So what are some similarities and differences between yourself and your character on Weeds?
One of the things that I can relate to is that he has a strong desire for the things that he wants. He is definitely committed to what he does. I feel like we both are passionate people. His values are different than mine. I do understand what it is like to be torn between what might be thought of as right and wrong and trying to make your way through it as he does. There is nothing cliché about Roy. He is surprising, not at all predictable. I would like to think that there is a part of that in me.
Where would you like to see your character go?
At Weeds they are very secretive about what is going to happen next. You can never predict it. There is nothing about my character that at the beginning of this journey I would have guessed would happened. It has been a total surprise. I started as a one time guest star to be the boss of a character that was on his way out. So for me everything has been surprising since right now we are shooting our 4th episode (of 13) for the 5th Season.
Do you have a favorite episode or storyline of Weeds?
They are all terrific of course. I really enjoyed last year though. The show became really risky. Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) started to get involved in some dangerous things. It went from fun and clever and nutty to all of that but turning a bit dark and dangerous. I thought that was really cool the way the show has turned.
If you were not your character, what other character do you think you would be?
It seems like only the actors that are these characters can be those characters, you know? The characters all seem so specifically written for the actors. I love Andy, played by Justin Kirk. I think that is a really interesting character.
Would you say there are a lot of re-writes?
Oh yeah, there are a lot of re-writes. We can tell by the color of the pages by the time we get ready to shoot. They are vigorous with the writing, up to the very day of shooting. The writing staff is on fire.
Last year you appeared in an episode of Monk. Can we expect to see you again?
I don't know. I played a lawyer on Monk and you can always hope that they would need a lawyer again. There are no plans for it at this time but it could happen.
How far in advance do you get the scripts before you shoot?
Sometimes we get them a week before we shoot and sometimes we get them the day before we shoot. Of course I enjoy them a week before (laughs) but challenging as it is, when you are so used to your character, you get into the groove of things.
How long did it take for you to really get comfortable with your character?
I would say in the second season about 2-3 episodes in. Rolin Jones is a writer on the show and he was in my theatre company before the show. I thank him because he understood the way the lines would feel for me and he really knew how to connect me with my character.
You attended The Julliard School but have you been back to be a guest speaker of some sort?
I have never been back in that way. I was back in NY this past fall when my Theatre company opened a play Off-Broadway. Of course it is very different now. I graduated from Julliard in '83 and there is a whole new gang there now. For the last 15 years I have been on the West Coast and very rarely have come back to the East Coast. About 10 years ago when I married my wife and we had our first daughter, I started to stop going to NY to do plays since I wanted to be home. I was on the road for years and years after Julliard and working on plays in NY. The plays in Central Park was the most fun you can ever imagine.
But is it out of the question to say you wouldn't go back to NY for a play?
I would love to go back with the right play. I would like to go back to Broadway in an exciting part. Now that my family is settled it i snot totally out of the question. The more exciting the part, the more attractive going back would seem. SO it is definitely possible.
Do you have a dream role?
I am about to embark on a play that I have wanted to do for a long time. It's a play called The Three Sisters and I am playing Vershinin. With our theatre company, Circus Theatricals at The Odyssey Theatre, I am able to choose a play that I want to do twice a year. Twice a year, I ask myself this question and then I pick my plays. There is a part that I have always held out on and thought I should do it because it is infamously difficult and that is Brutus in Julius Caesar. I am going to be challenging myself in that role. There is something really fascinating about that part and I would like to try it.
Do you have a favorite Shakespeare play?
I have been lucky to play most of the big ones. Hamlet deserves all of the credit it gets for being such a great part. That was a wonderful part. That was a wonderful play. Richard III...I connected to Richard III. I try to find the heart. People usually behave badly because they are hurting so I try to find out where their heart is and why they are so hurt. Richard III was a tremendous experience.
Are there any musicals/plays in NY that you would like to do with your theatre company?
I love Spring Awakening. That was extraordinary. Hunter Parrish was the lead when I saw it. He did a great job. He is a terrific actor.
Do you find a nice mixture between the theatre fans and Weeds fans
There is a nice mixture, yes. I have noticed that a lot of the people that come to the plays are aware of Weeds. I think Weeds has a very sophisticated audience that enjoy something to think about. That goes hand in hand with people who enjoy theatre.
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