Mark Valley Talks Action

Jeffrey Harris: We actually met very briefly last summer at the San Diego Comic Con, and I think you told me that was your first Comic Con.

Mark Valley: That was the first Comic Con I’ve ever been to.

Jeffrey Harris: What were your thoughts and feelings on going to Comic Con for the first time?

Mark Valley: I was pretty impressed. The attention that most of the people, the love everyone had toward their favorite character and their favorite shows, it was just absolutely fascinating to me.

Jeffrey Harris: Did you get any cool merch and did anything crazy happen over there? Con can be quite ferocious.

Mark Valley: No, I didn’t get trampled. I had a room where I could look over all the events going on down there and I was just sort of visually blown away with everyone there and everything that they were wearing, the costumes and so forth. And I also a left with like a really cool sword, an inflatable sword.

Jeffrey Harris: That was the sword I gave you.

Mark Valley: Oh, that was you! OK, I get it now. I had a bag with my face on it, but I like the sword though.

Jeffrey Harris: It’s weird because I live in Los Angeles and I never have any cool stories where I run into a movie star or TV star, but in San Diego my friend and I will just run into everybody when we are just walking around the streets and in our hotel. That’s why I love Comic Con and San Diego.

Mark Valley: It’s definitely a great place to venue a show because it’s really a discerning audience. They’re people that really think about what they watch and about their stories and that sets it apart from other conventions.

Jeffrey Harris: You probably wouldn’t believe how big of a Keen Eddie fan I was several years ago, and I’m very excited to see you headlining a show like this again. I watched the first two episodes of this series [The Human Target] and I get it. This is like a 1980’s action-adventure throwback like The A-Team, Lethal Weapon, Indiana Jones, and Die Hard. And I think the advantage your show has is that there are not a lot shows like this on TV right now. What do you think?

Mark Valley: Well I think with ’80’s, Indiana Jones and so forth, I think a lot of people were sort of seduced by the technology of being able to make those action shows a lot more realistic and as a result they became — they took themselves a lot more seriously. I think what we’re doing now is, we’re kind of realizing we have enough technology to make it look realistic even on television but let’s have some fun while we’re doing it as well.

Jeffrey Harris: Did you have doubts or concerns at all about taking the lead role in a series again after what happened with Keen Eddie?

Mark Valley: Oh no, not at all really. I think having done Keen Eddie makes this an awful lot easier. I had that experience before and granted I’m extremely proud of it, what I did on that show, and I sort of learned that’s what’s important. Whether or not people are going to watch it just sort of dictates how long it goes and I’m not too wrapped up with that to be honest with you. It sort of feels like, well Keen Eddie didn’t go and I’m still here, so . . . What’s the worst that could happened?

Jeffrey Harris: In the pilot, the action sequence that made me go nuts was the hand-to-hand fight scene you had with the assassin in the air duct of the bullet train. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sequence like that before. What was that like to shoot and was it difficult?

Mark Valley: No, it was actually a little bit easier because when you’re that close you actually have a limited amount of choices to make. I can’t hit somebody with an elbow, I’m not going to wind up and run and punch you know. It was sort of indicative of the way the whole show is working, is that we’re trying to save money by limiting what we can do but in creating those limits we also feel a little bit more reach to kind of experiment and kind of improvise with those limits. So I think that’s starting in the show as well overall, not just that duct fight which I thought was a lot of fun actually.

Jeffrey Harris: I really like Christopher Chance’s moral stance and his charisma, wit, and physicality. It looks like it’s you doing a lot of the fighting and stunts. Do you practice any martial arts outside of the show?

Mark Valley: Yeah, I’ve done some in the past but it’s really different doing it on camera. It’s kind of like learning a well-choreographed dance. And we’ve got some great stunt coordinators and some great stunt doubles who are accomplished martial artists and they sort of plan the stuff and I work on it a little bit, whatever adaptations that I might want and have to make, and sort of run those moves like I was running lines.

Jeffrey Harris: In the comic series, Christopher Chance would literally assume the identity of the clients he was protecting. For the TV series, the concept has been slightly altered to make it a little more realistic and feasible where Chance assumes a cover close to the client rather than actually disguising himself as the client. But the personality and character of Chance is very much intact. How much do you like to play with those ideas in developing the character in the series?

Mark Valley: Well, the original comic, the DC comic book character, was more just into the disguise and you definitely had a set personality all the way through. Then the Vertigo comics you could see that he was actually changing and kind of fighting with questions of, “Who am I, really?” And it got a little confusing to be honest with you and a little bit bogged down in a lot of that without fully fleshing it out. Fortunately, the show doesn’t really go down that route. He’s only really changed his personality or assumes an identity to which it was necessary to kind of accomplish the job. And who knows, maybe we will see him taking over the identity of someone but it would have to be a guest star like Thomas Jane or something, you know? Who knows?

Jeffrey Harris: Early on, the covers Chance takes on are white collar type covers. Do you think you will ever take a cover that’s a little less glamorous where you might have to hide behind a dumpster?

Mark Valley: I don’t know about the dumpster but yeah definitely there are some more interesting ones. There’s one episode where he has to go to a monastery and dress up like a monk like the rest of them to move around freely without attracting attention. In this latest episode, he’s more or less a mercenary, that we’re working on now, kind of working with the Latin-American army. So we do have some pretty interesting identities. It’s not always going to be the lawyer or the diplomat.

Jeffrey Harris: Like Christopher Chance, the rock star?

Mark Valley: Yeah exactly. I think he’d probably be a drummer, though. I think he’d want to like stay back and fade into the background a little bit . . . or maybe a roadie or something. Like a roadie with a beer gut, you know what I mean? Just kind of carrying cables around.

Jeffrey Harris: How do you like working with Jackie Earle Haley and Chi McBride?

Mark Valley: Jackie Earle Haley is a lot of fun. He’s a really fun, really sweet guy. He’s nothing like the characters that he plays. And then Chi is just like this force of nature that his wonderful attitude and wealth of experience. And he’s just a really great guy to have around.

Jeffrey Harris: Back in the days of Keen Eddie, you got to work with Sienna Miller early in her acting career after she transitioned over from modeling. What were your impressions of her as an actress of her back then and how did you like working with her?

Mark Valley: I thoroughly enjoyed it. She’s a wonderful actress. She had a really good grasp of the comedic element. She had a really good kind of natural timing for the comedy, at least for that situation we had set up with Eddie living in her apartment, and her having a secret from her parents. It was actually, it was really a lot of fun. And yeah, I could see it that she would be exactly who she is today. I told her so myself.

Jeffrey Harris: Since we didn’t get to see more of the show, do you think Eddie and Fiona would’ve gotten together or do you think it would not have worked out?

Mark Valley: I don’t know, the series would have had to go on a little bit longer to kind of flesh that out. I don’t know, I can’t really remember back to be honest. I’d have to kind of re-watch it. You can always speculate.

Jeffrey Harris: I think with the chemistry Eddie and Fiona had, they would’ve gotten together eventually.

Mark Valley: Yeah, it was a funny show. It could’ve gone in a lot of different directions. I think in those kind of TV shows you can’t have the two getting together and I think Cheers proved that.

Jeffrey Harris: I like that in this show Christopher Chance has a dog. Is that a Doberman or a rottweiler he has?

Mark Valley: Oh, it’s a rottweiler.

Jeffrey Harris: Do you think we’ll see more of the dog in the future?

Mark Valley: I don’t know. I don’t really know what they have planned for that. I know — I think he’s also sort of a good watch dog to have around the place. I mean I think rottweilers go back to the Roman legions where a similar dog used to guard the Roman legions I think. They’re sort of a traditional choice I think for Chance.

Jeffrey Harris: Chance also has some Japanese swords in his apartment. Will he ever use those swords to like cut somebody?

Mark Valley: You know I think they’re mostly for show or for training and practice. But I always wanted to do some sort of sword fighting or some kind of traditional thing like that. But I think we’re going to find out that Chance uses things that are available like maybe he did train with swords but he’ll be able to use — like break a broomstick in half and be able to use that. A lot of that stuff is all more for show.

Jeffrey Harris: Do you have favorite babe guest star in the show so far? I can see you are working with a lot of hot babes like Tricia Helfer and I know Moon Bloodgood is also doing an episode.

Mark Valley: Oh no. I couldn’t tell you if I did either.

Jeffrey Harris: But off the record, between you and me it’s Tricia Helfer, right?

Mark Valley: Oh dude, we’re never off the record, but you can make a good guess.

Jeffrey Harris: Good luck with the show and I hope it does well

Mark Valley: Excellent. Thanks for your support.

Source

Thanks Sue!

Media Geek Interview – Part 2

In the concluding part of our interview with Valley, he turns his attention to the show’s stuntwork. It’s obvious that the actor is having the time of his life. Check out Human Target tonight (and every Monday) on Fox.

MEDIA GEEK: In watching the show, I’m often wondering how many of the stunts you insist on doing and how much of it they’ll allow you to do.

MARK VALLEY: It’s worked out pretty well. We’ve got good riggers and stunt people, so by letting me do stunts it doesn’t me that they’re shoving me off of a cliff. It’s all pretty safe.. well, except for a couple of things [laughs]. On one hand, I like to do as many of the stunts that I can because, in kind of a selfish way, it makes it a little bit easier for me to play Chance, having really experienced some sort of facsimile of the thrill that he is experiencing. That’s probably why I like to do it. Also, if I’m able to engage myself physically in the job as well, it’s that much more rewarding. I like to keep moving on the set. It’s not like I’ve been turning down a bunch of film offers by any means, but I really like television. Especially this show, because we’re always moving and always shooting something or moving on to something else, so you have to trust your first instincts and stay engaged. It’s a real vigorous production.
MEDIA GEEK: So what are your war wounds, I’m wondering?

MARK VALLEY: Well, I got kicked in the face by the stunt girl, but that was more of a wound to my ego than my lips, even though I was bleeding a little bit. I found out from the other stunt people that a stunt person never complains, they just kind of quietly walk off the set as though they’re walking into the woods to lick their wounds like a dog. But I’ve been hanging in it pretty well. I had a really good trainer in Los Angeles, who kind of prepared me with a variety of exercises to keep my general core strength up. I haven’t had any problems with my back or anything like that.

MEDIA GEEK: Of the six episodes you’ve shot so far, what has been the highlight?

MARK VALLEY: Oh, wow! A couple of scenes in Spanish was a lot of fun, because it takes place in a South American country and Chance is helping out this beautiful revolutionary he knew before. He has to go back and work his way in. Then of course driving the jeep through an army camp, which turned out to be one of the comedy milestones I think I’ve reached in my career. Then there was flying down an elevator shaft. There’s a scientist held captive by this defense contractor inside this huge building. We had to make our way out of it, and one of the things we had to do was slide down an elevator shaft attached to a cable in a kind of makeshift little harness. THAT was exciting, because I was actually flying down an elevator shaft, firing blanks at an imaginary enemy down below. That was really a thrill!

MEDIA GEEK: In a role like this, you kind of get to be a little kid again, don’t you?

MARK VALLEY: Oh my god, yeah! I just have to pinch myself sometimes. I really, really get to be a kid again and run around and do these things, and then be the tough guy you always wanted to be. While not taking any of it really that seriously. That’s been fantastic.
MEDIA GEEK: How would you describe this show for someone who is unfamiliar with HUMAN TARGET?

MARK VALLEY: First of all, clear the slate of expectations, because it’s not something you’ve seen on television for a while. It’s not a movie and it’s not a TV show, but it has elements of both. It’s a one-hour drama about an unorthodox security company that protects people who are marked for death by someone. Based on a DC Comic, I play Christopher Chance, Chi McBride is Winston and Jackie Earle Haley is Guerrero. Together we help figure out a way and a plan to insinuate ourselves into the client’s life, to appear vulnerable, draw out the threat, identify it and eliminate it by whatever means necessary. And you know what? We don’t do any more violence, action, explosions or fight scenes than is absolutely necessary to accomplish the task at hand [laughs]. It just happens that there’s a lot of them.

Source

Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland, David Boreanaz, Tim Roth and introducing, Mr. Mark Valley.

Valley probably looks familiar to you already, as he’s been around the TV block a few times. But this week, with the debut of his new show “Human Target”, he joins an elite group known as the leading men of FOX.

Why should you watch Valley on his new series? Well, as he explains in the clip below, it’s a lot of fun. It’s an action show. There’s drama. And there’s a wink of humor to it.
Valley, himself, has a nice sense of humor, which is also on display in the clip, and this humor lends itself nicely to his character Chance, who is the actual “human target.”

Each week, there’s a new case, a scenario in which someone’s life is being threatened, and Chance is hired to attract that threat and then, of course, eradicate it.

But, as mentioned, it’s not all business.

“There’s kind of a childish, boyish-like quality to Chance,” says Valley. “He’s like a kid [whose] parents aren’t home. He takes the car, he takes the motorcycle, he does whatever he wants, you know?”

Source

In the new Fox action series Human Target, Christopher Chance (Mark Valley) is a unique private contractor/security expert/bodyguard hired to protect and save his clients’ lives. When there is an unusual or imminent threat that can’t be solved through “normal” means of protection, Chance is hired to completely integrate himself into his clients’ lives and become the human target.

At the TCA Winter Press Tour, show star Mark Valley talked about making use of his own military experience in his stunt work for Human Target.

Q: What do you do to train physically for this role?

Mark: I’ve got a trainer in Los Angeles and he does a lot of core work. Instead of going for long runs or beating myself up, I’m just trying to be smart about it, doing interval training and cardio. I’m a little chubby right now, but my trainer said, “Your abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym.”

Q: Do you do a lot of training for different stunts?

Mark: Yeah, I do. I’ve done a little bit of martial-arts stuff, and I was in the Army as well. They use guns in the Army, so I’m a little bit familiar with that sort of thing. I’ve got a little gym on the studio lot, where I have a few little things that I can exercise on when I have some free time. For the second season, I’m hoping they are going to double the size of the gym. The size of the gym is going to dictate the success of the show.

Q: Do you have to learn different things for each episode?

Mark: Yeah. I’ve had to do Spanish for an episode. I did a scene in Spanish, driving a Jeep through a tent, shooting at a gas tank that explodes and blocks the gate, so we are not chased by the Latin American rebels. I’ve spent some time in a flight simulator. Apparently, you can’t really fly upside down on the simulator for very long because we tried it and the alarms went off, and we were summarily asked to leave. But, it’s been a great learning experience for me. I’m so excited doing the show. Sometimes, when we are shooting a scene, I feel like I’m a 12-year-old who just got up out of the movie theater and walked up into the screen and said, “Well, let me try this.”

Q: What’s your diet like?

Mark: It’s varied. I just try to not eat donuts.

Q: Is that your weakness?

Mark: Yeah. I just try to not eat donuts, and as few cookies as possible.

Q: Do you do your own stunts?

Mark: As it works out, the riggers that we have are really competent, experienced guys, so I’m able to do some of the stunts because I feel pretty safe. One of the most fun ones was flying down an elevator shaft, head first.

Q: You were on a wire?

Mark: A strong wire.

Q: Do you like to do character research?

Mark: This character has been a little bit more of a challenge because his background is being a little bit more slowly revealed. There are the comic hooks, but I don’t really know if I want to use having impersonated Bruce Wayne. It’s possible. He did save Batman’s ass, on more than one occasion.

Q: Will Chance have a love interest, down the line?

Mark: We have some really wonderful recurring characters who are coming on. Chance, by the nature of the show, is protecting someone and, most of the time, there’s some pretty interesting people on the show. Tricia Helfer is on the pilot. She hasn’t come back, but I’m hoping she does. There’s Autumn Reeser and Emmanuelle Vaugier, who might come back for another. Leonor Varela just did an episode. Moon Bloodgood has been on the show.

Q: What do you like about shooting in Vancouver?

Mark: It’s got a really established traditional center. There are ethnic areas. The city is divided up, and there’s been a lot of real estate development there since the ‘80s and the World’s Fair. It’s a world city as well.

Q: Have you ever worked or lived in Canada before?

Mark: I did Pasadena for Fox. I have a long history there. Fox always sends me up to Vancouver.Anna Torv is working there as well. We’re finally in the same city, but it’s pretty tough. She has really demanding hours on Fringe. It’s a really demanding job. It takes a toll, mentally and physically.

Q: How do you find time to hang out together?

Mark: You just do what you’ve gotta do.

Q: How much of your military experience do you rely on for this role?

Mark: It depends. We were doing a scene yesterday at an army camp and it was really intense, walking around in camouflage and carrying guns. I had to run with an AK-47 in my hands and that seemed pretty easy. Some of the things, I’ve actually forgotten, but I did remember how to tuck in my boots. That’s the one thing I know, along with driving a jeep.

Q: Do you like these dark characters?

Mark: Does he take chances because he is depressed, or because he enjoys the thrill? I think Chance really enjoys the thrill. He’s more of an adrenaline junkie than a depressive. I don’t think he’s suicidal, but you never know. I don’t write it. A death wish can come in a variety of different packages.

Q: What are you passionate about besides work?

Mark: When you’re younger, if you’re passionate about something, you’re willing to die for it, but now it means something you do in the afternoon. I like to read. I’m a voracious reader, and I like listening to music.

Q: Since you’ve done other shows in the past, what is your gut feeling on the success of Human Target?

Mark: One of the cool things about this show is that we have John Steinberg, who has written Jericho. He’s already got one in the cult column. Then there’s Chi McBride, who has done a few shows. His attitude is infectious around the set as well. It’s like, Let’s just enjoy what we are doing right now and not get wrapped up in what the numbers are or what they are going to be.” I’m really excited about this team, as it has come together and as the show has taken shape, and the DNA that has been created from it all. It has really come together, in a great way, so I just hope we stay together for a while longer because we are all having a great time.

Source

Mark Valley is officially an action star now.

The premiere of ‘Human Target’ (Sun., Jan. 17, 8PM ET on Fox) finds Valley taking the lead on TV once again, this time as Christopher Chance, a professional lifesaver who puts himself in the line of fire for his clients. “Chance is sort of an enigmatic character,” Valley says. Yeah, that’s an understatement.

AOL TV visited the set of ‘Human Target’ in Vancouver to get the scoop on the show and his castmates. And, of course, since Valley recently married his ‘Fringe’ costar Anna Torv, I had to ask: what are the chances of a ‘Fringe’-'Human Target’ crossover? “Honestly, things are so strange on ‘Fringe,’ I don’t think Chance and his crew would really be qualified to be dealing with, like, alternate universes.”

Source

Last Fall Fox invited us members of the press to visit the sets of Human Target and Fringe in Vancouver. We all got to interview the leads and check out the place. I had interviewed Mark a couple of times before, first in NY when he was playing a dead guy on Fringe, and then at Comic Con after the Human Target panel.On this interview I tried to get away from the typical questions and ask a little more about Chance’s motivations, his death wish from, and what it’s like for Mark to play an action figure. Plus, what does Chance’s apartment reflect about his personality?I was asked to stay away from the Mark & Anna questions, which I think is totally fine, let’s face it, actors don’t always love to talk about their personal lives. But I did hear his answer when others asked: Something like, we’re so busy we hardly get to see each other… And I overheard something on the set of Fringe about the couple fostering homeless kittens in Vancouver. How cute is that?Anyhow, this is Mark Valley on the set of Christopher Chance’s apartment.

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Mark Valley views new action drama as chance for a big hit,

PASADENA – Mark Valley has appeared on many critically beloved but short-lived series, including “Keen Eddie,’’ “Swingtown,’’ and “Pasadena.’’ While “Boston Legal’’ enjoyed a longer shelf life, his character Brad Chase was one of many offering support to stars William Shatner and James Spader. The New York native has also racked up a slew of guest-starring credits, most recently on the sci-fi series “Fringe’’ where he met his wife, former costar Anna Torv. But Valley is hoping to break big this time at the plate with the action drama “Human Target.’’

The high-octane series premieres tonight at 8 on Fox, with the second episode airing this Wednesday at 9. It moves to its regular time slot, Wednesdays at 8, on Jan. 27. The graphic novels on which the series is based chronicle the exploits of dashing yet enigmatic bodyguard/security specialist Christopher Chance, who stands out by blending in. His onscreen team includes the dynamic duo of fellow TV journeyman Chi McBride (“Pushing Daisies,’’ “Boston Public’’) and the recently resurgent Jackie Earle Haley (“Little Children,’’ “Watchmen’’). We sat down with Valley to talk action heroes and “Bad News Bears.’’

Q. Christopher Chance, excellent name.

A. Isn’t it? It was either that or Christopher Certainty, but we wanted it to be a little more exciting.

Q. Is it nice to be the man of action now?

A. Yeah, I’ve been kind of the browbeaten, put-upon guy for the past few years. I haven’t been furrowing my forehead quite as much.

Q. Were you familiar with the comics before the series?

A. I wasn’t familiar with any comics. I was more into buying baseball cards when I was a kid.

Q. So this isn’t the fulfillment of a lifelong dream?

A. It’s a lifelong dream to be playing an action character.

Q. Who were the action heroes you dug growing up?

A. I liked Harrison Ford. Han Solo was the coolest. Indiana Jones. I just loved that he was a professor and all he wanted to do was go back and study history. I loved Bruce Willis and the “Die Hard’’ movies and Steve McQueen and “The Getaway.’’

Q. Unlike those guys though, who just want to get back to their books or get home for Christmas, Chance actively seeks out the danger.

A. He is kind of knocking on its door, isn’t he? There’s something that keeps him moving. In a way it’s similar to “The Fugitive.’’ If he does stop and stay in one place he feels like he’s going to be “found’’ and something’s going to happen. Because Chance does have people from his past that are coming after him.

Q. I’m sure you’re friends now, but do you ever look at Jackie Earle Haley and flash back to “The Bad News Bears’’ and geek out that you’re on a show with Kelly Leak?

A. Oh my God, the coolest kid in town! It’s true, whenever I get time to hang out with him there’s still a little tingle that goes up my spine. He’s really sweet and I’m really fortunate I have Jackie and Chi on our team because they both bring a wealth of experience. Not only in film and TV but also in their personal lives and dealing with this business. Seeing them together is like seeing William Shatner and James Spader in a way.

Q. Since Chance isn’t a superhero is it possible that he might not always successfully protect his target?

A. That is the dramatic question that we’re dealing with on a weekly basis. It is not a guarantee, and that just might have happened in the past, which has caused Chance a little bit of guilt and self-doubt and a quest for redemption.

Q. You and Mr. McBride have been in several shows that had more critical than commercial success. Are you hoping the critics are just lukewarm on “Human Target’’ in order to improve its chances?

A. We’re banking on a karmic backlash, me, Chi, and [executive producer] Jon [Steinberg]. Jon had “Jericho’’ and we’re all done with the cult hit stuff [laughs]. We’d like to have a show that lasts for a little while, enough time to flesh it out and really have a thorough experience of working with each other. “Keen Eddie’’ is like a little piece of gold that sits on my shelf, and it’s something I’m really proud of. And if this show ended after eight, 10 episodes I’d be happy with it too. I’d put that in a little CD case and on to the next.

Source

Check out this on set interview with Mark via Human Target Online.

Source

Based on the DC comic of the same name, HUMAN TARGET is Fox’s big-budget midseason series that, based on the first two episodes, promises to up the action quotient on television. At the same time, it seems likely to elevate Mark Valley’s position as a leading man.
by Edward Gross

Born on Christmas Eve 1964 in Ogdensburg, New York, Valley’s early credits include the character of Jack Deveraux on the NBC soap opera DAYS OF OUR LIVES (a role which spanned 1994 to 1997), as well as Detective Eddie Arlette in the TV series KEEN EDDIE. BOSTON LEGAL, in which he played Brad Chase followed. In 2008 he appeared on FRINGE as FBI agent John Scott, and ultimately ended up marrying that show’s leading lady, Anna Torv.

In HUMAN TARGET (the comic of which was created by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino) he plays Christopher Chance, who steps in to take the place of people in dangerous situations, willing to take a bullet for them (though obviously he’d prefer not to) as he uncovers whatever mystery he’s involved with. And then there’s the action!

In the first part of this exclusive interview with CBM, Valley discusses how he became involved with the series and his overall feelings about the character, sharing a bit about some of his personal Hollywood heroes.

MEDIA GEEK: You must be pretty tired, physically, from doing this show. I watched two episodes and was exhausted.

MARK VALLEY: Yeah, it’s pretty tiring making it. How did you like it?

MEDIA GEEK: I had the same reaction to the second episode as I did to the pilot when I saw it at Comic-Con, which was how the hell are they going to do this on a weekly basis?

MARK VALLEY: Well, we’re doing it. That was one of the dramatic questions facing us in the beginning, too. But I think with the second episode we were able to prove that we COULD do it on a weekly basis. I think what’s working is we’re doing a couple of days second unit while main unit is shooting most of the dramatic material with the principals.

MEDIA GEEK: When you read the script for the pilot, what was your feeling about the character? What was his appeal to you?

MARK VALLEY: What appealed to me is that it was an opportunity for some subtle humor, which is one thing that is rarely seen on television dramas. Being able to write that sort of irony, or having the willingness to have an ironic character in your show, is really something that attracts my attention. By that, I mean a dark sense of humor, a dark commentary on what’s going on around him. He’s got kind of a gallows humor about him, which is kind of cool.

MEDIA GEEK: From what I’ve gathered, the attempt with this character was to create a hero who has his roots in the past and films like LETHAL WEAPON and DIE HARD.

MARK VALLEY: I asked Simon West [who directed the pilot and worked with Valley on KEEN EDDIE], “How do you think this character is different from Keen Eddie?” and he said, “Eddie was the one who took the beating, but this is the guy more likely to GIVE the beating.” I took that and kind of ran with it. He’s a little bit of a bad ass, and kind of fun. God knows I wasn’t a bad ass in high school, so I get to make up for it now.

MEDIA GEEK: When you look at a show like this with so much action, is there a danger that there could be a lack of character evolution?

MARK VALLEY: If you look at it, once something becomes a real hook for the show, that becomes a risk where you say, “Oh, wow, we have to figure out where to put a chase into the episode.” I find that’s going to be more guidelines than a demand of the show, which inspires the writers to come up with some very clever material and a story that can kind of carry the conflicts that are set up. I’ve got complete confidence in those guys, and to be honest with you, I think that’s more their challenge. Mine is to be able to handle it all in the time we have available and to make the character believable.

MEDIA GEEK: I guess what I’m getting at is that if you have a show that has action, action, action, it has a danger of repetition and, really, boredom if there isn’t a genuine character at the center of it all.

MARK VALLEY: The character is something that they’re very focused on, and it’s been so much fun trying to find this character. In every episode I learn a little bit more about him because you get an opportunity to see him in different situations. From an actor’s standpoint, I don’t think we’re going to have a problem with that, just by the way the writing has been coming out. We’re on episode six or seven right now, and I’m pretty happy about that. That was my concern as well; that was my fear: what if this guy turns into an enzyme for action? But he’s definitely his own organism and it’s working out pretty well.

MEDIA GEEK: I’ve been enjoying the interplay between you, Chi McBride and Jackie Earle Haley.

MARK VALLEY: I think they cast this thing really well, to be honest with you. Jackie, Chi and I both have experience, but from different angles, and we all share this attitude of enjoying ourselves and making the most out of every day and every scene, and let the cards fall where they may. The attitude is kind of infectious and everybody seems worried about the right things, and not what the numbers are going to be or selfishly only worrying about their own character.

MEDIA GEEK: You can’t control the numbers anyway, so all you can do is make the best show you can.

MARK VALLEY: Like Chi says, “I want you guys to like us, not love us.” We’ve all done shows we’ve fallen in love with but really didn’t get the majority of votes with the Senate, so to speak. Whatever happens, we’re making a show we’re proud of and that’s something I’m pleased with.

MEDIA GEEK: Now that you’re playing an action hero, who were the ones that you looked up to when you were younger?

MARK VALLEY: I liked Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford as Han Solo was pretty cool, too. When I was a little older, probably in high school, I thought Bruce Willis was great. On television, I used to watch shows like MAGNUM P.I. and SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN. I loved those guys, and the way they played it with that kind of shrugging the shoulders, ROCKFORD FILES kind of casualness. I used to really enjoy that. Of course, there was William Shatner in STAR TREK, too. Those are the heroes. Now I’m meeting them out here in Hollywood.

MEDIA GEEK: Is that exciting, given your own celebrity?

MARK VALLEY: Oh my God, yeah. It’s like you’re a kid and somebody saying, “You’ve got a phone call.” “From who?” “Santa Claus. He wants to talk to you.” It’s sort of a two-edged sword. On one hand it’s such a thrill to meet them, but then you also have to kind of give up on the illusion that the characters they played actually existed.

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