Earlier this week we at THN were lucky enough to spend time with a true screen legend in the form of William Fichtner. If you don’t recognise the name you will definitely know the face as he’s been all over the world of film and television for years. His CV includes films such as BLACK HAWK DOWN, GO, ARMAGEDDON and more recently DRIVE ANGRY. Within the world of television he had a recurring role in Entourage as well as a long-standing stint as FBI agent Alexander Mahone in Prison Break. This week sees Fichtner embark on a new platform as his new show Crossing Lines airs exclusively through Amazon on Lovefilm. Airing from Friday subscribers will be able to access the full season which is great news for those out there that like to binge on their television.
Fichtner plays Carl Hickman on the European police drama; Hickman was an exceptional officer until he sustained a bullet to his dominant hand which forced him to retire from the force. The pain in his hand has become so severe that he has begun self-medicating with morphine patches. In the programme’s opening two-parter Hickman is approached and asked to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) as an advisor. The ICC is a European task force comprised of specialists of every field from weaponry to technology who work together to solve various transnational crimes.
We treated you to a sneak peak of some of our interview either him earlier this week regarding his new venture TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (I’m a child of the Eighties, I had to ask). The information that I was given did not disappoint with Fichtner promising that people are going to love it. In case you missed it you can see video footage here.
From speaking to the actor it was evident just how committed he is to the show which has just been granted a second run in fact, and after our interview he was flying straight back to set. He decided that promoting the show was worth the sleepless night as it’s something that he’s very proud to be a part of.
Fitchner told of how he was sent a script for the first two episodes and immediately fell in love with the Hickman character. The thing that stood out strongest was how well-layered and thought-out a character he was and gave credit to creator Edward Allen Bernero for creating such a fantastic fictional person. The one bit of information his agent left off was the shoot location of the show which is primarily in Prague. When deciding whether or not to do the show he had to consult his family; with it being a European made and filmed show he couldn’t exactly commute to work, and he wouldn’t have accepted the role if his wife and son had not been onboard too.
As his character is a brilliant mind within the police world and has a reliance on prescription drugs a little like Prison Break counterpart Mahone I asked his opnion on this. Fichtner seemed surprised, stating that although they may have a talent and vice in common they were really from different worlds. Hickman is clearly someone that he cares about, saying that he loved the arch that was given to him in the first season. He also had some interesting insight into the importance of the glove he wears in the show and what that represents for his character.
We then spoke about his career in general which has crossed pretty much all genres. When asked if he deliberatley picks roles different to one another he replied that he likes to change it up and would love to diversify it even more. He also explained that out of his body of work he has a lot of fond memories as he only chooses projects he wants to do. Though if he had to choose a favourite one BLACK HAWK DOWN comes towards the top of the list as he made some life-long friends whilst filming.
Check out the interview video below:
Source: THN
