"Vanished" Star disappears into G man role
Sunday, September 10, 2006
by: Amy Amatangelo
Source: theedge.bostonherald.com
Edited by: Marcy
As the star of the new Fox drama “Vanished” (tomorrow at 9 p.m. on WFXT, Ch. 25), Gale Harold swears a lot less and wears a lot more clothes.
For five years, Harold was the sexy stud on Showtime’s “Queer as Folk.” Now as straight-laced FBI agent Graham Kelton, he must worry about not only his character but also advancing the show’s intricate plot.
“The more challenging parts of it are the procedural aspects of the show,” he said during a recent phone interview. “So I was scared of it at first and a little overwhelmed by it. But now that I’m in it, it’s really fun to try and keep those two things happening at the same time.”
Harold was approached for the role after he had a guest stint on “The Unit” last season and worked with executive producer Paul Redford.
“What was interesting to me about it as an actor was the new experience and challenge of playing someone who has such a basically conservative ideology, really a law-and-order person. He very much believes in this country with sort of an unshakable faith. That’s kind of how I approached it. At the same time, he’s sort of slowly being isolated from the people he should be able to rely on. There’s just a lot of inherent conflict in that and places to go.”
To prepare for the role, the Georgia native met with some of his character’s real-life counterparts.
“I’ve developed a newfound respect for the work that they do and the challenges and the stresses that come along with it. Understanding more clearly what it is - I think that was the most informative, enlightening and interesting experience so far with this work. It probably helped me mature a little bit as a member of society.”
He’s also prepared for viewers who may pester him for information about what’s coming up.
“I know quite a lot, but I don’t know everything there is. I’m not going to tell anybody anything,” he said with a laugh. “I’m prepared for that for the rest of my life.”
Since the interview, rumors have circulated that Harold’s character may meet an early demise. Even if that turns about to be true, Harold has clearly enjoyed his time so far.
“It’s the right project at the right time with the right people,” he said.
For five years, Harold was the sexy stud on Showtime’s “Queer as Folk.” Now as straight-laced FBI agent Graham Kelton, he must worry about not only his character but also advancing the show’s intricate plot.
“The more challenging parts of it are the procedural aspects of the show,” he said during a recent phone interview. “So I was scared of it at first and a little overwhelmed by it. But now that I’m in it, it’s really fun to try and keep those two things happening at the same time.”
Harold was approached for the role after he had a guest stint on “The Unit” last season and worked with executive producer Paul Redford.
“What was interesting to me about it as an actor was the new experience and challenge of playing someone who has such a basically conservative ideology, really a law-and-order person. He very much believes in this country with sort of an unshakable faith. That’s kind of how I approached it. At the same time, he’s sort of slowly being isolated from the people he should be able to rely on. There’s just a lot of inherent conflict in that and places to go.”
To prepare for the role, the Georgia native met with some of his character’s real-life counterparts.
“I’ve developed a newfound respect for the work that they do and the challenges and the stresses that come along with it. Understanding more clearly what it is - I think that was the most informative, enlightening and interesting experience so far with this work. It probably helped me mature a little bit as a member of society.”
He’s also prepared for viewers who may pester him for information about what’s coming up.
“I know quite a lot, but I don’t know everything there is. I’m not going to tell anybody anything,” he said with a laugh. “I’m prepared for that for the rest of my life.”
Since the interview, rumors have circulated that Harold’s character may meet an early demise. Even if that turns about to be true, Harold has clearly enjoyed his time so far.
“It’s the right project at the right time with the right people,” he said.
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Written by Amy Amatangelo - Edited by Marcy
Written by Amy Amatangelo - Edited by Marcy