There was a period after I finished Roswell and I had gotten Orange County and they said, “Congratulations, you never need to do TV again.” That was very much the temperature at the time, what the business was like. It was a dramatic role, as simple as that, that was the appeal. It wasn’t about getting invited to a party or trying to be funny or any of those young adult rom-coms. You had done Roswell, but did Mad Men change your perception of TV roles? Then he goes, “I think we might have something for you.” I was not expecting to play a priest! In fact, I remember going through a fitting where I said, “I really was excited when I got the part, but I really thought I’d be one of the guys in the suits.” When I finally did get a meeting with him we talked about everything but the character history, America and the ‘ 40s leading up to the ‘ 60s and all this other stuff. I said, “Finally, there’s a show that would not be a stretch for me to be on.” I spent a lot of time trying to get a meeting with Matthew Weiner. ![]() And when it did, it was about very young men pretending to be adults. I remember reading about them making that show before it premiered. ![]() I look back on Mad Men and I’m amazed that happened, because I was such a huge fan of the show from the moment it premiered. He didn’t do it because he knew he was doing something bad, but because he thought he has a moral obligation to do so. It wasn’t just a bad guy for the sake of being a bad guy. Travis was clearly not right in the head and had slipped through the cracks. Maybe you can describe all of the killers on Dexter like that? But he was obviously having delusions that were very different from some of these other people that were rational about why they were killing people. But I didn’t see him as this horrible, sociopath killer I saw him as a really mentally deranged person who needed help and never got it. It wasn’t until the end that I realized what was going on. I went in thinking there were two very, very bad guys. But with that particular character they didn’t tell me about the reveal that was going to happen at the end of the season. So I guess you can argue that I’m always looking to do something different, because that keeps it fresh for me. Obviously I leapt at the chance to do something different in that case. What stood out about the Travis Marshall character on Dexter? So when I came into pilot season, I did not say to my agents, “Find me a network comedy, please.” It was much more, let’s see what’s out there and if something comes along, we’ll see. We didn’t do all of those things we’re told we must do when establishing a new show. We didn’t meet all the characters in the first five pages. It was one of the things I learned on Fargo. That script was so different than anything else I’d done, even though it was based on this incredibly famous movie and your first instinct is, “Oh my God, why would we do that?” That script had none of the conventions of a normal pilot. For me, the thing that is most important with a script is that first introduction grabs my attention. It’s not so much that this is new for me because I’ve done it in one way or another. 'Life in Pieces' Creator on Appealing to the 'Modern Family' and 'Parenthood' Set It’s a fun way to do it - when it’s going well. ![]() That’s one of the things we try to do on the show. The ability to come up with alts, there are people that are used to working that way, of trying new things or make them as funny as they can be. So we got to know each other very quickly. I’m grateful because by the end of the first day of working with her, I was in between her legs with a frozen glove. Maybe it’s because I already have two kids and I’ve gone through it twice, I just have a lot to work with.ĭid you and Zoe Lister-Jones hit it off right away, and what’s that alt process like?įor whatever reason, Zoe and I hit it off instantaneously. It sets us up to execute it or do the scene the way it needs to be done but also bring other things to the table and do alts. You understand very clearly where the joke is or what you’re trying to do. The structure of it - not only the four stories, but the way the stories are structured - are just really well written. The humor is cutting a little bit deeper for me. Was being able to relate part of the reason for taking this role? Make sure you get everything you need done during business hours because once you go to bed, you really do not want to get up again. ![]() Get your sleep, that’s the most important thing. When my wife and I had our firstborn I think we scared a lot of people into not procreating. Watching Life in Pieces, why would anyone want to give birth?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |