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| TEFans.com Exclusive Q&A with Jeffrey Donovan |
Touching Evil's very own David Creegan, Jeffrey Donovan,
took the time to answer some e-mail questions suggested by TouchingEvilFans.com Forum
members. Many thanks to Jeffrey for taking the time out of his schedule, and
to USA PR for forwarding the questions on our behalf.
We didn't break
these down by individual member because some of the questions were grouped where
appropriate. Unanswered questions were excluded. Thanks to everyone for their
really excellent suggestions that Jeffrey seemed to enjoy answering, helping
prove intelligent fan life is out there. =D. Enjoy!
What inspired you
to be an actor?
I loved the attention as a child and thought, "what a
great way to make a living." A big influence came when I was 17 [and] my English
teacher asked me to perform Shylock in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.
I was hooked.
What drew you to the character of David Creegan? What
did you do to prepare to play him?
I loved the idea of playing a
character who had no shame, to work in a world of order and formality but play
an ordinarily straight-laced FBI agent like a loose cannon without rules. I met
with a neurologist from UCLA Medical and he took me through all the results of a
frontal lobe injury. From there, I just riffed.
What do you like or
dislike about Creegan? Do you share any personality traits with him, such as
mannerisms, and the degree of honesty that he has? Have you had any input into
the character as you've gotten further into the role? What's been added or taken
away as a result?
I'm somewhat shy and reserved in real life. I would
never have the courage to do what Creegan does. Creegan is also way better
looking than I am. :)
Has playing David Creegan changed the way you
look at the world, and relationships, at all?
After one season. I have
to admit I've gotten better looking in real life...it's weird how that happened.
Were you familiar with the UK version? Did you find it difficult to
retell some of those stories with less time available to do it in? Did you draw
your performance from anything Robson Green did or did you find your own
path?
Our show, and especially my Creegan, is so different from the
original Brit series that I can't say anything is at all similar. Plus Mr. Green
played him without any sense of the injury...none that I could see, and I play
him more specifically injury-oriented.
Do you have a favorite
episode? Why? Which episode was the easiest to do? The hardest? What's your
favorite scene that's been left on the cutting room floor?
My favorite ep
has to be the pilot. I've never been given that much room to invent and create.
I love the sense of wonderment and surrealism in the pilot that produced the
series.
Regarding Branca and Creegan, some of us see a similarity to
early Mulder and Scully. Are you and Ms. Farmiga aware of going into that
territory? Do you have any expectations about where the relationship between
Branca and Creegan should go, or is there a specific direction you would like to
see the characters go, personally and professionally?
Maybe it's too soon
to say. Let's see what happens in season two. Creegan has so much damage in his
life, I'm not sure anyone would want to be with him romantically. Especially
Branca.
Your onscreen chemistry with Vera Farmiga and Pruitt Taylor
Vince is very organic. How much of your scenes together are scripted vs.
improvised? What is the offscreen environment like on the set? Is it
intentionally light to deflect the nature of the storytelling?
Pruitt is
one of the most amazing actors, on screen and off, I've ever worked with. He's
so professional and caring that whenever we get together it's just magical. 90%
of what you see on screen is scripted, but we bring some ad libs to the script
sometimes when it's appropriate.
When you're working on the episodes
that are particularly dark, is it hard to turn the character off and dispel some
of that energy at the end of each work day?
Yes. When I did "Y Me," I
didn't sleep for three days straight and it really got to me. I don't think I'll
do that again.
Without giving too much away, what does the rest of
the season hold?
Watch!!
Vancouver seems to be its own
character in the show as you use various parts of the city. Did the climate help
set the tone for the show? Did it help to shoot the show outside
LA?
Vancouver is the most amazing city to shoot in. I love Vancouver. The
rain and gloom of the weather works perfectly for the series.
You've
done stage work, film, and now a weekly series. Do you have a favorite medium
that you like to work in?
Stage is my favorite, but I can't live on wood
alone.
You've worked on television projects that tend to attract
ardent fans (from Pretender to Witchblade and now, TE).
What do you look for in a role? Is there any conscious effort to pursue a
specific type of programming, i.e. dramas vs. comedies?
I'm attracted to
roles more than projects. I don't care what medium, if I haven't played that
type of role before, I'm hooked.
What can you say about your role in
The Last First Kiss? What other projects are you working on?
I
have a cameo in the movie with Will Smith. It's a comedic role and is the exact
opposite of David Creegan.
END
May 10, 2004 - article courtesy of NickChick and TouchingEvilFans.com.
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