Post by -|E|- on Sept 15, 2005 17:31:16 GMT -5
Michael Chiklis as Vic Mackey
I recently listened to the commentary tracks on the Season 1 DVDs. AND I took notes! heh. During the Pilot commentary, Michael Chiklis and Shawn Ryan discuss the role of Vic Mackey.
I tried very hard to be accurate, and I take full responsibility for any errant quoting.
Shawn Ryan said "Deb Aquila cast the pilot for us, and we wouldn't have gotten her at all if there wasn't a threatened writers or actors strike. And production was halted, therefore making her available."
Chiklis was actively looking for a role to break away from what he called his "soft cuddly teddy bear image." He said he was impressed when he saw that Deb was casting for the pilot episode for a show called The Barn.
Chiklis was developing a 'bad cop' script on his own at the time, actually. His wife's high school boyfriend's brother was a rouge cop; the most decorated in all of Miami-Dade at one point, yet he had more lawsuits againts him for brutality than anyone else. According to Chiklis, one true story about this rouge cop is that he beat up this drug dealer, took his money and his drugs and gave them to a pregnant prostitute that he knew.
After Chiklis tells this part of his story, laughter breaks out in the room and you can hear SR say, "Yeah, I broke into Chik's house and stole his script because there was a hole in my story...."
Chiklis then said, "No, it just shows what an amazing convergence there was.... I had never put any stock in astrology, but it makes one wonder if the Moon wasn't lined up over my anus, or Uranus. Something was lined up over my ass, or I was just a lucky a**hole, I don't know what.."
Chiklis said he was discouraged from auditioning by his agent - kind of a snub to the network; not the material. Shawn Ryan then commented that many bigger-named actors wouldn't read for the part; cable television was somehow demeaning to certain actors, or there was a feeling that they "shoulndn't have to" read. Chiklis did read for the part, and his audition is on the "extras" on the S1 DVDs. Chiklis said he loves the audition process because ".... once you get the role, there's no doubt that it was earned, especially for the actor."
E