character. I was really happy to do it.

Liam McIntyre: Yes. For me I guess it’s a unique situation. But I mean I watched the first season and Gods of the Arena, you know, countless lines. And so for me I guess it was unique in the way that, I mean I really felt like I was right there with all of (Eddie’s) performances. So I mean, I really felt like I got like Spartacus – I got Spartacus as he portrayed him. So to me more than anything, it was important to make sure that Spartacus as a character continued as that character and not just some totally different person who, you know, was inspired by different things.

And, you know, the world as a different place for him. So I guess I had a unique situation of trying to create a new Spartacus that felt like, you know, the same kind of guy that Andy’s Spartacus was. So, you know, I mean it was a fantastic and very unique process to go through. It must be a really sad thing to have to kind of even look at. But, you know, it was – I certainly will never – touch wood, never have to go through anything like that again in my life, I suppose.

Is it a clash to do what you do and then walk off the set and walk to cars, cell phones, computers, laptops, assistants. Like, does your brain just go what the hell is going on?

Peter Mensah: Your brain needs it because I don’t know if we could survive in that world?

Viva Bianca: We have slaves, we don’t need assistants.

Lucy Lawless: Actually, no, it’s really important to be able to walk away from the modern world, away from your family, away from your relationship and go into this, you know, this make-believe world of ancient Rome. It’s helpful to have that universe separate from your own.

Viva Bianca: I think that’s a lot of what makes actors actors. We love going into fantasy make-believe worlds and playing. So the fact that we get to go into a world that is so far from our own reality is part of the joy.

Lucy Lawless: It’s like having a second life. It’s like having a virtual life experience. And I just love it. I’ve had a really crazy ride as Lucretia this season. The most intense stuff I’ve ever ever shot. And I’m really grateful.

Liam McIntyre: As far as slipping back into the modern world, though, I think it’s not too challenging for some people I think there’s a photo somewhere of most of the rebels on their iPads/iPhones in a row. I think that was quite – that’s something I found really really…

Lucy Lawless: Is that right because that’s banned from our set.

Liam McIntyre: I know. And I think as a result it was banned from ours. But, yeah, there was one.

The first season was largely centered on the House of Batiatus and the (Ludis) and with the second season it seems the story is definitely widening in scope. How did that affect how you approached the character or how they approached the situation?

Peter Mensah: I think what was great about it is with each episode we kind of have a little bit more information, a little bit more experience playing your character and I definitely feel like playing Oenomaus it was – it’s a sort of leaning, continuing learning curve always finding out the elements that help at one point, make him who he is and then exploring so the journey as it unfolds, he has to figure out, okay, there’s one structure in life that I was attached to, it’s all gone so now what do I do?

So it was sort of the expanding story. It was actually something I really embraced and I felt it was really useful in playing the character because it allowed for, you know, different platforms to react to. I think (unintelligible) and everybody meets Oenomaus in the first season as Doctore. He’s pretty impassive. He doesn’t’ really let on much.

And as the story unfolds you see a human person and the reasons why he was the way he was when you first meet him and I think in this season we really get to explore when all those structures are gone from him he’s incredibly vulnerable and for an actor it was just great to go to a higher range from being that dominant person to a person who really had to show every single emotion. So I loved doing it. It was a fantastic fantastic season to work.

Liam, how was it playing in the mud in the mine?

Liam McIntyre: That was when I went – you know funny enough, I remember watching Lord of the Rings and the special commentary on that and being told about how freezing cold that lake that Bilbo and – that, sorry, Frodo and Sam try to escape in and how they spent like 14 hour days in there and they were freezing to death. And I was like, “Oh, yes. Sure. I bet it’s really hard being an actor in a huge show.”

That mud was one of the toughest experiences I’ve ever had in my life, and I apologize to every actor that I’ve ever judged because I didn’t think they were tough enough.

Yes, that was sticky. Gross. Freezing. There were – I don’t – with all respect to the makeup team, I don’t have a lot good to say about the mud besides the fact that it looks amazing on screen. That was an experience that I – you know what? I asked specifically that the characters that weren’t involved in that particular episode on our side have an episode all of their own where they run off into the mines and do that just so they can know what it’s about.

Peter Mensah: So kind of you.

Liam, I know that Andy wanted the show to go on. And as Lucy said earlier, he was happy – or he wished that you would take over the role. So, how was it to have his support? How did that impact you?

Liam McIntyre: Things like that are more important than you can imagine. As you know, it’s – especially being a fan of the show, it’s the last thing you want to hear, but it is that – you know, the star of one of your favorite shows has been taken ill. And then it’s also a strange situation to then be told to try and you know keep that thing alive – that character alive.

To know that the person who made it so wonderful was on your side, as it were, especially considering all the harrowing personal experience he had to survive at the time. That means more to an actor than you can possibly imagine.

How did it actually feel for you when you stepped onto the set for the very first day of filming knowing that you were stepping onto a set that he was on earlier?

Liam McIntyre: Humbling is probably the most appropriate word. Very humbling. And a little daunting.

Peter Mensah: But all of us that were on set recognized the sheer amount of work that Liam had put in. He didn’t just show up and walk on. He was there for months – months ahead of time working. Really, he devoted an awful lot of effort to this. So I think all of us on set appreciated how much he had put into to be that character and to step in and take over and keep the role going.

So you know all of us that’d been there originally with Andy, certainly appreciate Liam.

Viva Bianca: That’s right. And he had to become our new leader. And, I think we all agreed that from the Day 1, he dealt with the situation with complete grace and humility.

Liam McIntyre: Whatever – I mean, I know that from my experience ever since the very first test in New Zealand where I had to work with you know, Manu Bennett and Brooke and Craig, and all those – you know, people that were just fantastic in their roles.

That – from the person that picked me up at the airport to the – you know Rob the Producer, it was like working with a family. And it was very hard to leave when I didn’t know if I had the role, because it really felt like I was in a special environment with a family and a bunch of people that really cared. And I was lucky enough to have that with all my cast and crew as I tried to take on this crazy task.

How did it feel for you when you actually said, “I am Spartacus,” for the first time?

Liam McIntyre: Oh, that’s – you know, and – oh, that’s – it’s so – such a big line, isn’t it?

And in this instance more so than any other time. I remember acutely Andy’s – Spartacus saying that in the arena at the top of his lungs, you know. And you know, going back into – you know, to the Stanley Kubrick Spartacus where everybody says they’re Spartacus. You know, it’s – I guess it’s kind of like saying you know, “I’m Bond – James Bond,” or something like that. It’s…

You know, I wanted to do like 100 takes and the director just had to sit down and say, “We’ve got it. Move one. We’ve got to film the show. Come on.” So I – you know, it’s – you just – again, try to be honest and truthful with your character and say it as he needed to say it in the script and hope that you don’t look like an idiot.

When you guys go to the set and you’re in jeans and t-shirts and normal everyday clothes. And when you get to your trailer you put on your wardrobe or I guess lack thereof. How does that help you get into character and I guess transport you into that – I guess the Spartacus world?

Lucy Lawless: It’s not a short process, so you’ve got a an hour and a half minimum every day to – for that character to sort of happen, and I think we just are so accustomed to it that we don’t even realize that’s such a part of our process you know.

Liam McIntyre: Yes. And when that first layer of spray tan goes on, I really start to absorb the character.

Yes. No, it’s – I don’t know. It is one of those things. I remember – again, going back as again an actor, start – that’s in some ways green in terms of experience, that first test where they take us to – you know, they took me and put me in the actual costume. You know, it’s amazing how much it adds to the work you’ve already done on your character.

It just – you know, they’re so – the craftsmen on that set from the set builders to the whole wardrobe department and the wardrobe they create by hand – you know, leather workers and that sort of thing add so much more to what, you know, is already a very interesting character. You know, in – certainly in my case, it’s just – it’s amazing how much more you feel like you’re in the time, in the place when you all the costume on.

Lucy Lawless: Yes. We have a huge workshop of leather craftsmen, jewelry, people dying, specialists. People who make things with rubber and resins and all – whatnot. And obviously, the costume sewing you know, people in design. They’re an incredible team.

Viva Bianca: And obviously Barbara Darragh continually just turned out episode after episode all of these very elegant dresses for the Roman ladies. And for Lucy and myself, you know every morning we would be in our trailers and be dressed in these corset dresses and they’re all very intricate and detailed. And it really helps as a lady to enter you know high society in a frock, and you know it informs every choice you make in your physicality, your breath, your gait, and even the way you use your voice. So it’s kind of impossible to enter that character without the gown really.

Lucy Lawless: And then when they embellish it all with this great confection of hair on your head, you know, the wig work is amazing. So we have a lot of genius designers working on us.

Liam McIntyre: I would love to see a great confection of hair placed on Peter’s head.

Peter Mensah: And for us slaves, not having clothes really gets you into character.

Liam McIntyre: I know. But you know it’s funny. It’s one of those things – as my wardrobe changed, occasionally I would be – you know, I’d be given something where I had more clothes on and it felt odd, and then I felt terrible – I felt weird, the feeling that that’s held on.

What would your advice to actors be?

Lucy Lawless: I’ve given up giving advice.

Pay attention, because it’s like your career is like a marriage. There are good years and bad years. And if you can’t be with the ones you love, love the ones you’re with. That was a big one.

Work breeds more work. Another good one.

Could you talk about some of the initial acting challenges found both stepping into your roles and finding your respective characters?

Viva Bianca: Well as I said earlier in this phone call, you know that there was quite a hiatus for me in terms of wrapping on Season 1 and starting this – last year on Vengeance. But really, I suppose the way I approached it was the way one would approach any new role, which is understanding the given circumstances in which this character is living.

And the great thing is because I’ve played the role before and had the history of Season 1 behind me, which is really only about eight weeks kind of earlier in the timeline of our show, there was so much to inform the choices that I’d make coming into Season 2.

So much of the research had been done for me, but still you know, I had to go through the process of reentering the very skin, heartbeat, and sort the cell of this woman.

Peter Mensah: Yes. And very similarly, I think that the great thing about this is this – a lot of the underlying story to Oenomaus had been laid out previously by Steven and his writers. But – and in terms of stepping into the character, a couple of things do help.

I mean obviously the story lines themselves are sort of really, really vivid. The sets and the makeup and all the – sort of the support structures are so clearly transformative that by the time you step on set, you very much have entered that world of despair and hardship that Oenomaus lives in. So unlike, you know, real life that every time I’d go to work it was definitely a case of stepping into another world.

Now the story lines themselves take such trajectories that it’s very hard to prepare yourself for them. You sort of have to react to situations as they show up.

Viva Bianca: Which is a great thing, because acting is reacting.

Peter Mensah: Yes, there it is. And there’s plenty to react to in this.

So yes, it was a great challenge, and hopefully we sort of, you know, keep the story tight enough for everybody to enjoy the journey along with us. But, it was certainly fantastic fun doing it.

Viva Bianca: Yes. And just to add to that as well, I think for me coming back into Season 2 was – it was particularly useful having Lucy – Lucy Lawless and Craig Parker being – Ilithyia has kind of two key relationships in the show. And you know, it’s really the relationships your character has that informs who they are and reminds you of, you know, where they sit in the world.

So you know, it was those two actors that kind of kept me rooted in the show and reminded me of my place in the world of Spartacus.

Liam, what sort of prep and research did you do for this role once you booked it?

Liam McIntyre: Well, just I guess – I used to play computer games about the Roman Legions and that sort of thing every since I was a little kid, so I always interested in the world. So I came in there knowing a fair amount – I mean a fair bit about the Republic and the Empire that followed just out of a personal interest sake.

But then I was lucky enough to be lent an entire library from one of the producers, Chloe Smith, which I got to ingest and go through. And then you know, really explore what was known of Spartacus and that time in history and his – you know, his position in history and what he did or was taught – was said to have done.

And you know – and it was fascinating trying to piece that together and then seeing what Steven DeKnight and his team did in terms of the story they wanted to tell, and trying to really connect those dots. And then from those sort of outlines, fill it in with an actual emotion that I could understand.

It was – I love history and I love that kind of – I especially love that sort of epoch of history, so it was great to go through that in more detail for more purpose than just, you know, general curiosity.

Christopher Heyerdahl

He started it filming the last of the Twilight movies where he plays the vampire Marcus, one of the leaders of the Volturi coven. He then went off film season 2 of the SyFy hit, Sanctuary, where he starred as 2 characters (one has since been killed off). If that wasn’t enough, during filming, he got word that he booked yet another part as ‘The Swede’ in AMC’s Hell on Wheels.

Thanks to some creative scheduling, he would film Sanctuary in Vancouver, leave set and rush to the airport. At 6am the next day, he’d be sitting in hair and make-up in Calgary ready to film Hell on Wheels.

Just the normal life of a busy actor.

And, it was just announced that Heyerdahl would join the cast of True Blood for it’s upcoming season. Looks like Christopher’s 2012 might be as hectic as his last. 

I talked to Christopher about Hell on Wheels and how he got the part, working two jobs at once and more!

For the full interview (including Twilight questions), click the audio link above or download it from iTunes 

You had a great 2011 with Hell on Wheels, Sanctuary and Twilight. Has that been the best year career-wise, so far?

Christopher Heyerdahl: Well, yeah.  I guess it has been the best year so far in as much as I’m alive and well, and I’m working.  What other actor doesn’t want’ that?  It has been pretty intense. 

I mean, I started off the year doing Twilight. I got to go to New Orleans. It was a great way to start the year and then Sanctuary got renewed which is always a tenuous thing with a show that’s privately funded and within maybe two months into doing Sanctuary, I got The Swede on Hell on Wheels. 

Chad Oakes and George Horie, Chad is with Hell and George is with Sanctuary.  The two of them got together and said, “We can make this work” because it was a crazy scheduling, scheduling that I think any producer just wouldn’t normally not want to invite into their daily routine because I was getting on a plane pretty much every night after work, flying off to Calgary or vice versa, coming back to Vancouver in order to do each show.  It was crazy for them and that was a blast for me. 

When you were working on Sanctuary or before it was picked up, had you already auditioned for Hell on Wheels?  How did that come about?

Christopher Heyerdahl: No, I had a buddy of mine called me up on a Sunday night and when I say a buddy of mine, I really mean it – a buddy who’s an actor. He was getting ready for an audition on a Monday and he said, “I love this character that I’m auditioning for but each time I read it and each time I go through it, I just keep thinking of you. Are you auditioning for this character?” Monday comes and I’m asked to come in as well and so anyway, we were both going on for the same role. There is a buddy, a true buddy.

Absolutely.

Christopher Heyerdahl: You know, most actors, the last thing they are going to do is call up a friend who possibly got a better shot at getting the job than they do and anyway, that’s how it started.  I just went in and threw my hat into the ring and did an on tape audition.  It resonated with them and went in for a call back and bish bash bosh.  The rest is, you know, the H word.

I hope you bought that guy a nice steak dinner.

Christopher Heyerdahl: Oh, believe me, like I said, he is a good friend and so yeah, we definitely celebrated.  Yeah, it was pretty amazing. 

We were already shooting Sanctuary and this came along.  The character that I, because I played two characters on Sanctuary and for the most part, one of my characters had been killed off at the end of the previous session and so it opened up the schedule.  There was a window of possibility there which allowed me to go into the room and say, “Okay, it’s possible to work this thing out.” And the producers were kind enough on Sanctuary to say “Yeah, were not gonna block this opportunity.” 

As far as any role could be tailor-made, The Swede is about as close as it gets for me and my background.

Yeah, I was reading that, amazingly close.

Christopher Heyerdahl: Phenomenal. It’s one of those roles you can only hope for in a career. It’s something that you have so much to draw upon in as much as my father’s from Norway, I’ve lived in Norway before.  I’ve had a number of visits off and on since then and before. I grew up with my father bringing over all sorts of Norskies over and Swedes to have a good time at our house and party until the wee hours of the night.  So I grew up with that, a lot of Norwegian men acting like Norwegian men. 

They have a very interesting perspective of the world, quite different from anything that we’re used to in North America.  It was fun to be able to draw on that and hopefully, they will look at it and maybe see a little bit of themselves. Maybe not the psychopathic or sociopathic elements of the character but, you know, just the way he looks at the world and hopefully I’ll bring a little bit of a flavour of that.

When you first got the sides for the role, how much preparation did you put in? 

Christopher Heyerdahl: Well, I’ve got several 40 odd years of hanging out with Norwegians.  What the Gaytons had brought to the table was pretty amazing.  The first taped auditioned that I did without anyone being around, just myself and Jennifer at Kirk Talent here in Vancouver, where I was at the time.  She read with me and there was some wonderful, I mean, the scenes are just so juicy.  There was so much there. Then when I went in for the call back, the Gaytons has done some rewrites so there was more information to draw upon.  And then again when we were shooting, they did more rewrites so there’s a small tome of information about The Swede  that is there.  It was there at the beginning for me to look at and think about and do a research on.  But, you know, it all happened within a period of a week really. From first taking a look at the sides that I was given to being offered to the job.

How much does wardrobe help you with the character? You go to the set in your jeans and t-shirt, and you come out of your trailer in your 1800s clothing?

Christopher Heyerdahl: It’s enormous. Getting into the, if you want to call it the skin of the character, the outer layer.  We all sit there and every day, most of us think about how we’re going to portray ourselves that day.  As guys, we may not necessarily think about what’s underneath those clothes but certainly what we’re putting on ourselves, you know, what jacket we’re going to wear. And for The Swede, he is no different and certainly, someone who is trying to make a very strong impression every day.  I mean this was a costume that came, it influenced so much of what The Swede does, you know, the fact that he’s got that high stiff collar and even underneath his tunic, he’s got a high shirt collar.  It keeps that very straight, stiff back. He is not a slouching man.  There is nothing slouched in him at all.  That costume is just a gift.

I read that you would shoot Sanctuary during the day, get on a plane, fly a couple of hours, and then you’re on the set of Hell on Wheels early that next morning.  

Christopher Heyerdahl: Yeah, we would. Gordon MacDonald, he was usually the one who had to deal with getting me off set of Sanctuary and they would have to get me… because of the prosthetics in the character that I was doing.  The one surviving character in Sanctuary was in prosthetics and so you have to have an hour to get yourself out of that stuff. They would have to have me off set by 7, out of makeup by 8, in a car by 8:30, off to the airport and through security and on a plane. I’d get to Calgary by because of the slight time difference; I’d get to Calgary sometimes, 12:30, one o’clock in the morning, and then be on set for a 6:30 call.  That happened frequently. 

But you know the drill, when you’re doing something you love, it’s great.  I remember one night getting off a plane and just this stupid grin started to grow on my face as I was walking through. I realized that I was commuting to work on a multimillion dollar transport vehicle. It’s a pretty nice situation to be in at without a doubt.

At what point are you learning your lines, like on the flight?

Christopher Heyerdahl: On the flight, on set, well you know the drill. What’s the saying, “We don’t get paid to work, we get paid to wait.”  There’s a lot time on the set and usually, I don’t like to split my focus on set but in that case, I had to.

It was actually pretty silly to see me. I can only imagine from my fellows, they had a good laugh watching me mumbling in a Norwegian accent, going over my lines for Hell on Wheels while I’m dressed up as a Sasquatch. There’s got to be something a bit odd about that.  You’re not going to see that every day.

You also shoot in some pretty hairy conditions. Mud, awful weather, it looks cold as hell out there.

Christopher Heyerdahl: Did you say hairy conditions after I said Sasquatch?

Yes, I did.

Christopher Heyerdahl: That’s a good segue. [laughs]

Does that contribute to I guess to your characterization as well?

Christopher Heyerdahl: It affects everybody.  It certainly affects the crew because they’ve got to lug the equipment around through the mud and rain, and sleet and snow, and everything in between, windstorms. So certainly, you didn’t have to act all that stuff.  It was muddy, cold, and uncomfortable.  We were all in period gear.  Our boots were wet and there’s only so much you can do to try and dry out a pair of leather-soled boots.  Once they’re wet, they are wet. 

So, all of that influence, it was a great help for us and it certainly was an amazing help for Marvin Rush, our DP, in order to create and capture that, I mean those skies, some of the shots that he was able to get are amazing. So you had tons of gifts like that from a visual point of view as well as the fact that we didn’t have to go very far to realize what these people had to deal with at that time.

Each character you play is pretty much distinctly different…. except for you height.

Christopher Heyerdahl: [laughs] You know, sometimes I do walk on my knees and I just put my shoes just on my knees and shuffle along. I can play a short person and I have no problem with that.  I can do that.

How did you get your start?  Did you have any training?

Christopher Heyerdahl: I went to theatre school and for a number of years at Studio 58, it’s a school here in Vancouver.  I went for a number of years to Banff Centre and I did my time at Stratford in Ontario.  It was really one of the best Shakespeare or classical theatre production houses in North America and they have really the best voice and movement and text, etc., access to amazing teachers and coaches there. So through the years, we never really stopped learning our craft so altogether that is almost 10 years of training there.

Do you still get nervous when you audition or when you do a scene?

Christopher Heyerdahl: Yes.  It’s certainly on the first day.  The first day is one of those, you know, I don’t sleep the night before. It’s like going to first day of school, I always liken it to.  It’s quite terrifying. I find once I get to know the people who are there on set or in the cast of the play, it always becomes more comfortable and you just get on with the work but absolutely, it’s always a terrifying prospect.

What’s your advice to actors?

Christopher Heyerdahl: Well, I believe heavily in learning the craft and I’m someone who obviously decided to go to school to focus my, certainly for the majority, as I say, the beginning of the first 12 years of my career, it was focused only on theatre. And for me the majority of the people whom I’ve worked with who have that as a base, they have more of a general understanding of what story is, of what everyone does in order to create either a play or eventually a film or whatever the medium is.  I find the actor more well-rounded.

So I would suggest to every actor to go to school and learn the craft. Learn the history and exercise the instrument. Take voice classes, work on the body. Every aspect of this instrument that we have and learn your limitations then push those limitations.  Get yourself into a situation where you have the opportunity to surprise yourself.  Go beyond what you’ve ever thought.  Get out of your comfort zone, I suppose, is the best thing for any actor.

Kiefer Sutherland

Sutherland stars as Martin Bohm, a widower and single father, who is unable to connect with his seemingly autistic son, Jake (David Mazouz). Jake never speaks, shows no emotion and never allows himself to be touched by anyone. Soon though, Martin finds out that Jake has a gift that allows him to see the random events of the universe and how they’re connected.

Touch was created by Heroes mastermind Tim Kring and Sutherland said that even though he wasn’t ready to come back to television, when he read the script, ““It was something that I knew I had to do.”

In this interview, Kiefer talks more about the reason he came back to TV, his hopes for the show and the legacy of 24.

Touch airs tonight at 9/8c on FOX in a special sneak preview. The shows begins airing regularly on Monday, March, 19th.

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download it from iTunes

At what point did you connect with your character and when did you know that this was a story that you wanted to tell and be a part of? 

Kiefer Sutherland: It was funny.  I was doing a play in New York on Broadway.  I had a film that I knew I was going to go do and so I read Touch almost reluctantly.  I don’t think I was completely ready to go back to television yet.  I was enjoying some of the different opportunities that I had had.  I think it was around page 30, I remember going, “Oh, …,” or I guess something you could print, …, which I just knew I would be so remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity that Touch was. 

I identified with him out of the gate.  There was something interesting because obviously this is very different than 24.Yet there is a real similar through line in the kind of character of the man.  Jack Bauer would be faced with unbelievable circumstances in the course of a day and he would never win completely. 

You mentioned about how much you like the script.  One of the things is that in the history of television when somebody has a great even groundbreaking series like 24, they rarely come back to television and now it’s just been two years since 24 ended.  Was it just the script that made you come back or what was it, what prompted you to come back to television?

Kiefer Sutherland: Well, it was a combination of things.  I had an unbelievable experience on 24.  We shot 198 episodes and I was as excited about shooting the 198^th as I was the first.  So that experience, and I had a great relationship with Fox, both the studio and the network. And so that combined with this script, it wasn’t even really a choice anymore.  It was something that I knew I had to do. 

And I remember thinking about it really strongly when I was crossing the street in New York and the person who I work with Susan …, I remember saying to her if we don’t do this, how are we going to feel in September watching it knowing all of its potential and how great we both think it can be.  And that answered my question for me.  I didn’t want to be sitting there watching this fantastic show in September if I had had the opportunity to be a part of it. 

But you’re right, it certainly is a daunting thing having 24 been not only the great experience on a personal level for me, but it was an incredible success.  It’s nice to have that in your pocket and let it be, but this was certainly something I just couldn’t say no to, so I think it’s been a little longer than two years, but it feels a lot shorter than that now I have to say. 

For people who are used to seeing you on 24 as Jack Bauer in that action star sort of role, how do you convince them to give the show a look?  How do you convince them that this is going to be just as entertaining, just as interesting and intriguing as that series was? 

Kiefer Sutherland: I don’t know if there is convincing.  I think that ultimately almost in the way that 24 started, people that are initially interested, whether they’re a fan of Tim Kring or a fan of mine or like the trailer, they’ll watch it and then if they feel strongly about it, they’ll tell friends and we have to rely on that. 

For me personally I feel that there is a great deal of suspense within the context of the show, even in the not knowing what the numbers are and the narrative where the audience actually knows more than the lead character.  So I think that even though we’re not blowing things up, I think that there is enough excitement around the drama of this show, that people will not be that thrown by it who enjoyed 24.  And we really do rely on you guys telling people about it and hopefully it will be something that grows. 

When you see the show, it’s sort of hard to put it into a genre. How would you categorize it?   

Kiefer Sutherland: I’ve always felt that this was a drama.  This, we’re embarking on the journey of a father trying to connect with his son and trying to have as normal a relationship as he can under the circumstances.  That will always be at the heart of the show and it certainly from my perspective it would be, but it has all of those elements. 

I think there is an element of science fiction.  I think certainly as the show has developed, you guys have seen the first episode, which has a lot of requirements to kind of explain where the show is going.  But for us in the subsequent episodes that follow, this really does have a great deal of energy, so there’s an aspect of it that I would categorize as a thriller or suspense and certainly the science fiction component as well.  But at its heart it’s a drama. 

The way that Touch is set up, there’s obviously such a great opportunity for a rather large roster of guest stars and Martin and Titus Welliver’s character, they had a special connection.  So how many episodes is Titus signed on for and is there also a possibility of your father doing an episode?

Kiefer Sutherland: There certainly is always that possibility.  The show is a procedural show.  Unlike 24 and unlike Heroes, which was a serialized show, these episodes will have a beginning, a middle and an end.  But it does not preclude a character who you’ve seen in one episode being able to come back five episodes down the line, and we have in fact done that.  I don’t really want to say who.  For the people that are going to watch it, I would like them to see that. 

There also might be characters that are way in the background on an episode that will come to the forefront in another episode.  But it doesn’t stop each individual episode from being its own complete little entity.  And so that’s something I think Tim Kring has done a beautiful job kind of weaving in and out. 

Could you talk a little bit about working with David and forming that on-screen bond with him when he doesn’t talk back to you? 

Kiefer Sutherland: He’s an amazing young actor and he’s an amazing young man.  He does something that is really I don’t—I think it would be impossible to try and teach an actor to do.  He has very limited physical response to anything that I do.  He doesn’t talk and yet I can feel his presence even if he’s not looking at me.  I can always sense that he’s listening and I think that comes across to the viewer as well.  That’s a real gift. 

He was the first boy out of about 25 young people that I read with and I remember thinking because I was doing the play at the same time, so I could only do five or six or seven kids a day.   I remember thinking wow, this kid is amazing.  If the other kids are going to be like this, we’re going to find an amazing kid. 

And I remember it was around the tenth kid, I was still thinking—and all of the kids I have to say were fantastic, but there was something really special with … and then obviously we should just hire the first kid and I’m thinking around 20, I say no, the first kid was still better.  And then I read with close to 30 kids and I was finally like would you guys just please hire the first kid.  He was just amazing and so that bond kind of started right away. 

He works a lot of hours with us, and I’ve just been completely amazed by how focused and attentive he is and interested in it.  I think that’s a big thing.  He’s not being made to do this.  I think he actually really does enjoy it and he’s very curious about how to get better and it’s been a phenomenal experience.  I really, really do love working with him. 

Because you only have a limited way of communicating with Jake, who are some of the actors, characters, that are really going to become Martin’s touchstones? So that we really get to see emotionally how he’s reacting with this new journey?   

Kiefer Sutherland: I think Danny Glover certainly is a character that is explaining his son’s condition to him, and then Goo Goo plays the worker at Child Services that is managing Jake’s case.  Those are people that will be very important.  There’s Martin’s wife who was killed on the terrible day of 9/11.  Even though she is not with us, I think he speaks a lot to her.  Then I think a lot is going to be between Jake and his father.  I think already in the first five episodes their ability to communicate has grown exponentially.  Martin starts to be able to read a lot of Jake’s physicality and understand what that is and the audience does as well even though other people might not understand it in the context of our show. 

But I think one of the things, one of things that moved me the most about the piece was that I felt that Martin was terribly alone; and I think that that’s going to be an aspect of the character and certainly through the piece as well.  So that’s going to play into it in a large way. 

Can you talk about The Confession and the difficulties or the challenges that come into play when you’re doing an Internet series?

Kiefer Sutherland: I think the real challenge, because I think The Confession was from a production standpoint was quite high end with regards to a lot of things that have been produced for the Internet.  The real difficulty is trying to figure out how to galvanize and pull in an audience because the Internet is so fragmented that there is no real kind of central post, if you will.  The movie business has theatres.  Television has set scheduling.  The Internet is kind of when you want it, how you want it and trying to really corral an audience was what we found to be the most difficult.  But I think that that’s starting to explain itself.  The more things are produced for the Internet, the clearer it becomes how to go about finding that audience. 

The one nice thing about coming back to network television whether we do it or not is you certainly can corral an audience and as long as your product is, as long as what you’re presenting is worth an audience seeing.  So that’s an exciting part when we were making Touch is that we knew that if we did a good job that people would see it and there’s something very exciting about that.  It’s why we do it. 

How do you feel that your character, Martin, allows you to mature in new ways as an actor, given what the material calls for emotionally?

Kiefer Sutherland: I think again I kind of referred to his loneliness earlier in one of the earlier questions.  That’s a tricky thing to play because I don’t want people feeling sorry for Martin, yet I want them to understand that the further he is able to communicate with his son, the more enlightened and enriched his life will be; and he might be able to move past some of the pain that he’s experienced from the loss of his wife and his son’s condition. 

Those are all real subtle narratives to play.  They’re not actually written.  They’re tonal qualities and that’s something that I’m trying to focus on a lot with Martin and it’s also something that I felt I really learned at least how to do better through my experience on 24.  I think a lot of the things that I learned were trying to focus on little small changes within Jack Bauer, whether it was from season to season or even over the course of one of those days. 

What I learned in that process is something that I am trying to bring to Martin; and so that there’s a lot going on, or a lot more going on than what is simply written on the page or what one scene might simply require.  That there are through lines within the context of the character that are going from episode to episode.  And if we are lucky enough to do multiple seasons, that we’d connect those as well.  So that’s really an extension of a technique that I really hadn’t focused on or thought of before my experience on 24; and Touch is a perfect kind of show and Martin is a perfect character to try and weave those things in.

James has had such a wonderful career. He had his first TV appearance on a 1974 episode of The Rockford Files followed by a recurring role on All in the Family (which he auditioned for and “had a great time,” he told me).

Dozens (and dozens!) of TV and film work followed when, in 1995, he got a part in Babe as Farmer Hoggett. The role only had 16 lines but he was so memorable in the part that he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. 16 lines! 

As you probably know, The Artist was just nominated for 10 Academy Award Nominations, most notably for Best Picture, Actor (Jean Dujardin), Supporting Actress (Berenice Bejo) and Director (Michel Hazanivicus). 

Cromwell was a big part of the success of that film. As I told him in the interview, I saw a lot of The Artist through the sympathetic eyes of his character, Clifton, George Valintin’s (Deaudrin) devoted chauffeur.

The Artist is absolutely one of my favorite films of the year. If you haven’t seen it, what are you waiting for?

We talk about his work on the film, auditioning and his career. And check out the advice he gives – it’s great!

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download it from iTunes


How were you first approached about the film?

James Cromwell: My agent called me up and said there’s some French director who is doing a black and white silent film with two people you never heard of. I thought, “the guy has to be nuts.”

Then they sent me, not the script, it wasn’t a script, it’s a short story. Printed on very nice stock, it was spirally bound. Photographs of Jean and Berenice in costume, you know, in front of Paramount or whatever, and I thought “Wow, somebody has put a lot of thought into this and they are here doing it, you know? The least I can do is meet with the director.” I had a lot of questions. It was a very long lunch. I didn’t want to be in the film, especially not being paid very much and I didn’t want to do a character that was just in the background… I’ve done my 16-line character. It got me an Academy Award nomination but, you know, I thought, “Well, why do it?”

So, I wanted to know whether he was just using the silence and the black and white as a gimmick and that the story might not have any relevance to a contemporary audience, just be a sort of an homage. Because I’d just seen a not very good silent film prior to working on The Artist and I thought “Well…” But when you meet with Michel, of course, besides the fact that he is charming, he knows exactly what he wants to do and he is very clear about it. He’s not at all pretentious. I think, when you audition a director because that’s what you do, they think they audition you, but you audition them as well.

In your category, you audition. I’m the one that is been begging for the roles.

James Cromwell: Well, you always have to remember, it’s sort of Even Steven. You mustn’t give up all your power. If you do, it’s to your detriment. But he was delightful and I think I got him. I liked his sweetness. I liked his certitude. I liked the vision that he had. I liked the fact that he was an artist and not only was he gonna get to do his art – because somebody else believed in him – but he had the courage to be an artist and not compromise it. I thought, “Yeah, I want to be a part of that.”

Before you left the meeting, did you say, “Yeah, I’ll do it” or were you kind of coy about it?

James Cromwell: Oh yeah. I said “Yeah, let’s do it.” John Goodman said “yeah” in about five minutes. I’m a little slower than John. No, no. When I choose, I choose. I don’t do coy.

How did you prepare for your character because there wasn’t a lot on the page.

James Cromwell: Well, my first role in film, the first film I ever did was Murder by Death and I played the chauffeur in a similar period, and I said, “What else is there to do?” I mean, I didn’t have to prepare for that one except for the French accent and it is where there was no dialogue so I didn’t have to do anything. So what was there to do?

Other than Jean and Berenice, and to some degree, Missi Pyle, the rest of us are just normal people. The film is not silent to us. We’re talking. It’s just not recorded. So, really, you look at it the way you look at any other part. There is no difference in my mind between a character in a contemporary film and a character in a 20’s film where they were just normal people. We tend to look at the acting style as different but Michel convinced me that it wasn’t a style. We weren’t trying to recreate the silent films. We were doing a contemporary film, a very available story but it happened to be told silently and in black and white. So I said, “Oh, that’s fine.” I know how to drive a car. I know how to support somebody. I know how to care about somebody so there is no preparation for me. I didn’t do any.

When you guys are preparing your scenes and when you have your dialogue, did you guys improve that or was it prepared beforehand what you were going to say or was it different each take?

James Cromwell: Well, they took the short story and they made it into a shooting script so you got sides and you had dialogue like in any other film.

My particular instance, I had very little dialogue because the character is on the taciturn side and doesn’t have a whole lot to say. Whereas John Goodman, he improvised a lot. John is very comfortable with improvisation. I love improvisation but the problem is, of course, you want to be able to improvise in the period. You don’t want to put anything in that might sound contemporary because should somebody read your lips and you say, you know, “Well, that’s bitchin,” it wouldn’t work. Really, what comes out of your mouth is not what propels the story forward. It’s your reaction facially and in your body. That’s the narrative and your reaction creates in the mind of the audience, the narrative. They are telling the story to themselves because they can’t drop down and text their babysitter on their smartphone and hear the story through their ears. They have to watch every frame in order to be able to get the story, and they do. So that when they get to the end of the film and the narrative as far as they are concerned has ended because he has been saved, she is in the room, they are embracing, but the story is not over because where can it possibly go from there? The audience has no clue as to what the next element will be, and that’s where the surprise of the sound comes in. Sound, which has been up until then the antagonist in the film, then becomes a co-creator of the narrative and suddenly there is sound and there is a place for him in sound, and we are transformed into another paradigm. It’s pretty brilliant, this film.

When you’re on the set, do you know that you have something special?

James Cromwell: Well, yes and no. The first time I went to the set and I saw just a small, little snippet of a scene with all the producers and directors waiting outside of John Goodman’s character’s office and it was lit and costumed and peopled in such a way that it could have been right out, I mean I’ve seen that picture in a movie magazine. It was so accurate. And I thought, “Well, that’s incredible. They are really getting this look.”

Now, you never know however, how the story will hold together. Can you actually tell a love story in contemporary terms because you can’t just tell a love story in the silent era vernacular because we don’t have the same assumptions? They are different. There are more sophisticated assumptions now, it seems to me. And then will you be able to tell a story without cynicism, without the sort of aloofness and coolness that sort of characterizes a contemporary relationship, you know, Harry met Sally. You’re just always too hip and that would spoil this picture so he got a performance out of Uggie and he got a performance all of us which is sweet and innocent, and present and engaging, and delightful.

Did you read about the UK moviegoers who wanted their money back because they didn’t realize the film was silent?

James Cromwell: Yeah, they are always coming up with these things. Who do you think phoned that in? Do you think the theatres owners said, “Wow, what a great story. I’ve gotta call the Daily Mail.” I really don’t think so.

And anyway, why didn’t the theatre manager say to them, “Listen, I’ll double your money back but I want you to go back in and watch the entire picture and if at the end of that picture, you still want your money, I’ll give it to you.”

I think that there’s an effort on the part of some people who shall remain nameless to find a way to cast a little ca-ca on the response that people have to The Artist because their multimillion dollar films can’t generate that kind of response.

Yeah. What was the worst audition you’ve ever had?

James Cromwell: Oh, they were all the worse. I loathed auditions from day one. The only audition I ever liked, I went for a theatre audition for this theatre communications group and my friend and I got up and we sang a song. That’s all we did. We went in and we just sang a song.

That was it?

James Cromwell: Yeah, that was it. We didn’t get the job either but I’ve had auditions where I actually cried out of frustration and pain, and had a casting person say to me, “Do you have a cold, Jamie?”

So, I always, I’ve had a big chip on my shoulder because of my father, you know, and I missed a lot of things. I got the first things that I auditioned for. All in the Family, I did audition for that. I had a great time. Murder by Death, I auditioned for that. But as time went on, I got to resent it more and more and finally a director said to me, I said, “What did I do different in this audition that you gave me this job?” He said, “Jamie, it has nothing to do with your audition. It’s just whether you fit the picture that the person has in their head or not.” So I’ve always loathed it and that was wonderful thing about getting an Academy Award nomination. You never have to audition again.

That would be great, just that alone.

James Cromwell: Just that alone! One of the perks.

What’s your advice to actors?

James Cromwell: You know, I tell everybody, I speak a lot at schools, not a lot but I’d like to speak more but when I do get a chance to, they always say to me, “You know, I’m going to go to Hollywood. How do we get an agent?” I say, “Man, I can’t tell you. If I could tell you what a snake pit that place is for young actors. You get off the bus. There are 150 people just like you. It’s impossible and it’s so hard. Stay at home. Get a group of you together in your own hometown. Find out the stories that need to be told about that particular place and that you can tell about yourselves. Do your own work. Create your own work. Find a way to get it on Youtube, get it on Facebook, you know, or show it in people’s homes.

Learn your craft by creating your craft as an artist not as a supernumerary or a flunky in some television show that doesn’t give a crap about your aspirations or your artistry. That’s what I tell them.

Last year, I talked to them right before the series premiere, they were excited about the show and eager to see how audiences would respond to it. Well, they didn’t have to worry too long. The show garnered great ratings and was quickly given a second season.

I talked to the Sam’s and Meaghan about the new season, how their characters have grown and if there were any specific challenges they had to face in season 2.

Check out our previous interview with the cast here!

Follow Sam Huntington and Meaghan Rath on Twitter!

Being Human airs on Mondays at 9/8c on Syfy

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download it from iTunes

What it’s been like to film season two? How is it different to play these characters in the second season?

Sam Huntington: I think I can speak for all of us when I say that and so we were all really, really excited to get back.

And you know the funny thing is I personally expected it to feel a lot like just one giant bout of déjà vu and to be honest, like it really just felt as though we never had the hiatus.

It just felt because it was all the same crew and a lot of the same cast it just felt like we had maybe a two day break and then we just rolled into season two, it was bizarre.

But at the same time it was great because I felt like we were able to really just pick up right where we left off which was a really cool spot. So yeah, anyway, like that.

Sam Witwer: Yeah, I guess I didn’t expect it to be – I mean okay there’s me and Sammy and Meaghan and we bonded I think all the way back during our first audition together.

But I guess you know you go away, we were so exhausted after the first season, for months afterwards even the thought of doing season two would make me sleepy.

And when we got back I guess I hadn’t expected to be as happy to see everyone as I was. The crew and all the directors and everyone and that kind of carried for me that carried me through the season.

I wasn’t as exhausted this year, there was something about having a successful season one behind us and knowing the characters and having that momentum that was really positive this year.

Meaghan Rath: Yeah, and I think it was just script wise it was a lot easier to just fall back into it this year because there was no establishing who our characters were and what our circumstances were, we just jumped right into it.

Sam Witwer: Absolutely, and in the first season there was so much heavy lifting on everyone’s part to establish these characters and to try make this all work and now we had a – some – what do you guys think, I think we had a little bit of competence going on this time.

Sam Huntington: So much more, there was so much uncertainty in season one, it’s like imagine like any television show, your season one is you’re kind of biting your fingernails the whole time just saying to yourself God I hope people like this and I hope people watch this.

Sam Witwer: Right and you’re second guessing yourself.

It seems like your characters this season are tempted by the darker parts of their natures. How do you maintain their humanity when playing the dark parts and what kind of challenges there are in doing that?

Meaghan Rath: I think for me it’s important to keep in mind that these are real people and not to get sucked into the supernatural element of the whole thing.

What makes the show different is that we’re playing into the supernatural stereotypes, we are trying to play these as regular people.

So for me it’s a lot about just keeping in mind what I would do in this kind of situation and what’s great about the show is that it’s really acting, what would you do if you were put in this situation.

Sam Witwer: Yeah I think Meaghan is absolutely right with that. For example in television we’ve kind of seen everything including vampires, werewolves and ghosts and we’ve seen people get killed and all kinds of crazy stuff.

What we’re trying to do as three actors is we’re trying to bring as much humanity into those events as possible. For example if someone dies, we’re going to show you – hopefully we’re going to tell a story where you realize that that is an awful sacrifice or that something has happened that is really, really terrible.

It’s all about the character’s reactions and I mean these three characters are the eyes through which the audience watches the show.

So we’re really trying to keep our reactions to all this giant supernatural stuff very grounded. And in terms of the dark stuff that comes up, I mean the messed up thing is that at first you’ll see our characters react with horror and shame and all this awful stuff.

And then as time goes on you might see them kind of get used to it and that hopefully will be a very sad thing to watch.

Sam Huntington: Yeah, I think you just kind of hit the nail on the head. I mean a lot of times on the show I can say I think the characters are almost seeing these horrible things happen for the first time, so they’re almost like the audience.

You know they’re viewing these things and so hopefully that’s what the audience can kind of grasp on to and also it helps as an actor it helps inform what you do.

Because you’re like okay well what if this person was killed, what would the ramifications, what emotionally what would that mean to me and how would that affect me and how would that affect every aspect of my life.

Is there anything that was really challenging this year, specifically?

Sam Huntington: That’s what’s cool about the job to be honest is you’re challenged every day you go to set. You’re always challenged by this wonderful material, this material that makes you really, really think.

And you know it forces you to just basically become a better actor. I had several moments this year where I got to places emotionally that I’d never gotten to before on a set.

Sam Witwer: Yeah, the real challenge I think this year was, we’ve lived with these characters for a season now and so it’s like okay, what can we show – what new sides of this character can we show?

I talked about how last year we had the tremendous luxury of going in and not really doing a pilot, just going in and knowing that we had 13 episodes. So we could be leisurely about when we were going to show certain sides of the character.

When you do a pilot you’re trying to sell the pilot, sell the character, sell this, sell that. So you’re trying to show them as much as you can. But because we didn’t do that I felt that – we all felt just sort of patient.

Like okay, well I’m not going to show you anything in the first episode, how about that?

Sam Huntington: Or I’m going to show you this little piece and I’m going to do the best job I can at this one bit, you know?

Sam Witwer: This one little thing and later on you knew that there were going to be opportunities to show more and more of the character and so this year it’s – we’ve established the characters pretty thoroughly last year.

And so this year it’s like okay well what new can we show you? And I feel pretty confident that all three of us you’re going to see – well not pretty confident – we’ve all seen like nine episodes so far.

We do get to know these different sides of these characters in big ways. And the other big challenge this year is that we shot everything a little bit faster.

You guys have a full season behind you. Playing these characters, do you have any input in terms of plot points or the direction of where each character is going to go?

Sam Huntington: No.

Meaghan Rath: No, not at all.

Sam Witwer: Well with a caveat. If we get far enough behind yes we do.

And I felt like I had quite a bit of input by the end but that was really – that wasn’t necessarily out of design it was more necessity. There were problems that needed to be solved and as – you know all three of us while we’re not responsible for the macro shape of the show, we do at this point, I think we can safely say we know our characters better than anyone.

So there was for me, I can’t speak for Sammy and Meaghan but there was for me a little bit of diving in and helping solve certain problems and saying hey, listen, here’s what Aidan would do, you know?

Sam Huntington: Yeah, I mean there were moments that you’re like you know you have you know very minimal but a certain amount of contact with our writers, the show runners and so if you have a question or something you can always ask or if you have a concern sometimes it gets listened to.

But yeah, I mean generally speaking they make the – Sam said it right, you know on a macro level they kind of – they pilot the ship.

Sam Witwer: They do and they do a really good job of coming up with really interesting turns and twists.

How long did it take you guys to shoot this season?  How many hour days did you have?

Meaghan Rath: It took about five months, we started in July and finished in December. And the days can go pretty long, sometimes 14, 15 hours depending on the day, depending what point we are in the schedule, how behind we are?

Sam Witwer: Your occasional 18, 19 hour they throw in. But there were more of those 18, 19 hour days last year than there were this year.

Being Human was originally a British show. Have any of you have watched it and do you feel this coming season is a chance to break away from the original? 

Sam Witwer: We as actors we didn’t watch the British series when we were shooting our first season because we wanted to do our own thing. We wanted to make sure that ours was its own animal.

And then afterward we watched it. We watched everything. I love their show and I truly dig on it and I got Sammy and Meaghan started by buying them the box sets for season one and they watched it since then, watched more of it since then.

And you know we’re all into it, but the writers, our writers hate it. No just kidding. Our writers, no our writers for the same reason that we avoided watching season one, they’ve avoided watching season two because they want season two to be its own animal.

So any – there is a little bit of cross over here and there in terms of things happening sometimes in similar ways. But it’s really coincidental considering our writers didn’t even know. So it’s interesting, whenever something would happen that was similar I’d read it in the script and kind of laugh.

Because they have no idea, but you know it’s for the most part extremely different.

I got a chance to talk with him on a conference call where he chatted about Season 3 of Archer, how he does a lot of yelling as the character, hidden references in the show and Burt Reynolds.

Archer airs on Thursdays at 10 on FX

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download it from iTunes

You’ve been the voicing ‘Sterling Archer’ for quite a while now. What’s your favorite thing about voicing the character?  What do you like best about him?

Jon: I like the way he looks.  He’s handsome.  That’s a big advantage.  I’m not so handsome, and I like all the stuff I get to say, obviously.  I like being rude, and it gives me a good opportunity to do that. 

How did you get the part?

Jon: It’s not a great story.  Adam Reed, the creator of Archer, God rest his soul [said jokingly], he called me—I think he had heard me do some other work on Adult Swim Shows, and he called me to read the part.  I don’t know if other people had been asked.  I don’t know if I was first choice or like literally last resort—probably last resort, right?  Right?

So, yes, and then I accepted and then it worked out well.  But I was tentative because I didn’t think I could pull off a spy.  If you knew me, you’d know all the reasons why.

How did the casting Burt Reynolds come  about?

Jon: Which Burt Reynolds thing? Wait, he was in it? Oh.  Man, no one tells me anything about this ….  That’s great.  I can’t believe he’s still doing stuff.  He should take a break.  It’s been like 60 years.  Like just stop.  I think, they mentioned him—I think it was the natural—well, not the natural progression, but ‘Archer’s’ obviously referenced Burt Reynolds a lot, so I’m sure it popped into Adam Reed’s head to just to try and cast him.  It’s funny that I shouldn’t be calling like these people and you must think like they’ll never do it and then they’re probably like, “Of course, I’ll do it.”

How much improve or ad-libbing do you get to do on the show?  

Jon: Very little.  There is not a lot of room.  The scripts are tightly written and he encourages sometimes on occasion, he’ll be like do you want to add anything, and I’ll say no.  So it’s not the same kind of production as Bob’s Burgers, which is a lot improvising all the time, but the scripts don’t really require it.

As Archer, you seem to do a lot of yelling, which must get tiring at some point.  Has there ever been a point where you wish a few of the scripts just has ‘Archer’ whispering and not talking at all?

Jon: I would love to in parentheses ….  Just once.  It is, and I have to say, like I recently, whenever I finish—it’s not grueling or anything, but my vocal cords don’t recover for like a day after an Archer session.  So they owe me.  And it’s not like I’m at war, but it’s hard on the throat.  But, yes, I would like to do … someday.

One thing that is great about the show are those hidden references like to “Bartleby the Scrivener” or “Lord of the Rings,” things of that nature.  But some of them are pretty obscure like I have to bring up my computer and Google things while I’m watching.

Jon: Yes.  I occasionally do as well.

Jon: There’s like a 50/50 ratio of me knowing and me not, but I’m always getting questions about that, and occasionally I don’t have the answer.  I forgot to check.  Fortunately, I’ve read some Melville, so that’s good, and some …, so I knew a couple, but there is some stuff like the guy who invented or who started eugenics—I didn’t know that was him.  So I’ll oftentimes be asked what …, and the first season I always got the question about Jonny Bench or … that was said, which I did not know about him, or why—a lot of people asked me why did you say that.  Nobody knew, but it’s a relatively educational show.

Do you think that ‘Archer’ will finally get his happiness and what will that look like?

Jon: Well, I don’t think it would behoove the show for him to be happy, so I assume that will be avoided.  I think, by nature, he’s like a troubled character, so I don’t think he’ll ever be happy, but I got asked this recently, and I think my stock answer was that if his mother died, I’m not sure he’d be happy, but it would change everything for him and maybe he’d be happy.  So there is some—I guess that’s not…, but I just think that his mother created a lot of problems.

Besides ‘Archer’s’ strong jaw line and dashing good looks, what other qualities do you feel you share with your character?

Jon: Besides those.  Well, obviously, personality wise, I can be a little shrilly, and that comes from the way I look and just having to go out in public is a struggle.  So, yes, I think that my tension for anger and my general attitude—poor attitude—and failure to recognize authority and my sense of entitlement in my life and being American and white and rich, those things I share.  And I drink a lot in real life.

Do you record as a group for Archer and if so, do you have a preference as to recording along or with the whole cast?

Jon: I don’t.  It’s much more efficient to record alone, obviously, so Archer is quicker to do, which is a benefit, I guess, if I wanted to go shopping.  It doesn’t take as long—it’s not as long of a process, but there are occasions when being amongst a group of people is a benefit for the show—not for me but for the show.  So, it just kind of depends on the day, I guess.  I have done, I think, once I recorded Archer and then had to go record Bob’s Burgers or vice versa, and that day was too long.

Do you prefer doing voice work or are you also planning on branching more into acting?

Jon: Well, we are waiting to hear if this comedy central show that I did is going to get a second season.  I hope that it does.  I liked doing it a lot.  But, you know, voice work right now is predominantly what I do.  But it took a year to make that show, and it was a lot of work, but I enjoyed it, so I would probably like to do more stuff on camera, but with this …, it doesn’t bode well.

What was it like to have a little more of those serious moments like when ‘Archer’ got cancer and when his wife was murdered.  Was it a bit more challenging or was it something you were waiting for?

Jon: Well, it’s always sort of difficult to—I don’t know—I can’t discern anything about acting when you’re doing—there’s acting when you’re doing voice overs, but it was definitely strange to do that.  It’s always odd when you have to like cry or something—like for real, when he was like, whatever—your woman dies or something and you’re crying.  It’s so easy to do a … but it’s weird to—like I’d always be was that terrible?  It’s not like a movie, I guess, where everybody’s standing around and people are watching and you really got to do it.  There’s something odd—very false about just standing in front of a microphone.  So hopefully the cries are believable.  I actually cry.  I actually cried a couple of times ….

Introduced on an episode of Bones last season, the show stars Geoff Stults as Walter Sherman, an Iraqi war veteran who gained a reputation as being the go-to guy for tracking down insurgents, deserters and improvised explosive devices. Except for that one time when he missed that IED and it exploded in front of him, resulting in severe brain damage that gave him lasting side effect: transforming him into a finder.

I joined Stults (7th Heaven, October Road, Happy Town) and creator Hart Hanson on a conference call where they talked about how he was cast in the role, the show and working with Co-Star, Michael Clarke Duncan.

The Finder airs on Thursdays at 9/8c on FOX

Geoff, can you talk a little bit about your character’s background and what you think makes him tick? 

Geoff Stults: Well, at the root of Walter, he’s a former military policeman who suffered a little brain trauma when he was serving in Iraq, so that’s what allows us the entry point into the series and also into Walter.  We certainly think it’s very important to hardenize it and in no way are we trying to make light of PTSD and those people that actually suffer from it because it’s a very real disease and a very real problem for our troops and other people for many other reasons.  But it allows us this really interesting dramatic license too, it’s like the focal point for all these different things that Walter does. 

And his PTSD, it manifests itself into a little bit of a, he lacks social grace.  He’s a little paranoid.  He’s not very trusting of people.  And he isn’t the perfect dinner guest, but he’s fun.  If he’s thinking in terms of what he may say, he never intends to be insulting, but it’s just matter of fact to him.  And those kind of behaviors will get you in trouble, but they’re also really fun to watch if we do it in a way that we’ve done it, that Hart has done it and the rest of the writers, which is in a way that is light-hearted and entertaining and fun.   

How did you get the part? Was it just a regular audition?  

Geoff Stults: It turns out that Hart has had this long-time man crush on me that none of us knew about.  And it’s just like the weirdest thing when I finally went in the room, he threw himself at me, and it was awkward, so I felt bad and I was like all right, I’ll do this. 

The way it really happened was—

Hart Hanson: I like that version.  I think we should go with that. 

Geoff Stults: It was a great version.  I had met with Hart.  The long story short is that I was a little apprehensive after coming off of a couple of dramas that it’s just an interesting lifestyle.  It’s definitely, you live there when you’re the lead of the show.  And I made a decision that I was only going to do a half hour.  So when this got sent my way, I didn’t read it and it got sent my way again and the casting director had been a fan of mine and had been helpful to me in my career and asked me to read it as a favor to him.  He just said, “If you like this at all, just do me the favor and sit down with Hart Hanson.”  I was like. “Who the F is Hart Hanson?” 

So I read it and I was like, ah, man, I like this.  All right I’ll at least meet with him.  I purposely grew out a beard.  I didn’t shave.  I tried to look as rough as I could because my goal was to walk in there and have Hart be like “this isn’t the guy.”  And everything I did backfired on me. 

I need to probably take that technique into more of my career, just like that episode in Seinfeld when George Castanza realizes that every decision he makes is wrong, so he has to start going with the exact opposite of his gut reactions, so that’s kind of what happened.  And the next thing you know we’re doing a show together. 

What happened with the Saffron Burrows character and how you did you phase her out after the pilot?

Hart Hanson: Well, we really didn’t.  If it was a normal pilot, if we’d done the show as a normal pilot, then what we would have done is looked at it and decided what changes we were going to make and do a bunch of re-shoots; and the world would never have known or it would have been a byline that we’ve made casting changes.  You’ve seen that many times.  In our case everything we did was out in public and we had no time because our, I’m hooking my fingers…, “pilot,” was a special episode of Bones.  So there was just no chance of that happening, and the decisions were made after the pilot aired, the spin-off crossover pilot aired. 

So poor Saffron was in the unenviable position of everyone seeing her and then now we’re going to wonder where she was and it’s a good question.  The reasons decisions are made are spread over a studio and network, lots of arguing and lots of fighting that I’m not really too interested in getting into. 

But in the end the decision was made to go in a different direction to expand the show with two characters instead of the one character, Ike, and we made the change.  We never explained the change in our series.  We never say what ever happened to that woman who used to be here.  We just move on, so it’s just one of the costs of doing the show the way we did it.  Did that answer your question? 

How does The Finder stand on its own? 

Geoff Stults: It’s a little quirkier I would say.  The actors on Bones are smarter than the actors on The Finder.  We couldn’t even say the words that the actors on Bones do, so we have to have a lot more action to fill in for the lack of intelligence ….  So there’s one difference there and it only begins there. 

Hart, actually can you describe the origins of this series creatively and why did you cast Geoff? 

Geoff Stults: It’s a great question.

Hart Hanson: I have an overall deal with 20^th Century Fox TV.  I owe them a pilot each year.  I was actually thinking this year of trying to weasel out of it; I’m busy on Bones and everything.  One of the executives at 20^th Century Fox, Lisa Katz, brought me a novel called The Locator by Richard Greener and they sucked me in.  First she said, “Do you think this would make a good series?  How do you think it would make a good series?  Why don’t you just write the pilot?  How about you just produce the pilot?  How about you just get the series up and running?”  I thought it was a very, very clean way into a network series that a guy who can find anything.  Everyone is always looking for a way to do a PI series and no one wants to do a PI series, and I just jumped at the chance to do that.

Casting Geoff was in a way very much like casting Michael Clarke Duncan.  I had a darker, quieter more internal character in mind when I first wrote the piece, just someone not as voluble, not someone who was as accessible.  Geoff came in for his meeting and I don’t know if you’ve seen Geoff Stults in person, but he’s very tall and ridiculously good looking.  And he came through the door—

Geoff Stults: Go on, go on. 

Hart Hanson: He came in to meet with us.  He wasn’t going to read.  He was going to meet with us and he had his beard.  He looked like Mountain Man.  And the first thing I thought was, oh, man, I already cast Leo.  This guy would have been perfect.  About 30 seconds in—this just sounds like I’m kissing Geoff’s butt, you know when you’re with a leading man.  I’m an old fart in this business and there are actors and there are leading men and there are leading men who are actors.  If you get that number three, you know what, you jump at number two.  You get a leading man who can’t act, you jump at that guy.  You get a leading man who can act and you’d do anything to get them.

And then the third element was that Geoff, he’s a very good looking guy, he could just get along on that.  He’s self-deprecating.  He’s funny and he’s goofy when he wants to be.  And all of a sudden I started right in that meeting five minutes in I think I grabbed Dan Sackheim, our directing producer on the show, was sitting next to me.  I think I grabbed his knee and started squeezing because we’d been casting for a long time and it’s a very difficult process.  And I just thought this guy is a TV star.  He will be funny.  I honestly thought he was a mix between Tom Selleck and Timothy Olyphant and what TV guy would not run at him.

So Geoff is right, hearts came out of my eyes and I really wanted him to come and be Walter.  And if The Finder doesn’t work and Geoff is out of work, I heartily recommend that someone else immediately make him a star.  He’s a big TV star. 

Geoff, I know you worked with Michael Clarke Duncan before in D.E.B.S.  Can you describe briefly the chemistry between you guys? 

Geoff Stults: You mean my twin brother?  I’ve known Mike for a long time. We did D.E.B.S. together.  He was coming off of a giant thing and I was at that point D.E.B.S. was my biggest job yet.  I had no idea what was going on.  I didn’t even know of really like where to stand or what a DP, I didn’t know what a grip was.  I didn’t know what a DP was. I just knew that there were four hot girls in that movie and I wanted to do it. 

So Mike showed me the ropes a little bit.  All we did the whole time was laugh like junior high kids; we got separated by the director.  We got yelled at for not being able to stop laughing.  And once I figured out that I could get him laughing, because he is a …, he is a giant kid.  He has a giant sense of humor and he likes to laugh.  He’s a goof ball and it’s the easiest thing in the world to just get him going.  And he likes to tease people and I mess with him like he is my big brother.  I like to annoy him.  It’s like we grew up together and he gets mad and he laughs, so we have a lot of fun. 

In a network drama, the days get long and you have to be able to get along with people you work with.  And for me, it’s just very important for me to laugh and have fun and I want it to be an enjoyable experience from the lowliest day … crew member on up to our senior Hart Hanson, and we all have fun and I try to set that tone and he’s right there with me.  He ….

How do you find the right mix of light and dark to make the show fun, but at the same time keep the stakes seeming real? 

Hart Hanson: You just put your thumb on the gaping open wound of our everyday existence on The Finder.  It’s a juggling.  It’s a tough go and we have tons of debate about almost every scene at every level.  Is this working?  If you raise the stakes too much, does it make this scene not funny anymore?  How much lightheartedness can you get away with before the story becomes too light to sustain over 43 minutes?  All I can tell you is it’s what we wrestle with on The Finder. 

We always had the equivalent on Bones, too.  For example, we found out in the first season of Bones, that if the remains were of a child, you weren’t going to have a very funny episode and in The Finder there are certain moments. 

And you’ll tell us at the end of 13 episodes if we were successful in juggling a sentimental and melancholy or dramatic scenes with the lightheartedness of our characters trying to find things.  But if we do this right, and I hope we are in every episode, people find things they don’t want to find, and that’s the world Walter lives in.  And that’s why he’s a bit callous about it.  People think they want something, but they don’t.  They want something else and he’s always blundering into that.  He’s very literal.

Jamie Pressly

The two play best friends who were bullied in high school and now, as single moms, have found out that they are raising daughters to be just like the girls that used to menace them.

Jamie was looking to return to TV but was looking for a “multi-camera format” and wanted her character to be completely different than her Emmy-Winning role as Joy in My Name Is Earl.

Katie had just had a baby and thought that the sitcom format was the best schedule for her to raise a family.

The two talk about how they got their parts, Katie’s transition from Broadway to TV and what they think of the title of the show

I hate My Teenage Daughter airs at 9:30/8:30c on FOX

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download it from iTunes  For both of you—what was it about the premise of the show and about your characters in particular that made you want to participate?

Jamie Pressly: I can say for me it was—in order for me to come back to TV, being that Earl  is still on and that character, Joy, was such  strong character, I have to be able to play something that was completely opposite of her so that everybody didn’t think I was playing a different version of her.  And this character is definitely that.

She comes from a religious background and a military father, is completely unaware of anything that has to do with pop culture, and she had her daughter when she was in college and is really kind of the more grounded one, but, is quite quirky and a bit of a dork.  Both characters are a bit of goof-balls. 

But, I also like the relationship between the two of us—myself and Katie—Nicki and Annie—because, that’s really what this show is about.  Because as a single mom, myself, I know that I couldn’t do what I do without the support of my friends and my best friend since I was five is named Katie Mack and when I met Katie Finneran they were so similar, it just kind of felt like the right fit.

Katie Finneran: I just love the sitcom format.  I think there is so much comfort in it.  I loved watching sitcoms growing up.   I love that it was about best friends—Laverne & Shirley was like my favorite show growing up.  I’m dating myself again.  I am a healthy 40-year-old woman and I enjoy Laverne & Shirley.  There you have it.

I really wanted to do a sitcom because I had just had a baby.  When I auditioned, my baby was four days old when I auditioned, and I knew that that format would be the greatest schedule for me to raise a family.  And also, I just always feel silly when I play doctors or very serious roles.  I can do it and I enjoy working in any capacity, but when I have to say, “He had a thrompoctomy” and the seriousness and somebody dies, I just always want to giggle behind my surgery mask. 

What do you all think of the title of the show?

Katie Finneran: Love it.  We love the title.

Jamie Pressly: I think it’s great because, for one thing, it’s grabbing people’s attention one way or the other.  Whether it’s upsetting them, or they like it and they agree with it, it’s grabbing people’s attention and that was the point of it in the first place.  And it’s like Katie always says, we’re just saying it for you, ‘cause it’s a moment that everybody that as a parent has actually had where they actually just want to say, oh, my God, I hate my teenager.  But, you don’t really.  You just, on occasion, they can do things that make you want to want crawl into a fetal position.

Katie, talk about the transition from Broadway to TV.

Katie Finneran: It’s fantastic.  I love that it’s, again, it’s the sitcom format, because it’s so similar.  There’s an audience.  We rehearse it like a play.  It changes more than a play would every day and we get new lines every single day, but sometimes when you’re doing a new play it changes a lot, too.  But, I take so much comfort in it because I am most comfortable in front of an audience.  

So, when we’re doing the sitcom, it’s the same arena.  We know something works because the audience laughs or doesn’t laugh and it’s very comforting.  It’s a really easy transition.  Like I said, I’m most nervous when I have to perform a surgery or do some deposition and there’s a camera there and I’m missing my light and I miss my mark and nothing works.  But, this is very, very familiar to me because it’s so similar.

Jaime, your character is significantly differently than it was on Earl.  How would that transition for you?

Jamie Pressly: It’s been incredible to be allowed to play a character against type.  People in this business, you can be pigeon-holed very easily.  If people see that you’re good at doing something, they either assume that that’s all you can do, or they assume oh, that’s just who she is.   And so, it’s been really great to be able to venture out and do something different and show that I can do something different. 

But for me, again, I love the sitcom format as well. I love to be in front of the audience and to see what works and what doesn’t work right away, so that by the time it airs, it’s really, really funny. We know it’s going to work because we shot it in front of the audience, and if it didn’t work in the audience, they change it right then and there.  We make sure that we get the jokes right. 

So, it’s nice to kind of have that assurance that by the time it airs it’s going to be really good.  But, also, to be able to have this kind of a schedule when both of us—Katie and I – are both used to such very, very, very rigorous, long, grueling hours—seventeen hour days with a single camera or her with theater if’s very, very long hours and it’s really difficult to be a part of a family and raise a family, because the people you work with become your family.  You’re with them more than you are with your actual family at home.  So, it’s been really nice to be able to have a sense of normalcy in my life and be able to take my son to school in the mornings.

In the pilot there’s references to you guys having mean girls as daughters. So, what were you guys in high school?

Katie Finneran: I was kind of a good girl.  I was the designated driver. I drove all of my friends around but I was, you’re always trying to keep up with who’s the coolest and you’re always feeling like you’re out of place.  I think even the cool people feel that way.  Even the mean girl’s are always feeling out of place.  It always comes from insecurity.  Jaime on the other hand…

Jamie Pressly: I was getting ready to say that, it’s the insecurity that makes them act as cool as they are, you know, or as cool as they do. 

Katie Finneran: But, Jaime, on the other hand was actually cool.  Jaime actually was cool.

Jamie Pressly: Both Katie and I got along with every group, though.  That was the thing in which we are both very similar.  We could hang our really in any group and we both were very much a part of the theater and I was a dancer my whole life and my mom was with the performing arts department so, I was always in either in the plays or there while she was choreographing the plays.  And Katie, of course was in the plays. 

But as far as the whole fitting in thing, I don’t think anybody, like Katie said, ever really feels like they completely fit in in that age group, because it’s all, those are your formative years and it’s all about figuring out yourself and what you like and don’t like and what kind of style you’re going to dress yourself in.  You know, trying new things and so my mother, my experience was a little different because I went to my freshman year in North Carolina and then moved to California, went to my first semester my sophomore year and then I left and went to Japan on a contract so, I came back and didn’t exactly have the same experience.  But, all my friends were still there and I did get to go to a dance or two, thank God. 

How did you guys come to get these roles?  Did you have to audition in front of all the executives?

Jamie Pressly: Katie actually got it first.

Katie Finneran: I got a phone call from when I was in the hospital bed.  It was about three days after my cesarean for my son and they called and said, you know, “Warner Brothers would like to see you for this show. Would you please, put yourself on tape?”  And my husband looked at me and I was all swollen from the surgery and he said, “Well we can shoot her from the chin up.” 

I auditioned from chin up and Warner Brothers decided that they wanted to work with me and then wanted to fly me in to meet with FOX.  And then, it was FOX and they decided to it was a good fit and Sherry Bilsing-Graham and Ellen Kreamer decided it was a good fit and then they threw me in with Jaime and it was all like a good marriage.

Jamie Pressly: Yes, my very first series was actually with Warner Brothers and Peter Roth. And Peter Roth called me up and said, “Jaime, I got this show for you.”  My thing, again, that I said earlier, I wanted to come back to TV, but I wanted it to be in a multi-camera sitcom format.  And I also wanted it to be a character that was completely different—that I didn’t think anybody had seen me play before.  Because Joy is still on the air seven days a week, I needed it to be very different from her.  

He said, “I’ve got a script for you. I’m sending it to you.  They’re messengering it today.”  I read it; called him right back and said “I love it.”  Went and met with FOX and Katie was there.  And, she and I hit it off right off the bat.  And that was that.  It just was a natural fit from the get-go.

Jaime, Katie is this Broadway powerhouse, have you ever thought of doing a play or musical?

Jamie Pressly: Absolutely.  And I will. It’s just difficult when you have a kid.  You know, in my twenties, I was travelling and doing films a lot and I did quite a bit of TV and then I think I went to China for five months on a film, came back and started Earl.  Did that for four years and in the process of that show, I had Desi, my son.

So, when you have a kid, it’s kind of; some people have no problems picking up and leaving and taking their kid with them all over the world.  I personally, didn’t want to do that to my son. So, I chose to stay on television.  I love doing television.  And so, one day, when he is old enough, I will definitely go and do Broadway, when I have time.

Paul Ben-Victor

He’s been approached by producers at Hollywood restaurants who start pitching him potential franchise projects, thinking he’s the man who green-lit Aquaman (from his role on Entourage) and he’s had connected goodfellas buy him a glass of chianti at nightclubs out of respect, thinking he’s the Greek who controls the Port (his role on The Wire). 

Over the last six years, Ben-Victor found himself cast in important roles on HBO shows The Wire, Entourage and John from Cincinnati (simultaneously) as well as making appearances on a slew of other shows like My Name is Earl and Everybody Hates Chris.  

Most recently Ben-Victor has done 5 seasons on USA’s In Plain Sight and soon you’ll be seeing him in a leading role in the new movie Should’ve Been Romeo, which he co-wrote, produced and is a labor of love for him.

I recently took Ben-Victor to small claims court over a frivolous dispute I made up (he’s so busy it was the only way I could get him to sit down for an interview with me, or rather to sit across from me in front of a clerk and judge). When the judge ordered all claimants and defendants to try and mediate, I got to go toe-to-toe with the chameleon character actor himself. 

Ben-Victor’s got a deep, low baritone voice with great resonance that is soothing.  I’ll let his answers speak for themselves.  

Meoli: Should’ve Been Romeo is an indy film you describe as Little Miss Sunshine meets Tootsie.  Tell me where you got the idea for this film and the characters?

Paul Ben-Victor: You’re a total wise-ass, you know that.  Can’t believe you waste my time like this.  Had to reschedule my Payless Shoes voiceover session for this. 

Meoli:  The judge said this is the time where we should answer each others questions…

Paul Ben-Victor:  Do you know how many court scenes I’ve done in episodics?   Didn’t need another.

Meoli: So Michael Goldberg wrote Should’ve Been Romeo with you?

Paul Ben-Victor: We wrote the story together,  he’s a brilliant story guy, he wrote Snow Dogs and Cool Runnings.

Meoli:  There was another writer as well, right?

Paul Ben-Victor: My Mother.

Meoli: Don’t kid we’ve only got a few minutes before we have to go back in there.

Paul Ben-Victor:  Not kidding, my mom is a brilliant writer and we wrote the movie together and then I asked my childhood friend Marc Bennett to direct it.

Meoli:  Seriously?

Paul Ben-Victor:  I checked the claim why you’re suing me.  You actually accused me of not returning your oven?  

Meoli: Improvised…

Paul Ben-Victor: Your stove oven?  Who does that…?

Meoli: This cast you got for your Romeo short is truly diverse.

Paul Ben-Victor: It’s a feature numb-nuts…

Meoli:  Speaking of nuts, what gave you the cajones to offer Kelly Osborne her first film role?

Paul Ben-Victor: Know who Mary Vernieu is?

Meoli: She’s an incredible casting director…

Paul Ben-Victor: She agreed to come on board. She brought Kelly in to read.  Kelly had such a fresh take – her english accent gave the character such a wonderful flavor and Kelly brought her own brand of humor to the role.

Meoli: I’m kinda over the English actors…

Paul Ben-Victor: You’re an idiot.  Do we actually have to go back in there and have this case heard?

Meoli: Not if you return the oven you stole from me.

Paul Ben-Victor:  OK,  now you’re scaring me…

Meoli:  The cast in your movie is impressive.

Paul Ben-Victor: Ed Asner, Carol Kane.  Got a bunch of my good friends on-board to help me out like Michael Rapaport, Natasha Henstridge, Mary McCormack,  Evan Handler and others…

Meoli: I was available too, you know…

Paul Ben-Victor: You’re in the movie.

Meoli: Thank you by the way for that …

Paul Ben-Victor: You see the iphone in my hand? I’m unfriending you as we speak.

Meoli: You know what I say about you to most people. Great work ethic.  Paul Ben-Victor will perform on any stage, even one for the county Superior court of Los Angeles.

Paul Ben-Victor: This interview’s over…

Meoli: What goals have changed for you over the years? How has your path changed the way you view the business and your role as an actor?

Paul Ben-Victor: I’ve always taken it one job at a time – I take what comes next. Perhaps I should’ve been more picky with some earlier jobs but a man’s got to eat. I have dreams as much as the next guy but I didn’t really set out to get to a certain place.  I look back and I see a path– how it all connected somehow, but I didn’t really have a plan. I just worked really hard and dove into each job head first and I hoped for the best. I just keep going and I don’t really look back.

Meoli: I’m dropping the charges. You’re cool. As in, you have that thing that attracts people to you, makes them want to know more about you.

Paul Ben-Victor: No let’s do this. Need to fine tune my lawyer moves, (ala Pacino from And Justice for All ) “You’re out of order! You’re out of order! The whole trial is out of order! They’re out of order!”

Meoli: You never stop working do you?

Paul Ben-Victor: Never.

Meoli: I could see if we can get an extension and move this to The Peoples Court.  I think it’s scale + 10!

Paul Ben-Victor: Not a chance.

Paul Ben-Victor stars in the upcoming Should’ve Been Romeo.  Find out more at http://romeothemovie.com.

Christian Meoli is a freelance journalist as well as actor/producer.  Follow him on Twitter @christianmeoli. 

As Russell Edgington, he made the show 10 times more fun to watch with his portrayal of the Vampire King of Mississippi. From there he went back to Broadway in Elling and now, he’s starring in FX’s American Horror Story. He plays Larry the Burn Guy, a man who was disfigured in a fire started by his wife when he revealed his love for the neighbor, Constance (Jessica Lange).

In this Q&A, Denis talks about the make-up process for the show, how he got the part and how he’s “addicted” to theatre.

Follow Denis on Twitter!

American Horror Story airs on Wednesdays at 10pm on FX

For more American Horror Story, check out our interview with Dylan McDermott and Connie Britton

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download it from iTunes

You’re playing such a dark character, and a lot of times actors say that you have to like who you’re playing to be able to play that character convincingly.  Do you like anything about your character, and how do you connect with him?

Denis O’Hare: You know, it’s funny.  I love this character, and I love him because I feel like he is engaged in a sort of timeless epic struggle.  And I see him as kind of a Dante-esque figure.  He’s somebody who is trapped in a circle of hell, and he’s trying to work his way out.  And he’s a human being who’s flawed, and he’s obviously weak, and he’s given into temptation and made bad choices. 

But through that all he’s still got this sort of, I don’t know, passion and dream to achieve something.  And he’s—it’s an odd character.  Like no other character I’ve ever played in my life, I find that I have to reach for a metaphor to describe him.  I have an innate sense of who he is, and when I’m playing him it’s all very instinctual.  But to describe it I find myself running to literature, and so I think it’s sort of like Igor in the Frankenstein mythology, or an amanuensis in some other mythologies, or a psychopomp as they call them sometimes, somebody who traffics between worlds.  And it’s a really odd, beautiful character. 

You seem to really be able to lose yourself in every role you play.  You’re so great all the time, but it always takes a minute to go, “Oh, it’s him!” because you’ve become that character so incredibly.  How does that happen with you?

Denis O’Hare: Well, part of it is the richness of the character.  A part of the reason I’m drawn to characters like this guy, or like ‘Russell Edgington,’ or like even the guys like ‘John Briggs’ in Milk, is that they’re sharply etched, and they’re clearly defined.  And so I, as an actor, have an easier task. 

I know where I’m going, and if you add to it an aspect that’s larger than life like someone like ‘Russell Edgington’ who’s 2800 years old, or someone like ‘Larry’ who’s got a very severe physical deformity, it takes away part of your resistance as an actor, and you simply give over to the character’s features and the character’s characteristics.  You know, Ryan [Murphy] wanted me to have a wooded arm and sort of a limp.  So the minute you start putting these things on you feel different and you feel like someone else, and that then forms everything.

What is it that you like and dislike about genre work like American Horror Story and True Blood?

Denis O’Hare: I guess I didn’t even know the word genre until I did True Blood.  That’s how naïve I was, and I didn’t realize that there was a point of view about certain types of TV.  And so I guess I found it disappointing that there is a segment of the critical community that looks at genre as something that is separate, less than.  And especially when it comes to something like the awards I find it kind of baffling that True Blood has been snubbed so many times given the incredible range of acting they have on there, I mean, incredible storytelling and the incredible production values. 

So I guess I’ve been a little shocked at the prejudice that exists even by having a word called genre.  What I love about it is that it, like sci-fi, is truly imaginative.  And I guess I’m kid at heart in that when I go for entertainment.  I want to be totally transported.  I want to go somewhere else, I want to encounter different things, different beings, different universes.  And so I love that aspect of being able to play those things in both True Blood and in American Horror Story. 

How did the role come to you?

Denis O’Hare: Fairly suddenly and without warning.  I received a phone call, my agent got a phone call from Ryan Murphy saying he wanted to talk to me.  And my agent said, “I can’t tell you what.  I just know that he wants to talk to you.”  And I said, “Well of course I’m going to take his phone call.” 

And he basically outlined American Horror Story for me and said that there’s a character named ‘Larry the Burn Guy,’ and I’d like you to play it. Couldn’t tell me whole lot about where ‘Larry’ was going to go, but he sent me the pilot which I read over the weekend, and we were supposed to begin on Monday and he said, “Do you want to do this?” and I said, “Absolutely, I’d love to do it.”  And that was it.  We made the deal, and we moved on. 

It was very unusual, and that was my understanding is that’s how Ryan operates.  He tends to be very to the point.  He decides what he wants, and he goes after it and gets it, and I loved it.

There are so many schools of acting from Stanislavski Method to Laurence Olivier’s, “It’s all just pretend, dear boy.”  What is your process, and how did you apply it to creating ‘Larry’?

Denis O’Hare: I mean, I’m a Stanislavski actor.  I was trained at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois—Evanston, rather.  The tradition I come from is a form of Stanislavski, which means that you are looking simultaneously at the text and looking for clues beneath the words.  And you’re also doing an imaginative exercise where you’re thinking about what’s happening in this world, what’s happening after this moment, what’s happening before this moment, where have I come from, what is the entire history behind this moment? 

And with a character like ‘Larry’ there’s so much to draw on.  And the challenge, of course, is that I’m not always up to speed about what is true and what’s a lie.  And I’ve had a shocking conversation from Ryan about a month ago where we’re talking about where ‘Larry’ was headed, and given last night’s episode he said to me, “Well, we’ll find out that everything ‘Larry’ said is a lie.”  As an actor you’re kind of like, “Oh, so all the things I’ve been playing are a lie” which is kind of genius on one hand, because actors with too much information can be very dangerous creatures. 

So it’s nice to not have all the information but to simply play what I think is happening in front of me.  It’s certainly what deluded people do, and many of these characters are deluded.  So it’s kind of nice to be in the same boat as they are. 

‘Larry’ looks so completely scary.  Can you  talk about the transformational process that you have to undergo to turn out looking as a burn victim?

Denis O’Hare: Yes, it’s funny… I was noticing last night that they actually favored my right side, my face, a lot in that episode, and we didn’t actually see a whole lot of the burned part, which I found very interesting.  It’s a trick when you’re shooting to try to figure out how…which side do you favor.  Makeup takes about three and a half hours, and it’s this great company that works with American Horror Story.  Christien Tinsley is the name of the company, and a guy named Mike Mekash is my primary makeup artist, and he’s just fantastic. 

And it’s a long process, obviously.  It’s multi-layered appliances, and then there’s a lot of painting, a lot of hand painting, and then there’s a wig involved, and then that goes on.  And then the hand has to be cinched in, and the hand gets makeup-ed.  And it’s exhausting, but it’s really great, because it allows me to sort of step down into the character gradually.  I don’t ever get chopped into shooting.  By the time I am shooting I am very well ready. 

You come from a long line of actors who are onscreen wearing a good deal of prosthetic make-up from Ron Chaney to Robert Englund.  That first time you’ve had the makeup one, how much time did it take for you to kind of get into that skin and realize the extent of what your facial expressions could be like and how far you can take it?

Denis O’Hare: There’s a—when you first put it on I was walking around the lot at Paramount in California, and I went to the cafeteria.  And it was very uncomfortable, because the makeup is so good, and it looks so real that people assumed I wasn’t an actor, they assumed that is was, “Oh, look at that poor guy.”  So people would sort of avert their eyes, or they would nod politely, and it’s a great exercise in exploring what the character’s daily reality must be like.  I found myself, and I find myself, not wanting to be in public. 

So when I’m shooting I tend to sit in my trailer alone and ask the … with me.  I tend not to—I don’t want to walk around, I don’t want to be gawked at.  It’s really weird, I just find myself in the position, I just, you know—not that I’m ashamed; I don’t want to be the freak show. 

And that’s a really interesting experience I didn’t expect to have.  It’s an intense thing.  I can only really smile on one side of my face, on the right side.  The left side is sort of locked down, and that creates a wonderful, wry, crooked expression.  I can—it’s funny, I have a few scenes where I’ve actually wept, and the left eye also weeps so, there is that.

You’ve done a ton of Broadway and obviously film and TV.  Does any one give you more satisfaction at the end of the day?

Denis O’Hare: You know, I think—I mean, I’m trained as a theater actor, and I’ve spent most of my life on stage, and I—the sort of immediacy and tight-wire act that theater acting is I’m addicted to.  That being said, there are things you can do in film and TV that you can not do in theater, and the subtlety in film and TV I really relish.  And the sort of outlandish effects you can do in film and TV I find attractive.  I, for instance, have never done this kind of makeup on a stage piece.  I’ve never done that before, and so I’ve only been afforded this sort of experience in TV and film, and I do love that.

I’m sure you don’t have to audition a lot anymore, but what’s probably been your worst audition where you just come out of the audition room and you’re like, “Ah.”

Denis O’Hare: It’s funny you should say that.  I don’t know if you know who James Morrison is.  He was an actor on 24.  He’s a lovely guy.  He made a documentary called Showing Up, and it is about the audition process, and he interviewed, I don’t know, 30 people. 

B.D. Wong is in it and Lois Smith and Stephen Spinella and tons of actors, Margo Martindale, talking about their worst experiences in auditions.  I’ve had a lot of them.  I tend to be a little feisty, and I’ve had fights in auditions with casting directors which I’m not proud of, and it didn’t serve me well.  But I—yes, I have a little bit of an Irish temper.  

Labrava has been working on the show since the beginning – but not as an actor; he was a technical adviser for before he was cast. And to add to his eclectic resume, he recently co-wrote episode 10 of the show, ‘Hands’, alongside Chris Collins and series creator Kurt Sutter.

Labrava talked to me bout how he went from technical adviser to cast member, how acting found him and how he’s moving towards directing.

Sons of Anarchy airs on Tuesdays at 10pm on FX

For more Sons of Anarchy, check out our interviews with Rockmond Dunbar, Theo Rossi, Winter Ave Zoli and Kristen Renton, Emilio Rivera and Christopher Douglas Reed.

I was reading your bio and it seems like you are a heavy writer.  What do you prefer to do more, write or act or direct?

David Labrava: I love writing.  I think writing and directing go hand in hand.  I’ve been writing and getting published since 1990 and I kind of fell into the acting, which is a lot, a lot of fun.  I enjoy acting, but I’m definitely pushing towards directing.  Did you have any formal training acting or how did this role come about for you?

David Labrava: I got hired to be the technical advisor and when Kurt [Sutter] came up to my area to get some technical advice on the motorcycle club world, I showed him that I was the man for job. And I wrote scripts and I asked him to let me have a chance when he cast the show.  I got cast on the show and then he gave me a real chance to write and here I am. 

Did you want always want to be an actor or was this just an opportunity that came about?

David Labrava: I actually, it seems like the Hollywood thing sort of found me a couple times because I wasn’t living here trying to do this at all.  I’m an artist.  I’m a tatoo artist and I went to school to paint and that sort of thing.  I started writing and getting published and I have to say I think every American kid grows up dreaming about being in the movies.  That’s completely normal for us. 

But I mostly wanted to be a writer in my life and then I got taught the script writing program and I got a chance to act and I have to say the acting is extremely fun, extremely vital.  It’s an incredible crew that I work with.  They all have a great appreciation for film.  Those people that you see, we do movie trivia all day long.  Like [Ron Perlman] knows all the way to black and white. 

I enjoy the acting.  I didn’t plan on that.  It sort of fell into me and I’m having a lot of fun with it, but I’m definitely moving towards directing because I’m naturally a writer.  And I think a good director edits, writes, has acted a little bit.  He’s done a little bit of everything and that’s what I’m trying to do. 

Would you star in any of the scripts you write or direct? 

David Labrava: I sold my own show to the network last year, which now we’re shopping around to cable and FX is very good to me to allow me to do that.  I also finished a feature film with a sequel we are shopping around now.  I might put myself in a cameo in any of those movies, but mostly I want to be behind the camera. 

Tell us a bit about ‘Happy’s’ back story that made him a natural in the killing department or do you think this is something he became good at?

David Labrava: I remember when Kurt [Sutter] explained to me why I was called ‘Happy.’  “Why didn’t you call me ‘Psycho’?”  He’s like, “No, because your name is ‘Happy,’ you’re an assassin for the club and you’re never happy.  It’s like ironic.” 

Happy’ is just soldier.  I look at ‘Happy,’ he’s got his aunt and he has his mom, but the real family to ‘Happy’ is that club.  Those are his brothers.  That’s his little world.  He’s there to do whatever.  He is an assassin for the club. 

This is s a TV show, you know what I mean, and his character is this guy who’s like, he’s ready to do whatever for the club, whatever it takes.  He’s gotten very good at it through time, that’s why he does lines like I’ll do this and I’ll do it very well and they know he will.  Like in the beginning when ‘Clay’ said, these guys are not killers.  That’s why they’re having problems with the cartel.  Like gun dealing is the extent of their ambitiousness and that’s why they have a guy like ‘Happy.’  Although ‘Clay’ has really emerged as evil personified for sure he has.  It’s ‘Happy’s’ calling to do whatever it takes that the club needs, which is a lot of time kill people. 

You’re working with some great, great actors.  Since you are new at it, how have they helped you grow as an actor or was it mostly you just kind of learned by watching them? 

David Labrava: Both, I learn by watching anything I do and these guys are wonderful, Tommy [Flanagan], Ron [Perlman], Charlie [Hunnam], all of them.  These people have extended themselves.  It’s exactly as I told Kurt [Sutter] when I asked him to let me have a shot at being on the show, I said I write.  That means I can see.  When he writes and he acts, he does everything, actually, but if you write and people ask me what acting school did I go to, I say I went to the school of let’s pretend.  It started when I was nine. 

Tommy [Flanagan], Charlie [Hunnam], these guys have helped me extensively.  These are great actors.  They have practiced their craft to the fullest and they’re great at it and they give me great input and I’m so very appreciative.

Fans of the show know that the Intersect is what initially gave Chuck all of his super-spy skills. At the end of last season, Chuck lost the Intersect and Morgan, by accident, acquired it.

Joshua Gomez plays Morgan and he said he found out about the change his character would go through right before shooting last season’s final episode. His first thought? “Oh boy, I’m dead.” After that initial reaction, he soon became excited and told me that he was eager to “change up and try new things” with the character.

Joshua talked to me on a conference call about the sudden turn of his character, shooting fight scenes and what he has lined up after he finishes Chuck.

Follow Joshua on Twitter!

Chuck airs on Fridays at 10pm on NBC

With this big change for Morgan and all the fighting you get to do now, how much training do you have to do before you have to film one of those scenes?

Joshua Gomez: Well there’s not much training, as I don’t know if most of you know, it’s like, we have about seven days to make an episode of Chuck. And our episodes are just, just dense, you know there’s so much to them. Just a lot of layers, you know, from, you know, actually trying to pull off action scenes and comedy scenes, and you know, it’s a very stylized show. And so, seven days is not a lot of time to do an hour show what with, you know, explosions and gun fights, and then, you know, things like that, so, and of course, you know, kung fu scenes.

So there’s not a lot of training, there’s not a lot of time.

And, you know, I remember showing up to the set that day, and there was a sort of miscommunication, and just sort of a – no one’s fault but just, they didn’t bring me in for a little bit – you usually get a little bit of a fight rehearsal. You know, to kind of work out the deeds and do all this kind of stuff, and I show up and they’re like okay we’re ready in five minutes. And I was like five minutes of what, you know, it’s kind of like what? And I have to fight nine dudes.

So, bam, you just got to roll with it and it’s just what we’ve kind of become accustomed to, and so, you know. Fortunately I have a decent memory – I’m pretty good at memorization so that’s all I could really rely on. Not the physical side of it, because that I’m just awful. But just memorizing steps, you know, and just kind of doing all this, it’s like a, you know, like a dance, it’s obviously choreographed like a dance, so.

So you get through it, and it actually turned out to be – I thought it was one of the, you know, I thought it was one of the best things I’ve done up to this, you know, point. So I was pretty proud of it. And I didn’t have much time to kind of learn it. So, yes, I guess that’s the long answer to your question is no, not really a lot of training or a lot of time. But it’s fine, it all works out, you know.

You said you have a good memory, so when you get a script, you can basically memorize it like boom, like that?

Joshua Gomez: You know I don’t – no I wouldn’t say, you know, it’s definitely not like photographic or anything like that, but I’m not bad at like, you know, I can look at it. You know, depending on what it is, I’ll look at it and I’ll see my scenes that I’ll have to do and they usually, you know, one or two reads and it’s in there.

And then I’ll leave it alone and then like maybe, you know, and then we rehearse five minutes before the scene I’ll have my sides, you know, they have these sides printed out for the day, what you’re going to shoot that day. And you look at those and kind of go, oh yes, right okay.

And then boom one or two more reads, you know, just kind of. It doesn’t take me too long, Zach I know is like that as well, we kind of had that, he’s even probably better. I mean, he’ll literally just look at them and he might be closer to photographic because he gets it quick. So it’s kind of a cool tool to have, you know?

Yes, yes I would love to have that. I’ve actually walked to set to shoot one of my scenes and I literally forget my lines.

Joshua Gomez: I think it really is about comfort ability too, because the only time I ever really truly forget things is always because when I’m – is being nervous. It’s only because I’m nervous, so once you’re calm, you know, with us, once we’ve settled into these roles and it’s kind of like you know you have the job and everything is good, you’re able to relax. I think with that relaxation comes a much easier time with memorizing the stuff, you know?

Speaking of nerves, you’ve done this now your fifth season, do you still get nervous before you do a scene?

Joshua Gomez: Sure I mean it depends, especially this season because like I’ve talked about it was sort of a departure from what I’ve been doing which was great, you know. I love to be able to shake it up and rattle it, and kind of go, cool, man, this is going to be new. So yes, when I had the first, when I first walked out and got ready to shoot my first fight scene, or whatever, you know, I was very nervous just because I’d never really done it before.

And you know, the first time I had to really use my zoom face on camera. You know, but yes, so I would say up to this point, no, not really, probably during like seasons three and four you kind of, you know, it’s very rare that you – there’s any kind of real nerves or anything like that. But this season, sure and I wouldn’t say, you know, I guess it’s a cross between nerves and excitement.

You know that’s the thing of being an actor, you know, you just kind of, it kind of all gets, you know, intertwined you know, nerves and excitement and all that stuff, so. It’s fun, I’m – I was glad to, that’s I think is another reason I’m really enjoying this season because, you know, it’s after five years, it’s kind of fun to be excited and nervous again, you know.

How do you see Morgan – the character, his personality, him personality-wise and the way he thinks?

Joshua Gomez: You know I was always – when I first started the show, you know, in trying to discover this character along with the writers, I think, he was always, you know, Morgan was kind of a free spirit, and you know, a little bit impetuous, and kind of the captain of his own ship.

And so I think he’s still obviously a big part of that, but he’s obviously grown up and matured a ton, so he’s a little – I’ve been more focused now and but still, you know, kind of, you know, fun loving and he’s very loyal, and a really good best friend, and someone to have in the firefight at your side. No actually that’s not true, he’d be terrible in a firefight, awful in a firefight, but a good best friend.

When did you actually find out that Morgan was going to become the Intersect? And what was your reaction when they told you that they wanted to do that?

Joshua Gomez: It was somewhere, I think we were probably shooting – if my memory serves me correct – it was like the 423, so basically fourth season, about the 23 episode – no wait, we had 24 episodes, and so I think we were finishing up the 23rd episode, and I think Chris Fedak, one of the co-creators went down on the set and we were just kind of talking. Him and I are fairly close as we’re fooling around and just kind of talking and he was like, you know, have you heard about 424 yet? And I said no. And he was like, “Oh, I’m going to be really interested to see what you think.” And I was like kind of like “Oh boy, I’m dead.”

And then it turns out that he said no, no, no, just read it and – and I did and you get to the last page and I know kung fu and it was like you’ve got to be kidding me. This is insanity, I’m a dead man.

But, it was – but I was very excited. Obviously I was really excited to kind of just, you know, get to change up and try new things, you know, in the course of the television show especially one like Chuck that’s been fortunate enough to go five seasons, you know it’s like anything has a chance to become a bit stale, or you know, especially as an actor and playing a certain character and playing in the same thing over and over again.

So for me to be able to know that I was going to come into this season – if there was a season – because at that time we didn’t know if we were even going to get a fifth season. But if we did, to be able to come into the fifth season, you know, with a sort of renewed sense of like, wonder and fun and it was like, oh this is going to be very cool, so. It was awesome.

How did you prepare for all the new physical demands that you’re going to have now with all the special powers and things that.

Joshua Gomez: I just – you know, I mean, I honestly just trusted our stunt and fight coordinators and they kind of got me up and running in the beginning of the season with some crash course on some basic kung fu moves and, you know, just different sort of stunt techniques. And, you know, where you’re supposed to put your foot when you’re kicking at somebody’s nose and yada, yada, yada.

But for me, I always tend to, you know, I stay pretty active anyway, I’m a pretty avid runner and things like that, so I felt physically good. And I’m not a dancer or a kung fu guy, or two things that really help in fight scenes, I think. Like Yvonne is like – she had a dance background so her balance and stuff is really, really good and mine is just terrible, I have like the – just a really weak lower body, so kicking is not my forte.

But, you know, it’s good, they got me up and running, and then, we got – I have an amazing, you know, fight double and all that stuff, so, easy enough.

After four years of being on the bubble, how do you feel knowing that this is it? This is the final season, and how are you guys approaching it?

Joshua Gomez: You know it’s obviously a question that gets asked a lot and it’s a great question and because the end is nigh. And it’s – for us I think as a cast it’s really interesting because you’re exactly right, you know, four seasons, every season, kind of every time we were approaching wrapping up it was sort of like we didn’t know if we were saying goodbye for good, or if just for a few months, and it was always this very tumultuous time.

And now it’s got a different feeling to it, you know, we’re all bit – you know, it’s bittersweet and kind of bummed and but some kind of positive aspect that we take away knowing that we are – we know our fate, and so it makes it a bit easier to deal with.

So we’re just enjoying every minute of it and having a really great time as a cast and crew and just really kind of taking it all in. And so it’s actually been a really fun season, I think for all of us. Despite knowing that it’s coming to an end, just because I think we’re all, you know, trying to relish every minute of it, you know, so.

How are you approaching playing your new part? Your character is changing both from a mental standpoint but now you are the Intersect, you are kind of the new focus of the show. How has that impacted how you play Morgan?

Joshua Gomez: I – it’s impacted it a lot actually and especially during this ark of sort of the Intersect, not quite working right. It’s been a blast because, like I said earlier, you know, you can tend to, you know, you play the same character.

Television I think is much like a comfort food for people. And when people find a comfort food they like, a television show they like, they want things to kind of stay the same. They want the always pizza should taste like pizza.

And so I think there’s a chance obviously in television when you do enough seasons it can get a little – as an actor – you can kind of become unchallenged you just have to learn the character you know it so like the back of your hand, it just becomes, you know, you just kind of go on cruise control.

This was fun because it forced me to just switch everything up and so I was excited. I was nervous at first, obviously for so many different reasons just getting the Intersect I thought was just a crazy turn. And something I wasn’t expecting.

And then as I started to get the scripts and I saw this character becoming what he’s becoming and how it was affecting him, it’s nerve-wracking. Our fans are really loyal and they love Chuck, and I’m like, “Oh, crap, I’m going to get things thrown at me for being a jerk.”

But that being said, you know, it’s your job, and so you – I said I’m going to go full force and, you know, whether the people are – I mean, my job in these episodes as you’ll see and especially in Frosted Tips, is you’re not supposed to like Morgan, I think at this point.

So, I kind of threw myself into that, and I said it’s – it was so much fun because it was a 180 from the Morgan of three or four seasons ago, so.

After the first episode and the twist at the end of last season, there was a segment of the Chuck fandom that was not pleased with the idea of Morgan having the Intersect. Do you trust that the writers are going to lead you down the right path eventually?

Joshua Gomez: I mean look, I don’t – to me it’s out of my hands, I have a job to do.

I try to stay clear of it only because it’s not my – in some respects it’s not my business. I have a job to do I try to do it the best I can and like I said this is something that was kind of, you know, handed to me and like this is where we’re going. You go, okay, you sure?

But actually, and quite the opposite, I’ve had – totally there’s – I’m sure there’s a lot of people don’t, you know – hey look it – like I said people love Chuck, man. And that’s just a testament to what Zachary does and from the very beginning, people just love that character, he’s such a sweet, honest, cool, character.

And so, and the show is Chuck and the show is still, it continues to be about Chuck. They, I think, as the writers and Chris felt that this was just a way to kind of inject some fun and a new perspective. And it’s like getting to watch one of your favorite movies with somebody who’s never seen it before. It’s just, you’re going to see it through some new eyes, and so.

But everyone’s actually been really, really, cool. We had a Chuck-fest recently and everybody was really supportive and really happy, especially after they had seen a preview – they had seen a special sneak peek, a screening of 503, the Chuck versus the Frosted Tips.

And so everybody was really, really, happy and so it was cool, you know, to kind of see that, because I knew I had some, you know, a little bit of a job ahead of me winning people over at the idea of Morgan with the Intercept.

But, like I said, I just try to do my job, you know?

Over the last four seasons, what was the biggest highlight for you in the scope of the show’s run?

Joshua Gomez: Just simply getting the role, I mean it’s, I look back and I think to myself, I look at all these steps and if you never go through this game, to get a role to do anything in Hollywood, it’s just an exercise in frustration.

So, you get these scripts and you get – some of them you don’t like, some of them you do and with the Chuck one it was very exciting, oh this is really cool, this is so up my alley. This is really unique, and then you start the whole process.

And for me I look back and I go, it’s just a little like walking into a deli and buying a lottery ticket and the process of just going through all these auditions and then having the show get picked up and then having it go five seasons.

And then you have – I mean it’s just I look back and I go, wow, you know, I think about those original auditions and I say, that’s amazing that this happened, you know? It’s just such a fluke in some respects, you know. I’ve been doing this for 15 years, 16 years, so. Obviously it’s the first time I had a show literally go to air and then had this kind of run, it’s just, it’s nuts. So that to me is the standout.

Do you have anything lined up after the season? Do you have maybe another TV series or video games, or making another short, producing another short or anything?

Joshua Gomez: Yes, I am actually, I’ve got a – I have a few, I have another short slash kind of pilot that I co-wrote, and it stars me and my brother, Rick Gomez, who’s also been in a ton of stuff. And so I’m really excited about that and we’re in kind of post right now, editing and getting it up and running, so I’m excited to kind of see what we can do with that thing.

And then it’s just business as usual, you know I have to kind of go out and try to get another job. And I’m excited, you know, there’s that excitement, it’s like Rocky returning to the gym, you know, where he grew up, you know. It’s like get back into the gym and kind of get back to work, you know. Get out there and try to get another job.

Emilio Rivera

Emilio has been acting for years. His first credit was on an episode of the Lorenzo Lamas show, Renegade, in 1992 and since then, he’s notched an impressive list of work in film, TV and theater.

I talked to Emilio during a conference call about the surprise direction his character is taking on the show, if he always wanted to be an actor and if he still gets nervous before the director shouts ‘Action!”

Follow Emilio on Twitter!

Sons of Anarchy airs on Tuesdays at 10pm on FX

For more Sons of Anarchy, check out our interviews with Rockmond Dunbar, Theo Rossi, Winter Ave Zoli and Kristen Renton and Christopher Douglas Reed.

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download it from iTunes

You’re a big tough guy and you’ve been acting for years but do you still get nervous when you’re walking onto a new set or before the director say, “Action”?

Emilio Rivera: I get nervous still on Sons, bro.  I hope I never lose that.  That’s the whole fun part of it.  I did stage for many years before I did the TV and film thing and to me that’s my high.  Before when they say the camera’s rolling and the camera speed and my stomach is going and I turn my head and I get into it and then now I’m not nervous no more.  But, yeah, man, like the first second before I go on I’m always nervous, bro, and I hope I never lose that.  That’s my high, bro.  I really dig it, man. 

What do you think you’re key is to working so much? There are a ton of actors who have been around for a bit and they just disappear but you’ve been around for a while.

Emilio Rivera: You know what I think it’s I always try to go in prepared and one thing that people always say is be prepared and be nice to everybody, bro, because you’ve got to hang out with these people 12-14 hours and if you’re an … nobody’s going to want be you around.  I think a lot of times work just brings you more work especially in a small circle, man.  I mean, I worked with Kurt before on The Shield and I’ve been off for a long time but if I look back on my resume a lot of work has been with people like Spike Lee, Michael Mann, Steven Soderbergh.  It’s all been with the same people over and over again or people that they know so it’s kind of cool, man.  But just be prepared, man, and be nice to everybody, just be nice, man.  It goes a long way, man.

Did you always want to be an actor?

Emilio Rivera: Yes, since I was a kid but then I got side tracked with the gangs and the drugs for a long time and so that really put a big hold on me but the stuff I learned from the streets I carry on to what I do now days, you know what I mean.  So what you see up there is really real stuff that I draw from, you know what I mean, that I can draw from that couldn’t be taught in school but I learned it in my upbringing, which I don’t approve of.  I don’t say, “Go do this and that to do what I do.”  It’s stupid but that was the way it worked out for me, you know what I mean?  I get to put it up on the screen now.

Were you surprised at the direction the character is taking and might take in the future?

Emilio Rivera: Kurt keeps kind of what’s going on in real life and Kurt’s a really smart man so he kind follows what’s going on in the outside world and incorporates it to the Sons of Anarchy world so he keeps it pretty tight, man.  It wasn’t really a farfetched thing.  I was hoping it would happen that way I could probably stay alive longer because I hate when I get in trouble with Sons of Anarchy because I don’t know if they’re going to put a bullet in my head or what, but right now as long as we’re friends I think I’ll be alive so I’ll see what happens.  But I’m happy we’re friends though.  We’re sure stronger as a team like that.

What’s it been like to stay with a character and stay with one show for four years now?

Emilio Rivera: I love it, man.  It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life.  It’s really great.  The fans are great.  I mean I ride motorcycles so I do a lot of events and the fans give us a lot of love, man.  I’m having a great time.  I really am.

Have you learned anything playing this character or is there any part of it you’ll take with you through the rest of your career?

Emilio Rivera: No, he’s a tough guy, and I’ve played tough guys pretty much all my career.  He’s a different guy though.  What I like about him is he’s always in control.  You have not seen “Alvarez” lose control once if you think about it.  I mean sometimes he wants to but he holds it in.  I love “Alvarez,” man.  I’m going to stay—he’ll be with me for the rest of my life.  As long as I ride motorcycles, which God willing is another 50 years; I’ll always have “Alvarez” in my heart.  I’m hoping for ten seasons of Sons of Anarchy.

Is this different than any other role you’ve played?  I know you’ve played tough guy a lot but—

Emilio Rivera: You know what I do, man, is really weird.  It’s like I go into this little mode.  It’s my … I do with anything I do and once I’m in I stay there until they say, “Cut.”  I mean, I’m a sociable guy but when it comes to work, when I’m on set, I just become him.  I feel I’m him and so he’s not really much of a joker and I am.  Emilio likes to joke around.  I do that.  I like to kid around and “Alvarez”  is more like a serious business type guy and I just get into that mode and I dig it, man.  And then when they say, “Cut” I know it’s time to go home.  I don’t have to say much then I can have fun again like I usually like to do.

What are some of the things that you had to change about yourself to make your dreams come true?

Emilio Rivera: You know, man, for me I have 21 years clean and sober, and I know if I was still doing what I did before I would never do what I’m doing now because I wouldn’t really listen to anybody.  I thought nobody could tell me what to do.  I was just a hardheaded guy.  I got clean and sober 21 years.  That for me was a big plus for me to do what I do right now.  

Are you happy with the way the character of “Alvarez” has progressed over the season?  Has anything in particular been challenging for you?

Emilio Rivera: No.  I appreciate the work.  I eat it up.  Give me whatever you want to give me because it just gives me more stuff to do.  Do you dig what I’m saying?  I get to go to different places in my memory bank, and no I dig it, man.  I love it.  I’m glad Kurt gave me the opportunity to do some things this year and we’ll see what happens.  I don’t know how the seasons going to end and I’m just hoping I stay alive.  I don’t know if I got picked up in the fifth season so I’m hoping I’m around for the fifth season.