MeeVee Exclusive! Interview with Without a Trace Star Anthony LaPaglia
Last week's episode "Deep Water," the first LaPaglia penned for the show, drew record numbers, impressing both fans and critics alike with its fascinating subject matter. In this exclusive interview with LaPaglia, MeeVee's Marjorie Kase discovers how the story came about, his admiration for Madonna, and his uncanny resemblance to Alec Baldwin.
What made you decide to write "Deep Water"?
I think it was a natural progression, being on the show for five years. First, it was just an idea rambling around in my mind. Then it took me about six months to eventually put it together as a script. In between takes, I talked with the producers. I kind of expected them to say, "Thanks, but no thanks." But they didn’t -- they said, "We like this idea a lot."
What was the writing process like?
I’d write a couple of pages, put it away, write up some more pages and put them away. At a certain point when it started to look like it was taking shape, I had someone do some research for me into politics. We have an FBI consultant on the show who I talked to about what was correct and what was incorrect.
In most episodes of Without a Trace, the mystery surrounding the status of the victim is only revealed at the end. In "Deep Water," the victim is killed off at the beginning of the episode. Why did you choose that unusual approach?
I think there were reservations about breaking the conceit, but I always believe -- especially if you’re five years into a show -- you have to mix it up a little bit. When you’re turning 24 episodes a year, it doesn’t hurt to do one or two that are off the beaten path. Since seeing it, I’ve had phone calls from the heads of the network and of CBS/Warner Brothers, and they told me how much they liked it.
Jack Malone has been through a heck of a lot in the past five seasons -- the affair, the divorce, the unsuccessful custody battle, his ailing father, the unexpected pregnancy. Will he ever find peace or salvation?
I hope not! (laughter) I’d like to do the whole run where he just doesn’t get it together. (laughter) I like flawed characters. They’re my favorite characters.
Without a Trace features several strong personalities. Aside from Jack, do you have a favorite character?
If I answered that question, I would be in too much trouble. (laughter) Honestly -- and I’m not couching my answer -- every actor on the show has had stretches and moments where I’ve really enjoyed watching what they do. Every single one of them has been engaging. I’ve really enjoyed watching them.
You’ve had a long and diverse career in Hollywood. To what do you attribute your success?
I jokingly refer to Madonna being my template in making my decisions, because she’s the best at reinventing herself. Every two years she reinvents herself. [That's why] she still is where she is after 20 years. I think that that’s a smart thing.
Unlike other successful Australian actors -- Nicole Kidman, Mel Gibson, and Russell Crowe, to name a few -- you decided to start your career in the States. Was it tough being a stranger in a strange land?
I’ve been here since ’82. When I left, I barely met an Australian here. The two most famous Australians in the United States at that time were Paul Hogan for "put another shrimp on the barbie," and Mel Gibson, [who] was just breaking through. Outside of that, Australians were very unpopular. In actual fact, being Australian worked against you. I had a lot of trouble in the beginning convincing people that I could do a believable American accent. If I went into an audition and told them that I was Australian, and then I would do an American accent, nine times out of 10, they would say, "Oh, I can hear your Australian accent."
So you would go in pretending you were American?
Oh, yeah. They’d say, "Where are you from?" And I’d say, "Brooklyn." They never questioned it, because I look like I’m from Brooklyn. It made that ordeal go away. I started getting work and it wasn’t an issue. Down the line when producers did my tax forms, I had a couple of producers who were quite upset with me. I said to them, "If I told you I was from Australia, would you have hired me?" And they all said, "No." And I said, "Well, there we go."
At least you didn’t lie about your age.
What’s the point? (laughter)
What’s on your TiVo at the moment?
I’m really into 30 Rock in a big way. Alec Baldwin kills me. He and Tracy Morgan -- absolutely brilliant. I think that’s my favorite show on TV at the moment. Absolutely great. I am Alec Baldwin’s character.
That’s funny, because you do resemble him.
[People] always think I’m a Baldwin brother. They don’t know which one. I’ve had actual arguments with people. They say, "Why are you lying about it?" I pull my driver’s license out or my credit card, and they go, "Is that your real name?" I actually got a T-shirt made that says, "Not a Baldwin."
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