©MijnSerie - NienkeLet’s start with what is most likely your most famous role: Hank in Breaking Bad. How was it to play in that show, and what contributed to its success?
It was obviously tremendous to be part of it, it was an iconic TV show, and it has become even more iconic as years go by, it seems. It is even known more now than when it was out. It’s been amazing.
The success, I think, was in the writing. Vince Gilligan [red: show-runner and creator of Breaking Bad] with his team really put a lot of effort into every single episode. They didn’t tone it in for any episode, and they made sure every episode was perfect. And I think that mentality makes sure every moment is perfect, that every moment is what it should be. We were all inspired and I think that is what made it what it was.
You have played in many more roles, however. What was your favorite character to play?
Well, I gotta say Hank was my favorite character, because it was so well-written and I loved the people I was working with. Although I do also love my buddy Chris Meloni on Law & Order [red: Law & Order: Organized Crime]. But I think, yeah, Hank is probably the one I’d choose.
On Christopher Meloni, in past interviews you’ve talked warmly about working with him. What is it that makes it such a nice collaboration between the two of you?
We’ve been on a movie, ten years ago, and we just hit it off. We played used cars salesmen together, friends, best friends. Literally the moment we first started reading the script, we just got along. We kind of drive each other like brothers. He is a great guy, a great actor, and we just kind of hit it off. It is hard to describe chemistry. It was nice when, ten years later, they asked me to play his brother. I was like: of course!
So they approached you for the role?
Yeah, and I said: of course!
On the topic of Organized Crime, do you have any updates on its status? Is it getting renewed? And if so, would you like to return?
I sure would love to return. We don’t have any news yet, they will have to make that decision soon enough. Probably next week or so.
A lot of your roles have to do with law enforcement, you’ve played a cop a lot. Is there anything specific you like about these roles? How do you end up there?
My first big role was Lethal Weapon 2. I remember meeting with the director, I just got to LA, and we talked a little bit and he goes like: you look like a cop, I will hire you. And I was like okay. I think that kinda stuck for a while; I just look like an American cop, a prototypical American cop. So I think that is one of the reasons.
Is there any role or type that you would like to play, that you haven’t yet?
You know that I haven’t played a lawyer yet and I don’t know why. There are many good lawyer shows. They just don’t see me in that kind of role, I guess. But you know, I went to Harvard, I am a smart guy, I should be able to play a lawyer. So I’d like to play a really cool, badass lawyer.
You went to Harvard, in the field of interdisciplinary social studies. Do you use that in your roles?
Maybe not so specifically, but I think it is important, if you are an actor, to be informed about the world that you live in. Some people are more political than others, but I think just in general, you need to know how the world works and have an understanding of it.
You also do different things outside of acting. You opened the Norris Performing Arts Center, for example. Why did you open it, and how is it going now?
It’s been ten years now, geez. I did it because I wanted to give kids an opportunity. I live in a smaller town, outside of LA, and I wanted to give the kids there an opportunity to, not only to learn the business, maybe be in the business, but also just to give them confidence. In the US, they are cutting so much funding for the arts, and they have been for three years, so kids don’t have the artistic place to express themselves. There’s like 350 kids that come in and out of there, it is kind of a home for them, where they can feel comfortable and express themselves and be with like-minded people and things like that. So it’s really worked out well.
And still going strong?
Yeah, and now I have seen kids grow up there!
One often hears that actors face a lot of (online) criticism. Is this also something that happens to you?
You know, I don’t see a lot of criticism. Unless I say something about politics, I really don’t see a lot of criticism. I say something about what is going on in the world, then I get a bunch of people yapping about it.
When you are not playing in shows yourself, do you watch shows? Is there a TV show that you like, and that would like to have a cameo in?
In the last few years, I would have loved to be in Succession, but that is finished. I love Severance as well, a cameo on Severance... That is still going, so...
Do you have any series recommendations for our readers?
Adolescence is the best thing I have sen in a long long time. It is a British show, four episodes, a short series. Each episode is a single shot. That one is amazing.
I think Succession, for the past few years, has been my favorite show, however.
Have you ever done one of those one shot series?
No, I have never done one of those.
Would you like to?
It seems like a lot of pressure, but maybe.
You have played both in film and TV shows, how does that compare?
I would say the main thing is just time. You get more time on a movie, to do your scenes, to kind of flesh them out. With TV, it is more of a script-driven process. You have got to do the scene, get it done, and with film you can take some more time.
With shorter series, is it still the case?
It is even more so. With the same money, they try to squeeze as much as they can, so...
Back to Organized Crime. It moved from NBC to Peacock. Do you notice a difference?
Yes, because we are able to say 'fuck' a lot more [laughs]. It can be a little more intense and it can have more stories that continue to the next episode. I think with network, you kind of have to finish it up and go to the next week, but this is where the stories continue on. So those are the main differences: A little more intense, a little more graphic, and the stories can be larger arcs.
What’s coming up, any upcoming projects?
I have three movies that came out this year, one is The Parenting, one was The Six Triple Eight, and one was called Carry-On, which is a Christmas movie. And I have this really fun project, I don’t know when they’re gonna get it out there, but it’s called Long Haired Businessmen. It is so funny.
It is a movie?
It is a movie. It is from Will Ferrell’s Funny or Die group. And it is so funny and it is very strange. Everybody has long hair but we never talk about it. So I have a wig, this blond hair. But we’re all businessmen and no one ever acknowledges the fact that we all have this. It is crazy, but it is very funny, so I am hoping it gets out this year.
And we are waiting to find out about Law & Order before signing for anything else. I got a couple of things lined up, but we got to wait for them first.
And any series coming up or is that also still up in the air?
I can’t do anything else until we know more about Law & Order
What about guest roles, like the one you had in Ghosts, for example?
Ah yeah, I can do guest roles. I am sure they’ll bring me back on Ghosts this year, we had fun, we had a blast on that one. But I can’t do any major thing until they figure out Law & Order.
