James Spader ‘blacklisted’!

Mention the name James Spader and I think that what comes to mind is his pivotal role as Brooke Shields’ brother in the 1981 romance-drama Endless Love (his first big break) in which he delivered one of the most unforgettable (to this movie buff) lines went something like this (with the four-letter word blipped): “Just because you are f_ _ _ _ _g my sister doesn’t make you a member of the family.” Spader was slim then, full of hair and brimming with unexplored talent. That stopped Martin Hewitt, who played Brooke’s lover, on his track.

At 53 (born James Todd Spader on Feb. 7, 1960 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA), Spader has established himself as a versatile actor after achieving stardom in 1986 when he played Molly Ringwald’s arrogant rich boyfriend in Pretty in Pink. Other film credits: Mannequin (with his friend Andrew McCarthy), Less Than Zero (as a drug dealer), Baby Boom, Wall Street and sex, lies and videotape in which his performance as a voyeur won him a Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Spader has also numerous TV shows to his credit, notable of which are The Practice (2003-2004, which gave him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor), Boston Legal (2004-2008, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and several nominations in other award-giving bodies), and The Office (2011-2012).

And now in Blacklist, an action-thriller which premieres on AXN on Oct. 7 (a Monday, 10 p.m.), Spader stars as ex-government agent Raymond “Red” Reddington, one of FBI’s most wanted fugitives who has brokered shadowy deals for criminals across the globe. Known as “The Concierge of Crime,” Reddington has mysteriously surrendered to the FBI, offering to help catch high-profile terrorists but on the condition that he only speaks with rookie profiler Elizabeth “Liz” Keen (played by Megan Boone).

The Reddington character cements Spader’s reputation for “quirky, idiosyncratic performances of eccentric characters.”

Said Boone, “You really want to watch him. He does play the overly confident, egomaniacal, morally ambiguous guy really well.”

Last week, Funfare did an exclusive interview with Spader who was in New York for the shoot of Blacklist episodes (he lives in Los Angeles).

Excerpts:

What attracted you to the role?

“I think I was intrigued at the start when I read the pilot script and even more intrigued by the end. Nothing was completed by the end, I knew less than when I entered the world.

“There is a very strong desire from a broadcast network that the episodes can stand alone and not as serialized as a cable network. With this show, the episodes stand alone but they come together and form a larger shape.”

What do you think about the similarities between this show and Silence of the Lambs?

“The relationship between the two has been imagery-based. In the pilot, I think the two things that brought that about was the imagery of someone in a containment cell, which is a function of a high-value criminal and what the hell do you do with them to mitigate the danger.

“And the other thing is the relationship with the younger woman. But in this case, there is a really real relationship, based at this point on an unknown but very specific and intimate knowledge of her that speaks to a past, which is obviously very different from Silence of the Lambs, which is more a psychopathic obsession.”

How did you prepare for the role? Is he a psychopath; did you study psychopaths? Also, did you study evil geniuses?

“No, not really. I’m not convinced that he’s a psychopath but he might be a little crazy. It was probably none of those things and none of those things as a whole ultimately. Ultimately, the answer is that it remains to be seen. For me as a player, it requires reading a script that’s six years down the line. A TV show is exciting and intriguing because of the fact that it’s undetermined and you may have quite a long time to get to the end of your story.

“And a story like this, that clearly has a ‘stand alone’ aspect to it, there is absolutely a greater story to be discovered as time passes. But what that is, I obviously can’t speak about it. A certain part of it I don’t know.”

You enjoy doing TV more, don’t you?

“I am very lucky. I have had tremendous opportunities in film and continue to have, but it’s such a different thing than working in television. I love the opportunity that TV gives you, that in three years, I’ll be able to read a script that sends me back on my heels…I like that.”

Tell us a bit more about your character and why you like him.

“There is something compelling and charming about Reddington. I know his personality but the facts and figures from his life are a great mystery. I think that’s one of the things I like about the show…that you learn about him. He’s strange, he can be very direct, but the answer he gives just poses another question really.”

Talk about your relationship with co-star Megan Boone.

“Our relationship working together was analogous to the two characters working together. We had no preconceptions about working together. There was this anticipation about us working together. I was very curious about her. And I think just the mix of age and experience has been great, the balance of that between the two of us.

“I am certainly older than she is and have been doing this for a long time. But she is very facile. And I think that mirrors the character. It’s proving to be great fun. We’re becoming friends just like in the show. And slowly, and with great respect for each other, we’re getting to know each other. I don’t think it’s mentoring. It’s different from that. We have to build a little box together. As for her character, she’s drawn in because of his demands, but once there, she can’t help going back and being drawn to it.”

Your character’s hair is long in his Most Wanted photo but ends up being short once he arrives at the FBI. This haircut got a lot of buzz online.

“It’s eminently practical for his life but also it’s a haircut you can give yourself if you’re in a cave somewhere. But I also thought it would be good. My hair was very long when I came to New York for the pilot. I thought the Most Wanted photo looked good with him in long hair but then he looked very different when he came with short hair. Also, he has to travel light and the hair is part of that.”

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