Post by qb on Sept 9, 2005 22:00:20 GMT -5
Big thanks to Peach for sending me the July issue of Maxim with the interview!! (along with some other Shield-related goodies, like a teeshirt that says Farmington from Old Navy. Now how cool is THAT??)
Long but I couldn't link it and MC's answers are good and worth rekeying here! Ok, here it is:
----------------------------------------------
MAXIM, "Michael Chiklis" Heather Wood; July 2005, p. 130
We have to ask: That the hell were you doing on the cover of Muscle & Fitness?
It's almost embarassing, me on the cover of that magazine
Don't you miss having a beer gut?
No way. The last month of the Fantastic Four shoot was so difficult. I put on weight. Everyone thought the suit would make me lose weight but it made me bloat. I was really stressed out so I turned to food for comfort and began the fourth season of The Shield out of shape.
What foods do you miss most?
Lots of them. Sugar and salt. Potato chips of all kinds with onion dip. And ice cream. It's a beautiful thing but it's horrendous for your waist. I am a big fan of chocolate. I still have a life - I'm not a down to the bone ripped kind of guy because I want to enjoy my life. You can strike a balance.
You've made a career out of playing fatties, like John Belushi in Wired.
That was the first movie I ever auditioned for. I loved him, but I don't know why they hired me - I was all of 180 lbs. It took me more than two years and 12-13 auditions to land it.
Two years to get a job?
That was a humbling experience. When I came to New York, I was this punk actor and I looked to the horizon. New York had it all laid out for me and I said, "I'm gonna kick this town's ass!" Cut to two and a half years later and I'm on my knees on the Brooklyn Bridge looking at the same skyline, begging the town's forgiveness. I was like, "I just want to function here!"
What lesson did you learn from that?
I was too arrogant. If I had made like a duck and let things roll off of me, I would have had a better time. But six months later I got Wired and things started to happen
Like landing an episode of Miami Vice. Did they confiscate your socks?
That's funny. I don't think they did but there were definitely loafers. It was a very trendy show but I loved it and Miami. I ended up marrying a girl from Miami
You also do the cops and robbers thing on The Shield. In one episode your burn off half of a drug dealer's face. Is there anything too over the top for you guys?
I don't consider anything we've done to be over the top, as long as we have really compelling stories. We never want to shock just to shock. We're constantly cutting back on things, like where I assault people. Vic Mackey is craftier than that. He'll use the muscle if he needs it, but there's also intimidation and manipulation.
What do you like about him?
He's a badass and I wanted to play a badass. The perception in this town was, "Chiklis, he's a roly-poly, affable guy!" I suprised a lot of people. I feel like the fat in my career is behind me and the meat is infront of me.
Do your kids watch The Shield?
No. It's totally inappropriate for them. I don't know why people make such big hay out of the fact that I don't let my kids watch the show. They're not at an appropriate age to deal with the psychological issues the show deals with.
You're a big action star in Fantastic Four. When did you start reading the comic?
When I was about 13. I had a particular affinity for the Fantastic Four. I loved the fact that they had to work together to vanquish evil. There was an accessibility to them that I loved; it made me feel that I was like them somehow.
So you can relate to "the Thing?"
He's funny because he was of curmudgeonly. He'd grumble but he'd also come to your aid. Johnny Storm and the Thing had that kind of rapport. If anyone messed with Johnny, the Thing would be the first person there. Same thing with me and my brother. We were always butting heads but if anyone messed with me, God help them. Maybe it was growing up in the Boston area. We busted each other's balls, particularly our best friends and the people we loved. It's a guy thing.
You had to see a shrink after you got the role. Why'd you freak out?
The costume. It took them five and a half hours to put me in makeup the first day. Once I was in and realized I couldn't get out without assistance, that's when I freaked. It wasn't a claustophia thing, it was an issue of control. It was really heinious. I could only stay in it for about an hour for the first day. The costume was my nemisis, but it gave me everything I needed to play the role. Ben Grimm, after all, is a man trapped in a body he doesn't want to be in. Me too!
What was it like getting into makeup?
Someone's in your face for three hours, putting hospital grade glue from your forehead to your neck, with all of these latex attachments. Even in your mouth. The first thing they would do is pull my lip down and use zinc oxide to dry my lip out all the way to prep it for this adhesive crap.
Sounds worse than the dentist!
Tell me about it. It took two hours to put my face on then another hour to put the body on. The boots are 12 1/2 lbs a piece. Then they put the hands on and that's when it gets scary. You have no manual dexterity. If I needed to get myself out, I couldn't. If you talk to someone like Ron Perlman, who played Hellboy, it doesn't even bother him. He's made a career out of it.
How did you finally learn to deal with it?
I had a massage therapist rub my hands and feet while they were apply the makeup. It sounds like a diva thing but they wanted to keep me calm. Anything that made me feel calm, I welcomed. Except the Red Sox. I watched every minute of the pennant and World Series while having that make applied because it took my mind off of it. Once in a while I screamed and threw a fist in the air, taking my poor makeup artist with me! But I couldn't miss that--it was awesome.
Was Jessica Alba in a skintight bodysuit much of a distraction?
I marvel as Jessica Alba. How is that possible? That's God. I look at her like I look at a rose. You admire it, you smell it, and you leave it for young Warren Cash (her boyfriend) to pick. My wife and I talk about it all the time, so I won't get in trouble here
Your wife must like the ripped Chiklis.
She feels vindicated. She would say, "Yeah, I've always known my husband's a stud."
Even when you were Curly in The Three Stooges?
My wife fought me about that. I did that for me. I love Curly. But she was like, "Do you need to play another roly-poly dead comedian?"
Not only were you fat, you wer bald. What's the big deal with hair, anyway?
One thing you can't be in Hollywood is fat and bald. Then you really won't have a career. I bristle when I hear advertisements for hair growth. They make it sound like hair loss is the worst possible thing that could happen to you. The fact of the matter is, more than half the current leading men don't have hair. They're faking it.
I love being bald but I'll wear hair for a role. I am just a conduit.
George Clooney, we knew it!
I don't have to name names but just know that they either have attachments or full on wigs.
So an advice for Donald Trump?
Don't change a thing! Are you kidding me? He's not an actor - he's a persona. It's his signature.
------------------------
schwew!! A longy but a goodie! I for one never want to see another hair on MC's head... he's so much better without it!
Long but I couldn't link it and MC's answers are good and worth rekeying here! Ok, here it is:
----------------------------------------------
MAXIM, "Michael Chiklis" Heather Wood; July 2005, p. 130
We have to ask: That the hell were you doing on the cover of Muscle & Fitness?
It's almost embarassing, me on the cover of that magazine
Don't you miss having a beer gut?
No way. The last month of the Fantastic Four shoot was so difficult. I put on weight. Everyone thought the suit would make me lose weight but it made me bloat. I was really stressed out so I turned to food for comfort and began the fourth season of The Shield out of shape.
What foods do you miss most?
Lots of them. Sugar and salt. Potato chips of all kinds with onion dip. And ice cream. It's a beautiful thing but it's horrendous for your waist. I am a big fan of chocolate. I still have a life - I'm not a down to the bone ripped kind of guy because I want to enjoy my life. You can strike a balance.
You've made a career out of playing fatties, like John Belushi in Wired.
That was the first movie I ever auditioned for. I loved him, but I don't know why they hired me - I was all of 180 lbs. It took me more than two years and 12-13 auditions to land it.
Two years to get a job?
That was a humbling experience. When I came to New York, I was this punk actor and I looked to the horizon. New York had it all laid out for me and I said, "I'm gonna kick this town's ass!" Cut to two and a half years later and I'm on my knees on the Brooklyn Bridge looking at the same skyline, begging the town's forgiveness. I was like, "I just want to function here!"
What lesson did you learn from that?
I was too arrogant. If I had made like a duck and let things roll off of me, I would have had a better time. But six months later I got Wired and things started to happen
Like landing an episode of Miami Vice. Did they confiscate your socks?
That's funny. I don't think they did but there were definitely loafers. It was a very trendy show but I loved it and Miami. I ended up marrying a girl from Miami
You also do the cops and robbers thing on The Shield. In one episode your burn off half of a drug dealer's face. Is there anything too over the top for you guys?
I don't consider anything we've done to be over the top, as long as we have really compelling stories. We never want to shock just to shock. We're constantly cutting back on things, like where I assault people. Vic Mackey is craftier than that. He'll use the muscle if he needs it, but there's also intimidation and manipulation.
What do you like about him?
He's a badass and I wanted to play a badass. The perception in this town was, "Chiklis, he's a roly-poly, affable guy!" I suprised a lot of people. I feel like the fat in my career is behind me and the meat is infront of me.
Do your kids watch The Shield?
No. It's totally inappropriate for them. I don't know why people make such big hay out of the fact that I don't let my kids watch the show. They're not at an appropriate age to deal with the psychological issues the show deals with.
You're a big action star in Fantastic Four. When did you start reading the comic?
When I was about 13. I had a particular affinity for the Fantastic Four. I loved the fact that they had to work together to vanquish evil. There was an accessibility to them that I loved; it made me feel that I was like them somehow.
So you can relate to "the Thing?"
He's funny because he was of curmudgeonly. He'd grumble but he'd also come to your aid. Johnny Storm and the Thing had that kind of rapport. If anyone messed with Johnny, the Thing would be the first person there. Same thing with me and my brother. We were always butting heads but if anyone messed with me, God help them. Maybe it was growing up in the Boston area. We busted each other's balls, particularly our best friends and the people we loved. It's a guy thing.
You had to see a shrink after you got the role. Why'd you freak out?
The costume. It took them five and a half hours to put me in makeup the first day. Once I was in and realized I couldn't get out without assistance, that's when I freaked. It wasn't a claustophia thing, it was an issue of control. It was really heinious. I could only stay in it for about an hour for the first day. The costume was my nemisis, but it gave me everything I needed to play the role. Ben Grimm, after all, is a man trapped in a body he doesn't want to be in. Me too!
What was it like getting into makeup?
Someone's in your face for three hours, putting hospital grade glue from your forehead to your neck, with all of these latex attachments. Even in your mouth. The first thing they would do is pull my lip down and use zinc oxide to dry my lip out all the way to prep it for this adhesive crap.
Sounds worse than the dentist!
Tell me about it. It took two hours to put my face on then another hour to put the body on. The boots are 12 1/2 lbs a piece. Then they put the hands on and that's when it gets scary. You have no manual dexterity. If I needed to get myself out, I couldn't. If you talk to someone like Ron Perlman, who played Hellboy, it doesn't even bother him. He's made a career out of it.
How did you finally learn to deal with it?
I had a massage therapist rub my hands and feet while they were apply the makeup. It sounds like a diva thing but they wanted to keep me calm. Anything that made me feel calm, I welcomed. Except the Red Sox. I watched every minute of the pennant and World Series while having that make applied because it took my mind off of it. Once in a while I screamed and threw a fist in the air, taking my poor makeup artist with me! But I couldn't miss that--it was awesome.
Was Jessica Alba in a skintight bodysuit much of a distraction?
I marvel as Jessica Alba. How is that possible? That's God. I look at her like I look at a rose. You admire it, you smell it, and you leave it for young Warren Cash (her boyfriend) to pick. My wife and I talk about it all the time, so I won't get in trouble here
Your wife must like the ripped Chiklis.
She feels vindicated. She would say, "Yeah, I've always known my husband's a stud."
Even when you were Curly in The Three Stooges?
My wife fought me about that. I did that for me. I love Curly. But she was like, "Do you need to play another roly-poly dead comedian?"
Not only were you fat, you wer bald. What's the big deal with hair, anyway?
One thing you can't be in Hollywood is fat and bald. Then you really won't have a career. I bristle when I hear advertisements for hair growth. They make it sound like hair loss is the worst possible thing that could happen to you. The fact of the matter is, more than half the current leading men don't have hair. They're faking it.
I love being bald but I'll wear hair for a role. I am just a conduit.
George Clooney, we knew it!
I don't have to name names but just know that they either have attachments or full on wigs.
So an advice for Donald Trump?
Don't change a thing! Are you kidding me? He's not an actor - he's a persona. It's his signature.
------------------------
schwew!! A longy but a goodie! I for one never want to see another hair on MC's head... he's so much better without it!