TV Tattler: Celebrity Interviews

Related Links 'Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From The Stories Of Stephen King' Listings More About Ron Livingston

July 17 -- Ron Livingston earned a special place in the hearts of working stiffs everywhere as Peter Gibbons, the nice guy with the dead end job, in the cult classic 'Office Space.'

Now he's back in the spotlight, starring in the TNT series 'Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From The Stories Of Stephen King,' playing the older brother of a disturbed scientist. Catch his episode, "The End of the Whole Mess," on July 19th at 10PM ET.

Livingston chatted with AOL Television editor Kelly Woo about the role, his new Fox series and how it feels to be known for dishing up one of day's best known catchphrases.

Have you always been a Stephen King fan?
I read some of the horror stuff when I was young. You know, the guy is so prolific; you have to be a pretty avid reader to keep up with the pace at which he writes. There've been a lot of movies I've seen that I had no idea were his. You know, ‘Stand By Me,’ ‘Shawshank Redemption’ -- things that you don’t normally think of because he’s such an icon in the world of new gothic horror.

Do you have a favorite of his work?
I really enjoyed ‘The Shining’ because it scared the hell out of me when I was a kid.

Do you like horror movies?
Not so much anymore, but when I was a kid I did.

Why not anymore?
There are plenty of scary things in adult life.

What's your particular episode about?
It’s basically about what happens when people get a little cocky about their effects over nature. Trying to change nature and how that can come back you to bite you.

Did you have a choice between all the different episodes?
No, I was approached for this one, and I thought it was a really good fit. I haven’t seen the other ones yet; I’m kind of looking forward to the launch so that I can see them on the air.

It has an awesome cast. There are so many big names involved.
TNT, I think, has really good relationships. They’ve great track record for the drama they do on the air. It gives the actors a lot of confidence that the thing they’re going to be a part of is going to be good.

This fall, you're starring in the new Fox show, 'Standoff,' as a hostage negotiator. Did you do any research or follow a real-life negotiator?
It’s a tough job to shadow because it’s not the kind of thing you want to get in the way of. It’s also not a planned shift; you kind of have to wait for something to go down. I did get a hold of some of the training materials that they get. I did a little bit homework on it and I’m trying to line up some opportunities to do some more. The best thing is, once they’re released, you can get the audio tapes of all the conversations. They are 10 hours long, so you have to whittle through it get it down to the important parts. A lot of that stuff you have to wait [to hear] because it’s court evidence.

The show is very dramatic, there’s a lot of tension going on, but there is also this romantic banter between the two main characters.
Yeah, we’re trying to keep it entertaining because in the end, it’s not really about hostage negotiators. It’s about two people who work stressful jobs, trying to balance work and a relationship. It just so happens that they’re hostage negotiators. It makes for a great contrast because it asks the question, “If you take two people who are professional communicators and all they do is communicate, how are they at communicating with each other?”

Have you been filming yet?
We did the pilot. We shot that in about two weeks, and we’ll go to work in the middle of July.

So you don’t know about anything coming up?
No, you kidding? I’m the last one they tell.

Do fans still come up to you about 'Sex and the City’? You’ve kind of made that line, “He’s just not that into you," infamous.
Yeah, I definitely think there are a lot of ‘Sex in the City’ fans out there. I think that’s one of those shows where it’s kind of hard to get an accurate number, the Nielsen numbers don’t really apply, both because so many people saw it on DVD and also HBO works a little differently -- not everybody has it. So, people tend to go over to the houses of people who have it and watch it in groups of 20 and 30. I’ve gotten spotted for Jack Berger in the strangest places, all over the world. I was in Kuala Lumpur and in the airports I was getting hit for Jack Berger. So, it’s definitely out there.

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