Tim Roth’s character in Lie to Me and Kiefer Sutherland’s character in 24 don’t have much in common on the surface.
Admittedly, they both have a knack for saving the day. But their methods are very different.
As actors, however, Roth and Sutherland share a bond. They both admitted that having come from a film pedigree, they initially were snooty when it came to network TV.
“I went in a little bit snobby at the beginning,” said Roth, who stars as deception expert Dr. Cal Lightman in Lie to Me. The series returns for its second season on Monday, Sept. 28 (Fox/Global).
“I went in a little bit like, network TV, versus cable TV, versus film,” Roth continued. “But I’ve lost all of it. I don’t give a s--- about any of that stuff now.
“I think it’s remarkable what you can pull off (with a TV show) if you seriously put your mind to it.”
Roth’s new respect for the TV genre largely is based on the amount of hard work and multi-tasking that’s involved. Sure, film actors work long hours, too, but at some point it comes to an end. In TV, it never seems to stop.
It’s like making a feature film every week.
“It’s a shock to the system for a film actor,” Roth said.
“In the time that you spend making one story, you’re preparing for the next one. There’s no time off in between. So it is odd. It is difficult. You’re up against budgets and time consideration, and what actor has to be there at whatever time. But I find it fascinating.”
When we mentioned to Roth that a couple of years ago we had a similar conversation with Sutherland on this very subject, Roth smiled and nodded.
“You know, I talked to Kiefer about it at the (Fox) upfronts in New York (last spring),” Roth said. “But one of the things he said to me that I thought was brilliant was, ‘I couldn’t get employed in Romania at that point. And then they came to me with (24), and I still was like, oh, TV, I don’t know.’ But then he said to himself, ‘Wait a minute, what am I thinking?’
“And that occurred to me, too. I’ve been an actor for 30 years now. I’m all in, you know. And I’d never done this before. But then if you take it on, you have to do it well.”
Ultimately, as Tim Roth learns more about the TV trade, he seems to have the right attitude about it.
“You can’t force it to be something it’s not,” Roth said. “You can recommend changes, but you have to go in 100%. And what you get out the other end of it, hopefully, is having had a fantastic time. I’m in that right now.
“My feeling is, if they can us, they can us. But as long as we can walk out with our heads held high, I think we’ll be all right.”
bill.harris@sunmedia.ca
