In showbiz, getting a pilot from production to an order is a feat in itself. If the series takes off and becomes a hit, that’s almost an added bonus.
No one knows this better than Chi McBride, who has had roles on so many television shows at this point in his career that he has become one of the most recognizable faces on TV.
Whether McBride was the cantankerous detective on Pushing Daisies, the conniving nemesis on House, the bus station janitor on The John Larroquette Show or the principal on Boston Public, this guy has played it all.
But none of his previous roles can compare to his current one on this midseason’s sleeper hit Human Target, in which Chi (pronounced Shy) tackles a completely different personality.
TVguide.ca caught up with the Opus X-smoking star at a recent Fox party to chat about the role.
TVGuide.ca: Hey Chi, so as per your instructions I’m going to like your show, but not love it.
Chi McBride: Good. Like us, don’t love.
TVG: The premise is great, but it feels a little slick for a graphic novel – what are your thoughts?
CM: It’s just a really big, adventure-packed kind of show. There’s something about it that we haven’t seen in television in probably 30 years. Shows like Miami Vice and MacGyver. It’s something that’s been lost on television, but it’s a real thrill ride and people are going to have a good time watching it because it’s just really big entertainment, what TV is supposed to be.
TVG: Is the time ripe for that sort of show to make a resurrection right now?
CM: If it is, I hope we start it because we’re the only ones doing it. I hope so, I hope we can be a part of them, imitation being the sincerest form of flattery. I really enjoy doing it. It’s a lot of action, adventure and comedy. I love the fast pace of it and I think people are going to agree.
TVG: You have to get physical for the role – what’s that been like?
CM: It’s great. This is a business where people will only let you do what they think you can do. I always try to do something that’s a little bit different than the roles I’ve played and I enjoy having to do that because it shows another side of me that broadens what it is I can do.
TVG: Are you into the whole graphic novel theme?
CM: I mostly read non-fiction, but I do read one from time to time. I read the Frank Miller Sin City series and I read the Human Target graphic novels. I like them; I just don’t read them regularly.
TVG: What attracted you to this role?
CM: Actually when I read the script there was nothing in it for me. This character was a British guy, a real worry-wart kind of nervous Nelly type of guy. I said to my agent, ‘If somebody does this and they play it right, it might be really good.’ So your name gets bandied about throughout pilot season and I talked to a few people and I talked to these guys. I told them my ideas for the character and they were pretty responsive to it. Here I am.
TVG: You’ve filmed six episodes so far, so what has the progression been like? There’s been a plane, there’s been a train … how do you keep topping that?
CM: We’re going to do a lot of different things: we’re doing a monastery, we’re doing fights on ski lifts, we’re doing car chases, we’re doing a whole episode that takes place in a building that traps everybody in it, and it’s a building that’s pretty much alive. We’ve got all kinds of stuff.
TVG: You guys have had a lot of support from Fox on this one — a sneak preview, time slots after [American] Idol. That had to be at least a little comforting when starting a new show.
CM: It is and we’re very grateful. They’ve been very supportive and they put a lot of time and effort and money behind it. They have high hopes for us and we tend to deliver.
TVG: You’ve had such an amazing career; you’ve been on a lot of stuff. What would you say your highlight has been?
CM: Yeah, it’s been not bad. I don’t know if I have a highlight, I have a highlight every time the phone rings, and that’s the only thing – my only mission in showbiz is to survive. The fact that I’ve been surviving for over 20 years is just as big a thrill as anything else that could happen. Everything else is just gravy.
Thoughts? amber@tvguide.ca
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