A. Well, it’s less hard work. Only because I wish I had the ability to turn it on and off like a light switch. If the moving image could be said to have a native tongue, it would be the American accent, frankly. And so it matters to me to get that right, so I wish I could just talk to you like this and then just do [an American accent]. I can’t.
Q. Do you hate the actors who can?
A. Oh, I hate them! [“FlashForward’’ costar] Sonya Walger kills me! It’s flawless.
Q. Earlier you referred to your character as evil, but that seems strong.
A. He’s not evil. He just wants to get the job done and wants to get it done the best way possible. Context is everything and, you know, an undeveloped musical is a very abstract thing. A musical number on the page could be anything, and someone’s got to make it something, and that’s the director’s job, and there’s 50 people in the room the entire time. And you can’t pussyfoot around; you have to get it done. The people who write the show have been in that world, and he’s not a pantomime villain. They also do this very sweet thing for me as well - it’s just nice writing - but usually when I’ve done something vaguely unspeakable in some unspeakable way, very soon afterward they write these scenes for me where, it’s not that I apologize or issue a mea culpa, but I’m allowed to rationalize why I’ve done what I’ve done. Yes, he has an ego, but so does everyone else in that room.
Q. He’s just being more honest about it.
A. Kind of. And maybe his id is slightly more on display than everyone else’s. There’s a lot of creating to be done in a short space of time very publicly. And a director of this kind of work it’s a weird combination - it’s like sergeant major crossed with abstract painter crossed with Baryshnikov.
Q. Are you itching to sing?
A. Oh, no, America doesn’t need that.
Q. Is it possible you might have to?
A. No, they’re not stupid. This will be immovable object meets irresistible force.
Q. Nothing? No humming in the shower, even?
