Lance Reddick Interview

Thanks to Smokemonster for the heads up

Lance Reddick sat down with Usmagazine.com to discuss his guest appearance on Lost (airs Wednesday on ABC), his current role on FOX drama Fringe and his years playing Lieutenant Daniels on the critically acclaimed The Wire, which ended its run in 2008.

Us: President Barack Obama has said his favorite show is The Wire. Have you gotten an invite to the White House?
LR: No, I didn't. I'm not going to hold my breath.

Us: Are you an Obama supporter?
LR: Oh, yeah. I would love to meet him.

Us: You worked with J.J. Abrams on Fringe and The Wire. So did you have to audition for Fringe?
LR: I auditioned three times, which is similar to my experience with The Wire.

Us: Do you know how long you'll be on Lost?
LR: It's a recurring role; it's literally episode-to-episode. So you never know how much you're going to be on. Unlike Oz, when you read that you die, you're dead...on Lost, that doesn't matter. You could keep coming back, in flashbacks.

Us How was traveling back and forth while shooting two shows?
LR: I shot Fringe in New York, then flew to Hawaii for Lost and then flew right back to New York. That was quite a week! [Laughs.] I worked every single day.

Us: How did you end up in the Jay-Z and Beyonce video for "Bonnie & Clyde" ?
LR: Well, Jay-Z and the director were big fans of The Wire. They requested me specifically. I didn't know who he was at first. And when I told my daughter, she just rolled her eyes and said, 'Oh dad!' Then after I did the video, I see there's a billboard in Times Square with Jay-Z, I see Beyonce on the cover of Vibe. [Laughs.] I was really out of touch!

Us: What's your weirdest fan encounter?
R: The Wire fans get crazy. [Laughs.] I don't know what it is...I've had women come up to me and...how do I put this naturally? I'm not a player, so I don't really know what to do with that! I was a shy and nerdy kid. It's one of those things where -- even though the way women relate to me has changed dramatically [since] my mid-20s -- it really never quite goes away.

Us: Do you ever read the fan blogs? Your shows all have cult followings.
LR: I read all these things about my character on Lost! I think I tried to once. And I thought, 'This is too much work.'

Us: It seemed like you were suddenly stripping down on a lot on The Wire as the series progressed. How did that happen?
LR: [Producers] asked during a love scene with [state's attorney] Rhonda Pearlman (Deirdre Lovejoy) if I minded taking my shirt off. I said no, took my shirt off and -- I hate putting it like this -- but apparently the female crew members liked it! Whenever I was at home [in future episodes], they kept asking, 'Do you mind taking your shirt off?" So, it became, like, the thing.

Us: That must have been very gratifying.
LR: It was embarrassing in the moment that they made the request. Then after that, it is what it is.

Source: The Insider