Kyle Schmid – Six

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) What is it about your role or the series “Six” that kept you on your toes while filming?

A) [laughs] I guess we had such a tight schedule for shooting the show that we would get the script a few days in advance. That was something that the writers did on purpose to allow us to kind of work with the material more organically and kind of work it over and over and over, but at the last minute – very much like these Seals. It kind of just comes at you the way it normally would in order not to overthink the material. That kept us prepared and on our toes.

Q) For your character, how was he originally described and how did he change to what we see on screen?

A) When Dave [Broyles] and I first sat down to talk about who he was, I kind of looked at it as he would be an easy going kind of guy. He loves the water and he loves to surf. He has his little shack on the beach. He didn’t seem to have too many strings to hold him down. It’s not until further into the second episode you realize he has this bold life. He has his daughter, Dharma, and his ex-wife. Alex became really flushed out to me because first you see this really free spirit and then you realize that he is kind of made this bold decision in his life to leave this nuclear family behind so that he can focus one hundred percent of his energy and mental capacity on his brothers and the operation that they do. That is very selfish and unselfish, I think, to some extent because he is making a choice and not trying to juggle both of that. But it also allows him to live on the edge with those split second decisions because he doesn’t have that family and responsibilities pulling him back. You meet his daughter and you realize he does have this alternate life in the past that he left behind that allows him to be the warrior he sees himself as. It allows him to be the warrior he needs to be. As the point man on the team, he is the first person who is around the corner and sticks his head out – possibly to have it blown off. I think it allows him the possibility that it could be his last mission. He has lived the life that he has wanted to live, but the sacrifices he made for his brothers were leaving that family behind so he could always be 110% in the game at all times. It was interesting to hear the developments of who Caulder was becoming through David’s world and the team behind these guys. And to bring them to life was something really cool too because they really allowed us to put our own stamp on these characters and work organically to see who they would become, which is very rare and such a great opportunity.

Q) How will things shift and dynamics change as the season progresses?

A) I think the next step is one of our best episodes. Kim, our director, was phenomenal working with everyone and Walton [Goggins] has a great performance. Everybody does. There is never really a weak link with the show, which says a lot about the casting and the producers who put this team together. But there is that underlying tension between Bear (Barry Sloane) and Caulder that you really get to see for the first two episodes. In this third episode is when the audience can see why that tension is there and it will allow for the audience to make the decision themselves about whether or not they support the decision these two characters made at the time to get the series to where it is now in present day. You’ll have the moral and ethical dilemmas and that is something that these guys battle on a regular basis. In particular, it effects the relationship between Bear and Caulder and you get to see the family relationships develop as well. It’s so important to remember that what these men sacrifice on a daily basis is so important, but without the love and support of their family behind them (the Lena’s and the Jackie’s) that they may ultimately be lost and not have that grounding family at home. You’ll start to see those relationships vibrate and it will create some very, very interesting storylines for the rest of the series.

Q) What has been the most rewarding part of being a part of “Six?”

A) I would have to say the education of who these men are – the generosity and the commitment that they have to do what they do day in and day out. The training that they gave us ultimately created the brotherhood that we have as a cast and I value so much as a person because I’m closer to these people than people I’ve known for ten or fifteen years. I trust these guys with my life, so to speak, even though we only pretend to do that on televisions. I love these guys more than anything so I’m blessed to have that.

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure fans know about the series?

A) Make sure people tune in, week in and week out. There is never an episode that you can miss or that won’t blow your mind.