Chat Transcript Luke Perry, 03/03/02 Welcome to tonight's event, a chat with Luke Perry. He will be joining us at 9:45pm ET. Thanks for your patience. We will begin shortly. Good evening. Welcome everyone! How are you similiar and different from your character? He doesn't bathe often. I try to. I feel similar to Jeremiah about a lot of things. I have similar opinions. Jeremiah is a guy who in the face of a very, very difficult situation really tries to do the right thing. Which often proves to be the more difficult thing. And I have to wonder if maybe I, in the interest of the survival wouldn't do the thing that was easier for me. He's stronger than I am. Hi Luke, first of all you and your new show kicks major ass! Where are you guys filming it? We shoot the show in lovely Vancouver, BC. All over, mostly outside. There's a considerable amount of moisture. So we just shoot right through it. But BC is beautiful. What kind of direction is the show going to take? That is still being defined. And explored. To be quite honest, we're not exactly sure. And that's part of the excitement and the challenge and the scary part of doing this. Is not being exactly sure. We're trying to determine which elements really work and are creatively interesting. That allow us to tell stories of depth and scope through the characters. Because I believe TV is about the characters. And people listen to the stories and they hear the stories. But they watch for the people. Did you read any of the comics in preparation for the role? Unfortunately, I didn't receive the comics until after we had starting filming. So I wasn't aware of many of the traditions and the things that are established in the book. And I wish that I had been because they are very rich. They have a lot to offer. The writer of the comics is Herman Huppen. Jeremiah isn't really a graphic novel that's sold a great deal in the U.S. It has a tremendous following in Europe. Was it tough to prepare for your character or does it come natural? Here's the deal with that...Some actors like to expound on the difficulties and intricacies of the craft. That ain't my bag. I just play these guys. Did you have to get into good physical shape or change anything about yourself to prepair for this role? No. Studio wants me to clean up, but it's not realistic that the character would be shaven and clean and have his teeth brushed all the time. That's to say, ""if"" the studio wants me to clean up in order to prepare for the character. I see them from the outside in. I try to think of what they'd look like. This guy wouldn't be going to the gym and all this. It's not a technical reality for the world in which he lives. The idea is to be lean, strong, flexible, fast. Do you think you would ever be interested in directing an episode in the future? I'm supposed to direct a show in a couple of weeks. But I think I'm too tired! Hi Luke, How is it working with Malcolm Jamal Warner? He rocks. He's great. He is a consummate professional. A talented guy. An all-around quality human being. I noticed you were the executive producer. What does that mean? It means I get to tell people what to do on the set! I get to employ one of my favorite phrases: Put your back into it! I love the crew. And it allows me to interact with them on a creative level that we all find more expedient. I'll let us do things that other producers would not let us do. It's kind of like having a cool babysitter. how many episodes have been filmed so far? Fifteen so far. Do you think you could have performed as well had you done this even 5 years ago? I sense age has lent a certain edge I've been 50 since I was 12. So I don't know about the age thing. I would have had more energy to put into it 5 years ago. Which do you prefer more; Acting or Directing Acting. Directing is a necessary evil. this is very different from your OZ role...do you enjoy it more? It's not a question of enjoying it more or less. The experiences were both very different. Apples and oranges if you will. You've appeared in Buffy,Fifth Element,and now Jeremiah. Would you consider sci-fi to be your favorite genre,or do you just look for the best material? First of all, well-phrased question. I don't prefer sci-fi. I find it to be a very interesting genre. Very forgiving. But, I'm just killing time between horse pictures. All I want to do is westerns. Anything else is just a paycheck. Excellent show tonight, Luke...my daughter wants to know what it was like filming the first show and how long did it take? The first show is always the most difficult. Because it is the first. Everything is new. Our director was a madman, in the best sense of the word. It took us 3 weeks to shoot tonight's 2 hour premier. Do you know if you will be returning to the cast of OZ at the beginning of next season? Nobody knows anything about OZ. Except those writers. Tom and Sunil. westerns why westerns? Because the greatest movies I've seen have been westerns. I love everything about them. The people who work on them. They are usually great people. It's just good to know that you're going to spend a good part of your day in the saddle. what are your favorite westerns? I'll just give a few: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. The Outlaw Josie Wales. True Grit. And The Cheyenne Social Club with Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda. It's a great flick. Take your kids to see it. Westerns are where it's at. ARE YOU GOING TO DO ANY WESTERN IN THE DAYS AHEAD? Don't know about the days ahead just yet. But I did one last year with Burt Reynolds that is coming out, I believe in the Spring. It's called Johnson County War. I take it you like horse's. I love horse's I had one as a kid. Do you have horse's now? > Luke_Perry> I love horses. I have a few. Anything else you worked on coming out soon? I don't know, I just make them! Luke do you still have your pot bellied pig? Yes. Which actor is your role model, your inspiration for getting into acting? Paul Newman. How do you like working with Strazcinski? Joe is a tough puzzle. But ultimately I find it worth working with. Is there an actor you haven't worked with that you would like to? It's difficult for me to answer this question. Because I love actors so much. There are just so many I'd like to work with. If the film/TV career hadn't worked out? What would you have envisioned yourself doing as an alternative? Construction. That's what I do. Where are you from originally? Ohio. did you ever think your career would go as far as it has? No, and everyday that it goes on is one day longer than I figured it would. If there is one thing you could change about your role and/or the show, what would it be? One of the things that I always try to do is to find the subtle ways to sophisticate the show. And by that I don't mean all of a sudden everyone speaks like they have a doctorate in English. But the general dynamics that take place on an emotional level between people and other types of situations. Is there an actor you have worked with in the past that you want to work with again? Too many to mention. Do you ever get angry at it all and want to walk away from acting? Every day! And I don't say that facetiously. It's on my mind. What is your favorite thing about the show? My favorite thing about the show, about any show, is the opportunity that it offers to hopefully tell a story that affects somebody somehow. Make them think about something someway. Otherwise, it's not that important. It could be the single most important thing in the world. Or it could not. when did you start filming the show? We started filming the show Sept. 6th. would you say acting is your life? or just a small part among other small parts of your life? It's a good question. It is a small part of what I HOPE can be a much broader life. But all the other lives that I've lived comes back to inform the acting. But that's an intelligent question and I appreciate it. If in fact you are USMCSNIPER, shoot straight, keep your powder dry and good luck. I agree that acting is a very powerful way to get things across and connect with people-you do a great job. Is there a specific situation you would like to address thru acting? Acting can also mess a lot of things up. As can movies. There's a story element of a film I did called ""8 Seconds"" that haunts me to this day. The portrayal of my character's father in that film and it was a true life story it portrayed him as being much harsher in his relationship with his son than ever he truly was. And somehow through all of the small day-to-day battles that one has on a movie set with the creative powers that be on some level, that got by me. And I feel that in that film we misrepresented to the world the depth of the emotion and the love and compassion of a man named Clyde Frost. And all the things that go with being an actor, the accolades, which there are way too many of, all of those things come with a big responsibility. And when you drop the ball, as I feel we dropped the ball there it doesn't go away. In closing, all creative endeavors have a measure of risk. And I don't mind that. That's all part of it. Because the risks I take are make-believe, and on paper and there are people out here in the world everyday taking big risks for little payback. And they do it day in and day out. People talk about actors, about me, and other people. They say hero, role model ... all that stuff. I really hope that if nothing better comes from the events of the past year that people have had a chance to really look around and see who the real heroes are. I just play one on TV. Thank you for chatting with Luke Perry. If you missed tonight's premiere episode of ""Jeremiah,"" tune in to SHOWTIME on Friday, March 8th at 10:45pm ET/PT to see the premiere again at its regular time. Please join us on Friday, March 15th at 11:30pm ET for a chat with Malcolm-Jamal Warner after the 2nd episode of ""Jeremiah."" While you are on the website, visit ""Behind The Scenes"" to get an exclusive inside peek into the world of "Jeremiah." The chat room will be closing in one minute, but you can head on over to the message boards and share your thoughts about this week's episode. The chat room is now closed. Thanks for joining in on tonight's chat.