Interviews Conducted by Robert J. Beck

What made you first want to get into acting?

I had an English teacher in High School who sort of introduced theatre to me and I did a play in High School, that was my first experience with it and I think that was probably the moment which was key in getting me hooked on theatre. Then when I was a junior at collage I decided to audition for the acting program at USC, which is a four year fine arts program but I got in and it had to work out [laughter]. That same year I started working professionally in theatre and in television.

What would you consider your “big break”?

[laugher] I don’t know that I’ve had a big break! It’s been a low, steady journey. I’ve been in some blockbuster movies like “Terminator 2”, “Crimson Tide”. I think that my very first audition was probably my big break. I went in for a role on “Hill Street Blues” and got the job and that was my first audition ever for television.

And that had to boost your confidence.

Absolutely, especially because when I went into the waiting room and a lot of them I recognised from television [laughter]! So something just clicked in my head and said that if they want these guys then they clearly don’t want me and I was very relaxed. By the time I got home the message was on the answering machine, I got the job.

Would you say you prefer acting in theatre or TV?

I believe stage is my favourite medium, mainly because you get that immediate feedback so you know if you suck right now, you don’t need to wait till it’s edited [laughter].

Going back to Chuck, how was it you first got your role on that show?

It was the normal audition process but that audition came in pilot season and that year I was up for four other pilots as regulars as well as this part in Chuck which at this point wasn’t even a big part and I read for the role of Harry Tang not for Big Mike. And I didn’t even read the whole script, just the material that I had to audition with, which are called sides. So I went into the audition and just let it go because I had to concentrate on these series regular roles. Consequently I didn’t get any of those other roles but I got Chuck and we did the pilot and at that point it was meant to be a very small, maybe hi and bye, sort of role that would possibly recur and by the middle of the first season Big Mike was clearly becoming a character who was key in the Buymore scene and by the end of the season the deal was made to make me a series regular.

What would you like to see your character doing more of on the show in the 4th season?

I think the things that they’ve been doing with the love interest for Big Mike is very funny and that we should let that play out; see what it’s going to be. I kind of like when the spy world bleeds over into the Buymore and Big Mike sort of unwittingly has to be involved in foiling a plot or whatever I think that sort of stuff is great. I don’t think Big Mike has to know about the spy stuff, just because it would be detrimental to his health [laughter].

Is there anything else which you’ve been working on at the moment?

Not really, there’s a couple of shorts that have been making it round the film festival circuit and I just finished a play back in February, I usually only do one play a year because there’s really no money in it [laughter] and my wife likes to eat everyday, so one or two a year. I was just offered a play but the dates overlap with Chuck so I passed.