September 3, 2024 • 40 mins
Gary Tanguay filled in on NightSide:
Chris Bauer is an accomplished American actor known for his television work in True Blood, The Wire, Survivor’s Remorse, and For All Mankind to name a few. Chris joined Gary to discuss his successful career and past and present projects!
Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio!
Chris Bauer is an accomplished American actor known for his television work in True Blood, The Wire, Survivor’s Remorse, and For All Mankind to name a few. Chris joined Gary to discuss his successful career and past and present projects!
Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's night Sided with Dan ray Don w BZY Constance
News Radio. You want us to day with a grand jury?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
We will. What do you say, Johnny, what do you
say any question? I take the Fifth Commandment? And if
they offer you immunity to testify against your union brothers,
I don't remember, don't remember what?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Nothing?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
But you're forgetting?
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Detective, is that every IBS local on the East Coast
has had its ass in front.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Of a federal grand jury two or three times already.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
You want to throw your summonses, throw them.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
You want to subpoena our records. You don't even hear
a subpoena no more. Our books have been open to
the Justice Department for eight years.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
We're here through Bobby Kennedy, Tricky, Dick Nixon, Ronnie the
Union Buster, Reagan and half a dozen other sons of
bitches will be.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Here through your week book. No problem, ah. Chris Barr
is with us. How do you like that, Chris? How
about that for a show open?
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Who is that guy?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Oh my god, it's so good, dude, It's so good. Okay,
Chris is joining us here, Chris Bauer. And what we
like to do on this show is we like to
bring on actors who are great actors who don't really
get the credit they deserve or maybe get the spotlight
the desert. Now this guy has it. I mean he's
got one hundred and six credits. You know, we're gonna
(01:26):
go through all your shows in your career. But like
O'Malley is a really good friend of mine. So anything
O'Malley does, I'm really into and like. And I love
character actors. I mean I love like the Bowers and
Wendell Pearce. You know that scene with Wendell Pearce who
got to play Willy Loman on Broadway, which was awesome,
I mean phenomenal, and he's great and everything he's in
(01:47):
Like Brian Cranston's of the World, you know, he gets
a leading role, you know, by playing a chemistry teacher
that starts selling drugs. I mean, all of this great
TV has just been great for great character actors like you.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Thank you. I agree. I mean, I'm so blessed you
kidding me, like all of us. You know, there's always
been a Brian Cranston, whether it was a Gene Hackman
before that John Riley. On occasion, it's like they let
one of us in you know, there's a slot for
one every now and then, and then you get to
(02:20):
be nominated for an oscar maybe or suddenly. You know,
everybody bends with the rules for what a leading man is,
but in whether or not that ever happens. What a
great life man being able to play all these different people,
(02:41):
different classes, different places, different morality. That's my real education,
if you ask me, I've learned more about being a
human being from my work than I have almost from church.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
That totally, because as we go through your career here,
you've you've been able to go from you know, from
Frank to you know, a sheriff who's a drug addict,
to you know, a wrestler. I mean, while Bill is like,
I mean I love that guy. I mean he was phenomena.
I mean, I mean you must have like died and
gotten hemming when you got to play that. But again,
(03:22):
our guest is Chris Bauer. You guys know him, You've
seen him in a million things. But I want to
start with the Wire because, uh, at that point in time,
you know, and I read the you know, I've read
all about the David Milchers of the world and the
guys on the Wire you know who you know, knew
Baltimore went on to work on NYPD, NYPD Blue. I
(03:45):
believe television just changed with the Sopranos with the Wire,
you know, and even Amy Ryan, you know, I forgot
all about her. I mean, she's awesome, She's been in movies,
Sharon Bossy. But but just tell us about that time
and how the wire and went down and why it
was the damn good oh man.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
You know, well, David Simon's the you know, the DNA
of the Wire and homicide before that, and he was
a crime reporter for the Baltimore Sun and a really
uh you know, hardcore old school journalist, feet on the ground,
went to the crime scenes, and I think he's gonna
(04:27):
he was a really brave, smart guy with a conscience,
and his body of work certainly speaks to that. The Wire, interestingly,
such a kind of fascinating study in having faith in quality.
(04:48):
Really because at the time I had come to that
project because they asked me to audition when they were
doing the pilot with a part of McNulty, and I
read that script for the pilot and thought it was
(05:09):
the best thing I'd ever read. And I meant, like
the quality of the writing, and I came from theater,
so I had a couple of amazing larks where I
had relationships with David Mammott and John Patrick Shanley and
these writers that are, you know, world class authors. So
I knew good writing when I saw it, and that
(05:31):
was very evident in the pilot of The Wire. I
was hungover. You know, I swing about fifteen pounds one
direction or another depending on the month, right, And I
think when I went in, brother, don't we all maybe
it's depending on the meal for the weekend. Yeah, And
it's unbelievable, but I think that I was definitely looking,
(05:54):
you know, more on the haggard side when I went
and read for the pilot, because the following year with
the second season, when they offered me the role of
Frank Sabadka, I was only thirty six years old and
we closed the deal and I started reading the scripts,
and I panicked because I thought, this guy's got like
a twenty something old son, and he's been around for
(06:19):
a long time, and he's got to be at least
fifteen years older than I actually am in life. And
I must have really looked bad a year ago.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
I mean, I look like yeah, whatever impression I made,
they thought it was totally plausible that I could play
a late forties dock worker, you know, with a grown child.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
So you know, I have found that, uh, necessity is
the mother of invention and in the desperation behind that
leads to some of the best creative choices. And very quickly,
you know, all my focus went into I had a
fitting with that costume designer. I said, we got a
make me look gold, we got to make me look
(07:02):
out of shape. And I tell that story because there
was such a there was just such a kind of
stroke of luck for me with the whole experience of
the wire because I was actually on another show at
the same time. It was unheard of at the time
to be able to do two shows, especially going from
(07:24):
network to premium cable like that, right, and the Heaven's
really parted in a way I think to give me
that shot also known as my wife said, you got
to figure out how to do both these shows. I mean,
it's unbelievable how much how influential she's been in my
career in ways like that. I got to give her credit.
But the experience of doing the show was I would
(07:48):
imagine the same as it is for anybody who's running
a good small business kind of under the radar, slightly
off grid. There was no holly vibes. There was no uh,
nothing extra, nothing superficial about the production experience. It was
(08:10):
an amazing It was kind of like being on a
good football team, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Right, Well, the great thing about streaming and about cable
is it gave opportunities to people who look like real people.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
You know.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
That's why these shows work, you know, in my opinion,
and that's why you know, my wife who has a
real job and uh, you know, unlike us, when she
she sits down and watch TV at night, she just says,
I just want to watch Marishka Hartigaye and zone out.
And I go, okay, everybody on that show is a
(08:45):
freaking model, and you know what, good for them, right,
I mean, I'm like, good for them. That's great, you know, fine, awesome.
You know I want to get.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
You're gonna get yeah, yeah, sure.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Yeah, okay, yeah yeah, I'm not waiting by the phone, brother,
let me tell you. But you know, like I just
I like to see repeople like as I always revisiting
your scene on the wire or you mentioned like homicide,
like homicide with and I have to ask you about
Andre Brower, you know, the late Great. I don't know
if you ever had a chance to work with it,
but I mean these are real people, like like you
(09:19):
mentioned that, Okay, you were thirty six, but you put
yourself in that scene in the trailer, which a lot
of people have seen, but it's all set up. I mean,
the cops driving up to talk to the people look
like real cops. Wendell Pearce looks like a real human being.
You know, the guy in the construction hat, he looks
like a real human being. They're all real people put
(09:40):
in dynamic situations and that's why this stuff works. Like
I can understand that you're thirty six, I get it,
But you put you in that ratty sweater, you put
you in that trailer right, you probably don't have any
makeup on you, and they give you crappy lighting. I mean,
even Amy Ryan, who I am a huge fan of
and I think is beautiful in that scene, she can't
(10:00):
look beautiful because it's not gonna work.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Well, no, and that's that's you know again, credit to
David Simon, Bob Colesberry and they rest in peace. You know,
he was the producer who kind of made sure everything
went well. George Pelecanos, all the writers, Rothielle Alvarez, they
were not gonna you know those guys. I mean, the
thing about them is like there is no artifice. The
(10:26):
aesthetic is we believe people are interesting enough on their
own to justify your attention, and what they're going through
is relevant enough to justify your attention. Everybody doesn't look
have to look like they just jumped off the billboard,
you know, and everybody doesn't have to have a twelve
pack to be a sort of to have some status.
(10:49):
They're real people. And my whole career has been like that.
I mean, I just I I am so vain until
I get to work.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
That's interesting. Can you hold that thought? Do not? I
have to take a break hold that thought. The great
Chris Bauers where there's you know it from the Wire
and True Blood on Heels. He's great, and we're going
to continue talking about that. I want him to continue
that thought right after this on WBZ.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ News.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Radio, Chris Bauer portrays a drug addicted sheriff whose image
is anything but sexy on HBO's hit series True Blood.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
And they didn't write a guy who's like, you know,
a part time sheriff and like a full time bodybuilder.
You know, he's he's a lonely, frustrated, emotionally confused authority
figure with some serious substance abuse issues.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
I will talk to people, and this.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Is not uncommon.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Who are True Blood fanatics have seen every episode three
times and it's ten minutes into the commerce before they.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Go, oh are you are? You're Andy Belfering in the chapter?
Speaker 6 (12:05):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (12:06):
And the real guy is with us, the guy that
played Andy in True Blood. And it ties into what
we're you're saying here. Chris Bauer, one of the great
character actors. You know, you mentioned you're vein until you
show up at the set. I think that is a
that is a brilliant piece of advice for an actor.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Oh yeah, well, I mean I got to let go
of everything, and I would you know, That's that's what
I would suggest anybody does who's going to go do
some legitimate work. I mean, it's it's a fascinating experience.
On one hand, you know you have to master it.
Let's say, you get you know, if you're lucky enough
to have you know, if you're a hitter and you
(12:46):
have enough you see enough pitches, you start to know
what ball's coming at you and what you're going to
do with it. But you can't really do that until
you get the swings right. So it's tricky with that acting,
especially working on camera. If you're lucky enough to get
enough shots at it and you start to frankly know
(13:07):
how to do it, well, what's so? What's It's such
a paradox because you start to realize that the less
you do, the better it is. Now, Now, am I
not just going to do less in terms of the
scale of my performance, But I'm going to listen to
my thoughts less. I'm going to listen to my ego less,
(13:31):
and all that attention is instead going to go into
the words, the text, the scene, the other actor, and
and and it's you know, good news. Bad news. Good
news is people respond. Bad news is you can't really
(13:52):
take credit for.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
You just showed up.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
You showed up and you let something happen. You didn't
get in the way right.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Right, Well, I was going to ask you next about
your process, because I geek out on the acting and
the movie stuff. And my friends all roll their eyes
at me and they say, come on, you just get
up and say your lines. I go, no, that's bull crap.
There is so much more to it than that. You
just don't You don't understand the amount of work that
that put person put into making that look easy. So
(14:24):
what's your process?
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Well, preparation, preparation, preparation, How.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Do you prepare? Bring it down for me? How do
you prepare?
Speaker 3 (14:33):
I would say, you know, the sort of broad strokes
like checklist. That's a must every job is being so
familiar with the words that there is zero chance for
(14:54):
physical tension to manifest while I'm trying to remember what
it as I'm supposed to say, like the words, because
tension now we're getting. I mean, listen, you're talking the
right guy if you want to get nerdy about acting,
because I'm so obsessed with with it. It's my vocation
(15:15):
and it's frankly the one thing that I do well.
And you know, I guess you only need one. But
it's physical tension is an interesting I won't go down
the rabbit hole.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Too much, but please do because it's my show, So
please do this yeah, that's it.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Go okay, let me get I'll give you a quick
anecdote I worked. I did a whole play in New York.
Writer named Jez Butterworth, one of the best writers in
the world. There's a world premiere play of his, and
I was playing a character that a big hit in
New York. And this character was, you know, from about
(15:57):
two hundred miles outside of London, very idiot, syncratic accent,
and known for his lack of charisma. So the other
characters are describing this character as boring, right, And well,
how do you do that? Because you can't literally be boring.
(16:17):
It's impossible, because you know, drama doesn't justify unremarkable people.
People who are in the architecture of performance are remarkable
no matter what for some reason, maybe even in their plainness.
But I found it really hard, and so I told myself,
you know what, I'm gonna do absolutely nothing. I'm gonna
(16:40):
do the minimal of what's required, and I'm going to
be completely relaxed. I'm gonna let my body relax. I'm
gonna scan it for physical tension anywhere I find some.
I'm gonna let go. And I got a couple months
into that performance, and I was just patting myself on
the back because it was, like I said, it was
kind of a hit to play. And I was just,
(17:01):
you know, so sure that I was making progress in
my little experiment. And one night we're in the middle
of a scene. It was me and Emily Mortimer, great.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Actor from Newsroom.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Yeah among many many of you.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Oh my god, I love her.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
If she's extraordinary, And I'm like, god, I'm so relaxed.
I'm so relaxed while I'm in the scene. And I
looked down and my three fingers on my left hand
are curled into a tight little ball. The rest of
my body totally relaxed. You could have, like I mean,
(17:38):
you know what I mean, Like you could have knocked
me over with a You could have flicked me and
I would have fallen over. I was so relaxed, but
I wasn't because all that tension just curled up down
and just collected down on this little part in my hands.
Strasburg used to do this with people. Find where the
physical tension is is it above your eye eyebrow? And
(18:00):
now when you go watch and I watch this all
the time, watch our fellows while they're doing their work.
There's certain people who have a mask almost of physical tension.
Still great performances, still, you know, really well received. But
I'll look and I'll see the physical tension, and I'll
(18:22):
know that something is inhibiting their full surrender to that character.
So letting go. Man, it's the most dangerous thing. It is.
It's such a counter it's it's such a counter strategy
to the mission of your ego, which is to look
like you know what you're doing, no matter what, justify
(18:44):
why you're there, no matter what. It's true for a
lot of us in life, let alone, when they're pointing
a camera at you. It elicits this this almost compulsive
habit to simultaneously play your character and remind everybody that
you're really interesting, you're funny, you're worth listening to. In
(19:07):
other words, there's this insecurity that comes with a human
being that is really put on blast when you're standing
in hot lights with a camera pointed at you. And
the most interesting thing, in the most rewarding part of
my creative growth has been integrating that, letting it exist,
(19:30):
letting it be okay, like it's just an ugly moment
for that character. Hell yes, it is, well, guess what
it's going to look like. It's gonna look ugly. And
you know, someone in the audience. I remember I was
doing a play and I was playing a character whose
nickname was Skinny. I was fat at the time, and
(19:55):
this first time this lady or first time this other
character had called me skinny. Oh I'm skinny, Come over him.
I know that I heard this lady and the audience
go skinny. Yeah, he's not skinny, right, And and you
you that's such a tea little example. But we when
(20:16):
we're doing this at the highest level, in my opinion,
we completely open ourselves up and expose ourselves to whatever
the audience is going to say.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Well, it's the ultimate it's the ultimate level of vulnerability.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
That's why. You know, when my friends and I try
to tell them about acting, they don't understand. I said,
you have to realize that you could suck, you know.
I mean, that's the big thing. Like, and I've heard
other actors say it, whether they like, you know, my
first five. You know, I'm gonna go out and I'm
going to do this and there's gonna be some takes
(20:51):
that just don't work. But in order to get to
the one that does. That's what you have to do.
And one of the things that I thought I found frustrating,
like in broadcasting sometimes you know, we were like you
got to do one or two takes and then you're done.
You know, we got to get it done. It's got
to and there's no room for experimental growth. I mean,
you have to you have to throw the crap against
(21:13):
the wall. That's the tough part of auditioning. As you know,
you know, you go in, you get one or two
cracks at it. Whereas if you get cast in a
part and somebody says, you know you're gonna play Andy,
I mean when you're working on that character, I mean,
how many times do you throw the bad stuff out? Right?
Speaker 3 (21:28):
I have a crate, Yes, yes, I mean that's certainly
I would say an accurate description of the day to day, right.
But I've had so many experiences and this is what
I'd like to put in a bottle where I get
this is why the preparation is so important, learning the lines,
(21:49):
breaking down the scene, understanding the art of the character.
You got to always look at your character. As you know,
I'm sure you've heard this before, but like, what is
the note in the chorus that youraracter is playing. For example,
Andy and True Blood. If I saw the cast as
a band, basically every now and then, I got to
(22:09):
play the e string, you know what I mean, Like
I was going to play pretty much the same note,
which was this sort of buffoonish frustration with the circumstance,
which is kind of a device because I was the
only I was I was the proxy audience. I was
the guy who was going to go, are you kidding me?
That guy just just run by me naked, right, So
(22:32):
I had to do it, and I had to do
that over and over. But if I didn't do that,
it would throw the music off your job, you know
what I'm saying. It was my job so preparation, getting
all that stuff out of the way, saying you know
exactly where you're supposed to pitch your performance. There are
(22:53):
there have been times when I walked through a door
and I'll tell you what wild and heels and we
maybe talk about that later. But like perfect example, immersed
myself in the research, did the right preparation. I had
no idea what that character was going to sound like,
move like, how he would react, but it just it
(23:17):
just came out. It's just like, so I I believe
there's a way we can prepare if we get relaxed
and concentrated enough where you kind of do it perfectly
the first time.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Wow. Really, that's.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
I mean, I mean, if you bottle it up, you're
going to be a billionaire, you know, I mean, and wow,
that was great. I mean, yeah, we are going to talk.
We're definitely coming up. We get it. But that's that's God.
That's if you could do it the first time, that's amazing.
And sometimes you know, you like some people like I know,
the Fairly Brothers, you know from around you know, Bobby
and Pete and Eastwood. You know, three takes and you're
(23:55):
done right for sure, you know.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
And work with Clint twice and both times you know,
it was like, uh did a master in the first
take and a little bit of coverage and that was it.
You could hear a pin drop the whole time and
there was no there was no like, hey can I
do that.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Again right now?
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Which I love because actors always forget that if you
got to take a break soon, let me know. But this,
you wound me up, dude.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
So this is what happened is well, no, I'm good man,
and this is fine, this is what I wanted. This
is no I will ask you real quick, on on,
just finish that statement. Then we'll take a break and
then we'll get back to it. But you know you
you you, you like you, you like it when you
do a few takes or you obviously liked working with Clinton.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
I loved removing myself from the authority position, right right.
I love availing myself of the collaboration. There is there
is a power structure in place. There is a director
by title who is in charge of whether we move.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
On or not me right, and you have to trust him, obviously,
and you trust.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
Him, yes, And as far as I'm concerned, going to
set for the first time is no different than getting
in a three point stance and waiting for the count.
I'm gonna explode off the line because I am ready.
I know the play, right, I'm going to execute it
to the best of my ability. And if he says
that was good enough on that day, he gets to
be right, right, I don't all right.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Chris Bower's with us, terrific actor going over his career
from True Blood. We're going to get the heels and Also,
Chris doesn't know this, but we're gonna I'm gonna tell
him who my favorite Bauer character is and he's going
to be surprised. Coming up next on WBZ.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
Night Side God Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Okay, Gary in for day tonight, and Chris Bower is
with us, and you know him from the wire, you
know him from True Blood. But one of my favorite
Bauer characters is some people may not even know when
I mentioned the name Jimmy Flaherty, Jimmy Flaherty is my fash.
(26:10):
I gotta tell you why. I'm gonna tell you why.
And because of course, I mean, I was a sportscaster
up here forever, and you know, that's how I knew Mike,
and I did I did the Celtics and all that,
and now I'm tired of sports, so they let me
talk about other stuff. But like when Mike went on
the air with you know, with Survivors Remorse and Lenny
Clark's a friend of mine, he was in it, and
then I, you know, I was watching the show and
(26:32):
I said, Okay, Mike, there's never been an NBA player
coming out of you, and ah, that's like six ' one,
but I'll go with you. And then I was like,
who I go, this is Jimmy, and I didn't really
know it was you. I didn't make the connection. I
think your hair was kind of blunt at first. You
played the owner of the Atlanta Hawks. And what I
loved about the character, and I believe me, I've dealt
with owners of my entire career. He was not the
(26:53):
typical owner. He wasn't an ass, you know, he didn't
have a big ego. He wasn't chopping on a cigar.
He wasn't you know. There was no sexual harassment. He
was like he was just I just really liked him,
and I really loved the character. And I love the
fact that even at the end, like you came back
to the house, you were kind of involved with the family.
I just love the whole character.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
I'm so glad you saw that. And you know, Michael Mallley,
I owe him a lot. He's a great friend. But
he's a phenomenal writer, and he is a phenomenal human being.
And he's always writing characters who succeed in a way
where they may have some influence and they become obsessed,
whether they know it or not with trying to use
(27:37):
that influence for good. He creates these characters who are
looking to sort of, you know, put into the world
what they didn't have at some point in their life.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
Yeah, you know, you're such a conscience. Yeah I didn't.
You're absolutely right in over Sully and then which brings
me to I love the storyline how Jimmy was friendly
with m Chuck the great Erica Ash tragically, I mean
from cancer passing away. I loved her. I was like, who,
you know, I would bug my poor guy still picks
up the phone when I call. I'm like, who's that?
(28:13):
You know, she's awesome. I was like, you know, And
there was a relationship you know that worked between Jimmy
and m Chuck that I found very endearing.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
I did too, And I think, you know, again insight
to the writer, creator, Michael Mallett. You know, Jimmy Flaherty
saw courage and I think courage was for him the
only virtue that mattered at the end of the day.
And I think he totally saw in that character. And
You're right, Erica Ash was extraordinary and it is just
(28:49):
one of those miserable mysteries to try to understand why
she was taking so sidy. She was she was she
was really really special. But you know, the great thing
about uh, the Internet, I guess streaming whatever it's called,
is that you know now that those shows exist. Like
(29:10):
we were just talking about The Wire, I shot that
twenty years ago. I know, I don't really I hope
Survivor's Remorse is one of those shows in four or
five years that people find and are talking about because
it is so good.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
I thought it was so good and so well written,
you know, and I've had a chance to meet Vic Levin.
Two's awesome, and ron Rico Lee was an act just
the acting was I mean, the cast was unreal. I mean,
that's the thing with the here's the thing with the
O'Malley Show, all right, and it's the same thing with Heels.
(29:48):
You got to get actors that know what the hell
they're doing. I mean, you just do. I mean that's
what he doesn't. You know, You're just going to get
people to know what the hell they're doing.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
And that's well on every level because also Mike's writing
is not uh you know, it's not first draft writing,
like you really have to be prepared to do his work,
and by the way Lenny in Survivors Morris, who I
think is a genius, and you know it's well known
to be a genius. And Chappie Kevin Chapman and I
(30:21):
to go to UH to Boston that seems one of
my favorite teams.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
And he's in the garden he's the security guards. Yeah yeah, Chappy,
Yeah good. It's very good. I mean in Lenny in
the fat suit. And I say, I told him when
I said to Lenny, I go, Lenny, you know why
you were good in that? He I said, because you
weren't jumping around all the time. They had so much
fat on you you couldn't move. You're really good. He goes,
I know, I can't sit still. I go, I know,
but you did. You were really good in that.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
Okay, he was so good.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
He was so good in that. While Bill Heels coming
up next quick break. Then we're going to really get
into what Chris Bauer is doing right now and why
you have to watch Heels on Stars next on wb Z.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
You need to send him a message.
Speaker 4 (31:12):
Like Esaw and Jacob and the Lord said, unto her
two nations.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
Are in a womb, and the elder shall serve the younger.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Jacob had a gust and wrestle with God. How about you,
Chris Bauer playing wild Bill on Heels on Stars? And
that part must be so fun to play. It's the
most fun you can have with your clothes on because
he barely has his clothes up. But I want people
(31:45):
to know, you got to check this out on Stars.
You gotta watch Heels and what it is is if
you haven't seen it, it's about a regional wrestling family
and wild Bill comes back into the picture as a
guy who started in the small towns and then rose
to the top and now he's being sent back down again.
And Chris, it's such a great part for you because
it's I don't want to say it's over the top,
(32:07):
because that's in something you're acting ability, but you know
where as Frank on the Wire, you know this is
the opposite, like you get to really play with this guy.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
Yeah. And first of all, for anyone listening, I want
to let people know that it's going to be on Netflix.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Oh I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (32:24):
Number fifteenth Stars produced it, It ran on Stars and
now it's moved over to Netflix and on September fifteenth,
both seasons are available.
Speaker 2 (32:33):
Thank you, I'm glad you said that.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
I'll thank you. But listen, I'm a glutton. I can
tell you that I do better when there's more on
the plate, for sure. And this character while Bill and
heals there, it's like the last plate in the buffet,
(32:57):
but the whole buffets on the plate, right, I mean,
and there is you can't get to the bottom of
it because he's a he's such an extrovert and he's
a creature of the circus. Plus I'm a huge wrestling fan.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Is he based on anybody he is?
Speaker 3 (33:12):
Yeah? Yeah, for sure. But it's a you know, it's
a recipe, it's a hybrid.
Speaker 2 (33:17):
There is you want to share those names, if you
want to keep in private, that's fine. But like.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
Jake the Snake, aspects of Jake the Snake, because Jake
the Snake had a danger in the ring, there was
a sort of psychology and a tempo, a slow tempo
to his presence in the ring. Kerry Funk, who you
know again rest in peace passed away recently, but that
man left it all in the ring. There's nothing he
(33:44):
wouldn't do to get over for a crowd, and that
is I think for me, the example of what one
of the ethics of wrestling is is like, it is
all these guys do.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
I mean, that's what they do. I mean their bodies.
I mean their bodies just get you know, it's not
we all know, Hey, it's vague, but it's it's it's professional.
I don't know even know how to describe professional tumbling, professional,
whatever it is.
Speaker 3 (34:10):
It's like it's if you ask me, it's like jazz,
but there's no pianos, saxophones or guitars. They're just giant bodies.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
Yeah, they get the crap kicked out of them, there's
no doubt. Oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
And they're they're they're in a zone. Man. First of all,
they're incredibly well trained, but they're in a zone, and
they physically improvise combat with you know, basically integrating with
the laws of physics, which basically says gravity means if
you're off the ground when you hit it, it's going
(34:42):
to hurt. And it does hurt, you know. Their level
of commitment to entertaining a crowd I find so cathartic
and probably emblematic of a much longer legacy than just
you know, uh entertainment, but uh, that show. It's something
(35:10):
that we all, I think had an incredible experience on.
My wife in fact, died. The costumes which are extraordinary.
Speaker 6 (35:17):
Oh wow, wow, it's so good, you'll notice, because I
think I kind of feel like I have the best
costumes of everybody in the in the well, I think.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
That I think that what I'm saying, I don't know,
but you know, I don't know wild Bill. But maybe
the pants were a little too tight at time, but
too not that I was check it out, But I
mean the characters, because I mean there's time you wake
up in the parking lot and there's a there's a
presence about them, but there's still such a vulnerability about
(35:53):
wild Bill, the over the hill wrestling, there's still such
a he's still you kind of like you kind of
want to hug them.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
Yeah, isn't that amazing? I mean, what a privilege to
play a character like that because for me, drilling it
down to the diamond of it, he is such an
optimist that there is no mess that can't be turned
into Yeah, he is fil No, you're right.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
And you got the long hair and you got the
mustache and you go shirtless and you're walking around and you, oh,
I remember the scene you well Mary McCormack, right, is
that that you're in You're in your ex wife's house
or your old house.
Speaker 3 (36:33):
Yes, and.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
The new husband comes down and you're like, hey, what's
going on? I mean, I'm laughing my ass, I go,
this is fantastic. McCormack's terrific. By the way, I'm so
glad she's in this, you know. Yeahs But but like, okay,
so there's while Bill with his ex wife who's living
in his house with her new husband, and I got
and they're all getting along there.
Speaker 3 (36:55):
At a minute.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
Yeah for a minute, Yeah, for a minute. It's just
it's and also the great thing about Heels is while
it's a wrestling story, it's a story about family. I mean,
you know, that's what it comes down to, which is
a typical O'Malley's script. It's about family.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
He is always trying to figure out how to subtly
provide instructions for people to work together in harmony and
find meaning out of coming together as a group for
a common purpose.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Yeah, he's the greatest member. I mean, he's just like
one of you know, the fact that he so I
met I met somebody from the show. I went out
there once and I met him and Vic and it
was talking and one of the people said, he's Mike
from New Hampshire. He's never changed. He was Mike from
the I believe it, and I'm sorry, go ahead, Chris.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
I just wanted to say when we started this conversation,
you know, talking about the Wire, and like, uh, you
know how much you love character actors, which I so appreciate.
And the fact of the matter is, I play all
these different characters. It's been my experience, after thirty years
of my career that generally people don't know that I'm
(38:06):
the same actor who has played these different characters. And
I can't tell you what a humbling blessing that is
to have been given to me.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
I didn't know what was the same guy. I mean,
I love Jimmy. I go, that's wait a minute. But
you know, because I am, I amdb it and look
at it and you know it. Yeah, no, I didn't know.
I didn't know it was you. I didn't know it
was the same dude.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
Yeah, I'm very proud of that. I'm very proud of
that because I've always thought, Uh, my career is something
that other people just describe. My vocation is meeting these
extraordinary writers and other crafts people and artists at their
level of ability and not letting them down.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
Well, you don't. And the reality is, and we have
to wrap it up, Chris, unfortunately, is that we need
actor like you. And I had my friend Chris Pappers,
who's a writer and a producer on The Gemstones, and
it's the same thing. You know, we need. Oh it's crazy.
I mean they're they're out of their minds. I mean,
you want to work on a fun show. I mean
they're they're I mean McBride says, everybody, come to Charleston.
(39:16):
We're going to make a TV show, you know, And
but we need the real people. We need actors like
you to make it sing. I mean even Seinfeld said,
without Kramer, they're screwed.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 2 (39:29):
It's true. I mean you need Wild Bill. I mean
you need these guys in Frank and While Bill and
you know you need them, I mean in True Blood
or you know, even you know when you when you're
playing in the opposite Edie Falco. I mean, we need guys,
we need actors like you. And there's a time, you know,
we just do it. And I really appreciate you coming on.
And you know, if you're okay with O'Malley, you're okay
(39:52):
okay with me.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
And vice versa. You got to get an automatic pass
for that reason.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
All right, Chris, It's been a real pleasure having you on,
and you know we can't wait for you. We'll always
be looking out. Netflix. September fifteenth, Watch Heels, and I
think people are gonna your starts is great, but Netflix
has a broader reach. You have to watch the first
the two seasons of Heels. Please check it out. Chris,
have a good night, buddy, Thanks for coming on.
Speaker 3 (40:19):
Thank you, Gary appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (40:21):
Okay, anytime. Chris Bauer a great character actor, and I
love to give these guys attention. Just watch Heels on Netflix.
It's such a great story. It's such a great family
story setting around a small town wrestling family. It's great stuff,
you know from O'Malley, who does great stuff, you know,
and we all remember him from Yestar and all that
(40:42):
we've had Mike on, but I love his I love
his cable stuff. Outside of this world. Coming up, we
get political with the moderate from Hollywood Sam Metler next
to WBZ
It's night Sided with Dan ray Don w BZY Constance
News Radio. You want us to day with a grand jury?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
We will. What do you say, Johnny, what do you
say any question? I take the Fifth Commandment? And if
they offer you immunity to testify against your union brothers,
I don't remember, don't remember what?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Nothing?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
But you're forgetting?
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Detective, is that every IBS local on the East Coast
has had its ass in front.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Of a federal grand jury two or three times already.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
You want to throw your summonses, throw them.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
You want to subpoena our records. You don't even hear
a subpoena no more. Our books have been open to
the Justice Department for eight years.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
We're here through Bobby Kennedy, Tricky, Dick Nixon, Ronnie the
Union Buster, Reagan and half a dozen other sons of
bitches will be.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Here through your week book. No problem, ah. Chris Barr
is with us. How do you like that, Chris? How
about that for a show open?
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Who is that guy?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Oh my god, it's so good, dude, It's so good. Okay,
Chris is joining us here, Chris Bauer. And what we
like to do on this show is we like to
bring on actors who are great actors who don't really
get the credit they deserve or maybe get the spotlight
the desert. Now this guy has it. I mean he's
got one hundred and six credits. You know, we're gonna
(01:26):
go through all your shows in your career. But like
O'Malley is a really good friend of mine. So anything
O'Malley does, I'm really into and like. And I love
character actors. I mean I love like the Bowers and
Wendell Pearce. You know that scene with Wendell Pearce who
got to play Willy Loman on Broadway, which was awesome,
I mean phenomenal, and he's great and everything he's in
(01:47):
Like Brian Cranston's of the World, you know, he gets
a leading role, you know, by playing a chemistry teacher
that starts selling drugs. I mean, all of this great
TV has just been great for great character actors like you.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Thank you. I agree. I mean, I'm so blessed you
kidding me, like all of us. You know, there's always
been a Brian Cranston, whether it was a Gene Hackman
before that John Riley. On occasion, it's like they let
one of us in you know, there's a slot for
one every now and then, and then you get to
(02:20):
be nominated for an oscar maybe or suddenly. You know,
everybody bends with the rules for what a leading man is,
but in whether or not that ever happens. What a
great life man being able to play all these different people,
(02:41):
different classes, different places, different morality. That's my real education,
if you ask me, I've learned more about being a
human being from my work than I have almost from church.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
That totally, because as we go through your career here,
you've you've been able to go from you know, from
Frank to you know, a sheriff who's a drug addict,
to you know, a wrestler. I mean, while Bill is like,
I mean I love that guy. I mean he was phenomena.
I mean, I mean you must have like died and
gotten hemming when you got to play that. But again,
(03:22):
our guest is Chris Bauer. You guys know him, You've
seen him in a million things. But I want to
start with the Wire because, uh, at that point in time,
you know, and I read the you know, I've read
all about the David Milchers of the world and the
guys on the Wire you know who you know, knew
Baltimore went on to work on NYPD, NYPD Blue. I
(03:45):
believe television just changed with the Sopranos with the Wire,
you know, and even Amy Ryan, you know, I forgot
all about her. I mean, she's awesome, She's been in movies,
Sharon Bossy. But but just tell us about that time
and how the wire and went down and why it
was the damn good oh man.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
You know, well, David Simon's the you know, the DNA
of the Wire and homicide before that, and he was
a crime reporter for the Baltimore Sun and a really
uh you know, hardcore old school journalist, feet on the ground,
went to the crime scenes, and I think he's gonna
(04:27):
he was a really brave, smart guy with a conscience,
and his body of work certainly speaks to that. The Wire, interestingly,
such a kind of fascinating study in having faith in quality.
(04:48):
Really because at the time I had come to that
project because they asked me to audition when they were
doing the pilot with a part of McNulty, and I
read that script for the pilot and thought it was
(05:09):
the best thing I'd ever read. And I meant, like
the quality of the writing, and I came from theater,
so I had a couple of amazing larks where I
had relationships with David Mammott and John Patrick Shanley and
these writers that are, you know, world class authors. So
I knew good writing when I saw it, and that
(05:31):
was very evident in the pilot of The Wire. I
was hungover. You know, I swing about fifteen pounds one
direction or another depending on the month, right, And I
think when I went in, brother, don't we all maybe
it's depending on the meal for the weekend. Yeah, And
it's unbelievable, but I think that I was definitely looking,
(05:54):
you know, more on the haggard side when I went
and read for the pilot, because the following year with
the second season, when they offered me the role of
Frank Sabadka, I was only thirty six years old and
we closed the deal and I started reading the scripts,
and I panicked because I thought, this guy's got like
a twenty something old son, and he's been around for
(06:19):
a long time, and he's got to be at least
fifteen years older than I actually am in life. And
I must have really looked bad a year ago.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
I mean, I look like yeah, whatever impression I made,
they thought it was totally plausible that I could play
a late forties dock worker, you know, with a grown child.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
So you know, I have found that, uh, necessity is
the mother of invention and in the desperation behind that
leads to some of the best creative choices. And very quickly,
you know, all my focus went into I had a
fitting with that costume designer. I said, we got a
make me look gold, we got to make me look
(07:02):
out of shape. And I tell that story because there
was such a there was just such a kind of
stroke of luck for me with the whole experience of
the wire because I was actually on another show at
the same time. It was unheard of at the time
to be able to do two shows, especially going from
(07:24):
network to premium cable like that, right, and the Heaven's
really parted in a way I think to give me
that shot also known as my wife said, you got
to figure out how to do both these shows. I mean,
it's unbelievable how much how influential she's been in my
career in ways like that. I got to give her credit.
But the experience of doing the show was I would
(07:48):
imagine the same as it is for anybody who's running
a good small business kind of under the radar, slightly
off grid. There was no holly vibes. There was no uh,
nothing extra, nothing superficial about the production experience. It was
(08:10):
an amazing It was kind of like being on a
good football team, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Right, Well, the great thing about streaming and about cable
is it gave opportunities to people who look like real people.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
You know.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
That's why these shows work, you know, in my opinion,
and that's why you know, my wife who has a
real job and uh, you know, unlike us, when she
she sits down and watch TV at night, she just says,
I just want to watch Marishka Hartigaye and zone out.
And I go, okay, everybody on that show is a
(08:45):
freaking model, and you know what, good for them, right,
I mean, I'm like, good for them. That's great, you know, fine, awesome.
You know I want to get.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
You're gonna get yeah, yeah, sure.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Yeah, okay, yeah yeah, I'm not waiting by the phone, brother,
let me tell you. But you know, like I just
I like to see repeople like as I always revisiting
your scene on the wire or you mentioned like homicide,
like homicide with and I have to ask you about
Andre Brower, you know, the late Great. I don't know
if you ever had a chance to work with it,
but I mean these are real people, like like you
(09:19):
mentioned that, Okay, you were thirty six, but you put
yourself in that scene in the trailer, which a lot
of people have seen, but it's all set up. I mean,
the cops driving up to talk to the people look
like real cops. Wendell Pearce looks like a real human being.
You know, the guy in the construction hat, he looks
like a real human being. They're all real people put
(09:40):
in dynamic situations and that's why this stuff works. Like
I can understand that you're thirty six, I get it,
But you put you in that ratty sweater, you put
you in that trailer right, you probably don't have any
makeup on you, and they give you crappy lighting. I mean,
even Amy Ryan, who I am a huge fan of
and I think is beautiful in that scene, she can't
(10:00):
look beautiful because it's not gonna work.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Well, no, and that's that's you know again, credit to
David Simon, Bob Colesberry and they rest in peace. You know,
he was the producer who kind of made sure everything
went well. George Pelecanos, all the writers, Rothielle Alvarez, they
were not gonna you know those guys. I mean, the
thing about them is like there is no artifice. The
(10:26):
aesthetic is we believe people are interesting enough on their
own to justify your attention, and what they're going through
is relevant enough to justify your attention. Everybody doesn't look
have to look like they just jumped off the billboard,
you know, and everybody doesn't have to have a twelve
pack to be a sort of to have some status.
(10:49):
They're real people. And my whole career has been like that.
I mean, I just I I am so vain until
I get to work.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
That's interesting. Can you hold that thought? Do not? I
have to take a break hold that thought. The great
Chris Bauers where there's you know it from the Wire
and True Blood on Heels. He's great, and we're going
to continue talking about that. I want him to continue
that thought right after this on WBZ.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ News.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Radio, Chris Bauer portrays a drug addicted sheriff whose image
is anything but sexy on HBO's hit series True Blood.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
And they didn't write a guy who's like, you know,
a part time sheriff and like a full time bodybuilder.
You know, he's he's a lonely, frustrated, emotionally confused authority
figure with some serious substance abuse issues.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
I will talk to people, and this.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Is not uncommon.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Who are True Blood fanatics have seen every episode three
times and it's ten minutes into the commerce before they.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Go, oh are you are? You're Andy Belfering in the chapter?
Speaker 6 (12:05):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (12:06):
And the real guy is with us, the guy that
played Andy in True Blood. And it ties into what
we're you're saying here. Chris Bauer, one of the great
character actors. You know, you mentioned you're vein until you
show up at the set. I think that is a
that is a brilliant piece of advice for an actor.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Oh yeah, well, I mean I got to let go
of everything, and I would you know, That's that's what
I would suggest anybody does who's going to go do
some legitimate work. I mean, it's it's a fascinating experience.
On one hand, you know you have to master it.
Let's say, you get you know, if you're lucky enough
to have you know, if you're a hitter and you
(12:46):
have enough you see enough pitches, you start to know
what ball's coming at you and what you're going to
do with it. But you can't really do that until
you get the swings right. So it's tricky with that acting,
especially working on camera. If you're lucky enough to get
enough shots at it and you start to frankly know
(13:07):
how to do it, well, what's so? What's It's such
a paradox because you start to realize that the less
you do, the better it is. Now, Now, am I
not just going to do less in terms of the
scale of my performance, But I'm going to listen to
my thoughts less. I'm going to listen to my ego less,
(13:31):
and all that attention is instead going to go into
the words, the text, the scene, the other actor, and
and and it's you know, good news. Bad news. Good
news is people respond. Bad news is you can't really
(13:52):
take credit for.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
You just showed up.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
You showed up and you let something happen. You didn't
get in the way right.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Right, Well, I was going to ask you next about
your process, because I geek out on the acting and
the movie stuff. And my friends all roll their eyes
at me and they say, come on, you just get
up and say your lines. I go, no, that's bull crap.
There is so much more to it than that. You
just don't You don't understand the amount of work that
that put person put into making that look easy. So
(14:24):
what's your process?
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Well, preparation, preparation, preparation, How.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Do you prepare? Bring it down for me? How do
you prepare?
Speaker 3 (14:33):
I would say, you know, the sort of broad strokes
like checklist. That's a must every job is being so
familiar with the words that there is zero chance for
(14:54):
physical tension to manifest while I'm trying to remember what
it as I'm supposed to say, like the words, because
tension now we're getting. I mean, listen, you're talking the
right guy if you want to get nerdy about acting,
because I'm so obsessed with with it. It's my vocation
(15:15):
and it's frankly the one thing that I do well.
And you know, I guess you only need one. But
it's physical tension is an interesting I won't go down
the rabbit hole.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Too much, but please do because it's my show, So
please do this yeah, that's it.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Go okay, let me get I'll give you a quick
anecdote I worked. I did a whole play in New York.
Writer named Jez Butterworth, one of the best writers in
the world. There's a world premiere play of his, and
I was playing a character that a big hit in
New York. And this character was, you know, from about
(15:57):
two hundred miles outside of London, very idiot, syncratic accent,
and known for his lack of charisma. So the other
characters are describing this character as boring, right, And well,
how do you do that? Because you can't literally be boring.
(16:17):
It's impossible, because you know, drama doesn't justify unremarkable people.
People who are in the architecture of performance are remarkable
no matter what for some reason, maybe even in their plainness.
But I found it really hard, and so I told myself,
you know what, I'm gonna do absolutely nothing. I'm gonna
(16:40):
do the minimal of what's required, and I'm going to
be completely relaxed. I'm gonna let my body relax. I'm
gonna scan it for physical tension anywhere I find some.
I'm gonna let go. And I got a couple months
into that performance, and I was just patting myself on
the back because it was, like I said, it was
kind of a hit to play. And I was just,
(17:01):
you know, so sure that I was making progress in
my little experiment. And one night we're in the middle
of a scene. It was me and Emily Mortimer, great.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Actor from Newsroom.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Yeah among many many of you.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Oh my god, I love her.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
If she's extraordinary, And I'm like, god, I'm so relaxed.
I'm so relaxed while I'm in the scene. And I
looked down and my three fingers on my left hand
are curled into a tight little ball. The rest of
my body totally relaxed. You could have, like I mean,
(17:38):
you know what I mean, Like you could have knocked
me over with a You could have flicked me and
I would have fallen over. I was so relaxed, but
I wasn't because all that tension just curled up down
and just collected down on this little part in my hands.
Strasburg used to do this with people. Find where the
physical tension is is it above your eye eyebrow? And
(18:00):
now when you go watch and I watch this all
the time, watch our fellows while they're doing their work.
There's certain people who have a mask almost of physical tension.
Still great performances, still, you know, really well received. But
I'll look and I'll see the physical tension, and I'll
(18:22):
know that something is inhibiting their full surrender to that character.
So letting go. Man, it's the most dangerous thing. It is.
It's such a counter it's it's such a counter strategy
to the mission of your ego, which is to look
like you know what you're doing, no matter what, justify
(18:44):
why you're there, no matter what. It's true for a
lot of us in life, let alone, when they're pointing
a camera at you. It elicits this this almost compulsive
habit to simultaneously play your character and remind everybody that
you're really interesting, you're funny, you're worth listening to. In
(19:07):
other words, there's this insecurity that comes with a human
being that is really put on blast when you're standing
in hot lights with a camera pointed at you. And
the most interesting thing, in the most rewarding part of
my creative growth has been integrating that, letting it exist,
(19:30):
letting it be okay, like it's just an ugly moment
for that character. Hell yes, it is, well, guess what
it's going to look like. It's gonna look ugly. And
you know, someone in the audience. I remember I was
doing a play and I was playing a character whose
nickname was Skinny. I was fat at the time, and
(19:55):
this first time this lady or first time this other
character had called me skinny. Oh I'm skinny, Come over him.
I know that I heard this lady and the audience
go skinny. Yeah, he's not skinny, right, And and you
you that's such a tea little example. But we when
(20:16):
we're doing this at the highest level, in my opinion,
we completely open ourselves up and expose ourselves to whatever
the audience is going to say.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Well, it's the ultimate it's the ultimate level of vulnerability.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
That's why. You know, when my friends and I try
to tell them about acting, they don't understand. I said,
you have to realize that you could suck, you know.
I mean, that's the big thing. Like, and I've heard
other actors say it, whether they like, you know, my
first five. You know, I'm gonna go out and I'm
going to do this and there's gonna be some takes
(20:51):
that just don't work. But in order to get to
the one that does. That's what you have to do.
And one of the things that I thought I found frustrating,
like in broadcasting sometimes you know, we were like you
got to do one or two takes and then you're done.
You know, we got to get it done. It's got
to and there's no room for experimental growth. I mean,
you have to you have to throw the crap against
(21:13):
the wall. That's the tough part of auditioning. As you know,
you know, you go in, you get one or two
cracks at it. Whereas if you get cast in a
part and somebody says, you know you're gonna play Andy,
I mean when you're working on that character, I mean,
how many times do you throw the bad stuff out? Right?
Speaker 3 (21:28):
I have a crate, Yes, yes, I mean that's certainly
I would say an accurate description of the day to day, right.
But I've had so many experiences and this is what
I'd like to put in a bottle where I get
this is why the preparation is so important, learning the lines,
(21:49):
breaking down the scene, understanding the art of the character.
You got to always look at your character. As you know,
I'm sure you've heard this before, but like, what is
the note in the chorus that youraracter is playing. For example,
Andy and True Blood. If I saw the cast as
a band, basically every now and then, I got to
(22:09):
play the e string, you know what I mean, Like
I was going to play pretty much the same note,
which was this sort of buffoonish frustration with the circumstance,
which is kind of a device because I was the
only I was I was the proxy audience. I was
the guy who was going to go, are you kidding me?
That guy just just run by me naked, right, So
(22:32):
I had to do it, and I had to do
that over and over. But if I didn't do that,
it would throw the music off your job, you know
what I'm saying. It was my job so preparation, getting
all that stuff out of the way, saying you know
exactly where you're supposed to pitch your performance. There are
(22:53):
there have been times when I walked through a door
and I'll tell you what wild and heels and we
maybe talk about that later. But like perfect example, immersed
myself in the research, did the right preparation. I had
no idea what that character was going to sound like,
move like, how he would react, but it just it
(23:17):
just came out. It's just like, so I I believe
there's a way we can prepare if we get relaxed
and concentrated enough where you kind of do it perfectly
the first time.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Wow. Really, that's.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
I mean, I mean, if you bottle it up, you're
going to be a billionaire, you know, I mean, and wow,
that was great. I mean, yeah, we are going to talk.
We're definitely coming up. We get it. But that's that's God.
That's if you could do it the first time, that's amazing.
And sometimes you know, you like some people like I know,
the Fairly Brothers, you know from around you know, Bobby
and Pete and Eastwood. You know, three takes and you're
(23:55):
done right for sure, you know.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
And work with Clint twice and both times you know,
it was like, uh did a master in the first
take and a little bit of coverage and that was it.
You could hear a pin drop the whole time and
there was no there was no like, hey can I
do that.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Again right now?
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Which I love because actors always forget that if you
got to take a break soon, let me know. But this,
you wound me up, dude.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
So this is what happened is well, no, I'm good man,
and this is fine, this is what I wanted. This
is no I will ask you real quick, on on,
just finish that statement. Then we'll take a break and
then we'll get back to it. But you know you
you you, you like you, you like it when you
do a few takes or you obviously liked working with Clinton.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
I loved removing myself from the authority position, right right.
I love availing myself of the collaboration. There is there
is a power structure in place. There is a director
by title who is in charge of whether we move.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
On or not me right, and you have to trust him, obviously,
and you trust.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
Him, yes, And as far as I'm concerned, going to
set for the first time is no different than getting
in a three point stance and waiting for the count.
I'm gonna explode off the line because I am ready.
I know the play, right, I'm going to execute it
to the best of my ability. And if he says
that was good enough on that day, he gets to
be right, right, I don't all right.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Chris Bower's with us, terrific actor going over his career
from True Blood. We're going to get the heels and Also,
Chris doesn't know this, but we're gonna I'm gonna tell
him who my favorite Bauer character is and he's going
to be surprised. Coming up next on WBZ.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
Night Side God Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Okay, Gary in for day tonight, and Chris Bower is
with us, and you know him from the wire, you
know him from True Blood. But one of my favorite
Bauer characters is some people may not even know when
I mentioned the name Jimmy Flaherty, Jimmy Flaherty is my fash.
(26:10):
I gotta tell you why. I'm gonna tell you why.
And because of course, I mean, I was a sportscaster
up here forever, and you know, that's how I knew Mike,
and I did I did the Celtics and all that,
and now I'm tired of sports, so they let me
talk about other stuff. But like when Mike went on
the air with you know, with Survivors Remorse and Lenny
Clark's a friend of mine, he was in it, and
then I, you know, I was watching the show and
(26:32):
I said, Okay, Mike, there's never been an NBA player
coming out of you, and ah, that's like six ' one,
but I'll go with you. And then I was like,
who I go, this is Jimmy, and I didn't really
know it was you. I didn't make the connection. I
think your hair was kind of blunt at first. You
played the owner of the Atlanta Hawks. And what I
loved about the character, and I believe me, I've dealt
with owners of my entire career. He was not the
(26:53):
typical owner. He wasn't an ass, you know, he didn't
have a big ego. He wasn't chopping on a cigar.
He wasn't you know. There was no sexual harassment. He
was like he was just I just really liked him,
and I really loved the character. And I love the
fact that even at the end, like you came back
to the house, you were kind of involved with the family.
I just love the whole character.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
I'm so glad you saw that. And you know, Michael Mallley,
I owe him a lot. He's a great friend. But
he's a phenomenal writer, and he is a phenomenal human being.
And he's always writing characters who succeed in a way
where they may have some influence and they become obsessed,
whether they know it or not with trying to use
(27:37):
that influence for good. He creates these characters who are
looking to sort of, you know, put into the world
what they didn't have at some point in their life.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
Yeah, you know, you're such a conscience. Yeah I didn't.
You're absolutely right in over Sully and then which brings
me to I love the storyline how Jimmy was friendly
with m Chuck the great Erica Ash tragically, I mean
from cancer passing away. I loved her. I was like, who,
you know, I would bug my poor guy still picks
up the phone when I call. I'm like, who's that?
(28:13):
You know, she's awesome. I was like, you know, And
there was a relationship you know that worked between Jimmy
and m Chuck that I found very endearing.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
I did too, And I think, you know, again insight
to the writer, creator, Michael Mallett. You know, Jimmy Flaherty
saw courage and I think courage was for him the
only virtue that mattered at the end of the day.
And I think he totally saw in that character. And
You're right, Erica Ash was extraordinary and it is just
(28:49):
one of those miserable mysteries to try to understand why
she was taking so sidy. She was she was she
was really really special. But you know, the great thing
about uh, the Internet, I guess streaming whatever it's called,
is that you know now that those shows exist. Like
(29:10):
we were just talking about The Wire, I shot that
twenty years ago. I know, I don't really I hope
Survivor's Remorse is one of those shows in four or
five years that people find and are talking about because
it is so good.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
I thought it was so good and so well written,
you know, and I've had a chance to meet Vic Levin.
Two's awesome, and ron Rico Lee was an act just
the acting was I mean, the cast was unreal. I mean,
that's the thing with the here's the thing with the
O'Malley Show, all right, and it's the same thing with Heels.
(29:48):
You got to get actors that know what the hell
they're doing. I mean, you just do. I mean that's
what he doesn't. You know, You're just going to get
people to know what the hell they're doing.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
And that's well on every level because also Mike's writing
is not uh you know, it's not first draft writing,
like you really have to be prepared to do his work,
and by the way Lenny in Survivors Morris, who I
think is a genius, and you know it's well known
to be a genius. And Chappie Kevin Chapman and I
(30:21):
to go to UH to Boston that seems one of
my favorite teams.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
And he's in the garden he's the security guards. Yeah yeah, Chappy,
Yeah good. It's very good. I mean in Lenny in
the fat suit. And I say, I told him when
I said to Lenny, I go, Lenny, you know why
you were good in that? He I said, because you
weren't jumping around all the time. They had so much
fat on you you couldn't move. You're really good. He goes,
I know, I can't sit still. I go, I know,
but you did. You were really good in that.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
Okay, he was so good.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
He was so good in that. While Bill Heels coming
up next quick break. Then we're going to really get
into what Chris Bauer is doing right now and why
you have to watch Heels on Stars next on wb Z.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
You need to send him a message.
Speaker 4 (31:12):
Like Esaw and Jacob and the Lord said, unto her
two nations.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
Are in a womb, and the elder shall serve the younger.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Jacob had a gust and wrestle with God. How about you,
Chris Bauer playing wild Bill on Heels on Stars? And
that part must be so fun to play. It's the
most fun you can have with your clothes on because
he barely has his clothes up. But I want people
(31:45):
to know, you got to check this out on Stars.
You gotta watch Heels and what it is is if
you haven't seen it, it's about a regional wrestling family
and wild Bill comes back into the picture as a
guy who started in the small towns and then rose
to the top and now he's being sent back down again.
And Chris, it's such a great part for you because
it's I don't want to say it's over the top,
(32:07):
because that's in something you're acting ability, but you know
where as Frank on the Wire, you know this is
the opposite, like you get to really play with this guy.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
Yeah. And first of all, for anyone listening, I want
to let people know that it's going to be on Netflix.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Oh I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (32:24):
Number fifteenth Stars produced it, It ran on Stars and
now it's moved over to Netflix and on September fifteenth,
both seasons are available.
Speaker 2 (32:33):
Thank you, I'm glad you said that.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
I'll thank you. But listen, I'm a glutton. I can
tell you that I do better when there's more on
the plate, for sure. And this character while Bill and
heals there, it's like the last plate in the buffet,
(32:57):
but the whole buffets on the plate, right, I mean,
and there is you can't get to the bottom of
it because he's a he's such an extrovert and he's
a creature of the circus. Plus I'm a huge wrestling fan.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Is he based on anybody he is?
Speaker 3 (33:12):
Yeah? Yeah, for sure. But it's a you know, it's
a recipe, it's a hybrid.
Speaker 2 (33:17):
There is you want to share those names, if you
want to keep in private, that's fine. But like.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
Jake the Snake, aspects of Jake the Snake, because Jake
the Snake had a danger in the ring, there was
a sort of psychology and a tempo, a slow tempo
to his presence in the ring. Kerry Funk, who you
know again rest in peace passed away recently, but that
man left it all in the ring. There's nothing he
(33:44):
wouldn't do to get over for a crowd, and that
is I think for me, the example of what one
of the ethics of wrestling is is like, it is
all these guys do.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
I mean, that's what they do. I mean their bodies.
I mean their bodies just get you know, it's not
we all know, Hey, it's vague, but it's it's it's professional.
I don't know even know how to describe professional tumbling, professional,
whatever it is.
Speaker 3 (34:10):
It's like it's if you ask me, it's like jazz,
but there's no pianos, saxophones or guitars. They're just giant bodies.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
Yeah, they get the crap kicked out of them, there's
no doubt. Oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
And they're they're they're in a zone. Man. First of all,
they're incredibly well trained, but they're in a zone, and
they physically improvise combat with you know, basically integrating with
the laws of physics, which basically says gravity means if
you're off the ground when you hit it, it's going
(34:42):
to hurt. And it does hurt, you know. Their level
of commitment to entertaining a crowd I find so cathartic
and probably emblematic of a much longer legacy than just
you know, uh entertainment, but uh, that show. It's something
(35:10):
that we all, I think had an incredible experience on.
My wife in fact, died. The costumes which are extraordinary.
Speaker 6 (35:17):
Oh wow, wow, it's so good, you'll notice, because I
think I kind of feel like I have the best
costumes of everybody in the in the well, I think.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
That I think that what I'm saying, I don't know,
but you know, I don't know wild Bill. But maybe
the pants were a little too tight at time, but
too not that I was check it out, But I
mean the characters, because I mean there's time you wake
up in the parking lot and there's a there's a
presence about them, but there's still such a vulnerability about
(35:53):
wild Bill, the over the hill wrestling, there's still such
a he's still you kind of like you kind of
want to hug them.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
Yeah, isn't that amazing? I mean, what a privilege to
play a character like that because for me, drilling it
down to the diamond of it, he is such an
optimist that there is no mess that can't be turned
into Yeah, he is fil No, you're right.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
And you got the long hair and you got the
mustache and you go shirtless and you're walking around and you, oh,
I remember the scene you well Mary McCormack, right, is
that that you're in You're in your ex wife's house
or your old house.
Speaker 3 (36:33):
Yes, and.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
The new husband comes down and you're like, hey, what's
going on? I mean, I'm laughing my ass, I go,
this is fantastic. McCormack's terrific. By the way, I'm so
glad she's in this, you know. Yeahs But but like, okay,
so there's while Bill with his ex wife who's living
in his house with her new husband, and I got
and they're all getting along there.
Speaker 3 (36:55):
At a minute.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
Yeah for a minute, Yeah, for a minute. It's just
it's and also the great thing about Heels is while
it's a wrestling story, it's a story about family. I mean,
you know, that's what it comes down to, which is
a typical O'Malley's script. It's about family.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
He is always trying to figure out how to subtly
provide instructions for people to work together in harmony and
find meaning out of coming together as a group for
a common purpose.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Yeah, he's the greatest member. I mean, he's just like
one of you know, the fact that he so I
met I met somebody from the show. I went out
there once and I met him and Vic and it
was talking and one of the people said, he's Mike
from New Hampshire. He's never changed. He was Mike from
the I believe it, and I'm sorry, go ahead, Chris.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
I just wanted to say when we started this conversation,
you know, talking about the Wire, and like, uh, you
know how much you love character actors, which I so appreciate.
And the fact of the matter is, I play all
these different characters. It's been my experience, after thirty years
of my career that generally people don't know that I'm
(38:06):
the same actor who has played these different characters. And
I can't tell you what a humbling blessing that is
to have been given to me.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
I didn't know what was the same guy. I mean,
I love Jimmy. I go, that's wait a minute. But
you know, because I am, I amdb it and look
at it and you know it. Yeah, no, I didn't know.
I didn't know it was you. I didn't know it
was the same dude.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
Yeah, I'm very proud of that. I'm very proud of
that because I've always thought, Uh, my career is something
that other people just describe. My vocation is meeting these
extraordinary writers and other crafts people and artists at their
level of ability and not letting them down.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
Well, you don't. And the reality is, and we have
to wrap it up, Chris, unfortunately, is that we need
actor like you. And I had my friend Chris Pappers,
who's a writer and a producer on The Gemstones, and
it's the same thing. You know, we need. Oh it's crazy.
I mean they're they're out of their minds. I mean,
you want to work on a fun show. I mean
they're they're I mean McBride says, everybody, come to Charleston.
(39:16):
We're going to make a TV show, you know, And
but we need the real people. We need actors like
you to make it sing. I mean even Seinfeld said,
without Kramer, they're screwed.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 2 (39:29):
It's true. I mean you need Wild Bill. I mean
you need these guys in Frank and While Bill and
you know you need them, I mean in True Blood
or you know, even you know when you when you're
playing in the opposite Edie Falco. I mean, we need guys,
we need actors like you. And there's a time, you know,
we just do it. And I really appreciate you coming on.
And you know, if you're okay with O'Malley, you're okay
(39:52):
okay with me.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
And vice versa. You got to get an automatic pass
for that reason.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
All right, Chris, It's been a real pleasure having you on,
and you know we can't wait for you. We'll always
be looking out. Netflix. September fifteenth, Watch Heels, and I
think people are gonna your starts is great, but Netflix
has a broader reach. You have to watch the first
the two seasons of Heels. Please check it out. Chris,
have a good night, buddy, Thanks for coming on.
Speaker 3 (40:19):
Thank you, Gary appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (40:21):
Okay, anytime. Chris Bauer a great character actor, and I
love to give these guys attention. Just watch Heels on Netflix.
It's such a great story. It's such a great family
story setting around a small town wrestling family. It's great stuff,
you know from O'Malley, who does great stuff, you know,
and we all remember him from Yestar and all that
(40:42):
we've had Mike on, but I love his I love
his cable stuff. Outside of this world. Coming up, we
get political with the moderate from Hollywood Sam Metler next
to WBZ
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