You may not be able to afford the fancy cigars that Chi McBride enjoys, but if you sit close enough to him, you can get a nice contact buzz. His Opus X Fuente smelled so good, second hand smoke side effects be damned. That's how Chi McBride roles at the Fox winter party.
The Television Critics Association press tour is for the stars to discuss their new shows with reporters, but McBride sequestered himself in a cabana at Pasadena's Villa Sorriso restaurant, chilling with his smokes and champagne.
The new show that features McBride's talents is Human Target. Loosely based on the DC comic book, Mark Valley plays Christopher Chance, a private bodyguard who gets himself into new dangerous situations every week. Grudgingly along for the ride, his partner Winston (McBride). Jackie Earle Haley also stars as Guerrero, the third arm of the trio.
Winston may complain about getting stuck on a fiery plane with Chance, but McBride is having a blast. He gets to play action hero, trading blows with terrorists or running scams to fish out the moles. McBride may best be known to fans from the short-lived Pushing Daisies, or his long run on the popular Boston Public.
Suicide Girls: Did you guys establish a group dynamic right away?
Chi Mcbride: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it's very exciting. You know what's really great about the show is that we've managed to do something that people always question you about at the pilot, which is okay, yeah, the pilot's pretty good but are you going to be able to keep it up? Yeah, sure. We've got half the budget and half the time. Of course we're going to be doing better episodes. But you know what? Funny enough, we've managed to do it and I actually like "Rewind" even better than the pilot. I think it really sets a tone for the series. We find that now it's so labor intensive but we've got a good crew. I've been surprised but we've been able to pull it off for a budget that we have to stay within, but like [executive producer] McG says, it's not just the action sequences that make the show. We've got a really good relationship. You can see that between these guys and you can see that we're a team so the excitement kind of continues to build between the action setups.
SG: Will we see more of the routines that Chance and Winston have in their background?
CM: Yeah, we've got a few like that. We've got the Uncle Dan, the Aunt Millie. We've got a lot of different ones that we use for losers or for case strategy and what have you. I really have a good time with these guys. All these guys are real pros and we've all got the same attitude about ourselves and about show business. We come to work so we have a good time but we're there to work. We get a lot done because a lot depends on it. People spent a lot of money.
SG: Were you excited to get into the action with some fight scenes?
CM: Yeah, you know what? I've always wanted to do action but I've just never been in a situation where I've had the opportunity to do the action, which is a business where people only let you do what they think you can do. When this came along and the guys wanted to talk about doing it, that's one of the things that I said, that I wanted to be more involved physically, that I wanted Winston to have an attitude that I don't really want to do this, because he was ex-law enforcement. So just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. So that's the attitude that he has and I think that's going to be a good thing for the character.
SG: Obviously there will be a lot of action packed episodes. Will there be some that are more intellectual or humorous without such a big set piece?
CM: Yeah, but we're a very specific show and that's part of our M.O. to have a good set piece and all that. I think that you'll see that more often than not but there are some very cerebral things that'll be going on in terms of especially character development, seeing where these guys came from, what makes them tick, what experiences in their past led them down a road that inexorably led to us finding each other is going to be some of the things that are going to be mined continually.
SG: Is it a tough show to do at this scale?
CM: It's just a pleasure to come to work with people who don't take themselves seriously but take their job seriously and are ready to work and contribute to the story and to the shooting to make the day go faster and make the day go smoother. It's great to work with these guys.
SG: Is Mark Valley the strong, silent type?
CM: He's a good dude, man. Mark is a guy who does 95% of the heavy lifting on the show and he doesn't complain. He's always got something that's swollen or hurt or bruised. He just does his job. He's a good guy, man. He's a real professional. I would like for a lot of young actors to work with a guy like Mark so they can really show you how it's done in this business. Like I say, he leads by example. There's no room for any of us, for anybody to act like a prima donna because our star's not one. We're all not prima donnas to begin with but he's doing all the heavy lifting. You really have to think twice before you complain about long hours or whatever with this guy really putting forth all this effort to get in shape, stay in shape, do all these stunts and the acting, learn the different languages. It's a lot, man. He's got a lot on his plate and I really appreciate him for it.
SG: Who were your action heroes growing up?
CM: Willis. I was already grown up but that's what's missing from the landscape of entertainment. Where's Willis? Where's Schwarzenegger? Where's Stallone? Where's Van Damme? We don't have those guys out there anymore.
SG: Some of them are back.
CM: Yeah, but you know what I mean? The next generation of that. You just don't see that in the movies anymore.
SG: We were supposed to with Vin Diesel.
CM: You know, Diesel was really on his way and then whatever turns his career took were whatever they took but that's what I think is needed and I think that what's great about Willis, and I've done a couple of things with him, he's another guy that's like that. He just does his job and he's got a lot on his plate. He does all the heavy lifting and it's his name above the title and the marquee and he leads by example. Willis is a really good dude too.
SG: The new thing was regular guys who don't look like heroes. Did that work?
CM: I just don't know. I just know that I miss those real popcorn movies, those movies that you really look forward to. You can't tell me that you can find people that weren't really waiting on the edge of their seat for the second Die Hard. We were waiting for that. When Schwarzenegger did Terminator, you were waiting for the follow-up to that. The movies that Stallone did, Cliffhanger and Cobra, those movies like Demolition Man, all those movies. That's what's missing, man, those movies where you were happy to plunk down your how many ever bucks and go and take the ride. That's what we're doing on TV now.
SG: We were waiting for the new Bourne movies.
CM: Yeah, that's about the only thing. I think that Matt Damon is a wildly talented actor who I think is really underrated and I think he's, to be honest, the best actor of his generation. He doesn't get the accolades and credit for it but he's a hell of an actor. That Bourne series is great.
SG: He has an Oscar for writing.
CM: Well yeah, but you don't hear much about how great an actor he is. You look at Syriana, you look at Oceans Eleven and you look at the Bourne series, this guy is very talented and he can really act.
SG: Were you a big comic book fan?
CM: Yeah, I was a big Marvel and DC guy. I liked to read Batman and I was into Spider-Man and I was into Superman and The Hulk. I liked the crossovers every now and then that they would have. I just enjoyed comics. I really was a big Jack Kirby freak because when I wanted to learn how to draw, that's what I used, the comics. Everybody wanted to draw like Jack Kirby. That was a big part of my growing up.
SG: What do you think of the news of a Spidey reboot?
CM: I wonder if Cameron's going to do it because he wanted to do it at first. He wanted to do it a long time ago. He'd kill it. It wouldn't be like that third one, ugh. Ooh.
SG: I actually like Spider-Man 3 if you want to get into it.
CM: You did?
SG: To me it's about what happens when you get successful and you neglect your relationships.
CM: But that whole scene of him walking down the street like Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.
SG: I loved that evil Peter Parker is still just a big dork.
CM: Okay, well maybe if you're looking into it and analyzing it that deeply, then yeah, okay, I'll buy a ticket. I really love Thomas Haden Church though. I really liked the whole Sandman thing. That I dug, and the second one I really liked a lot too. All that Green Goblin stuff, man, flying skate or flying surfboard and all that stuff was pretty awesome.
SG: Did comic book die hards give you shit for reading both Marvel and DC?
CM: No, when I was growing up they were just happy you were buying comics. Comic book store is not exactly, at least when I was growing up, it wasn't the road to financial independence. So I'm sure that the guys in my neighborhoods were just happy to see you come in.
SG: You've been honest about the fate of Pushing Daisies, saying it wasn't as beloved as the press say, or it would still be on the air. How gratifying is it that the fan base is so passionate and looking forward to a comic book.
CM: Well, you know what? We had a very loyal base of fans. We had people that really dug the show so I'm happy for them and I'm happy in a way for me as well because I loved playing Emerson. What was great about Emerson is that it was so well written. Whenever a thought would pop in my head, I could pretty much say whatever I wanted and Bryan [Fuller] and I were so on the same page. Bryan and I and Peter Ocko and I were really on the same page about who the character was. So it made it a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed working with the writers. I especially enjoyed working with Kristin [Chenoweth]. So it's good that it's going to live on in some form.
Human Target premiered Sunday, Jan. 17 on FOX and then airs Wednesday nights this spring, at 9PM on Jan 20 and at 8PM from the 27th on.
The Television Critics Association press tour is for the stars to discuss their new shows with reporters, but McBride sequestered himself in a cabana at Pasadena's Villa Sorriso restaurant, chilling with his smokes and champagne.
The new show that features McBride's talents is Human Target. Loosely based on the DC comic book, Mark Valley plays Christopher Chance, a private bodyguard who gets himself into new dangerous situations every week. Grudgingly along for the ride, his partner Winston (McBride). Jackie Earle Haley also stars as Guerrero, the third arm of the trio.
Winston may complain about getting stuck on a fiery plane with Chance, but McBride is having a blast. He gets to play action hero, trading blows with terrorists or running scams to fish out the moles. McBride may best be known to fans from the short-lived Pushing Daisies, or his long run on the popular Boston Public.
Suicide Girls: Did you guys establish a group dynamic right away?
Chi Mcbride: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it's very exciting. You know what's really great about the show is that we've managed to do something that people always question you about at the pilot, which is okay, yeah, the pilot's pretty good but are you going to be able to keep it up? Yeah, sure. We've got half the budget and half the time. Of course we're going to be doing better episodes. But you know what? Funny enough, we've managed to do it and I actually like "Rewind" even better than the pilot. I think it really sets a tone for the series. We find that now it's so labor intensive but we've got a good crew. I've been surprised but we've been able to pull it off for a budget that we have to stay within, but like [executive producer] McG says, it's not just the action sequences that make the show. We've got a really good relationship. You can see that between these guys and you can see that we're a team so the excitement kind of continues to build between the action setups.
SG: Will we see more of the routines that Chance and Winston have in their background?
CM: Yeah, we've got a few like that. We've got the Uncle Dan, the Aunt Millie. We've got a lot of different ones that we use for losers or for case strategy and what have you. I really have a good time with these guys. All these guys are real pros and we've all got the same attitude about ourselves and about show business. We come to work so we have a good time but we're there to work. We get a lot done because a lot depends on it. People spent a lot of money.
SG: Were you excited to get into the action with some fight scenes?
CM: Yeah, you know what? I've always wanted to do action but I've just never been in a situation where I've had the opportunity to do the action, which is a business where people only let you do what they think you can do. When this came along and the guys wanted to talk about doing it, that's one of the things that I said, that I wanted to be more involved physically, that I wanted Winston to have an attitude that I don't really want to do this, because he was ex-law enforcement. So just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. So that's the attitude that he has and I think that's going to be a good thing for the character.
SG: Obviously there will be a lot of action packed episodes. Will there be some that are more intellectual or humorous without such a big set piece?
CM: Yeah, but we're a very specific show and that's part of our M.O. to have a good set piece and all that. I think that you'll see that more often than not but there are some very cerebral things that'll be going on in terms of especially character development, seeing where these guys came from, what makes them tick, what experiences in their past led them down a road that inexorably led to us finding each other is going to be some of the things that are going to be mined continually.
SG: Is it a tough show to do at this scale?
CM: It's just a pleasure to come to work with people who don't take themselves seriously but take their job seriously and are ready to work and contribute to the story and to the shooting to make the day go faster and make the day go smoother. It's great to work with these guys.
SG: Is Mark Valley the strong, silent type?
CM: He's a good dude, man. Mark is a guy who does 95% of the heavy lifting on the show and he doesn't complain. He's always got something that's swollen or hurt or bruised. He just does his job. He's a good guy, man. He's a real professional. I would like for a lot of young actors to work with a guy like Mark so they can really show you how it's done in this business. Like I say, he leads by example. There's no room for any of us, for anybody to act like a prima donna because our star's not one. We're all not prima donnas to begin with but he's doing all the heavy lifting. You really have to think twice before you complain about long hours or whatever with this guy really putting forth all this effort to get in shape, stay in shape, do all these stunts and the acting, learn the different languages. It's a lot, man. He's got a lot on his plate and I really appreciate him for it.
SG: Who were your action heroes growing up?
CM: Willis. I was already grown up but that's what's missing from the landscape of entertainment. Where's Willis? Where's Schwarzenegger? Where's Stallone? Where's Van Damme? We don't have those guys out there anymore.
SG: Some of them are back.
CM: Yeah, but you know what I mean? The next generation of that. You just don't see that in the movies anymore.
SG: We were supposed to with Vin Diesel.
CM: You know, Diesel was really on his way and then whatever turns his career took were whatever they took but that's what I think is needed and I think that what's great about Willis, and I've done a couple of things with him, he's another guy that's like that. He just does his job and he's got a lot on his plate. He does all the heavy lifting and it's his name above the title and the marquee and he leads by example. Willis is a really good dude too.
SG: The new thing was regular guys who don't look like heroes. Did that work?
CM: I just don't know. I just know that I miss those real popcorn movies, those movies that you really look forward to. You can't tell me that you can find people that weren't really waiting on the edge of their seat for the second Die Hard. We were waiting for that. When Schwarzenegger did Terminator, you were waiting for the follow-up to that. The movies that Stallone did, Cliffhanger and Cobra, those movies like Demolition Man, all those movies. That's what's missing, man, those movies where you were happy to plunk down your how many ever bucks and go and take the ride. That's what we're doing on TV now.
SG: We were waiting for the new Bourne movies.
CM: Yeah, that's about the only thing. I think that Matt Damon is a wildly talented actor who I think is really underrated and I think he's, to be honest, the best actor of his generation. He doesn't get the accolades and credit for it but he's a hell of an actor. That Bourne series is great.
SG: He has an Oscar for writing.
CM: Well yeah, but you don't hear much about how great an actor he is. You look at Syriana, you look at Oceans Eleven and you look at the Bourne series, this guy is very talented and he can really act.
SG: Were you a big comic book fan?
CM: Yeah, I was a big Marvel and DC guy. I liked to read Batman and I was into Spider-Man and I was into Superman and The Hulk. I liked the crossovers every now and then that they would have. I just enjoyed comics. I really was a big Jack Kirby freak because when I wanted to learn how to draw, that's what I used, the comics. Everybody wanted to draw like Jack Kirby. That was a big part of my growing up.
SG: What do you think of the news of a Spidey reboot?
CM: I wonder if Cameron's going to do it because he wanted to do it at first. He wanted to do it a long time ago. He'd kill it. It wouldn't be like that third one, ugh. Ooh.
SG: I actually like Spider-Man 3 if you want to get into it.
CM: You did?
SG: To me it's about what happens when you get successful and you neglect your relationships.
CM: But that whole scene of him walking down the street like Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.
SG: I loved that evil Peter Parker is still just a big dork.
CM: Okay, well maybe if you're looking into it and analyzing it that deeply, then yeah, okay, I'll buy a ticket. I really love Thomas Haden Church though. I really liked the whole Sandman thing. That I dug, and the second one I really liked a lot too. All that Green Goblin stuff, man, flying skate or flying surfboard and all that stuff was pretty awesome.
SG: Did comic book die hards give you shit for reading both Marvel and DC?
CM: No, when I was growing up they were just happy you were buying comics. Comic book store is not exactly, at least when I was growing up, it wasn't the road to financial independence. So I'm sure that the guys in my neighborhoods were just happy to see you come in.
SG: You've been honest about the fate of Pushing Daisies, saying it wasn't as beloved as the press say, or it would still be on the air. How gratifying is it that the fan base is so passionate and looking forward to a comic book.
CM: Well, you know what? We had a very loyal base of fans. We had people that really dug the show so I'm happy for them and I'm happy in a way for me as well because I loved playing Emerson. What was great about Emerson is that it was so well written. Whenever a thought would pop in my head, I could pretty much say whatever I wanted and Bryan [Fuller] and I were so on the same page. Bryan and I and Peter Ocko and I were really on the same page about who the character was. So it made it a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed working with the writers. I especially enjoyed working with Kristin [Chenoweth]. So it's good that it's going to live on in some form.
Human Target premiered Sunday, Jan. 17 on FOX and then airs Wednesday nights this spring, at 9PM on Jan 20 and at 8PM from the 27th on.