'Fringe' exclusive: Lance Reddick on Funny or Die skit, show's future

'Fringe' exclusive: Lance Reddick on Funny or Die skit, show's future

Matt Carter, TV Examiner
January 19, 2012
Lance Reddick has certainly made a name for himself playing mysterious and even occasionally frightening characters on such shows as "The Wire," "Lost," and currently "Fringe," where he stars as Special Agent Broyles in one universe and Colonel Broyles in the other. Recently, though, we had an opportunity to see a completely new side of the actor courtesy of a new Funny or Die clip that features him as a shockingly inappropriate manager of a toy store. (If you haven't seen the video yet, you can to the left -- with a wwarning for language)

We recently had a chance to talk with the actor about taking on a more humorous role, the future of his Fox series, and how "The Wire" has managed to gain in popularity following the show's end.


Matt Carter: So you've been known through 'Lost' and 'Fringe' for playing some very mysterious characters -- so how did this whole idea [of doing something different] for the Funny or Die skit come about?

Lance Reddick: Honestly, I've been wanting to do some comedy for quite a while. I've done some comedy for the stage, but since I started to do a lot of television about 12 years ago I haven't done as much. But I love doing it.
[My involvement came thanks to] Chad Kultgen, the guy who wrote it. He was approached by Funny or Die to do it, and he was a huge fan of 'The Wire' so if he was going to do it he wanted to do it with me ... I had never met Matt before, and really the only thing he had sent me was the opening monologue. I was flipped -- I was like 'this is hysterical. I want to do this.'

So how long did it take you to shoot this?We started filming around 11 in the morning and we finished around 4. It was one of those things where they said 'whenever you have a break in your schedule, we'll set it up.' So when I happened to have about a week off from 'Fringe' -- my shooting schedule between episodes just so happened to fall like that -- I had my manager call them and we put it together.

So is this something that you could see yourself doing more of in the future?
Absolutely! I never thought of myself of being thought of as one type until 'The Wire,' and I always did stuff that was different. Granted, much of the stuff I did before that was still really intense (laughs), but it was still really different.

When you look back at 'Fringe' now versus where it was three and a half seasons ago, it's become one of the most complicated shows out there in between the alternate universes and what's happening with Peter right now. When you were starting out on the show, did you ever see any of this coming? Did [the producers] give you some sort of roadmap?
No. As a matter of fact, I think the show took a bit of a turn in the second season. I honestly don't think they were necessarily going to build alternate universes from the beginning. If they were, they just didn't tell me -- which is also possible. My character changed quite a bit from the first season to the second season -- honestly I feel like he became a lot less mysterious. So in the middle of the second season, you kind of knew that he was a good guy.
So in the second season we had the alternate [Colonel] Broyles, and then he died [in the] third season. And now he's back.

One of the things I wanted to specifically ask you about during season three. What was it like to have to play [Agent] Broyles looking at Colonel Broyles' dead body?
It was really surreal. I went in the day that we shot [the scene]-- and even though I went in and did the life mask and all that stuff -- until the day that we shot it I hadn't seen [the finished product] ... it was freaky. I wish I had a more eloquent way of putting it. It was almost like an out of body experience. You know when something happens that is so bizarre or so horrifying that your nervous system just short-circuits and disconnects? It was like that.
On the other hand, it's a great thing to play. (Laughs.)

Read Matt Carter's entire article here.

See Lance's "Funny or die" skit here.

FRINGE: A Sitdown with J.J. Abrams

J.J. Abrams discusses his love for Fringe, what Fringe fans can do to help the show (watch live and tell your friends), and the possibility of Abrams directing an episode of Fringe.

"LEGO Friends" of Fringe?

Are designers at LEGO secret fans of Fringe? Check out this LEGO Friends set called "Olivia's House".

It features the mini-doll figures Olivia, Peter, and Anna (Torv?), and some elements that mimic the Fringe glyphs - Butterflies, Leafs, Flowers, and even an Apple. Plus, there is a hot air balloon (i.e. zeppelin) in the background.

Maybe this is that LEGO alternate universe!

Fringe - Join The Club

Text Fringe to 94444 to get special videos and messages!

Fans Ask Fringe: "Anna vs. Olivia"

Anna Torv answers the question: "In what ways are you like or not like Olivia?", in this Fans Ask Fringe interview.

Q&A With David Fury Via Twitter on 1/13

I want to take a moment to thank Fringe writer, David Fury, for being true to his word on 1/13 and live tweeting with both the East and West coasts at 10 PM that night via Twitter.

Daivd wrote episode 403, "Alone In The World" and co-wrote episode 408, "Back To Where You've Never Been," and this is the second time he's made himself available for Q&As after one of his episodes aired.

I feel honored that David answered 4 of my tweets, and I'm sharing our Q&A tweets with you:


1)fringeobsessed1
@DFury This eppy felt like a combo of Over There 1&2 AND Entrada. Are you happy with how it turned out?
in reply to ↑
@DFury David Fury
@fringeobsessed1 I'm happy if the fans are happy. It's a big responsibility when you futz with a show's mythology.




2)fringeobsessed1 
@DFury Do you have a favorite #Fringe character (from either universe)-one w/whom you're most sympathetic?
in reply to ↑
@DFury David Fury
@fringeobsessed1 It's hard not to love Walter.





3)fringeobsessed1 
@DFury I caught that little O/L moment when she touched his hair. I think it's fun that there's potential for a P/L/O triangle- do u agree?
in reply to ↑
@DFury David Fury
@fringeobsessed1 Most def.



4)fringeobsessed1
@DFury I have to tell u that image of our Walter enjoying his strawberry shake w/Aaron in 403 with their foil hats-for me that is iconic. :)
replies ↓
@DFury David Fury
@fringeobsessed1 Nice. I was going for that.


Thanks again, David. It was awesome! Let's do this again sometime soon.

Fringe FBI Podcast Season 4 Episode 8

Frea, Jan, Lou, & Maximus get together after each Fringe episode in this temporarily constructed shared reality known as a podcast to discuss the Fourth Season of Fringe.

This week special guest Karen covers for me - Lou and does a stellar substitution job.

'Back To Where You've Never Been'
 

Not Everything Is As It Seems

Agenda:

1) Intros

2) Episode Easter Eggs  

3) Quick Thoughts 

4) RoundTable 

5) Ep Rating - out of 10 Genes

 

Intro Music: 'Lunatic Fringe' - Tom Cochrane

Exit Music: 'Olivia's Theme' - Chris Tilton

Leave us feedback here or on Twitter:

Frea - @Frea_O

Jan - @happydayz3

Lou - @olddarth

Maximus - @mxpw999
Karen - @aleveria

Jan's Wallflower Recap can be found at NiceGirlsTV

FBI Inc Podcast graphics designed by Frea_O

On the run all the time? A commuter? Listen to our portable version
via iTunes - Alternate Reality Version.

Fringe Observiews 4.08 Back To Where You've Never Been

Welcome to the Observiews for Season 4 of Fringe. I call them Observiews because they are more visual observations than deep thinking reviews, if that makes sense.

Screen caps from this episode are taken from fringefiles.com, and my pictures. Dialog is from fringepedia.net/transcripts.

All observations are mine and therefore could be totally off the wall and/or wrong. I have not read or looked at any recaps or reviews. I could also have missed a few things, oh well…

4.08 Back To Where You’ve Never Been

SECRETARY BISHOP: “Not everything is as it seems.”

You can say that again!

Read more »

Fringe Review: Back to Where You’ve Never Been

“If you want to get rid of me, just help me.”

This episode began (dream excluded) with Peter asking Walter for help and hearing the story of Walter’s wife’s death and the tragedy that some Peter’s death caused. That tragedy is the moment in which Walter went crazy: not the death of his son (although obviously that was a factor), but the death of his beloved wife. The episode ended with Peter asking Walternate for help and witnessing the death of Fringe Division’s internal security—smaller problems that only take on enormous import for a version of Walter who has not lost his wife.

Read more »

Fringe Producers Talk Tonight's Return, Peter's Mission and How It Could All End!

Fringe Producers Talk Tonight's Return, Peter's Mission and How It Could All End!

Jan 13, 2012 09:49 AM ET
by Damian Holbrook

Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv and John NobleFringe fires up new episodes tonight (Fox, 9/8c) with a high-adrenaline hour mostly set in the alt-verse that features a slew of first-time meetings between characters, as well as a reveal of shapeshifting proportions. On the heels of some less-than-encouraging comments by Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena last week about the show's future, producers Jeff Pinkner and Joel Wyman opened up in a frank, and frankly exciting, discussion with TV Guide Magazine about what tonight's episode sets in motion, and why fans should count on them to do right by them should this be the final season.


TV Guide Magazine: It's been quite a week...
Pinkner: In the Fringe world?


TV Guide Magazine: In the Fox world.
Pinker: You mean the Kevin Reilly, TCA stuff?


TV Guide Magazine: Yeah.
Pinkner: You wanna know how we took that information? None of it came as a surprise to us. We know our job is to keep the show as creatively exciting as we can make it for them. And as Kevin acknowledged in that panel, creatively, they still love the show. We know what the rest of our season has in store, as do they, and they are very excited about that. Then it comes down to business decisions. Hopefully, it will all work out.
Wyman: When Kevin Reilly says something is gone, he doesn't mince words. So you should take that for what it is.


TV Guide Magazine: Going back to you knowing how the rest of the season will shake out, you're gonna share that with me, too, right?
Wyman: No. [Laughs]
Pinker: Ha ha ha ha!
Wyman: We'll tease some of it for you!


TV Guide Magazine: OK, that works. In November you left us with a pretty disturbing image of Nina drugging Olivia...
Pinker: Yes. But that will not really be attended to in a big way in this week's episode. The next two episodes, really, are about Peter. Having been turned away by Walter, who refuses to help him find his way home, Peter realizes there is a man who is equally smart who can help him, that being Walternate. So Peter convinces Olivia — who has her own agenda — to allow him and Lincoln to go to the alternate universe to convince Walternate to help him get back to his own timeline. Of course, everybody has their doubts about what kind of guy Walternate is, and certainly his possible participation in the shapeshifters.


TV Guide Magazine: And how does their first meeting go?
Pinkner: Peter comes to find that his expectations of Walternate are not met. It's a really kind of fun episode that introduces the bad guy of the year. We'll learn a lot about the shapeshifters, who is behind them, and what the Hell is going on. The first seven episodes where like the first act of the season. Now we really start pursuing this over the next several episodes.


TV Guide Magazine: Do you guys have an idea for another reset timeline should Peter be able to remedy all of this? Or would he return to the timeline he already knows?
Wyman: We don't want to spoil anything, but as we always say on Fringe, nothing is really as it seems. There's always a way to handle a problem that may escape normal logic. It may [clue you in] to the possibility of something that you don't even know you didn't know.
Pinkner: The show is not going to get more complex. We recognize that we are throwing a lot at our fans — who are brilliant and attentive viewers — to track and pay attention to. We have no intention to make it any more complicated. We're not trying to let intellect overtake the emotion of the show.
Wyman: When we decided to do what we did last season, some people loved it, some people were like, "Oh my God, what does that mean?" But even after Jeff and I both said several times that Peter was still a huge part of the program, people were still like "Wait, is Peter coming back?" What we're excited about is that our plan for where we are going with that is coming into effect now. I think people will have a moment of "Ohhhh...I get it." It will become clear why we did what we did.


TV Guide Magazine: Would you say this next round of episodes are Josh Jackson-heavy?
Pinkner: Not really. They're sort of team-heavy. They're not Peter-at-the-expense-of-anyone. He is now in this timeline, interacting with our characters, so it's very much team-oriented.


TV Guide Magazine: You mentioned the emotion of the show, and in the last episode, there were clearly seeds of an Olivia-Lincoln situation being planted.
Wyman: That's true. That was our intention. Don't forget, Peter has his Olivia. So this Olivia is an incredible lure, but also a painful memory of what he's lost. Lincoln and Olivia are both available, and there is a relationship there that could be possible...but you have to keep watching. We're glad you picked up on that.


TV Guide Magazine: Well I just imagine the pain it will cause Peter to see something like that develop, knowing his Olivia is somewhere without him.
Wyman: That's it, right! Then he starts to wonder, "Am I ever going to get home?"


TV Guide Magazine: What kind of cases have you lined up for the second half of the year? Surely Peter can't be their only concern.
Pinkner: I think, without giving anything away — and again, sorry, sometimes we may hold things too close to the vest — there are absolutely a lot of stand-alone cases. Peter is the "Fringe event" of the moment, but the cases are not all about him. A lot of them are sort of the things we enjoy and do the best. Cases that touch on or refract the themes we're exploring this season, populated by some of the coolest Fringe victims and bad guys and monsters we've done all season.


TV Guide Magazine: With the arrival of tonight's bad guy, would you say the action is going to be increased?
Wyman: Oh yeah. The action is increased a lot. There's a lot of what Jeff and I like to call a cascade of reveals coming up. There are going to be some really interesting turns that you won't see coming, and a lot of that is footed in action. You are going to understand what the rest of the season is going to look like. It will render itself for you as you watch this next batch of episodes.
Pinkner: One of the things we're having fun with, and we have said this before, is that Season 4 is designed as a love letter to our characters and our show. The idea of having a different timeline? It's the same world, it's the same blend, it's the same Earth as Seasons 1 through 3, it's just a different timeline and one of the fun things for us is to look at how some familiar faces and cases may be different.


TV Guide Magazine: Like tiny edits. This season is like a second draft.
Wyman: Exactly! [Laughs]
Pinker: Yeah! You get to revisit.


TV Guide Magazine: Should this be your final run, you do have an end game in place, right?
Wyman: Yep.


Read Damian Holbrook's entire TV Guide article here.

Fringe Episode 4.08 Review/Analysis: Who Is The Man Behind the Curtain?

This episode has a strong underlying theme of trust and deception. The ultimate evil is often believed to be deception. Many religions warn of being deceived. In fact, one of the many monikers for Satan is, “The Great Deceiver.” Tales span the centuries about humans tricked by this master of puppets. So, who is really pulling the strings on Fringe? Or if Peter is like Dorothy in OZ, who is the man behind the curtain?

Read more »

Fringe Episode 4.08 Review - Picking Up Momentum Now

By now, you know how fond I am of The X-Files. Episode 4x08 "Back to Where You've Never Been" has elevated Fringe to cult status, in my eyes, pulling even farther away from mainstream television and the uninitiated viewer. Not only has it bridged the two universes in one strong episode, it delivered a TRUST NO ONE warning. The Wizard of Oz parallels did not escape me either. Confirming for me that Peter was Dorothy on the yellow brick road.

The dream sequence, this time, is filled with symbolism. CHOICES. It was a little difficult to figure out what Walter said at first, but I do know both Walter and Olivia said that Peter wanted waffles. This I liken to wanting to go home to his family. He is OK with pancakes, on the other hand. Could that also mean he was willing to settle for what he has here in the current timeline. The waffle iron was broken. It was referred as the machine. Do you think the actual MACHINE needed fixing too?

The first seven episodes was designed to entice new viewers, without having to catch up on past seasons. That's the reason for the reiteration of details. This episode is a departure point for the rest of the season. Definitely feeling a forward momentum here. None of the echoes from the past are stale when they are brought in along with the threat to the alternate universe. It's good to have Secretary Bishop on same side for a change.

And Peter... He has earned my respect for the first time, without saying a word. He has validated my unfailing faith in alt-Olivia. "Peter said at the end of the day, you're a good person. You'd do the right thing."

The brief reappearance of September brings up many questions. He was definitely pulled from time to deliver Olivia the message. From what timeline did he come? Could it be the future? Observers have the ability to be at any point in time. Why would he appear now? This signifies a critical point of change. Did he do anything to save her himself? Who shot him? His dying breath warning that Olivia has to die in all possible futures, reminded me of the end of 3x19 Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, when Olivia knew Man X would kill her. This just rang a bell in my head. It was Olivia's death in the future that triggered Peter's decision to bridge the universe, in the first place. Well, so much for guessing what comes next.

On a scale of "You've lost me." and "I see where this is going.", I am at "This has always been and still is a good mystery."