Tom Ohmer – In the Name of the Law

Q.  What are some of the current projects that you’ve been working on?

A.  I just finished a commercial for Kellogg’s, they’re launching a new product that is called Go-Tarts.  It’s kind of like Pop-Tarts, only it’s a nutritious breakfast bar.  That’s supposed to be a pretty big national ad, that should be airing pretty soon.  Prior to that I did an episode of “Sleeper Cell,” which is a TV series for Showtime and it has to do with Al-Qaeda having sleeper cells in the United States and that aired about two weeks ago. 

Q.  What can you tell us about your character on “Sleeper Cell”?

A.  I play a police officer and I actually do a lot of police officer roles because I’m a retired policeman.  A lot of roles I do involve law enforcement or military or things like that.  On “Sleep Cell” I played Officer Davis who pulls over two of the main characters that are in a truck.  They’re bad guys but I don’t realize they are bad guys and they end up talking me out of a ticket and I end up letting them go.  I guess they are bad guys and I shouldn’t have let them go.

Q.  What made you want to be a part of the show “Sleeper Cell”?

A.  When roles of police officers come up I’m always attracted to those because of being a retired policeman.  I really enjoy doing police roles and plus the show is pretty well put together, well written and well directed.  Years and years passed the networks used to be the only ones doing original productions, now you have USA with “Monk,” you have Showtime, HBO, TNT, all of these different networks doing their own productions.  The ones that are on cable, they have a bit more liberty to give you a bit more grittier shows because they have less restrictions than the on-air shows.  So, they tend to be the ones like “The Shield, shows like that, they tend to be more gritty.

Q.  You also have been appearing on the show “Monk.”  How did you get a recurring role on this amazing show?

A.  Well, that was really nice, that’s every actors dreams to have a recurring role on a show, especially one like “Monk.”  When I originally did the first role it went really well.  I think when you do well on a show they remember you.  I think the director and the other people kind of ask around like, “Hey, how did he do?”  The casting people want to keep tabs with the production people and I think that the first episode that I did for “Monk,” which coincidentally was their season premiere, it was Jason Alexander too, it was really cool to work with him.  He was one of the guest stars and I got to work with him and everybody just got along really well and I had a really good time doing it.  Evidently, they must have thought I did a really good job because I got a call from the casting people because, I played a police sergeant on the show, they said they had another episode coming up and the police sergeant is going to be in it, would I want to reprise my role.  The casting director called me in the morning at home and I answered the phone and he said who he was and he said “We’re doing another show with the police sergeant in it, do you want to reprise your role?”  I said, “Where do you want me and when do you want me there?”  I was really excited about that because it’s such a good show and it’s written so well.  It obviously gets all of these accolades with the Emmy Awards and everything, but typically speaking when you get a recurring role it’s a role that they are going to use in several episodes.  They use people they like working with.

Q.  Do you have a most memorable moment from working on “Monk”?

A.  You know I think the one scene when I was standing with all five main characters.  I was standing there with Tony Shaloub and Traylor Howard and Ted Levine and Jason Stanford and Jason Alexander.  All five of us were standing there and I was feeling pretty fortunate to be standing next to talent like that. The thing that impressed me the most about “Monk” is that I just felt like I got invited in on someone’s family dinner, a guest at someone’s house.  The whole crew and the cast get along so well and they just made me feel really welcome. Some shows that you do you kind of realize that you’re only going to be there a day or two.  They kind of treat you that way but with this show it was really special because of the way they made me feel, really welcome and open . The way they show up for work, the way all of the characters collaborate with the director and they always come up with ideas.  The director won’t say this is really what we’re doing and we’re doing this, this and this.  He’ll actually say, “What if we do it this way?” or “Let’s try it this way.”  Then so they’ll do a take maybe one of the guys in the cast suggest, it’s a very collaborative effort and you can tell.  Everyone gets along so well and I think that’s why the show does so well, it’s because everybody works so well together.

Q.  How had your law enforcement experience helped with your acting?

A.  I think it is a big advantage.  When I first moved out to L.A. to be an actor.  I was much younger and the competition was so fierce because everybody is going up for the roles and the roles are pretty fast.  I didn’t have a niche and I think a lot of the actors who do well they will have a certain area or role that they do well.  I think that my law enforcement experience has really helped me with that and when I go for these roles they kind of get a two-for-one.  They get an actor and a technical advisor and so many of the shows that have police on it, sometimes I think I watch some of these shows and it’s so unrealistic of what policemen really do.  I think they like having someone who knows, even the simple things like how to handcuff somebody or how to arrest somebody or how to hold a gun.  Nowadays I think they are a lot more in-tune to that and they will hire a technical advisor to be able to get it right.  Some of the shows just let the actor do what he thinks is right and a lot of times it’s wrong and even the way the uniform is worn.  So, when I audition for all of these police roles I will wear my uniform or on my resume it says I’m a retired policeman and if it’s a policeman role I have a headshot of me in uniform.  So, that’s always a nice ice breaker too when I go to read for a part, they ask about my law enforcement experience.  I was with the LAPD and I worked with the riots in 1992 and they are intrigued by that and ask me a few questions about that typically.  It’s really helped me because I found a niche in police roles since they are easy for me to do and I feel really comfortable doing them.

Q.  What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

A.  I keep really busy, I’m a single father and I have two boys.  One is eleven and one is thirteen and I have joint-custody with my ex-wife so she has them fifty percent of the time and I have them fifty percent of the time.  So, that keeps me really busy and I also am a coach, I coach them in their sports, head baseball coach and during football season I volunteer with helping out with the football team.  They play soccer and a lot of the sports I always grew up with and then I also like to ride a motorcycle.  I’ve had a motorcycle for years and I do a lot of motorcycle riding.  There was a group of us sitting around talking the other day about how many miles we have on our motorcycles and I have over four hundred thousand miles on motorcycles, I’ve been cross-country three times.  In fact, when I was on the police department I rode motorcycles for the police department. Especially out here in L.A., it’s very congested and a lot of traffic and it just feels so good to get out on the open road and be on my Harley and get out in the mountains and it’s just really awesome.  Another thing is if I am not riding a motorcycle, I play golf a lot of times to relax. 

Q.  What is your latest obsession?  Are you into any particular sport, book, movie or activity?

A.  I like listening to country and western music a lot, I listen to classic rock and roll and as far as movies I actually watch a ton of movies.  I am a movie buff and I have a DVD collection and I built a home theater in my home.  That is something I did on the side, I installed home theaters, that’s always been kind of a hobby for me.  I turned one of my rooms into a screening room so I watch movies in there quite frequently, I do watch a lot of movies.  I don’t really have the time to read a lot of books, I do read things that have to do with acting that interests me.  As far as sitting down a novel or nonfiction, it’s something I just don’t have time for.

Q.  On your resume it lists stand-up comedy as a talent. How did you get involved with comedy and where do you get your material from?

A.  Just being that I grew up in a family of five and my dad was a real funny guy and I have always been the class clown, kind of a goofy guy.  There was an acting class that I took, they encouraged us to do things that would kind of expand your repertoire.  So, I went to the comedy store and did a stand-up routine there.  That’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I really have to respect the stand-up comics because that is a real tough thing to do.  When you’re up there on stage you have your own material and if you’re not doing well it’s all you up there.  You can’t blame it on a bad director or script, it’s you and if you’re not doing well it’s you.  It’s always been kind of fun to be silly and goofy and goof around and make people laugh.

Q.  Since it’s now 2006, what is something that you’re most looking forward to this year?

A.  I’m really looking forward to getting a consistent role, contract role, I actually really enjoyed doing soap operas.  I had a recurring role on a soap opera a few years ago and I really enjoyed that.  I do love to get a contracted role on a soap or on a TV series, to have a role that is not just recurring but is under contract.  One that gives you some consistency and also to keep doing my commercials, I do a lot of commercials.  I just look forward to working a lot, I like working hard and I am just looking forward to working with a lot of different directors and a lot of different shows and keeping a lot of good work coming along.