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A Conversation with Eric Etebari, Part Two
(Ian Nottingham) April 2001
Q: What's the camaraderie like on this set?
A: The camaraderie on the set. . .it's just pleasant. Everybody's happy. Everybody knows everybody. We're really good friends on and off the set, you know. David, Will, Anthony, Yancy and I -- we all go back with, we hang out in Los Angeles. Which allows us to come back here and and work with each other. We're friends. There's no egos. And it's really hard, when you have someone like Yancy leading the way, it's really difficult to be a prima donna or anything. So she really sets the standard. When she's doing well, we're all doing well. And she's always doing well, so. . . The camaraderie's just good. I think we're excited. I think we have something that's very special here. I mean if anything -- worst case scenario -- it's gonna be one of those times in my career where I'll look back and go, 'Wow. That was just a really good group of people.' And I'm taking a lot from this show. I haven't had any problems really with anything, with any of those actors. They're all giving. They're all generous. They're all open for ideas and criticism and it's unusual, you know. I've worked on things in the past where there's a lot of egos and there's no egos here. There really isn't. And that, primarily, like I've said before, it's because Yancy's just really setting the standard. I don't know what else to say about that, but she's just great.
Q: When you're hanging out, do you guys ever sit around and brainstorm and say, 'What if we do this with the characters?'
A: When we're hanging out do we brainstorm? We do brainstorm but what we like to do is we get the episodes and we start calling each other and teasing each other. 'Oh my God, do you see what you gotta do?' I have a scene with Will -- he plays a ghost -- and first thing I did I call him. 'Oh my God, Will. We have a scene together. We have a scene together. But you better not touch me (LAUGHS), you know? So if you touch me I'm gonna kill you.' He's like, 'Oh yeah?' We like to tease each other and make light of those scenes and make fun of what we have to do... Pretty much I think everybody has a pretty good grasp on their character. Maybe if I have something now and they go, 'Oh if you could do this for me, it'll help me with this,' or vice versa. But pretty much we don't brainstorm as much as we like to tease each other. Anthony and I -- Anthony Cistaro, who plays Irons -- we have a tendency to brainstorm a little bit more 'cause we're kind of a team and we say, 'Okay you know what? What's the message behind these words. What's the overall -- what are we trying to say between the lines? What can we achieve you know as a team?' But we have a tendency to brainstorm a little bit more with each other than most of the other guys. And, you know, Anthony's probably one of the most intelligent people I've ever worked with, so I have a tendency to pick his brain for information, ideas and stuff like that.
Q: So how far in advance do you get these scripts?
A: I mean, it varies. And sometimes it's one script maybe it's two scripts, three scripts. It's not often. It can be frustrating and it can be exciting, and I was frustrated at first 'cause I felt like I needed to know what all the eleven episodes were so I could have, create the character arc and understand where I'm going and what I'm doing. And on the other hand, I started to let that go and just be excited about the surprise. Looking forward to knowing that I don't know what's coming. So by eleven I'm still on the edge of my heels or toes or on the tip of my toes waiting to know what I'm gonna do, rather than having figured it all out, and now I'm just waiting to shoot it. And there's a lot of waiting (LAUGHS) so. . .
Q: What is it like the moment you get that script?
A: (SIGHS) It's scary in the sense that you have these pre-conceived ideas of what you think your character should do. Where you're gonna go. And all of a sudden you're reading the script and you're like, 'Oh wow. What I did last week doesn't really match what I did this week.' But overall I think it's like opening up birthday presents, you know, or surprises. Each week I open something up and it's something new. It takes me in a new avenue. A different direction. Takes me out of my monologue. All my pre-conceived ideas of what I think I should do and it keeps me a little more spontaneous in the sense that now, all of a sudden, now I have new variables that I didn't count on. Or they threw me in another direction that I didn't necessarily think I would go and it makes me have to think on my feet and become more creative. And think of new avenues to still achieve what I wanna say as an actor, as Nottingham, and it just keeps it challenging. Keeps it moving. Keeps my mind thinking.
Q: How would you say this show fits the category of great drama?
A: Great drama? Well, I think we kick ass on all the other shows, to tell you the truth. I think as a whole, character to character, we just have genuine actors. We have actors who are giving it their heart and soul and all their blood and sweat and I think that makes for good drama. Nobody's phoning it in. Everything's genuine. It is a little bit mystical and at times it can almost be unbelievable, but definitely the choices, the actors, the emotions and actions are so genuine, that I think that makes for good drama. Especially kick-ass drama. I mean when you got a group of actors who are -- I think we're a tough group of individuals off camera and in front of the camera, you know? And if you compare 'em to your other shows, I think if you were to -- except for the Sopranos. I don't want anybody, you know, coming to take me out! But, overall, I just think that we're kick-ass in the sense of our dedication. It's the hard blood, sweat and grit that we're going through. I mean this show's a grind. You know, we shoot eight days. Fifteen, fourteen hour days. No days off. And I think that's what makes great drama. People who give it everything they've got, to the point of exhaustion. Nobody's phoning in. Nobody's just flying through this. Everybody's working so hard and they're so dedicated and whether you like the show or not I think that really lends itself to being good drama. Great drama.
Q: Is there anything you wanted to add?
A: Nottingham. I'd define Nottingham maybe a little bit. I chose to play Nottingham as -- it's very easy to play a typical bad guy. Someone who relishes in being tough and strong and being able to kill and have powers and I felt that it would be more of a challenge to bring out compassion. Vulnerability. And I did that by what I mentioned before, by creating a character who is a child within a man's body. So that every experience is new. Everything is new. The nuances. The understanding. I'm a character who's learning through the process. Who's gaining information. Not already possessing it, you know. He's a virgin you know. Sex, love -- all that's new, so it allows me as an actor to play everything for the first time. And it keeps me from being a typical bad guy who relishes in killing. Who knows he's the macho guy. You know what I mean? But yet he's vulnerable. And he has this sense of innocence. But then he's got the power to destroy and kill and be powerful, which I think makes for an intriguing nemesis to, say, Sara Pezzini. If and so he is a nemesis. We're soon to see. . . Yeah.
Q: Thank you so much.
A: Thank you guys.
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