Q: I was a little surprised to hear you were doing Warehouse 13?
A: I love stuff that has such enormous possibilities in it and if you know the show, there is no hard, matrix that you’re working with – you can change periods, you can change time, you can change whatever – and there’s something very intriguing about that, because it gives you great freedom to play around with things a little bit, depending on what the episode is going to be like, and that to me is a lot of fun. I like that genre just as a person, because there is immense theatricality to it, and there’s a great challenge of how you bring that fantasy and yet have people connect with it, not just cerebrally, but on an emotional level also. So it’s a great challenge to take on.
Q: I think TV lets you go more in depth than a feature film can when you’re developing a character.
A: And as an actor, when you look at the arc of a character – just as an audience member does - I can start working on the finer points of that character, because I don’t have to show all of it in the span of a two-hour movie. I can hold back, I can economize more on what I want to show in a particular scene, because I know I have the freedom to bring in a whole other angle, and a whole other aspect to this character a little later.
Q: How many are you on?
A: I have done one already, and I’m doing another one in a week, and they’re leaving the character open-ended.
Q: But you wouldn’t mind coming back and doing more of these?
A: I wouldn’t, because the show is fascinating to me, and after meeting the cast and the crew, and the producers, there’s a great chemistry there which I wouldn’t mind being a part of. And I like the idea of exploring these characters and these storylines more.
Q: On a personal level, is TV something you can get more into?
A: I want to do both. My favorite example is that a painter paints sometimes in oil, sometimes in pencil, draws, sketches, sometimes they do in water, depending on what you’re trying to show and what the subject matter is. Now for me, the great challenge is there are sometimes stories that are best witnessed in front of a live audience, there are other stories that lend themselves very well to a TV setting, where you can actually explore for a period of time, the character and the storyline. And movies have their own charm, because the expanse and kind of richness that the screen can bring, sometimes you need that. So I try not to limit myself to one. If I was doing a TV series, I would always want to find good, interesting film projects, or stage plays that I could do. I would like to go between all three mediums.
Q: It seems like the lines aren’t drawn between the mediums the way they used to be.
A: I think all that is gone, because we are now getting into an age where there are so many different, and such a varied palette of, media options. Limiting yourself to just one is foolishness. There are things that are happening online which are interesting. If you’re a smart person, you wouldn’t want to say I only do theater, I only do films, I only do TV –there’s way too much choice out there, for us to be that narrow in our vision.
Q: Look at somebody like John Lithgow in Dexter last year…
A: I think that’s an amazing example, and he does such a beautiful job at it. That’s the thing: why would you want to deny yourself good challenges just because you’re going from TV to film or to theater? In the end, no actor worth his or her salt wants to be known for one great thing that they did. You want to be known for your body of work that you’ve created or presented, and if that’s the case, then in that body of work, not all great stuff is going to come from one medium. So let’s keep ourselves open, and look for where the challenges are, and try and see what you can do.
Q: Who is your character on the show, Adwin Kosan?
A: OK, if you know the show, there’s a hierarchy in the Warehouse organization, where there’s the agent, and then there’s the character Saul Rubinek plays, who has been around for a while, then there a character that CCH Pounder plays, which is this liaison between the higher ups and the organization. I play the guy who is in charge of this entire Warehouse organization. So he comes in and when things are really in crises mode, he is the guy who makes the decisions. So that’s, in a nutshell, the character description. You will see him when they need to get things done, and they need to bring in the big guns or the big guy. It’s not a hard ass they have to deal with; he can also be a great facilitator to get things done when they’re in a jam. Of course, his focus is always going to be the survival and the success of the Warehouse, because that’s his thing, but by the same token he can be, at times, an obstacle to them, and at times a great help to them. So you can’t pigeon hole him by saying, “Oh he’s coming in and he’s going to make things really hard for them.” I don’t think that’s the approach.
Q: I interviewed Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly recently and I have to imagine being on the set with them is a lot of fun.
A: It really is. I mean, they have a really good rapport with each other to begin with, which you can really see. I don’t think you can fool people on screen if you don’t have it with each other. And the atmosphere on the set is very relaxed, very playful but very focused, and to me, that’s the recipe of success. Because of the way a series situation is set up, there will be people going in and out, and if at any point the people who are there for a little bit start to feel the tensions, so that they can’t give their best, then we run into trouble. Both of them, from the get go, I had a ball working with, and I’m looking forward to the next episode, and hopefully more in the future.
Q: It’s so hard, it seems to find people who will to do the job and have fun…
A: My motto is get over yourself. Because in the end, if you’re not having fun doing what you’re doing, there are 3,000 ways to make a living. So let’s have fun, get the job done, and when the cameras go on, or when you walk on stage, from that moment on, until you walk off or the cameras are turned off, your focus should be nothing but the characters and the story, serving what’s in front of you. See, the way I look at it is that when you’re young, you don’t have the perspective on things. Everything is so heightened at that point, but some people get success very early in life and they don’t what it’s like to kind of find a balance. Look, you can be successful for a while, and then for a while no one might take your phone call. And you need to find the humility to go forward and find some kind of a way that doesn’t make you lose your core, who you are.
Q: Looking back at Iron Man and your portrayal of Raza… what was that experience like?
A: I had such an amazing experience and for a few reasons. I was a kid who loved comic books, and I liked Iron Man when I was growing up. There was something great about him, because unlike those other guys, he was a self-made superhero. He wasn’t from Krypton, he didn’t have a spider bite. Iron Man gave me hope that, as a kid, that I could become a superhero, so I liked that side of him. For the movie itself, the cast was amazing, the talent was just tearing out of the studio. But at the same time, the thing I liked was that from the director to the main cast, I think the reason the movie was so special was because it was a genre that all of these actors were trying out in a way, if you know what I mean. There was something personal to prove there, and everyone gave 200% to the project. On top of that, the producing team, the writers and everyone was so open to having a dialogue, because the focus was to make this movie so great, so people weren’t shut off or closed off, they weren’t trying to prove their point. Everyone was listening and at times a suggestion would come your way and you would take it, at other times you wouldn’t and vice versa. Sometimes you would make a suggestion and they would take it and other times they wouldn’t, but it was open, which is just music to my ears.
Q: And Robert Downey Jr.’s casting just seemed to change everyone’s perception of Iron Man.
A: Yeah, and I think it was a brilliant piece of casting. I think Jon Favreau wanted Robert to play it, and I think he was so right with this choice. When I saw he was going to play it, I was like, “Duh, well who else? Really?” I have always thought of him as one of the greatest actors of my generation. He is one of those people – you can throw any genre at him – and I said this to his face – and he will not only do it, he will shine in it, he owns it. You can throw period at him, you can throw action or comedy – he is one of those actors, and that’s the mark of a true genius.
Q: What was your feeling about your character?
A: I had a lot of fun. We developed the character as we went along. I also like that there was a point where we were talking about how to set this guy up, and one of the triumphs was although to some he may just look like another terrorist, we veered away from the whole religious side of it. I think it’s more interesting for these guys to be more soldiers of fortune, because terrorists themselves are people who are opportunistic. They want power. And they gave me that leeway, to be able to speak different languages to different people, and to find a broader base to work with for this guy. I had a lot of fun doing it; it makes you feel like a 10-year-old boy again when they put a big gun in your hand and say, “Have fun!” So again, as I said, because they were very open to suggestions, open to working with you and having a dialogue about things, it ended up being something I was proud of. In the beginning when we originally came up with the idea, the guy didn’t speak any English, but my approach, and Jon’s approach was because we live in a time where, if the audience can solve the mystery of a character very quickly, they are very ready to move on, the richer we can make the character, the more interest the audience will have and the more hooked into the movie they will be. Our approach was look, here is a guy who, until he speaks, you don’t know what he’s going to be, and once he speaks you can then extrapolate that if tomorrow he has to be in a tux somewhere in Vienna, he might be able to pull it off. And that’s the kind of thing that made it work for me, because then you’re not working with stereotype of a terrorist. You’re getting to see that this guy can change, he’s malleable, he can find different ways of getting what he wants, and I’m glad that kind of came through to you as an audience member.
Q: You played Captain Robau in the opening sequence of JJ Abrams’ Star Trek. What was that experience like?
A: Let me tell you, you walk on the set the first day, and the doors open, just like they used to open for Shatner, with that little “shhh” and you walk in and you’re on the bridge, and I’m telling you for five minutes I couldn’t believe it. It’s the stuff dreams are made of. I’ve seen Shatner in Star Trek, I’ve seen the Next Generation, all of that, and you forget that you’re an actor; once again you’re that 10-year-old boy, and this thing just goes through you. Then a crew member comes to you and says, “That’s your chair, the Captain’s Chair,” and on the inside you’re doing cartwheels; you’re going “Oh my gosh, that’s my chair, I’m the captain!” And then reality sets in. I think JJ Abrams is one of those guys who has such an amazing vision – he can re-sell water to you as something new, because of the way he will present it to you. And working with him again, as deep as the scenes were, it took us a good six weeks to shoot my sequence. And JJ is helming such a huge project, and no matter who taps him on the shoulder, he will turn to that person and he gives you his undivided attention, and to me that’s the mark of a great leader, because what it does is, it throws it back to you, because you then want to do the best you can, because he is empowering you and engaging you in a dialogue, in trying to work with you, and that’s a great feeling to have. I got the part, literally in three hours, which is a lot of fun because sometimes it can take weeks before you get to that part. I asked him, “Why did you cast me?” And he said, “You know, I was looking for a certain quality, that opening sequence, I had a vision in my head and you seemed to be the right person for it.” So he knows what he’s doing, and the beauty of the way he presented this Star Trek is that it doesn’t deny or cancel out the old Star Trek, the storyline, the epic, and yet it opens up all new possibilities. It’s brilliant. I think the beauty of the way it was written and how it was done was it will all make sense, no matter which way you go.
Q: And it brought the franchise back to life.
A: Again, JJ’s note was, “I want people to hook into it emotionally. Make it as real as possible, with the flourishes and the things you expect – and they’re there – but as far as laying out a scene, making it as real as possible, so that not only do we satisfy the old Trekkies, the people who know this saga, but if we bring in new people – and we want to bring in new people to this franchise as fans – they can own it, and they can feel like they’re part of something as it unfolds.” I think that’s the great thing that we were given that direction to go in, and I think everyone embraced it.