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Cult favorite actor extraordinnaire Bruce Campbell held a Q & A to talk about the new upcoming season of BURN NOTICE that airs on the USA Network.
{sidebar id=1}All new episodes of Burn Notice
begin Thursday, January 22nd on USA Network.
BURN NOTICE, the hottest show last summer and the number one new show on cable in 2007, returns for its second season continuation with seven all new episodes on Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 10/9c.
BURN NOTICE is a sexy action-packed series starring Jeffrey Donovan ("Changeling") as Michael Westen, a blacklisted spy who finds himself stranded in sun-soaked Miami without money, resources, or a clue as to who burned him, or why. The only tools at his disposal are his wits, his charm, his special ops training and his "friends:" Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar - "The Tudors"), a beautiful ex-IRA operative who also happens to be Michael's ex-girlfriend, and Sam (Bruce Campbell "Evil Dead"), a washed-up military intelligence contact who works as Michael's sidekick, and his mother (Emmy Award-winner Sharon Gless "Queer as Folk"), who Michael has spent most of his adult life trying to avoid.
Read the entire Q&A with BURN NOTICE star Bruce Campbell -
Q: How much creative input do you have
with your character for the show?
BC: Well, every situation is different
and Burn Notice is very structured. Matt Nix, its his show, its
his concept, its his idea. So when I came on board, Im going
to give smaller stuff. You know, I might ad lib some stupid joke at
the end of a scene or whatever. Or I might suggest a tone of maybe
treat Michaels mother more gently at some point. So its really
for me mostly smaller stuff; the captain of the ship is Matt Nix and
hes also allowing us to think through scenes and if we want to
throw in a line or so, he doesnt have a problem with that. But I
never show up on a set going, Man, I got to ad lib today.
Q: We talk to a lot of people on a lot
of shows, but its rare that you get to talk to ones who you
really, really love the show.
BC: Well you have great taste,
obviously. I cant speak for Mr. Donovan, I think hes going to
join us shortly. But look, its fun to be a part of a project that
has been accepted. As an actor, we tend to work pretty hard on TV
shows. Theyre non-stop for a long time and you never know, youre
acting in a void; you never know what the reaction is going to be.
And its just nice to come across a show like Burn Notice that has
caught on and its grown every year. So hopefully this new batch
of episodes coming in January is going to be something theyre
looking for.
Q: Did you see the success of the show
coming up? Like did it surprise you? Are you at all surprised about
how successful it has been?
BC: Im surprised by everything these
days because you never know. My basis for accepting this script when
it came across my desk was I loved the fact of what it wasnt. It
wasnt a cop show, it wasnt a doctors show, it wasnt a
lawyer show. Theres plenty of stuff that goes on, but this is
basically the human side of spies and I went, right, I can get into
that. And I really enjoyed the fact that its a good blend of a
show that does have strong main characters, and not a lot of them.
Its got four main characters. And thats what the emphasis is.
And oh yes, stuff blows up and every week there is a caper where you
defeat the jerk of the week. But I think its mostly you watch
these characters from week to week, and thats what I enjoy. And
thats what appealed to me and thats what keeps me interested in
the show is its not really about the explosions, its about the
people who are doing the explosions.
Q: For someone who hasnt seen any
episodes so far, what would you say to somebody coming into the show?
BC: Well, I think if you come into the
show late, youre going to be okay because they always do enough
recaps to kind of fill you in. And the lead character, Michael
Westen, has very heavy voiceover, hes kind of guiding you through
the show, so I think youre going to be fine. Hes going to give
you any kind of recap that you need to jump in. And those people
that have followed everything, I think theyre going to be all over
it because theyve been waiting for it for, whatever, four or five
months now.
Q: Its just a pleasure to speak with
you.
BC: Thanks. Its a pleasure to be
spoken with.
Q: What about your role continues to
challenge you?
BC: To try and figure out how to sweat
less. No, I would say just to keep Sam interested in the stories and
participating on stories. If the writers do most of the work, which
they will then do that, that theyll keep the character engaged.
And if the characters engaged, then its easy for me to be
engaged in the character. So hopefully whenever Sam was around in
his portion that hes involved in something or has an opinion about
something or whatever. No actor likes to just sit around. So as
long as its the same as the first two seasons, Im good to go.
Q: Do you have a most memorable moment
youve had from filming the seasons?
BC: For me, Im just convinced one
day that some bystanders going to shoot me with a gun. And the
reason why I say that is because my character Sam has a rifle with a
scope and often hes up on high rises and overpasses taking
potshots at people. And sometimes you cant see the crew connected
to me, because they put me sometimes far away. And Miami has a lot
of guns, and so Im just afraid some do-gooders going to see me
up there firing away and theyre going to save Miami from that
criminal. And then Burn Notice will have three main characters.
Q: One of the aspects I love most with
your character in the previous season was your relationship with
Veronica. I was wondering if were going to see any more
relationship drama from Sam with any ladies in the future.
BC: They do, I think that there are
efforts. But, you know, Sams a tough case because hes kind of
a, hes a bit of a handful and theyre always doing capers, so
its tough to have any kind of romance. But there is another brush
with romance in some of these upcoming episodes. Which is fun,
because I actually think if Sam is not so much button-down that we
can see perhaps his exploits, if you will.
Q: Are there any upcoming guest stars
that we can look forward to seeing?
BC: Oh, yes. In these upcoming
episodes its pretty full on. Youve got Patricia Helfer back as
Carla. So shes going to be causing lots and lots of trouble.
Michael Shanks is back as another one of these fellow cohort guys who
youre not sure if you can trust or not. The great John Mahoney,
who I worked with in the Hudsucker Proxy, John Mahoney from Cheers,
hes back as someone I cant tell you about because Id have to
kill you. Former Dallas Cowboys Michael Irvin is joining us. Hes
Mr. Football, so it was kind of fun to do a football theme episode.
Dina Meyer shows up as, well, lets just say someone who perhaps
was close to Michael Westen. And of course with Fiona thats going
to cause some sparks. And there will be some sparks flying in these
next seven episodes, I can guarantee you.
Q: We were introduced to a little bit
of Sams backstory this past summer of season two where it was
revealed the character was married in the 70s and that actually
ended your relationship at the time. Are we going to get any more
information about this woman that Sam was married to or any more
backstory into Sams life?
BC: Im sure some back storys
going to come squeaking out in some way. I kind of was amused myself
finding out that Sam had a wife in the past. I think its fun.
Thats the beauty of these characters who have a history that
things are going to come up that are complicated in their life. The
first season Sam had some kind of questionable relationships from the
past that have come back to haunt him, so I think thats always
going to happen. When you have three spies, former spies that are
kind of damaged goods, theres going to be enemies that come back,
old friends and people that you may or may not want to see again.
Q: Do you feel like Burn Notice is sort
of bringing back the escapist action series? There are other shows
on the air now like on TNT they have Leverage. While most people
compare it to something like Oceans Eleven, I feel it has a lot of
Burn Notice influence to it because it involves people sort of
helping out the little guy and fighting back
BC: Im glad you said that. Look,
Ill tell you, I think the reason why this show, aside from the
magnetic Mr. Donovan and the wonderful Ms. Gabrielle Anwar and Sharon
Gless, is the fact that it is iconic. And I dont mean that to
make the show any better than what it is. It has iconic aspects.
Little Billys always going to get his medicine, for the most part.
And its a show that lacks cynicism in a way. That theres a
sweet core to it of just human beings and I think anybody can connect
to that. Not everyone can connect to the Bourne Identity type of
spy, but I think people can identify with this Michael Westen because
hes fixing his moms garbage disposal when hes not doing some
covert thing, so thats what appeals to me. And I like the fact
that everyone in this show is an adult. It reminds me of shows when
I was a kid. I watched Rockford Files and James Garner was an adult;
he wasnt some kid actor. And so I like the fact that this show is
just geared for anyone who wants to see this type of story. Its
not geared for kids or whatever, its just a show that I would
watch when I was in high school, too. So, I dont know, I think
thats what appeals to me.
Q: heres been a lot of cool spy
tricks and set ups theyve done on Burn Notice. And I was
wondering, whats been your favorite thus far?
BC: Oh man, mostly its just the
bravado. I love the fact that in Burn Notice we not only, see, like
heres the difference in Burn Notice and its just more of a
thematic thing is that if the police catch someone whos done
identity theft, they might catch the guy. They might, not
necessarily, but theyre not going to get your money back. In Burn
Notice were not only going to catch the guy, were going to get
every penny of your money back, and maybe a little more. And if the
guys careful, he might die. So our characters dont crap
around. Fiona is basically crazy. Shell blow up anything for any
reason. So these are not three characters that you need to mess
with. So what I like is whenever theyre confronted with
something, theyll come back at it in such a way that is very bold,
usually, and thats what I like.
And I think the show is potentially
appealing to people because it does give you a sense of justice. For
the most part, we are going to catch these guys and were going to
punish them, and we might torment them at the same time. So as far
as any one particular schtick, I dont really have a favorite. My
favorite thing is, you know, theres an episode coming up where
some kid gets in trouble with a gang banger who is a car thief. So
instead of just telling the guy to knock it off, the Burn Notice guys
what theyll do is theyll pretend that theyre a bigger band
of car thieves in town to just run the guy out of town. They think
bigger than just knee capping a guy in the parking lot. So its
kind of fun.
I just like the inventiveness. Because
theyre spies theyre used to being in tricky situations, theyre
up against this and that. And I also like theyve got a little old
school/new school. Michael Westens more new school; he fights
differently, he thinks differently, hes a little more outside the
box. Sam is more like, well, lets just hurt somebody or plant a
bug. Good ole fashioned espionage. Fiona is a little bit of a loose
cannon, so that makes it okay, too, because we cant always control
her.
Q: This dry humor is kind of a big part
of what keeps me tuning in, so how important is it to keep that humor
in the show to kind of break up some of the tension that can be
present.
BC: I think its imperative. And I
think Matt Nix has always started with that dry humor right from the
beginning. The voiceover that Michael Westen has is very dry. Its
very urbane sometimes. Its very erotic, its very wry, its
very witty, so Im right there with you; I think its imperative.
Otherwise, weve all seen movies where spies take their jobs so
seriously. But if you really think of it, at the end of the day
spies are just people; theyre just schmoes. They have the same
issues as everybody else, but you wouldnt think of it. You
wouldnt think that a former CIA spy would be having personal
problems that would interfere with his work or whatever. You just
think of them as being robots, but theyre not.
Q: Do you kind of feel that thats
what helped viewers kind of relate to these characters?
BC: Theres no question about it. If
we were doing nothing but spy-speak all the time, I think youd get
some guys to watch and go, Yeah, okay, cool. Theyre talking
that cool spy stuff. But I think at the end of the day I want the
soccer mom to be able to watch this show and go, Oh, cool, theyre
trying to patch up their relationship with something. Or Michaels
working on some old problem in the past that is now coming back to
haunt him. I think thats whats getting a wider range of
viewers. It really isnt just squinty-eyed spies shooting the gun
sideways looking cool. That they are flawed, all of these characters
are flawed, and theyre all kind of doing the best they can.
Theyre tap dancing as fast as they can.
Q: A question about your character and
also Michaels. What are the fatal flaws that you all perceive
within the character and how do you work those in, because you guys
are naturally funny, youre naturally accomplishing the jobs and
getting it all done, yet Sam definitely has his own quirky side that
sometimes interferes but also makes it move forward, but there is a
fatal flaw in every character.
BC: Sure. They are damaged goods.
These are people who have had histories and pasts and sometimes they
didnt go well and something went weird enough for Michael Westen
to get burned. You know, the Michael Westen character, Jeffrey can
speak more toward that, but he comes from a weird, messed up family.
Hes got family issues. Hes got issues with his brother, hes
got issues with his mother and issues with his ex. So everybody has
issues. And he and Sam get along pretty well now, but in the first
season he wasnt even sure if he could trust Sam because Sam, in
order to save his own skin was willing to chat occasionally with the
Feds and give them some information to keep his butt out of the fire.
And Sams flaw, obviously, hes a party boy, so its going to
distract him a little bit; its going to slow him down. Hes
going to be probably putting his nose in some of the wrong places
sometimes. But yet hes coming around as a pretty loyal character.
And Fiona, Im not sure what her
excuse is, but shes just mostly nuts. And I think thats good.
I like it when, like theres a couple of upcoming episodes where
she gets really angry because of whats going on with either kids
or something like that. When she steps in, its kind of fun to
watch. Shes good at getting angry and wanting to hurt someone.
Q: Because Sams character has
evolved and become much more loyal, how is this going to play out in
terms of what happens with Carla?
BC: Well Sam never liked Carla.
Q: Right. But I mean in terms of how
much is Sam going to go the difference in terms of just lets get
rid of Carla, lets find
BC: Oh, Sams going all the way; hes
in. Carlas going down. I mean, theyve got to do something
about that woman.
Q: Its going to be an exciting
season.
BC: Its coming head-to-head. After
the end of this seven episode run some things are going to change in
Washington. Theres going to be some fascinating changes coming.
Thats all I can tell you. Otherwise, Matt Nix would send Michael
Westen to kill me if I told you more. But yes, some stuff is going
to go down.
Q: You kind of hinted at this a little
bit, so one of the things the show does is have like the long story
arc with the sniper going on and all that in addition to like an
episode having a different second plot line. Is that going to be the
staple for the remainder of this season as well?
BC: Theres always going to be two
things going on. One is the problem at hand, which is somebody needs
help and its worthy enough for him to help someone in the middle
of what his overlying problem is, is who is causing all these
problems for this guy. And so thats, the one is the constant, but
the other one, the overall problem that he has is going to, thats
going to be ratcheted up consistently throughout the seven episodes
to its final explosion point, where its a point of no return.
Q: And I would certainly say that with
as much as he drinks, he would not look as good as you do in real
life, thats for sure.
BC: Well, you cant be a total method
actor.
Q: Congratulations on the third season
renewal.
BC: Thank you very much. Were
excited, too, because its a show that we all want to be a part of.
Were not grumbling back to work. Im really excited to read
the first script.
Q: Between this role and also a lot of
roles youve done in the past, and your new movie My Name is Bruce,
you have a good time toying with the image of a hero. You enjoy
playing characters that are flawed and self-obsessed, yet theyre
eventually able to put it together to save the day. Why do you find
that kind of an interesting character to play?
BC: Because me personally as an actor
can relate to that more so that I can, its just easier for me to
do. Im not good at playing someone who doesnt have weird
quirks, because Ive never met someone who didnt. So thats
why I tend to avoid a little bit of the traditional hero thing, and
thats what appealed to me about this show. This show is very
untraditional, yet, having said that, there are traditional story
elements that things are going to be made right by these people. So
I dont know, those types of characters have always appealed to me,
hoping that they will appeal to the average garage mechanic whos
watching the show. As an actor, I want my work to be as appealing to
as many people as possible.
Q: Also, like you said, for traditional
characters you were talking about Fiona, there are a lot of really
tough women in this show, like Trishas character.
BC: Yes, these are mostly, theyre
ball busters, these women, and I think thats fun. Why not have
strong characters, because honestly, thats how you get good
actresses to come work on the show. Weve had Lucy Lawless and that
was really fun, and I knew that we could get her because they could
come up with a good character for her. So Im glad that worked
out. Yeah, its fun. If you have strong male characters, you
better have strong female characters.
Q: Absolutely. One other thing that is
sort of Id feel is almost a character in the show is Miami itself.
Its so beautiful. How do you feel that filming in this city
really helps the vibe of the show?
BC: It matters, it really does. People
can tell. Were on beaches and were in swamps and at the edge
of the everglades and running around in funky alleys and buildings,
you dont have to fake your angles. And the main difference is
that by shooting there, you know, Florida is a flat state, you dont
see mountains anywhere. With CSI Miami, theyve got to be careful
because if they tilt up about 10 degrees, theyre going to be
looking at the Santa Monica Mountains there. So you dont have to
fake anything. Youve got boats left and right, anything you need
saying its Miami, its there. And were really the main show
that has stayed. Dexter left, CSI Miami left and were it. So we
actually get great cooperation. So we get into as many cool places
as youd ever want to get into just because people are excited to
have us there. So were really capitalizing on it.
USA has kind of given us the edict of
60% of the show has to be outdoors. Because if theyre shooting in
Miami, they want to see it.
Q: You had mentioned the Bourne
Identity and about the way you kind of like the human side of the
show, the human side of spies. Since 9/11 and Bourne Identity, I
think the whole spy genre has changed quite a bit and so it was just
continuing with that, altering those old archetypes. Where do you
guys think you see yourselves fitting into that whole thing with just
the humanization and maybe just the little bit of ambiguity and the
whole political side of the spy world or whatever?
BC: Were being very apolitical in
this. We dont really take any of those sorts of sides. I just
like the fact that were not cynical. Theres a lot of spy shows
that can be cynical because spies themselves can be cynical because
they enlisted for an altruistic reason and sometimes, like with
Michael Westen, he would be perfectly justified to be cynical because
he got burned after doing what, he doesnt even know. He was a
good spy. So I like the fact that even with that humor has won out
over cynicism and so hopefully our show will be placed in that mode
that its not really a serious kind of Bruckheimer kind of movie.
Q: One thing I know, at least for
myself, part of the reason why I was drawn to the show just seeing
your name on the bill. Like this was going to have that humor, this
is going to have that fun that really is lacking sort of thing. If I
could change directions a little bit, I just have to ask who fights
dirtier, spies or zombies?
BC: Zombies because theyre not as
smart as spies. Spies dont have to fight dirty, they just fight
hard.
Q: Youve been on a lot of shows that
have only lasted one season. How does it feel to be back on a show
that has not only been picked up for a third season but is a hit?
BC: Ask yourself the same question:
How would you feel? You feel good. I just learned that people like
me in small doses. So whenever Im not the star, like with
Hercules & Zena, the shows run for six years, so Im good.
This show will be on the air forever because Im not the star of
it, so it worked out fine. It feels good to be part of a hit show,
though, too. Honestly. The crew, any of them I think are very
grateful to know these are people who work harder than any actor.
Theyre busting themselves 14, 16 hours a day and its nice to
know that its a hit show. Because sometimes you do that and the
shows a dog and it gets cancelled.
Q: I was actually able to attend your
premier of My Name is Bruce here in Austin. It was wonderful. Are
you planning on directing anything else soon?
BC: I can answer that question after
February 10th when the DVD comes out. Then Ill know if anybodys
watching what I do. As you know, its economically driven. I
would like to and Im hoping to do another movie in the fall of
this year.
Q: The thing Im wondering is when
they build up the backstory between your character and Michael, it
seems almost like Michael is learning from you, and now hes the
boss and youre the sidekick. How does Sam relate to that?
BC: Sam was always a sidekick, though.
Q: Well on the show, but in the
backstory he was the heavy hitter.
BC: Oh, youre referring to Sam?
Q: Yes.
BC: Well, I think its just
different, though. I think Michael Westens probably a better spy
than Sam ever was, only because hes more disciplined. He doesnt
get drunk every five minutes. Plus, theyre just different; old
school/new school. I think Sam, his fighting style is different, a
little more John Wayne and Michaels is a little more Bourne
Identity. But if youre asking what its like being a sidekick,
I love it.
Q: As a director yourself, what do you
think of the style of the show?
BC: I think its very cool without
being overdone. Weve all seen movies and TV shows where you go,
Geez, give it a rest stylistically because its either too
handheld or it gives you a headache or its over-editing. I think
Burn Notice is very stylish without being obnoxious. I like the
voiceover. I think its a very unique style. I like the freeze
frames where the title comes in Joe Blow, Client. And then another
one comes in, Joe Blow, Loser, or whatever. Its just kind of a
fun, makes it a little cool and jazzy and freewheeling. And they
also mess with the colors, too. The shows very colorful. If you
look at the ocean in any of the shots, its bright green or blue.
The clouds are amazing, too.
Q: What are the chances of Michael and
Fiona becoming an official, committed couple by the end of this
season?
BC: If I was Matt Nix I could answer
that. Who knows? These are two volatile people, so the chances are
probably not great. Thats the best I could guess.
Q: One of the strengths of the show
seems to be the fact that weve got four really great, simple
characters. Talk about the relationship you have with each one of
your costars. What its like to work with each one of them.
BC: Character-wise or person to person?
Q: Both.
BC: Okay. Well, basically, Sam and
Michael, they did work together in the past. They didnt really
have too many issues in the past with each other. Sam is a different
personality. At first he wasnt sure if he could be trusted. Now
I think its pretty clear Sam is in it for the long haul.
Otherwise, what would he be doing? He would be on some beach drunk
somewhere, so this gives him something to do. And so their
relationship has definitely solidified because they hadnt seen
each other in a while and all the crap they went through in the past
was the past, but now theyre going through a bunch of new crap and
it makes them even tighter, I think.
Sam and Fiona were probably never
close; different styles. He thinks shes too impulsive and too
over the top, over kill. She never thinks that these guys are doing
enough. Sam, I think, was less tolerant, you know, when they first
met they almost got in a fist fight because they hated each other
from the past. And, oh, Ive got finish my Donovan part of it,
though.
But person to person, Bruce and
Jeffrey, I feel that our personal relationship is kind of the same as
Sam and Mike; its his show and I respect him a lot as an actor and
my job is to support. Im the supporting actor. So, we currently,
I call him Mr. Donovan and we get along great.
So getting back to Sam and Fiona, now
Sam and Fiona are, I think, more, they know that neither of them is
going anywhere, so theyve got to deal with each other. So you can
have your banter and then occasionally Sam will ask her about girl
stuff or whatever. So you do have that ability to not only deal with
case stuff with Fiona, arguing about tactics, but Sam can also have a
softer element with her by talking about dames, about women.
Then basically with Michaels mother,
Madeline, who now Sam I think calls Maddy, I think its always been
respectful. Didnt know her all that well and now theyve
actually spent more time. And youll see in some of these upcoming
episodes, Sam and Madeline spend more time together for a bunch of
different reasons and they get to know each other more, and you see
more of the dynamics. Theyre much more comfortable with each
other now as a pair.
So as far as Bruce and Sharon Gless,
look, I respect her as a television icon. I mean, whats not to
love about her? And as a person shes really kind of shy and cute
and kooky, and its a great thing. And she lives down there in
Miami and she just has a ball. So its been fun to work with
someone who is so iconic, you see how nothing is as forced; theyre
very comfortable in their skin because theyve been around for so
long. So I have to say the dynamics I feel are fine on the show. We
dont have anything thats interfering with doing our job.
Q: How much do you see of yourself in
Sam and how much do you see of the others in the characters they
portray?
BC: Well, thats always a tough call.
Actors cant escape their own physical being. Youre always
going to see Bruce Campbell there doing whatever. I dont drink as
much as Sam does and I dont womanize as much as Sam does because
Ive been married for 17 years to the same woman. So, its
always fun to just let loose. Sam is a much more relaxed character
than me. I live in the Pacific Northwest and by the time I show up
in Miami this March, Im going to be white and pasty and Im
going to be squinting at the sun because its been raining and
snowing here in the Pacific Northwest. So Ill go back down to
Miami, Ill strip my work boots off, my jeans off and get back into
that character, get back into that basically removing clothing. You
know, I get my t-shirts off, I get my flannel shirts off and start
getting back in flip flops and shorts. Because I literally live at
the complete opposite end of the country and its a huge adjustment
every year, but it kind of cracks me up that people perceive me as
this kind of, hey, beach guy with a beer in his hand and Im kind
of the opposite. Im such a woodsy guy. I like mountains and
streams and rivers and lakes.
Q: Have you ever been approached or are
you ever going to direct any episodes of Burn Notice yourself?
BC: Ive never really discussed it
officially or had it posed to me. Ive directed television in the
past, but I think in this case its really, Im in a fun
situation where Jeffrey Donovan and Gabrielle and everyone, we have a
good relationship and Im kind of a bossy director and Im not
sure if its right for television. So I think Im just going to
step back. We have a good group of guys thats come in and out now
of men and women who have directed some really good episodes. So I
think Im just going to get out of the way and be a good little
actor boy.
Q: What would you like to say to
everyone whos a fan and supporter of you and Burn Notice?
BC: As always, I bow to anyone who
watches or supports what I do or the show, because thats what
keeps the show on the air. You have to have that support. So to
them I would say we will try and come up to be equal with your
devotion to give you hopefully a good show from season to season.
Were all looking forward to season three because we dont know
what to expect. Its going to be really interesting to see where
it goes this year. So like everybody else, Im hopefully just as
excited to see whats going to happen.
Q: Every time we see Sam it seems like
he has a beer in his hand and I was wondering what you are actually
drinking.
BC: Well, as an actor you cant even
really go near that these days. The days of sort of the John Wayne
drinking in your trailer days are kind of over. Its just good old
fashioned water. Because sometimes if you put real fizzy stuff in
there or even like they have the non-alcoholic beer, which still has
a little percentage of alcohol, but it will just make you burp. It
gets you all bloated and burpy. So I just go for water. What we do
is we use always a colored bottle. Youll notice its either a
green bottle or a red bottle, and it kind of disguises whats
inside. Youve blown my cover. Sorry.
Q: Carla has been the main archenemy on
Burn Notice this season. Im expecting her, of course, to return
for the second half. Is there going to be anyone else beyond her,
her boss, perhaps, or another arch villain coming into the picture?
BC: I think Im allowed to say very
likely. Very likely. Everyone has a boss, so I think the season
will prove no different. Because Michaels being manipulated by
someone who might be manipulated by someone. You never know. I
think the layers are going to get deeper this season and it will
start to get to the point where somethings gotta give.
Q: What would you say to someone if
they came up to you and said that they were such a big fan of yours
that they named their son Ash?
BC: Ive already had that. Multiple
times, as a matter of fact. I would say have a long and prosperous
life as Ash. And hopefully hell have a life thats not as bad
as being named Sue, you know? But Ash is a little on the girlie
side, so he might have to stand up tall.
Q: Where you would like to see the
character of Sam go in season three.
BC: Id like some new shirts.
Actually, Tommy Bahama is going to sponsor season three, so you will
see some new shirts.
I would like to see, I think like any
show you just want to see your character used. I dont know if I
have to have a whole, completely different life revealed, but I think
showing people off duty is always good. We see a little bit of that
with Michael and Fiona. We dont really see what Sam does. I
guess hed be sitting in a bar somewhere. I never really know. I
never know what to suggest in those cases because the writers have so
much going on. Theyve got a lot theyve got to deal with. And
I think they struck a pretty good tone of not getting too involved in
your personal life that youd forget about the caper of the week.
So I think, also, until you deal with some huge, bigger story lines,
until those play out, you dont have time to see someone go fishing
or whatever.
Q: Burn Notice started out with being
just that, Michael was burned. And then we go into now someones
trying to kill him. How much further, what else could possibly
happen?
BC: Its going to get bad because
its not only you that theyre after, meaning Michael Westen, but
theyre after friends and family. They want them all. And so were
going to get into kind of a no mercy situation that I think is going
to be very interesting and fun for people to watch. And its
really been great; Jeffrey Donovan has some absolutely wonderful tour
de force stuff. Hes just so good for the show because hes an
animal; hes a really intense actor and he can hold up for a whole
season, which is a lot of work for him. And its good, these next
episodes kind of let them strut his stuff. And incidentally, the
first episode back was written and directed by Matt Nix who created
the show. I think this is his first television foray and I think he
did a great job. Its a really cool opening show.
Q: Wth all the shows and channels out
there, do you feel like its harder to find a show or is it easier
with the technology and things like TiVo?
BC: Oh, I think its easier.
Definitely. Between YouTube, just Internet stuff, its easier.
Well the trick, though, is to find out how to tell people that you
want to tell, the people that you want, youve got to find out what
theyre watching and how theyre watching it. Are they watching
it live, are they streaming it, are they downloading it, are they
doing a DVD the first season? Are they TiVoing it? Theres so
many ways now. So Im glad that people dont have to sit down,
love to have them Thursdays at 10, but it doesnt matter as much as
every year goes by, because now theyre factoring in the TiVo
ratings, thank God, because our ratings actually go up. Look, the
average person, I have to say, I think the numbers are way off,
still. I think 30% of America is not watching live TV, maybe more,
and every year its going to change. So I just hope that we all as
a show and as a network that we stay on top of it and figure out how
to find these people who are watching it in different ways.
Tune into all new
episodes of Burn Notice beginning Thursday, January 22nd on USA
Network!
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