Buzzfocus recently had the opportuntity to chat with “In Plain Sight” star Paul Ben-Victor(The Wire). Here’s what Paul had to share:
Can you tell us just a little bit more about your character on In Plain Sight?
P. Ben-Victor: It’s an interesting character because, in the first season, I’m sort of sprinkled in around the show. I’m not as present as I think I’m going to be in the second season. But basically, it’s a comedic character. It’s definitely geared toward the comedy of the show; there’s a lot of terrific banter between the two leads. I’m sort of Mary’s reluctant boss and I think I probably have some sort of fatherly kind of, parental caring for her. I’m sort of like a dad figure and he’s very caring and very careful for Mary, but she definitely wears the pants in the office and we’re all sort of tip-toeing around waiting for her emotional levels to change. So, we’re sort of following her lead.
Why did you originally want to play this character, how did it come to be, and then, how different is this character from other things you’ve played?
P. Ben-Victor: You know, for me, I just go to work. I’ve always enjoyed the Christopher Walken philosophy, which is you take what comes next. I am a big fan of his work ethic. So, this came next. A few years ago this meeting came around. It definitely had, you’ll see in the pilot, something I was able to sink my teeth into and bring something to. I definitely sensed the humor in the writing and I think they were looking for someone to really make that happen. So there was a nice marriage there.
Every character’s different and they’re also very similar in many ways. A while ago, I did a show called The Invisible Man on the Sci-Fi Channel, and a friend of mine said this now is like Bobby Hobbes older brother. It’s kind of like Bobby Hobbes has grown up a little bit, been given a raise, and now he’s working at another out-of-the-way, off-the-wall, obscure office in the middle of nowhere. It relates to that character I think a little bit. And the writing is terrific. It’s definitely something that suits me, I think. I’m looking forward to doing more of it.
Do you think a job like being a federal marshal for the Witness Protection Program can be done without bending the rules a little bit?
P. Ben-Victor: No, you have to bend the rules. He’s definitely bending the rules and breaking them wherever he has to. He’s a straight up guy, but he has to take care of his people, and that comes first. Just to make it exciting I think you have to take some theatrical, poetic license and do what you’ve got to do.
As you get older, how is your approach different to playing cops or law enforcement?
P. Ben-Victor: Well, that’s interesting because that relates to your first question a little bit because they just flow through you as the years go by. People say, “Well how did you prepare for this character?” And I say, “Well, I’ve been preparing for it for 20 years” because I have done so many detectives and cops. Obviously it’s make believe but, in some ways, I feel like a seasoned veteran cop because I’ve shot more guns I think than anybody, and I’ve handcuffed more people, and gotten in more fights, and been killed more than anybody else. So, you just show up and it begins to be another suit that you put on and you don’t think about it as much. You just do your work and it just becomes easier over the years. It’s less work and more of just bringing your instincts to it more and more as the years go on, I think.
How do you feel the role of playing, say your old character on The Wire as a crime boss, differs from your more cop-type roles and your more comedic roles?
P. Ben-Victor: This one is definitely lighter fare. There’s definitely some heavy moments that you have to play, there’s some life-threatening and life-saving moments in the show. Generally, I do gear toward comedic characters. Or, if they’re not, I’ll try to find the comedy in there because I just like making people laugh. It’s just something I need to do.
In The Wire, that just wasn’t there. It just wasn’t even hinted at obviously in the writing, so there was nothing funny about that character. And so, I just dive into the drama of it and try to make it as chilling and as scary as I possibly could with doing very little. So, that was my task in The Wire. I was trying to do as much as Michael Corleone, as simple acting as I could but keeping the weight and the power and the danger under it all somehow. Again, I’m not sure how I do it. I just sort of feel it.
What (is) your favorite (In Plain Sight) episode is and why, either personally as an actor or just that you enjoyed watching maybe.
P. Ben-Victor: I definitely liked the pilot. The pilot was a lot of fun because there’s a very funny, it’s in the clip I think in the commercials that you’ve been seeing, where I think I say something about a shoe. I think they use that clip where I’m saying “Do you think Mary will like this?” I’m talking about a shoe. Very funny. The pilot is just juicy and wonderful and I’m really looking forward to seeing it. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve seen little clips of it.
What else was a fun one? The last two episodes for me were juicy and beefy. I had a lot to do. But I haven’t seen them all yet, so I really couldn’t tell you what my favorite is yet. But we’ll have to revisit that question after the first season, then we can talk about what our favorites were.
From your career, what are the stand-out moments to you? Do you have one or two things that you’ve done that really meant a lot or that were kind of more important than the others?
P. Ben-Victor: I get asked that a lot. There were little milestones along the way, like little steps, little building blocks along the way. The ones that I get asked about the most I guess are the ones that stand out. One of them is True Romance – a week doesn’t go by where somebody doesn’t mention that. And then there was Mo and The Three Stooges, which is sort of a stand-out time; and then this new character Entourage. The guy that I play in Entourage has definitely been one of the most recognizable characters that I’ve done, so that’s been an interesting role to play. I think those and then the NYPD Blue character gets a lot of attention. Bobby Hobbes on the Sci-Fi channel is also one of the biggies. And I hope this one joins the ranks of those characters. And also The Wire and the HBO shows stand out quite a bit as well. The Wire and then John in Cincinnati last year. I didn’t go very far with that character as well. Those five or six are the ones that stand out.
With the cast being a bit isolated from LA and New Mexico, have you found that you guys have gotten a chance to bond a little bit more, and spending more time together away from home?
P. Ben-Victor: Definitely, we have a great time. That’s the most important thing, if you’re doing a series, that you chum up with your cast mates, because you are isolated, as you say, and you’re tucked away. You’re not really with your family and your best friends who you hang out with every day, so you hope to have some chemistry with them. We’ve had some great parties, some great nights out and some great dinners together. Mary is an incredible host, hostess, I don’t know what the politically correct term is these days, but she’s great. And we’ve had some wonderful times in our house in New Mexico.
Fred and I laugh all day long and do Christopher Walken impressions … sort of dueling Chris Walken’s, that’s our little game.
Nicki and I have become good friends as well. Nichole Hiltz. She’s a blast. She’s definitely the life of any party. And we’ve remained friends and have been hanging out here in Los Angeles as well, along with everybody else. But definitely good friends with Nicki, Mary, and Fred; on the set, we’re having a good time.
