Post by flummery on Nov 5, 2006 18:45:42 GMT -4
This interview was great.
It's a long article...I'll just put Michael's words in this post.
Click here
Scare Tactics
Audiences love a good villain. But what does it take to make one — and how do actors break free of that image?
November 03, 2006
By Jenelle Riley
Perhaps no one embodies that quiet malevolence more than Bell's Saw co-star Michael Emerson, a charismatic if benign-looking actor who has mastered the art of terrorizing people in a soft-spoken manner. After winning an Emmy for guest actor in a drama series — besting Oliver Platt and Patrick Dempsey — for playing murderous accountant William Hinks on The Practice, Emerson had a memorable turn in Saw as Zep, one of Jigsaw's puppets. Though one could argue that Zep was only carrying out orders to save his own life and thus was not a villain, he certainly seemed to relish his assignment.
Currently, Emerson is bringing his brand of unassuming menace to the hit television show Lost, in which he plays the mastermind of the "Others," the group of islanders who have been terrorizing the castaways for the last two seasons. Technically, whether or not his Ben (formerly known as Henry Gale) is evil is still up for grabs; but with Emerson in the role, there certainly seems to be a degree of maliciousness at play. Asked why he's been tapped to portray so many bad guys, the actor has several theories. "I'm not really sure, except that I guess I'm able to usually bring whatever level of intensity to a character that the director requires," he says. "Also, I think, for a lot of storytelling, they want the villain to look unlike a villain. I'm the right package for a kind of surprising villainy because I look like a mild and civilized person."
Emerson, who has played characters ranging from Mozart to Oscar Wilde onstage, also believes there is a taste in America for articulate villains. "I'm a theatre guy and a language player," he continues. "Americans prefer action and distrust talkers. They like doers. So it sort of reaffirms that American prejudice that villains be good talkers." He cites characters in Harold Pinter plays as perfect examples. "I love their ambiguity," he notes. "The way Pinter writes them, the terror and the intrigue is between the lines and in the pauses, the things that are implied. The character on Lost feels a lot like that."
When Emerson was offered the role on Lost, it was set to be a three-episode gig. Not unlike his turn on The Practice — in which his one-shot character returned for three more appearances — Emerson brought something to the role of Henry/Ben that made his employment more permanent. "As the producers began to enjoy the character and see possibilities for spinning the story, they began to do more," he says. "They would say, 'Let's make it six [episodes]. Let's make it 10.' Then I was a regular." As is often the case on the secretive show, the actor wasn't told specifically whether his character was good, bad, or somewhere in between. "My instinct was to play him neutral and keep people guessing," Emerson says. "That's a strategy I learned from the stage, as well. Something that delights me in theatre is a sort of smooth veneer with a lurking suggestion of violence or danger underneath. So I wanted to embody that."
Like Bell, Emerson believes that a certain detachment helps project villainy. "People are scared of anyone who's chilly," he says. "Americans refuse to acknowledge it, but we're a sentimental people, and we like our stuff a little mushy. When you're confronted with someone who has a sort of frostiness, it makes people nervous. And I'm happy to be the person who provides that nervousness."
[...]
Emerson agrees that typecasting is a concern, but not one he can allow to limit his choices when the roles are good. "I don't worry too much about micromanaging my own career," he says. "The TV medium has such reach and power, it does give you pause sometimes. When you think that more people will see a single episode of Lost than will ever see me in all my stage performances put together, that's a long reach. But I don't know what to do about it; you have to keep moving forward and taking parts. And I take parts that seem like good parts." He concedes he might not say yes to very many serial killer types in the future. "I think I've sort of exhausted that," he notes. "I would like to have a change of pace for the next thing I do on film or television. It would be nice to sort of mix things up as I go along if it's going to be a long game."
[...]
Emerson points out that perfectly respectable careers have been built on being the bad guy forever. "One could do worse than to be the Peter Lorre of one's time," he notes. "And it would be more fun to be Peter Lorre than Tyrone Power. I sort of have a philosophical attachment to showing the dark side of the human experience. I think people have secret greeds and lusts and do bad things that create moral and ethical dilemmas in their lives. I think when we watch villains, we're watching ourselves. I don't know who identifies with John Wayne. I think more people are scurrying around in the shadows with Peter Lorre."
It's a long article...I'll just put Michael's words in this post.
Click here
Scare Tactics
Audiences love a good villain. But what does it take to make one — and how do actors break free of that image?
November 03, 2006
By Jenelle Riley
Perhaps no one embodies that quiet malevolence more than Bell's Saw co-star Michael Emerson, a charismatic if benign-looking actor who has mastered the art of terrorizing people in a soft-spoken manner. After winning an Emmy for guest actor in a drama series — besting Oliver Platt and Patrick Dempsey — for playing murderous accountant William Hinks on The Practice, Emerson had a memorable turn in Saw as Zep, one of Jigsaw's puppets. Though one could argue that Zep was only carrying out orders to save his own life and thus was not a villain, he certainly seemed to relish his assignment.
Currently, Emerson is bringing his brand of unassuming menace to the hit television show Lost, in which he plays the mastermind of the "Others," the group of islanders who have been terrorizing the castaways for the last two seasons. Technically, whether or not his Ben (formerly known as Henry Gale) is evil is still up for grabs; but with Emerson in the role, there certainly seems to be a degree of maliciousness at play. Asked why he's been tapped to portray so many bad guys, the actor has several theories. "I'm not really sure, except that I guess I'm able to usually bring whatever level of intensity to a character that the director requires," he says. "Also, I think, for a lot of storytelling, they want the villain to look unlike a villain. I'm the right package for a kind of surprising villainy because I look like a mild and civilized person."
Emerson, who has played characters ranging from Mozart to Oscar Wilde onstage, also believes there is a taste in America for articulate villains. "I'm a theatre guy and a language player," he continues. "Americans prefer action and distrust talkers. They like doers. So it sort of reaffirms that American prejudice that villains be good talkers." He cites characters in Harold Pinter plays as perfect examples. "I love their ambiguity," he notes. "The way Pinter writes them, the terror and the intrigue is between the lines and in the pauses, the things that are implied. The character on Lost feels a lot like that."
When Emerson was offered the role on Lost, it was set to be a three-episode gig. Not unlike his turn on The Practice — in which his one-shot character returned for three more appearances — Emerson brought something to the role of Henry/Ben that made his employment more permanent. "As the producers began to enjoy the character and see possibilities for spinning the story, they began to do more," he says. "They would say, 'Let's make it six [episodes]. Let's make it 10.' Then I was a regular." As is often the case on the secretive show, the actor wasn't told specifically whether his character was good, bad, or somewhere in between. "My instinct was to play him neutral and keep people guessing," Emerson says. "That's a strategy I learned from the stage, as well. Something that delights me in theatre is a sort of smooth veneer with a lurking suggestion of violence or danger underneath. So I wanted to embody that."
Like Bell, Emerson believes that a certain detachment helps project villainy. "People are scared of anyone who's chilly," he says. "Americans refuse to acknowledge it, but we're a sentimental people, and we like our stuff a little mushy. When you're confronted with someone who has a sort of frostiness, it makes people nervous. And I'm happy to be the person who provides that nervousness."
[...]
Emerson agrees that typecasting is a concern, but not one he can allow to limit his choices when the roles are good. "I don't worry too much about micromanaging my own career," he says. "The TV medium has such reach and power, it does give you pause sometimes. When you think that more people will see a single episode of Lost than will ever see me in all my stage performances put together, that's a long reach. But I don't know what to do about it; you have to keep moving forward and taking parts. And I take parts that seem like good parts." He concedes he might not say yes to very many serial killer types in the future. "I think I've sort of exhausted that," he notes. "I would like to have a change of pace for the next thing I do on film or television. It would be nice to sort of mix things up as I go along if it's going to be a long game."
[...]
Emerson points out that perfectly respectable careers have been built on being the bad guy forever. "One could do worse than to be the Peter Lorre of one's time," he notes. "And it would be more fun to be Peter Lorre than Tyrone Power. I sort of have a philosophical attachment to showing the dark side of the human experience. I think people have secret greeds and lusts and do bad things that create moral and ethical dilemmas in their lives. I think when we watch villains, we're watching ourselves. I don't know who identifies with John Wayne. I think more people are scurrying around in the shadows with Peter Lorre."
