Fred Weller Interview (contains spoilers)
I saw this interview linked to by
onomastikon on
inplainsightusa, and it had some interesting hints about Mary/Marshall. Contains some spoilers for a future episode. I've highlighted the parts that are related to the Mary/Marshall dynamic.
source
Is this your first TV series regular since “Missing Persons”?
Yes it is. And that was shot in Chicago.
So how was it being in Chicago? What did you like to do here?
It was pretty different back then but I used to love the Wicker Park area. I’m been to Chicago subsequently and it’s rather developed now but back then it was kind of a very hip, up-and-coming, edgy part of town.
There was a great bar called Sweet Alice. I don’t know if it’s still around. [Readers, it is, at 1415 N. Milwaukee Ave.] We spent a lot of time at Sweet Alice. It was cool.
I guess this was like 14 years ago. It was great. And I loved the lake. Chicago is fun.
You’re well known in theater, and you’ve done some films-like “The Business of Strangers”-what is you favorite venue?
Yeah, theater, I’m kind of hooked on theater. It’s just a real high to be able to go out and do the whole story at once and immediately feel and hear the audience response to it.
Have you ever done in theater in Chicago?
No. I have not actually. I would like to, but I haven’t. I know there are great theater companies in Chicago.
I’ve seen Chicago theater in New York. I’ve seen more Chicago theater in New York than I did when I was [in Chicago] actually.
This new Tracy Letts play, “August: Osage Country” is fantastic. It should win everything [at the Tony Awards.]
Tell me about “In Plain Sight?”
It’s about U.S. marshals working in the Witness Protection Program. One particular is trying to balance the chaos of her family life with the chaos of her professional life.
And how does your character come into that?
I’m her partner, carrying a torch for her. And sometimes I think my affections may be secretly requited although Mary McCormack seems to think otherwise.
There’s one episode in which she gets jealous about a lady I’m dating so I think that that’s telling. I like to think that, you know, one day we’ll see.
So there will be a romance thing happening?
There’s definitely some tension I would say. There’s some payoff during the first season but not a lot.
You’re kind of the comic relief on the show.
Yeah they give me some funny stuff to do.
Your character kind of starts out as a laugh because of his name-a U.S. marshal named Marshall.
Yeah, that’s kind of a [laughs]. That certainly sets the tone.
Give me your best sales pitch for the show.
It’s an untapped subject such that you will actually learn about the Witness Protection Program, I think. Because of the subject matter there is no formula.
It’s not like a cop show in which someone gets shot or killed at the beginning of every episode and the cops have to figure out who did it.
The writers have to reinvent the wheel every week so it’s fresh from week to week. One week it’s a family drama, the next week it’s a whodunit and so forth.
It’s rare and original in that it’s a funny one-hour-slightly more serious than the other so-called dramedies on USA. But I think it’s extremely entertaining.
Do you have a favorite scene or episode?
In Episode 4, which is kind of an action/adventure episode, when I get to disclose my feelings for Mary-or come very close to it. There’s a lot of subtext. And it’s actually one of the more dramatic scenes that I did.
I thought it was wonderful. Dave Foley is the guest and he provides brilliant comic relief in an otherwise pretty dramatic episode.
How much of yourself do you put into Marshall?
More than any other character certainly. David Maples pretty much started writing for me and Mary after a certain point, which is a fun situation to be in.
There are a lot of similarities. I could, probably, very easily kill a man. But Marshall has a certain dorky element to him which obviously I’m completely void of. So that would be where we differ.
But I can tell you’re kind of a smartass like Marshall, right?
I suppose that may be-a little bit. [Laughs.] No, he’s an amazing character. It’s not often you come across a character on television that is that multi-dimensional in a one-hour show.
He’s a trained badass, but wears pajamas with little planes on them, you know? I mean, it’s pretty fun.
Did you do any research with real marshals; not people named Marshall, but real U.S. marshals?
[Laughs.] Yeah, I knew a crew member from another shoot who’s name was Marshall so I called him and asked him extensive questions.
No, we had a guy who was actually the head of WITSEC on the set. I learned a lot that I couldn’t possibly have learned otherwise.
In fact, they flew in an active marshal. They helicoptered this lady in and she didn’t know where she was going until she got there.
I don’t know, I guess they are on a need-to-know basis whenever they go anywhere. So she didn’t know what her mission was going to be. She didn’t know she was just coming to talk to a bunch of actors.
They were extremely informative in terms of any kind of SWAT-like procedures or how they deal with witnesses. I learned that the U.S. marshals with WITSEC are a lot more badass than I had imagined-apparently the best in the country in terms of, well, being able to protect people.
So their services are frequently borrowed by other branches of the marshal services for kicking down doors because they’re that good in a SWAT-like capacity.
Yeah, it’s a pretty cool job.
In the show the marshals go far beyond just relocating the witnesses. Is that accurate to what really happens?
They provide them with money. They provide them with jobs. And they’re undercover go-betweens between the witnesses and the real world.
In one episode Mary says something about in the history of the Witness Protection Program, no witness who has followed the rules has been killed. Is that also a fact?
That’s right. That is a fact.
I went on the USA Web site and took Marshall's online quiz. How did that come about?
So that’s already available with me popping up and saying, “you’re a moron” or whatever? I’ll have to check that out.
I liked the idea. I hope my nephews will log-on and play because I’m running out of stupid uncle tricks. You know, the juggling and the harmonica playing only impresses them until they’re like 5 or 6.
So now I’m thinking if I’m a little online personality it might keep them going.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I knew it!!!! I knew it! I knew he had a thing for her! This news makes me so very happy. And now I can't wait for episode 4.
ETA: Spoiler pic for ep4 (huge spoiler, just to warn you). Here's the HQ version
onomastikon on
inplainsightusa, and it had some interesting hints about Mary/Marshall. Contains some spoilers for a future episode. I've highlighted the parts that are related to the Mary/Marshall dynamic.
source
Is this your first TV series regular since “Missing Persons”?
Yes it is. And that was shot in Chicago.
So how was it being in Chicago? What did you like to do here?
It was pretty different back then but I used to love the Wicker Park area. I’m been to Chicago subsequently and it’s rather developed now but back then it was kind of a very hip, up-and-coming, edgy part of town.
There was a great bar called Sweet Alice. I don’t know if it’s still around. [Readers, it is, at 1415 N. Milwaukee Ave.] We spent a lot of time at Sweet Alice. It was cool.
I guess this was like 14 years ago. It was great. And I loved the lake. Chicago is fun.
You’re well known in theater, and you’ve done some films-like “The Business of Strangers”-what is you favorite venue?
Yeah, theater, I’m kind of hooked on theater. It’s just a real high to be able to go out and do the whole story at once and immediately feel and hear the audience response to it.
Have you ever done in theater in Chicago?
No. I have not actually. I would like to, but I haven’t. I know there are great theater companies in Chicago.
I’ve seen Chicago theater in New York. I’ve seen more Chicago theater in New York than I did when I was [in Chicago] actually.
This new Tracy Letts play, “August: Osage Country” is fantastic. It should win everything [at the Tony Awards.]
Tell me about “In Plain Sight?”
It’s about U.S. marshals working in the Witness Protection Program. One particular is trying to balance the chaos of her family life with the chaos of her professional life.
And how does your character come into that?
I’m her partner, carrying a torch for her. And sometimes I think my affections may be secretly requited although Mary McCormack seems to think otherwise.
There’s one episode in which she gets jealous about a lady I’m dating so I think that that’s telling. I like to think that, you know, one day we’ll see.
So there will be a romance thing happening?
There’s definitely some tension I would say. There’s some payoff during the first season but not a lot.
You’re kind of the comic relief on the show.
Yeah they give me some funny stuff to do.
Your character kind of starts out as a laugh because of his name-a U.S. marshal named Marshall.
Yeah, that’s kind of a [laughs]. That certainly sets the tone.
Give me your best sales pitch for the show.
It’s an untapped subject such that you will actually learn about the Witness Protection Program, I think. Because of the subject matter there is no formula.
It’s not like a cop show in which someone gets shot or killed at the beginning of every episode and the cops have to figure out who did it.
The writers have to reinvent the wheel every week so it’s fresh from week to week. One week it’s a family drama, the next week it’s a whodunit and so forth.
It’s rare and original in that it’s a funny one-hour-slightly more serious than the other so-called dramedies on USA. But I think it’s extremely entertaining.
Do you have a favorite scene or episode?
In Episode 4, which is kind of an action/adventure episode, when I get to disclose my feelings for Mary-or come very close to it. There’s a lot of subtext. And it’s actually one of the more dramatic scenes that I did.
I thought it was wonderful. Dave Foley is the guest and he provides brilliant comic relief in an otherwise pretty dramatic episode.
How much of yourself do you put into Marshall?
More than any other character certainly. David Maples pretty much started writing for me and Mary after a certain point, which is a fun situation to be in.
There are a lot of similarities. I could, probably, very easily kill a man. But Marshall has a certain dorky element to him which obviously I’m completely void of. So that would be where we differ.
But I can tell you’re kind of a smartass like Marshall, right?
I suppose that may be-a little bit. [Laughs.] No, he’s an amazing character. It’s not often you come across a character on television that is that multi-dimensional in a one-hour show.
He’s a trained badass, but wears pajamas with little planes on them, you know? I mean, it’s pretty fun.
Did you do any research with real marshals; not people named Marshall, but real U.S. marshals?
[Laughs.] Yeah, I knew a crew member from another shoot who’s name was Marshall so I called him and asked him extensive questions.
No, we had a guy who was actually the head of WITSEC on the set. I learned a lot that I couldn’t possibly have learned otherwise.
In fact, they flew in an active marshal. They helicoptered this lady in and she didn’t know where she was going until she got there.
I don’t know, I guess they are on a need-to-know basis whenever they go anywhere. So she didn’t know what her mission was going to be. She didn’t know she was just coming to talk to a bunch of actors.
They were extremely informative in terms of any kind of SWAT-like procedures or how they deal with witnesses. I learned that the U.S. marshals with WITSEC are a lot more badass than I had imagined-apparently the best in the country in terms of, well, being able to protect people.
So their services are frequently borrowed by other branches of the marshal services for kicking down doors because they’re that good in a SWAT-like capacity.
Yeah, it’s a pretty cool job.
In the show the marshals go far beyond just relocating the witnesses. Is that accurate to what really happens?
They provide them with money. They provide them with jobs. And they’re undercover go-betweens between the witnesses and the real world.
In one episode Mary says something about in the history of the Witness Protection Program, no witness who has followed the rules has been killed. Is that also a fact?
That’s right. That is a fact.
I went on the USA Web site and took Marshall's online quiz. How did that come about?
So that’s already available with me popping up and saying, “you’re a moron” or whatever? I’ll have to check that out.
I liked the idea. I hope my nephews will log-on and play because I’m running out of stupid uncle tricks. You know, the juggling and the harmonica playing only impresses them until they’re like 5 or 6.
So now I’m thinking if I’m a little online personality it might keep them going.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I knew it!!!! I knew it! I knew he had a thing for her! This news makes me so very happy. And now I can't wait for episode 4.
ETA: Spoiler pic for ep4 (huge spoiler, just to warn you). Here's the HQ version
