Tyler Labine – Boston Legal

Q) What are the current projects that you are working on?

A) I am working on “Boston Legal” right now as a new series regular playing a character by the name of Jonathan Winant. He’s the Assistant District Attorney in Boston.

Q) You play a new lawyer on the show “Boston Legal.” What made you want to be a part of the show?

A) It was an honor for David E. Kelley’s people to call and offer me the show. They just called me and asked, “Do you want to be a new lawyer on ‘Boston Legal?'” I didn’t even know what the outside parameters were or what kind of lawyer I was going to be. I just thought I was going to be a new lawyer at the firm. “Invasion” had been cancelled and my shoulders were slumping a bit. It was a really great opportunity to be on an already established show with people like William Shatner, James Spader and Candice Bergen. They were offering me to be a new regular so I felt that if I declined it that I’d be an idiot.

Q) What changes can viewers expect to see with this season?

A) I don’t know too much. I’ve only shot three episodes at this point. What you can expect to see from me centers around three new lawyers on the show. Two of them work at the firm with William Shatner and James Spader. I’m the Assistant District Attorney. I beat Jeffrey Coho at the first big profile case of the season. I beat the new lawyers and get asked to join the firm and become one of the lawyers there. There are some really great midget storylines going on now. The episodes we are shooting now has to do with Scientology and it’s really hilarious. It’s really funny and David [E. Kelley] is really pushing the envelope with it!

Q) What is your most memorable moment from filming?

A) So far, I had a moment where I got to go to the medical examiner’s office. He’s a Chinese doctor named Kerry Woo and I come in and he, basically, calls me a bigot. I tell him, “I’m not a bigot.” Then he asks me, “What want?” I reply, “What want? I’ll tell you what want! Actually, let me tell you what worry.” Those are my three favorite lines of the show, so far. It’s a very refreshing look on political correctness on this show. He’s sort of throwing a lot of that stuff out the window so it’s pretty interesting.

Q) What is it about the show that you feel continues to draw in viewers?

A) I think, obviously, because it is a spin-off of “The Practice” that it brought in a lot of viewers at the beginning. I think that it also has to do with David E. Kelley’s particular brand of humor, that can be sort of put out there under the guise that it is a dramatic procedural courtroom show. It’s really a very dark show with a lot of dark humor. It’s very funny, especially with the subjects that we talk about, like political correctness going out the window, the midgets, Scientology, racial issues, etc. You name it! He has a very unique way of shining a light on everything that makes it seem humorous.

Q) You’ve done several projects for ABC. What makes working for this network so appealing?

A) There are a lot of people that I know or that I’ve worked with that we seem to have a very healthy working relationship. They are just good people. They are good people at ABC and I like a lot of the  projects that they throw my way.

Q) You also have the film Fly Boys coming out. What can you tell us about the premise and about your character.

A) It’s a World War 1 movie that stars James Franco, Martin Henderson and myself. It’s based on a true story about American men during the first world war, before America joined. They ranged from privileged men to people who were running away from subpoenas and convictions to guys who just wanted to fly. It’s an actual story about the French LaFayette Escadrille and it was about twelve to fifteen men who joined before America and learned how to fly. Through their efforts, the Americans were encouraged to join the war. I play a very privileged son of a Senator named Briggs Lowry. I got kicked out of Harvard and I am really Bohemian because I am an artist. I made up my own back-story that I got kicked out of school for drinking and fighting in the name of art. My dad thinks that I need to go to enlist in the war to learn how to be a man and learn some responsibility. He sends me off to the first world war because at the time no one thought it was going to be a world war. It was just supposed to be an in and out battle. It got way out of control once my character gets there and then my dad tries to take me out of the military. By that time, I am not wanting to leave because I feel like I’ve accomplished what he sent me there for, I feel like this is where I belong and I have real friends for the first time in my life. It’s a cool storyline for me.

Q) What was it like working with director Tony Bill?

A) He was awesome! He has the most down to Earth supernatural approach. He didn’t like anything that didn’t feel organic when we shot it. He’s super fun to hang out with, beyond working with him. The one really great thing about him is that however much experience he’s accrued over the years, he definitely doesn’t have any ego about what he’s done. He really just wants to make a good project with this. It wasn’t like this was going to make or break his career because he’s done so much already, but he was doing this film because he’s so passionate about flying. He approached it that way and there was no ego or pretension. He collaborated and everyone was able to sort of inject their own brand of humor or sense of adventure or drama. Whatever they wanted to put into it, he was very open to suggestions and that was very cool.

Q) What do you do in your spare time?

A) I am a hip-hop producer. I have a group called Self Dep. It is like Self Deprecating MC’s, but we just go by Self Dep. We’re not, actually, settled on a name yet. I’ve been rapping since I was fourteen years old. I started accruing all of this gear. I have two home studios and I just record music when ever I am not busy. My group is with my two brothers and my best friend Jeff.

Q) What is your latest obsession? A book? A band? A sport?

A) My on going obsession that I’ve had for a long time is, pretty much, hip-hop. That’s what I am really into. There is no stopping Kanye West. I can’t stop listening to his production. He produces more music than most people even realize. Half the stuff you hear on the radio is produced by him. I am really just preoccupied with hip-hop music, making and listening.

Q) What would you like to say to all of your fans and supporters?

A) Thank you! I want people to know that there is so much more to me than what you’ve seen so far. I can’t wait to show you what I’ve got on “Boston Legal.” It’s really going to surprise you because it’s different than anything you’ve seen me do before. Keep watching “Boston Legal” and go watch Fly Boys.