TV Tattler: Celebrity Interviews

Skeet Ulrich Gives a Glimpse Before the Bombs on 'Jericho'

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Feb. 20 -- The wait is over.

After taking a winter break, 'Jericho' -- the first-year CBS drama about a postnuclear Kansas town -- returns Wed. at 8PM ET with an episode that shows the town 36 hours before the bomb was deployed.

Skeet Ulrich plays Jake Green, an unlikely hero trying to cope with the aftermath of nuclear war in his small hometown.

Ulrich talked to AOL's Sean Doorly about what's in store for the show's return, his winding rise to fame and why he hasn't touched his surfboard in over two decades.

Congratulations on 'Jericho' being a hit. What do you think sets the show apart?
The nuclear bomb.

People tuned in because of that image of the mushroom cloud?
I think that is definitely the point that people are interested in initially.

Why do they stick around?
There are many interesting characters dealing with an extreme situation in very different ways -- some in denial, some becoming people they never thought they would be. I think it is an interesting character study set in this bizarre circumstance.

If you were telling a buddy about your show, what would you say?
It really asks what kind of person are you, and it offers up the idea that you have no idea what you are going to become. I think that is an intriguing question and worth exploring. Those things you thought were life and death prior to an attack, are they really life and death anymore? At its best, hopefully TV and certainly this show can help us in some way prevent it from ever happening. It is a lot to ask, but if the right amount of people see it, and we can find some path for denuclearization, then that is outstanding. That is likely to never happen, but [it's] my wish that we could all get a wakeup call for how dangerous a time it is. If we do not take steps forward, it could get a lot worse.

So what can we expect for the rest of this season?
We go back and look at the day before the bomb hit when we come back. It is not just people in their ordinary lives. It's a lot of what Hawkins has been up to, seeing what Jake has been up to. It's still kind of up in the air as to what exactly you're seeing.

What do you like about your character?
I think he acts on his gut and it's usually what he perceives to be a helpful way, which isn't necessarily the case. He acts first and doesn't necessarily ask questions later, but he's very forward in his action.

Is that different from you?
Oh yeah. I think I kind of mull things over until they disappear, where he just jumps right in.

Is there anything you would change about him?
I think he has anger management issues. I don't necessarily want to change it. I think it's an interesting facet of the character. I just read the 13th episode, and it gets touched on a little bit. It's very poignant when it happens. But no, there's really nothing I would change. I like the idea he's making mistakes. He's also failing and making the wrong decisions at times. And that's compelling to me, to not just have him be heroic week after week.

Because of this role, do you think you would handle an emergency any differently?
I don't know. I think that's the great question that the show asks: Who would you be? And I don't necessarily know if that's answerable. Would you be the guy to jump in or would you be the guy to curl up in the corner? I don't know how I would handle a situation like this. Somebody left me an article from a magazine that the Atomic Energy Society put out where Colin Powell was quoted as saying there's a 75 percent likelihood of something like this happening -- an explosion on our own soil. I don't necessarily take it as fact, not knowing the context of what he was saying, but the fact that anyone could bring that up is very sobering.

Your character likes to flirt with danger. What's the most dangerous thing you've done in your life?
I'd say surfing. I went once. I had a 10-foot shark go right underneath me. We were paddling backwards in North Carolina and I was 18, and I have not been on a surfboard since.

For the last few years, you've starred in the TV productions 'Miracles' and 'Into the West.' What do you like about TV?
I read a lot of film stuff, and I just love the idea of the long story arcs. I love film in its own right as well, but I'm really intrigued by this acting exercise of long story arcs and short preparation time. It's a lot of instinctual acting. Typically, I'll have five, six scenes every night to prepare in two hours. And it's not just learning lines. It's how we're telling the story, what the beats and the moments are. The scripts that I got from 'Miracles' and 'Into the West' are probably better than 90 percent of the film scripts I've read. There's 10 percent of film scripts that are that good for all the talent that are going to get the job before I am. It's a tough business and there's not a whole lot of room in it. But the shows that are coming on TV and the talent they're attracting from writers, directors, actors, designers even is comparable to a lot of the mid-level budget films.

Like it's a golden age of television?
I'm not a big TV watcher. Certainly with this schedule, it's hard -- I haven't even seen last night's episode. So it's hard for me to comment on it as a whole but I look at people I've worked with in films like Gary Sinise, incredible actors that are finding shows that speak to them. It's definitely come a long way since 10 years ago and TV was just taboo for film actors.

If you could go back in time and give yourself advice, how far would you go back and what would the advice be?
I'd probably go back 10, 11 years and just remind myself of the impetuosity of youth. To slow down a little bit. To enjoy the time and not make rash decisions.

If you could play one character on TV for a day, current or all-time, who would you play?
Probably Ian McShane's part on 'Deadwood.' Such a brash and interesting part, and again I've only seen one episode and I watched it for Gerald McRaney's work. But I was so struck by that performance and character and I love period pieces. Anything where you get to change your look makes it infinitely easier for the actor; it does a lot of the work for you. Accents are the same thing. You feel different so you allow yourself to do different things.

Did you grow up on the East Coast?
Yeah, I was born in Virginia, lived in North Carolina for 10 years and lived in New York City for seven years. I came out here in '95 and lasted about a year and a half before I moved back to a farm in Virginia.

Was it too crazy for you?
No, I was finally starting to make some money, so I was "offer-only," so I didn't have to be out here at the time. I always wanted some land to ride motorcycles and fish and enjoy and have the seasons. So I lived out there for seven years. I'm back here now.

How is it?
It's great. I guess it's the same as anywhere -- it's important to have good friends. You're always either in your car or in your garage or in a building, so you rarely meet people out here, so it's important to have a good circle of friends that you can relax with.