TV Tattler: Celebrity Interviews

Related Links 'The Nine' Listings More About John Billingsley

Dec. 27 -- John Billingsley is a man of character.

He's built a career on making memorable appearances on shows like 'Prison Break,' The X-Files,' and 'Cold Case.'

You've seen the character actor most recently as Egan Foote, the unlikely hero on ABC's 'The Nine.' Though it was hailed as one of the best new shows of the fall season, its strong start quickly gave way to low ratings. The series has been pulled from the schedule, but the network says it has every intention to bring it back in the spring.

During an interview with AOL Television editor Geoff Bennett, Billingsley opened up about the show's fate, what he hated most about his old 'Star Trek' gig and recounted an unfortunate run-in with a cotton candy machine.

I hear you were one of the last people the producers saw for this role.
I got involved late in their casting process. They had looked at 50 or so guys before me. All I can say is that when I read it, my first thought was that this is a guy who doesn't say sh*t even when he's got a mouth full of it. Even though he's contemplating suicide when we meet him, that doesn't mean he's going to be abandoning a life-long set of behaviors that are designed to always suggest he's fine. And I think that allowed me to go into the room and put forward a guy who was determined to be cheery under all circumstances. And I think that's what they responded to.

Now, these flashbacks to the bank robbery. Will those occur throughout the span of the show? Will that story still be unfolding in seasons three and four?
Well, I hope there is a season three and four. Right now, the numbers are not suggesting that. But I expect that if we go beyond the first season, we will have wrapped up the flashback. I think the idea all along is that the first season would have this flashback format, and if the show were to survive, people would be engaged enough by our on-going lives to follow us down the road. I certainly don't think they're going to do anything silly like put us all in an elevator that crashes. It's possible, however, that the second season might be the trial and involve the aftermath of the robbery.

You mentioned the show's low ratings. How does the potential for cancellation affect the mood on set?
Everybody handles it differently. I'm not much of a Kool-Aid drinker when it comes to that kind of stuff. I started the season thinking it's a really interesting show, a terrific premise and a great group of people, but it's also a difficult landscape. There are a lot of successful, serialized dramas on, and I think getting a new one to register with an audience is a very tricky proposition. It's a good show and the work is strong, so we may still find our audience. Assuming the worst, as is my nature, I don't think it's affecting our enthusiasm. It just means we're on the phone more often to our agents.

What's the downside of being a character actor?
Because it is commerce as much as art, there is a natural tendency to be type-cast. And it's a struggle sometimes. I had a couple episodes of 'Cold Case' where I played a particularly loathsome psychotic killer and invariably the next two months it was, "Hey, we've got a psycho role to offer you. Why don't you come in and read for it?" There's a certain amount of frustration. Just as I hope emerging from this, I don't have to fight too hard to avoid being thrown every middle-aged schlubby guy.

Do you watch the show when it airs? Or are you one of those actors who can't stand to watch himself?
I do watch the show. It depends because sometimes they show the upcoming episode at our crew lunch. And if I happen to be there, I'll watch it then. I Tivo them all, and they are kind enough to supply DVDs.

Seeing the end result, how does it affect what you do?
It's invariable when you're an actor, that there will always be moments that you second guess. But candidly, because episodes frequently go long, some of the moments that were important to you get cut, and that's always a death of a thousand paper cuts. My wife -- who actually plays my wife on the show -- and I had a scene in which we separate, and there were a few moments that were cut. But to me, they were kind of crucial. So there's that reaction sometimes.

What's you favorite thing to do on the set in between takes?
I'm a big reader. So depending upon the nature of the scene, I'll read. I stash newspapers and magazines all over the set. In fact, I've stumbled upon magazines dating back to the first day we started working.

Yeah, I read that you have a major book collection -- over 5,000 titles. What's your favorite book? And which character would you most like to play on TV?
It's always hard to pick a favorite because so much of it is contingent upon your mood, but probably the first one that I usually pull out is 'The Sound and the Fury.' I'm a big Faulker fan. I hear they are trying to make a movie out of that, which sounds utterly insane. But in terms of fictional character, I think I'd like to play that kind of world-weary '40s era spy. Maybe Sam Spade. I'd be the last guy you'd probably cast. (Laughs)

Scifi fans remember you from your days on 'Star Trek: Enterprise.' What do you miss about that show?
The fans are exceptionally loyal. It was a very special time for me. For instance, four months since this show started airing, I think I've gotten two letters -- which is fine. It's not like I sit by the mailbox. But a week after they announced the casting for 'Enterprise,' I was getting a bag of mail. The fervor and the emotional attachment of the fans -- which sometimes can be a little exhausting -- is really rewarding. And the people were lovely. It was a crew that had been together for 15 years and was a real familial environment. But I don't miss wearing that damned head. I ripped that last one off. It was a two-and-a-half hour process to put it on.

I read that on your way to becoming a successful actor, you were once a cotton candy spinner.
I didn't last very long. It was all a horror story. I couldn't get it to adhere to the white cone. It just kept flying off and landing in kids' hair and eyes and people cried and parents got upset. In fact, I've sucked at every other job I've ever held. I've fortunately not had to do much else.