QQ. What are some of the recent projects that you've been working on?
A. I worked on "Hidden Palms" most of 2006, we shot the pilot in March, and then we shot the series from August through November. I haven't worked since November mostly because of the show. The show is still a show and so it limits what I can do until the show either gets cancelled or gets picked up again.
Q. Can you tell us a little bit about your character Cliff?
A. Cliff is the next door neighbor to the main character, Johnny, and I play a guy who has questionable motives. He's always got multiple things going on at the same time. I definitely present one thing to the person I am speaking to and then sometimes through the course of the series we see that I turn around and do something the opposite of what I said I would do; which is a lot of fun to play. I definitely have information regarding the death of Eddie, the kid who was in Johnny's room before him, that I am not giving up very easily.
Q. Previously you played the nice guy boyfriend of Summer Roberts on "The O.C." How is it playing the opposite of that character on this show?
A. It's great, as an actor, I want to get a job first and then sort of decide whether it's good or not second. I just want to work and then after that I'll decide if it's different or if it is good. I've been lucky in both cases that we're talking about with "The O.C." and "Hidden Palms." I had really great stuff to do on "The O.C." I was definitely a nice guy and all of that stuff but also I had really funny stuff and I got to work with really funny people. On "Hidden Palms," I have the best character on the show, in my opinion. That's great, I really think that's how it has to be. I hope everybody says that about their characters too. I feel very fortunate to get to do the stuff that I get to do. Through the course of the series I got to do some really fun, I don't want to say dark, I don't think Cliff thinks that he is dark. I think Cliff thinks he is totally justified and maybe a little bit more intelligent than everyone else. I guess there are a few scenes that can only be described as dark. I mean, kicking a dog, there is no other way to describe it. I have so much fun playing Cliff, so much fun!
Q. The show has gotten mixed reviews but your portrayal of Cliff has gotten excellent reviews. Have you heard or read any reactions to your character?
A. Yeah, I sort of try and close my ears and shut my eyes when I pick up a magazine. I don't really read magazines all that much. Some people call and say they're saying nice things about you in a magazine or some other place. The show just premiered and I've been hearing that and it's been great. I'm always afraid I'm going to read something that says, "Michael Cassidy is the worst actor ever in the world," and then have to continue to do the role for the next ten years on The CW and the whole time thinking that some guy at Entertainment Weekly thinks I'm a terrible actor. That's why I try and avoid the reviews but I've heard that they are great but I haven't read any of them. People have read some parts of them to me and it's fantastic to her that. It's just so much fun to do work that is seen by so many people. I did theater, before I started getting into TV and film work, and it feels like a big audience when all of the seats are filled. It's pretty cool to do something on the level of a television show like "The O.C." or "Hidden Palms."
Q. Where do you draw from for your portrayal of Cliff?
A. I sort of think about it two ways, one is Cliff does certain things, but a lot of what we get of Cliff is from other characters. Cliff isn't on the screen in every scene, that's Johnny's job, he's the star. When he's talking to other people, and he's talking about me, we find out that I'm telling lies and stuff like that. Part of my job is done for me as far as being kind of a sicko or being a crazy guy or being scary. That's done for me by the writers, they sort of set me up in that way. Then when I enter onto the screen, so to speak, what I do as an actor is that I try and say and do what my character is doing as playfully - not playfully as in trying to make a joke of it - I try and have as much fun as possible and tell the story in the most personal way that I can. That's sort of general, I always end up talking too much about acting when I do interviews. My favorite thing to do as an actor is to go in and feel like, "How am I ever going to play this part or play this scene or play this line?" Then, have it sort of come together because everybody on that set is sort of there to tell a story that day. They are there to present this moment in this character's life right now today. All of that stuff comes together and something that I don't think I can do alone is able to be done by a group of people. That's my favorite way to participate in as an actor and in a company like that whether it is a film crew, a stage crew or whatever. I'm helped out a lot by music scores and sound effects. In the end when I see my work, I feel like I can see everybody else's work and so I just sort of show up and it really works out. It's hard to deny when you're on a set with a hundred people and you're doing a sex scene that you're alone acting up there. It's very clear that people are helping you do your work.
Q. What has been the most challenging part of your role?
A. The most difficult part is going up against myself. Like I said, the writers write all of these really great scenes for me. I have a line in a couple of episodes that will be on TV in a couple of weeks, I was talking with a writer about it the other day, we were shooting it and it was really hot that day and we were shooting what is called a Walk and Talk. You're walking and they're shooting and you're not just standing still and you're talking at the same time so it's called a Walk and Talk. I had all these lines and I had to say all of this stuff because Cliff talks a lot. I had to say all of this stuff and I essentially had to relay all of this information to Taylor's character. It was all really morbid stuff about death and murder and then I had to say, "Sucks, huh?" The words were so trite and so insensitive to what I was talking about and sometimes what Cliff is left to say is so flippant, even to me, that I am like I don't know how I am ever going to do this. I would like to think that I have a little bit compassion, at least outwardly, than Cliff does. I certainly don't kick dogs! So, sometimes, I'm like how am I going to say this and I'm not saying it's from bad writing, it's quite the opposite. The writing is so good and so true to what they've created that it is foreign to me. Most often what I'm up against is my own brain saying you can't do this, you don't belong here. The hardest thing about Cliff, even I will read the lines and I obviously have a pretty decent understanding of the character, and I will be like "What do they want me to say now?" Like I said earlier, it all just sort of comes together and works out. Most of the time what I try to do when I don't know what I am saying is bulldoze through it and after the fourth take I'll know exactly what I'm saying.
Q. Do you have a really memorable moment from filming so far?
A. Tessa and I have a scene, Tessa's character's name is Nikki, and there is a Nikki/Cliff scene where we are out in the desert just the two of us. That's actually sort of a series of scenes and we shot all of these scenes out in the desert in one day. It was really hot and then there was dirt everywhere and it was like a nightmare. My favorite moment about that day, because I was miserable that day, my favorite moment of that part of the series was somebody telling me two days later that it looks like she and I are having the time of our lives. We were so miserable! I liked hearing that that came off because I don't watch anything that I do, I should say I try not to watch anything that I do. Often times we'll be shooting and someone will come up and say, "Did you see that stuff we did the other day?" and I'll be like, "No, I'm not going to watch it." People started telling me how things looked and it was really, really gratifying to hear that Tessa and I looked like we were having fun and enjoying each other because we were so uncomfortable that day. I was absolutely miserable that day so that was a pretty funny experience.
Q. For those viewers who haven't tuned in yet to the show, why should they be taking the time to watch?
A. People should tune into the show because as far as I know, I don't watch a lot of TV, but as far as I know (I've been paying attention to this since I worked on the show) there is nothing like our show on the air. There are a number of young, adult dramas, particularly on The CW, but I don't really think they hold up against our show. Kevin Williamson, the creator of the show, has created a community that is very singular and distinct from a lot of communities that are represented on television. It's also a community that is very dangerous, there is a lot at stake for people there, they hold their standard of living very high and close to the vest. As a result of that, they are willing to in some cases sabotage each other and ostracize each other. In the case of our show, potentially do harm to one another, physical harm to one another. I think it's exciting to watch, it's exciting to watch rich white people act like children. I think it's been proven over time that people like watching that on TV.
Q. What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?
A. Thank you very much for supporting me. It's hard for me to get my brain around the fact that people know who I am and think of me as an actor. I'm really grateful that it crosses anyone's mind to watch something because I am in it or to think about my performance in any particular way. It's really special and I don't know if I can get used to that. It's a really cool feeling; thank you.
