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| Written By Rick
Ellis, Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 "'Til Death" will be returning to air in its regular time slot of Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. on Fox beginning tonight. Brad Garrett, who plays Eddie in the show, recently spoke with reporters about his character, and why he prefers acting in TV over movies. Q: How does Eddie in "'Til Death" compare to Robert from "Everybody Loves Raymond"? A: I think they're just about as different as can be, and that's what attracted me to the role originally. Also, Eddie is, and this is something I may not want to reveal but I will anyway, Eddie is closer to anyone that I've ever played as far as to myself. And I thought it would be fun to play someone that is as close to me as I can, because it's just a great opportunity for an actor or a comedian to do that. He's very, very different than Robert. I couldn't imagine them being more different. And mainly, he's very outspoken; he's really the alpha dog. He's-it's pretty much his way in his life, or he thinks it's his way, where Robert knows that nothing is his way and he has succumbed to that. Eddie, I believe is more of a fighter, whether he believes it or not deep down. Q: When you signed on with this show what were your expectations? How big were you allowing yourself to dream? What were you hoping for, and have you met or surpassed those expectations for the show? A: Well, I don't know if you ever meet the expectations. I think as any artist you always want to grow; you always want to get better. I think that most recently, especially right before the strike, I think the show just really started to kind of hit its own groove. We started to see the characters kind of develop in the direction we wanted. And to be honest, it took me a little over a season to find the guy who I really thought Eddie was. But as an actor you have to constantly reinvent yourself and you have to constantly try to raise the bar and do the best show you can every week. And I think we're going to get there. I think the writing is bumped up. I think the cast is starting to get more of a cohesive feel to it. So I have good expectations for the future. Q: Was there a lot of pressure on you when you were deciding what the next thing would be after Raymond, even it was all self-imposed? A: I'm the type of guy that feels pressure when I have to order dinner at a busy-I'm just that type of guy but that's my fuel. I work well with pressure. And I looked at coming off Raymond as an amazing gift. I knew what I was working on was a chance of a lifetime and I also knew that I wanted to work as an actor there. It's like whether you're in a huge movie or you've just recorded an incredible album you've got to do the next thing, and that's part of being an artist. So I feel grateful to have an opportunity, and this is really also the first time I get to be a lead in a show and that was very exciting. Q: Was there an important time in your life when you came to the realization that you could be funny for a living? A: I know it sounds cheesy to say, but it's something I just always knew. I mean, I made-it's funny, when I was young I would make adults laugh, and that's something that's rare when you're nine or ten. When I was really in high school, and I was working some of the open mike nights while I was in high school because I looked 21, I had sideburns when I was 11, so I think I knew then that-I was never sure if I could make a living, but I knew I would have to do it. Q: How much input do you have on the character of Eddie? What would like to see the character do in the future? A: Well, I have quite a bit of input, more and more as time goes on. I think we're all starting to trust each other more, and I think that's a normal track for a sitcom as it evolves. I trust the writers more, they hopefully trust me more. I just want to keep my guy interesting. I want to keep him more dimensional. I've tried to move him in the direction of more introspective in a bullheaded way, as opposed to just really a bitter guy. I mean you're always tweaking your character. I just want to keep him interesting but I want to keep him real. I want to do all I can to facilitate the ability that this is really a real 20-year marriage, and that's-I'm just coming from the school of "can this really happen?" every time I read a script and, "is this something married people would do?" Q: You've worked in both movies and TV, which is your favorite? A: Well, I have to tell you I love television. I think I'm better wired for television. I love variety as far as a project. I'm easily bored and the schedule of a television show, it just keeps you going. I mean there's not a lot of waiting around. It's different every week. I love theater and I think doing a sitcom in front of a live audience is the closest you can get to theater. And it's really the best mix of like standup and theater, is really a sitcom. And I started as a standup and I still continue to do that as well. So I think I'm just a TV guy and happy for it. I think my movie career is kind of like my social life, I'm picky and not in demand. So it perhaps is working out. Click Here For Part Two Of This Interview |
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