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May
8, 2000
by
Veronica Mixon
A
military brat himself, Underwood moved from base
to base around the world with his father, an Army
colonel. But, early on he knew that acting was
his true calling and started working in dinner
theater while still in high school in Tacoma,
Washington. After spending a year on the TV soap,
"One Life to Live," Underwood made his
film debut in the breakthrough Hip-Hop film, "Krush
Grove" in 1985. But, it was his seven year
stint on TV's "L.A. Law" that made him
a star. Since then, Underwood has appeared in
an array of films including "Posse," "Just
Case," "Soul of the Game," "Gattaca" and "Set
It Off" opposite Jada Pinkett.
Married
to Desiree DaCosta, the 35-year-old actor met
with me in New York to talk about his latest film,
"Rules of Engagement."
THE
INTERVIEW
Years
ago actors would never have thought about spending
days on end in a desert. Is it necessary these
days to endure that sort of thing?
Well, you know, it's not necessary. I had the
option not to do it. I mean it wasn't part of
the contract and I didn't have to go through it
but I opted to because I wanted to. The reason
I appreciated it so much was because it is probably
the most incredible experience and training I
had ever had. For seven days and six nights, I
was Capt. Lee. Everybody had the same rooms they
had in the film and not once was I called by my
real name. The first morning we went out to the
field. We spent that time humping and marching
through the desert all day. We even slept there.
There
were some realistic scenes. Did the technical
adviser add to this authenticity?
That's the great thing about Capt. Dale Dye. He
put us through some paces. He was with us the
seven days and six nights in the Moroccan desert.
It was a harried experience. Let me say ultimately
appreciated it. I don't know if I liked it, but
I appreciated it.
Is
your dad a Marine?
He was in the Army for twenty-seven years. He's
a full bird Colonel.
He
must have been a surprised when you decided to
be an actor.
I always told my dad I would not enlist but I
may do a movie and play a military person in a
movie. This is the first chance I've had to ever
do it. So he's really excited about that.
He
never had any objections to you becoming an actor?
My dad's real cool.
What
did he think about the whole Hollywood take on
the film?
He just dismissed things -- that's Hollywood.
Can
you comment on the rules of engagement and if
that was ever discussed at home?
Oh yeah, we have had many conversations about
that growing up in a military family. I was privy
to that. [It's] just that the rules in the lines
are blurred in combat and that issue is brought
up in the film in the courtroom. I mean Tommy
Lee's character speaks of that. There aren't any
real rules in war. It depends on whom you talk
to. That's the issue the film deals with. It's
your life on the line. There's a line that Jack
Nicholson had in "A Few Good Men" that
I loved. He said 'you want us on that wall. You
need us on that wall.'
What
was it like working with Tommy Lee Jones?
(Pauses laughing) Whoa, this is a tough.
How
was it working with Samuel L. Jackson?
Sam Jackson is mellow. I mean he's easy and real
cool. He's Shaft. I'll tell you, I don't know
what Sam's age is - I know I'm 35 and running
up and down those steps as you saw I the film
-- he's ageless. I mean he's on the ground, he's
crawling and rolling over and jumping around.
All kinds of stuff! We did it maybe five or six
times. I never heard him complain. It's hot out
there and all this heavy equipment. So I have
great respect for Sam.
Is
"City of Angels" your first series since
"L.A. Law?"
No, I did "High Incident" for DreamWorks
for one season. It's such a nice ride with the
show and we're all enjoying it so much because
of the scripts. One thing an actor hates is when
you do a new show, even if it's on the air and
nobody sees it. "High Incident" was like
that even though it was DreamWorks and Steven
Spielberg. We were up against "Friends"
on Thursday Night. We didn't have a chance, even
though we thought we were doing good work, nobody
saw it. At least, with the Steven Bochco show,
you're gonna have a nice entry. People are gonna
be aware and it's on the radar and then of course,
the whole diversity issue that NAACP put another
spotlight on the show. So people are aware of
it and the audience is building every week literally.
Do
you think you have a chance of being renewed?
We'll know by May 15th.
Do
you like all the medical stuff? Do you get queasy?
I don't get queasy. I'm in to that kind of stuff
really.
When
did you start acting?
It actually started in high school. I was doing
dinner theater in high school. I got 75 bucks
a week for playing on stage. In many ways, to
this day, it boggles my mind that they pay you
to have fun. It's amazing to me.
What's
next?
"Asunder." It's a film I'm producing with
Tim Reid directing. It's a psychological thriller.
edited
by Veronica Mixon
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