Desmond does Law & Order, SVU style.
i don't know about the rest of you, but i just finished watching this episode and i have to say, without spoiling it, that Henry has taken himself out of the Desmond Box and made himself clear as an actor outside of LOST. even though he wasn't in the first season of the show, and wasn't a regular until the third, LOST seemed to make his acting career noticeable, with many people referring to him as his character's name. this role, however, sees him in a completely different light, and as such, i have fallen in love with him once again.
Q: How do your character and Benson become involved in your episodes? And is he really into her romantically or is there an ulterior motive there?
Henry Ian Cusick: Very early on in the episode you see Benson and my character, Erik Weber, who is a graphic artist; you see them meet and there’s a bit of flirtation. Certainly from Erik Weber’s point of view he’s very interested in Benson and I think it becomes a bit of a rivalry between Stabler and Weber.
So yes, there’s definitely some - there’s definitely a strong interest from Erik Weber and the Benson character, yeah.
Q: After spending so much time on a successful show like "Lost," did you feel it was important to jump right back into TV? And what was it about this role specifically that drew you in?
Henry Ian Cusick: You know, I was looking to get back into TV as quickly as possible. I wanted to get away from Desmond. It just seemed that I was no longer Ian Cusick, I was Desmond. So I wanted to sort of like just shed that skin.
And then when I met Neal [Baer] and he called me into his office, I was very charmed by him and his idea for the character. And basically just talking to him and the writer - Dan and - I was sold really. It was as simple as that.
I liked them, I liked their idea, and it just seemed like this would be a really cool thing to get involved with and so I went for it.
Q: How would you describe the character of Erik Weber?
Henry Ian Cusick: He’s a graphic designer who you meet very early on in the episode. And he’s very quickly taken with Mariska Hargitay’s character and tries to help them out on a case.
Q: The "Law & Order" franchise has a history of getting really impressive guest stars, some of whom have gone on to win Emmy's for their roles on the show. How does it feel to be a part of that legacy?
Henry Ian Cusick: You know I feel very honored even just when I was - when I met Neal and he told me about the part and the character and I got very excited about it.
And coming off a show like "Lost," you know, there were other offers but it was difficult to get excited about anything because, you know, "Lost" was such a great piece of writing and such a hit show. But I felt I had an input into this character and also knowing who I was going to be working with.
And I got very excited as well by the guest stars involved in the show -- Joan Cusack and Peter Strauss were involved and I’m a big fan of both of theirs.
Q: From the episode description, it sounds like your character Erik Weber may have made some really bad decisions regarding his defense of the 10-year-old runaway. What are his motivations for getting involved?
Henry Ian Cusick: When you first meet Erik Weber he is trying to be a good citizen. And I would - I don’t want to give away too much, but that really is just the way Benson and Erik Weber meet up. So yeah, I think he is trying to be, you know, a good citizen. He’s trying to help out with the case.
And I think you’re right, you have - I think you’re right, he is a case of mistaken not so much identity, but motives.
Q: What was the most challenging part of playing this role?
Henry Ian Cusick: The most challenging part - without giving too much away, there’s a scene that sort of stretched me as an actor and it comes towards the end of the second - even through it’s a two-part, this episode, the premiere is going to be two hours but it will be divided into two later on from my understanding.
But towards the end there was a tricky scene there I had to play that I really had to just - it was one of those scenes where I know a lot of actor prepare. But for me it was - I just had to give it up and trust in my fellow actors and trust in my director and trust in the writing and just let it go really.
And it could have gone either way. I haven’t seen it yet... so I’m hoping it’s okay. But it’s just one of those things where you just sort of say well, I’m going to dive in and there you are. But, you know, I have to say Mariska, she was delightful and super supportive and very, very helpful to work for me as an actor. She was... it was really surprising.
She’s done this role for 12 years now and she has all the intensity and all the care about doing this role as if were, you know, the first time. So, you know, kudos to her and to Chris Meloni as well. You know, they’re so passionate about their show and they’re very proud of it and you can tell that. So you really have to pick up your game when you’re working with them.
Q: Did you find any problems jumping into such a long running show with leads that already have an established rapport between them?
Henry Ian Cusick: Well yes, you know, there was the nature of the show. You know I was coming from a show where we’re running through the jungle and it’s a little bit slower.
I mean even though it’s a dynamic it’s the delivery is a little bit slower and it’s a little more thoughtful. Here the pace of delivery is different. It’s faster and the information is handed over quicker. It’s not so introspective. And also you’re dealing with New York which I was surprised that it is such a noisy city.
And you’re filming and you’ve got crowds shouting and you’ve got the constant beeping of horns. And I was thinking, how on earth do you ADR this. And from I understand, I’ve only got two lines to ADR and I can’t believe I’ve only got two lines to do - to ADR because it was such a sort of crowded environment from what I’m used to.
I mean when I was filming "Lost" we’d - you know, we’d be in the jungle. The only thing we had to content with was the sound of the ocean and that was it really.
Q: Will your character appear in more than just the two hour premiere?
Henry Ian Cusick: Well at the moment no. I think pretty much my story has been told. But then again... you never ever know. There’s always a possibility for, you know, any character to come back. So I guess that’s the nature of TV. You know, you never say never...
source
anyone see this episode, and if so, please discuss what you thought.
BY POPULAR DEMAND, LOSTSAILORS AND BOMBURJO, THIS IS ALSO THE AFTERPARTY!
Q: How do your character and Benson become involved in your episodes? And is he really into her romantically or is there an ulterior motive there?
Henry Ian Cusick: Very early on in the episode you see Benson and my character, Erik Weber, who is a graphic artist; you see them meet and there’s a bit of flirtation. Certainly from Erik Weber’s point of view he’s very interested in Benson and I think it becomes a bit of a rivalry between Stabler and Weber.
So yes, there’s definitely some - there’s definitely a strong interest from Erik Weber and the Benson character, yeah.
Q: After spending so much time on a successful show like "Lost," did you feel it was important to jump right back into TV? And what was it about this role specifically that drew you in?
Henry Ian Cusick: You know, I was looking to get back into TV as quickly as possible. I wanted to get away from Desmond. It just seemed that I was no longer Ian Cusick, I was Desmond. So I wanted to sort of like just shed that skin.
And then when I met Neal [Baer] and he called me into his office, I was very charmed by him and his idea for the character. And basically just talking to him and the writer - Dan and - I was sold really. It was as simple as that.
I liked them, I liked their idea, and it just seemed like this would be a really cool thing to get involved with and so I went for it.
Q: How would you describe the character of Erik Weber?
Henry Ian Cusick: He’s a graphic designer who you meet very early on in the episode. And he’s very quickly taken with Mariska Hargitay’s character and tries to help them out on a case.
Q: The "Law & Order" franchise has a history of getting really impressive guest stars, some of whom have gone on to win Emmy's for their roles on the show. How does it feel to be a part of that legacy?
Henry Ian Cusick: You know I feel very honored even just when I was - when I met Neal and he told me about the part and the character and I got very excited about it.
And coming off a show like "Lost," you know, there were other offers but it was difficult to get excited about anything because, you know, "Lost" was such a great piece of writing and such a hit show. But I felt I had an input into this character and also knowing who I was going to be working with.
And I got very excited as well by the guest stars involved in the show -- Joan Cusack and Peter Strauss were involved and I’m a big fan of both of theirs.
Q: From the episode description, it sounds like your character Erik Weber may have made some really bad decisions regarding his defense of the 10-year-old runaway. What are his motivations for getting involved?
Henry Ian Cusick: When you first meet Erik Weber he is trying to be a good citizen. And I would - I don’t want to give away too much, but that really is just the way Benson and Erik Weber meet up. So yeah, I think he is trying to be, you know, a good citizen. He’s trying to help out with the case.
And I think you’re right, you have - I think you’re right, he is a case of mistaken not so much identity, but motives.
Q: What was the most challenging part of playing this role?
Henry Ian Cusick: The most challenging part - without giving too much away, there’s a scene that sort of stretched me as an actor and it comes towards the end of the second - even through it’s a two-part, this episode, the premiere is going to be two hours but it will be divided into two later on from my understanding.
But towards the end there was a tricky scene there I had to play that I really had to just - it was one of those scenes where I know a lot of actor prepare. But for me it was - I just had to give it up and trust in my fellow actors and trust in my director and trust in the writing and just let it go really.
And it could have gone either way. I haven’t seen it yet... so I’m hoping it’s okay. But it’s just one of those things where you just sort of say well, I’m going to dive in and there you are. But, you know, I have to say Mariska, she was delightful and super supportive and very, very helpful to work for me as an actor. She was... it was really surprising.
She’s done this role for 12 years now and she has all the intensity and all the care about doing this role as if were, you know, the first time. So, you know, kudos to her and to Chris Meloni as well. You know, they’re so passionate about their show and they’re very proud of it and you can tell that. So you really have to pick up your game when you’re working with them.
Q: Did you find any problems jumping into such a long running show with leads that already have an established rapport between them?
Henry Ian Cusick: Well yes, you know, there was the nature of the show. You know I was coming from a show where we’re running through the jungle and it’s a little bit slower.
I mean even though it’s a dynamic it’s the delivery is a little bit slower and it’s a little more thoughtful. Here the pace of delivery is different. It’s faster and the information is handed over quicker. It’s not so introspective. And also you’re dealing with New York which I was surprised that it is such a noisy city.
And you’re filming and you’ve got crowds shouting and you’ve got the constant beeping of horns. And I was thinking, how on earth do you ADR this. And from I understand, I’ve only got two lines to ADR and I can’t believe I’ve only got two lines to do - to ADR because it was such a sort of crowded environment from what I’m used to.
I mean when I was filming "Lost" we’d - you know, we’d be in the jungle. The only thing we had to content with was the sound of the ocean and that was it really.
Q: Will your character appear in more than just the two hour premiere?
Henry Ian Cusick: Well at the moment no. I think pretty much my story has been told. But then again... you never ever know. There’s always a possibility for, you know, any character to come back. So I guess that’s the nature of TV. You know, you never say never...
source
anyone see this episode, and if so, please discuss what you thought.
BY POPULAR DEMAND, LOSTSAILORS AND BOMBURJO, THIS IS ALSO THE AFTERPARTY!