NICE BOY OF THE WEEK: Adrian Pasdar

This week’s Nice Boy makes us love to hate him in the roles that he plays, but when you talk with him you just want to keep the conversation going. Adrian Pasdar, currently playing Alec Rybak in The Lying Game, could make a conversation about watching grass grow interesting.

Sitting in on a recent conference call and listening to Adrian, I knew that without a doubt, he’d have to be our next Nice Boy. Or perhaps a better title would have been Nice “Bad” Boy, which I think he would like better. “The real fun in theater, film, or television, I think is playing the bad guy,” explains Adrian.

Adrian Pasdar as Alec Rybak in "The Lying Game"

“There is just a lot of weight put on trying to be that super good looking heartthrob, leading man. I just don’t find it very rewarding. I think the reward for me—I’m not saying that those roles aren’t rewarding, but for me, the reward best comes when you can challenge somebody’s concept of what’s right and what’s wrong because it shifts for everybody, depending on what they need. To be the guy that can service that part, that’s exciting for me. I’m interested in that. I have actively sought them out.”

“Yes. I like the idea of sending a good, positive message, especially to my children. But the sole value of entertainment, it’s fun to be the bad guy.”

I really liked what Adrian had to say when asked if he had a role model as he pursued his acting career. “It’s funny, as you go on in this business, you end up slowly carving away at the totem poles that informed you earlier about how behavior is disseminated, and how it’s interpreted and digested. There are a lot of great actors and more importantly, I think, a lot of great individuals at the center of a lot of political storms, whether it’s environmental, or ecological, or financial, that you can draw from to create a character like Alec Rybak.”

“Because you find these guys on Wall Street and on Main Street, continues Adrian. “You find these guys in every town. It’s just a degree—if you dress them up in overalls or you put them in a suit and tie. Very often they can be the same guy. It’s not to make a blank anonymous statement about who these character people are I draw from, but they’re out there. They’re not hard to find. They’re sitting in the restaurant, or on the bus, or in the bar, or on the boat with you.”

“Wherever you are, you’ll find somebody with that sensibility. The other thing is, the great part is, I get to play it out in a scripted format. I know what the result is going to be with my action before I do it, which gives me the power to play it as strongly as I do. In real life, it’s a little more tricky.”

See what I mean? Always interesting conversation and answers that make you think. I feel like I could have a great debate with him on some issues and laugh with him over others. And learn some things along the way.

The Lying Game aired its season finale this week and Adrian plans on having a little down time with his family. He’s also shot a pilot for HBO and another movie, which he spoke about during the Q & A. “I did a pilot for HBO and a movie in New York as well that the folks from The Lying Game were very wonderful to accommodate. It’s a feature film that shot in 3D called Run with William Moseley, the boy from [easyazon-link asin=”B003UMW63Y”]Narnia[/easyazon-link]. It’s about Parkour, which is a whole, brand new concept to American audiences. We saw a taste of it in the beginning of [easyazon-link asin=”B000MNP2KI”]Casino Royale[/easyazon-link]. David Bell and those guys from France came across and did all this stuff for the beginning of that movie. If you’ll remember what Daniel Craig was doing, all the jumping and stuff like that. That is what Parkour is, the very beginning of it.”

Other than that, Adrian is just going to spend the hiatus reconnecting with his wife and kids. As far as what the future holds for this wonderful actor, well more of The Lying Game, should it get picked up for a second season (and why wouldn’t it?). He wouldn’t mind doing a comedy. “Oh, man. I’d love to. I tell you what, we crack up on this show like it’s nobody’s business. The funniest thing on this show is the outtakes, because there are moments of me being super serious with all this, and then all of a sudden I’ll just do a spit take. It’s not because I’m trying to do something funny, it’s just because the weight of the ridiculousness that we’re dealing with—basically a soap opera. It’s funny, but we have really good actors, super high-end people. The funniness that you’re talking about is something I’ve learned from just—oh should I say it—decades of doing what I do.” I hope those outtakes are on the DVDs, don’t you?

Adrian had these final words to say about working in or outside of your comfort zone. A lesson I learned just within the past three years. “I learned that you got to trust your comfort zone. At a certain point you got to go with the trust that you know, and the things that you know are funny, that are serious and dramatic. I’m a grown man. I’m a big boy. At this point in my life, I know what works for me. What puts the beef on the table, as it were. Playing something outside of your comfort zone is fun. I’m not saying play it safe. Comfort zones can be interesting. Most people never go outside of them.”

“I guess that’s why it’s interesting to actors,” says Pasdar. “I think some of the best performances that actors have given are perceived as steps outside of a comfort zone, but really it’s as close to that person as you can get. That’s when they win an Academy Award, or something like that. Comfort zone—it’s an interesting topic, but I don’t have a clear vision of what it is.”

Ladies and gentlemen, Nice Boy Adrian Pasdar.