大象传媒 Cult - Printer Friendly Version
Nick Wechsler - Roswell's joker - Kyle Valenti
Sheriff鈥檚 boy
Can you tell us a bit about your character?
Well, the little that I know.
He鈥檚 the son of the sheriff, now ex sheriff. His grandfather, my dad鈥檚 dad was also a sheriff. [He was] laughed at and mocked until he went crazy because of the whole UFO alien thing, and everybody was afraid the same thing was going to happen to my dad.
He鈥檚 gotten into trouble doing things to help the kids. It鈥檚 got to have some effect on Kyle - actually that鈥檚 why I鈥檓 in this outfit [blue overalls]. This is his wardrobe for a while, because he鈥檚 had to take on a job to pay the bills because his dad is without a job. It鈥檚 affected him a lot.
I can do better than that.
Tell us how you got started in the business?
I hate when I have to tell this story because I feel like a contrived anus but the truth is I went and saw a play in high school, and I didn鈥檛 think anybody was very good.
I still feel this same way - people in general but actors [especially], if you just think you鈥檙e great and you start taking bows for something that wasn鈥檛 even that great to begin with then it gets me mad. It鈥檚 never about how much you deserve it.
You know, like the standing ovation is totally meaningless now. There was a time when that meant something, [but now people] do this really mediocre or crappy to mediocre job and afterwards they鈥檙e like "Yes, thank you thank you".
I find that so obnoxious and I felt "I鈥檓 not even an actor and I can do that, I could do so much better." It came from wanting to prove to them how arrogant it was of them to think they were something special, when even though I鈥檓 nothing I can do that. I can do that, that鈥檚 easy, I can do better than that and I鈥檓 not even that good.
So that鈥檚 how I got started and then when I did it, it was really fun. I mean I always liked to sit around and make my friends laugh anyway. It鈥檚 not that I love being centre of attention or anything, it was just fun to act.
Audition nightmare
Tell us about the audition.
It was a lot of going over and over it. You鈥檇 get the fax material, the sides they call them, and you just study it over and over and over and then go on the audition.
Every time I thought "There鈥檚 no way I鈥檒l get it," so after, I would actually get angry because I felt "I鈥檓 not going to get this, why do they keep wasting my time? Why do they keep calling me back because I鈥檓 not going to get it."
But they keep calling me back and the closer I got the more convinced I was that I wouldn鈥檛 get it, because I felt "There鈥檚 no way it鈥檚 going to be me. What are the odds? I鈥檝e never gotten a job like this."
I don鈥檛 know. I think I slept with Jason, to be honest.
Second chances
What鈥檚 the best thing about being on Roswell?
I don鈥檛 feel really satisfied a lot with whatever I鈥檝e done.
I feel I鈥檓 not ready to do [movies], even though I would like to, obviously, most actors would. I don鈥檛 feel like I鈥檓 ready for it.
I feel lucky to be doing TV right now because I get another chance every day. If I don鈥檛 like what I did I go, "Damn, well just go back tomorrow and you have a few more days left to finish this episode, just work harder to not blow it for the next few days."
I like that I get so many chances. If I don鈥檛 like what I鈥檓 doing at the beginning of the season I have to the end of the season to get my crap together.
Honestly, I have a good time, and I wouldn鈥檛 know what to do if I weren鈥檛 here. I mean I鈥檇 hang out with friends and stuff but I would spend all my money eventually. It鈥檚 good that I鈥檓 making money and hanging out with people who are very nice.
I like Bill Sadler who is amazing. It鈥檚 a great treat to work with him.
Learning from dad
How do you feel you鈥檝e learnt from William Sadler, who plays Valenti?
I like to watch him and I feel lucky [to work with him].
Seriously, the first time I met him I was like "I just want to tell you that [The] Shawshank [Redemption] is one of my favourite movies." He said "It鈥檚 one of mine too."
He鈥檚 this guy I鈥檝e seen work before, and he does very good work and he somehow seems so much more professional than us. He always has his stuff together, it鈥檚 really impressive.
Best moments
Can you tell us a little about your favourite episodes?
The things that were my favourite things to do were not necessarily the best episodes. They were something that really felt good at the time. Honestly, sometimes I watch [what I鈥檝e done] and end up going "Okay it didn鈥檛 work as well as it felt it did."
I was particularly fond of, keeping in mind this is the way if felt to do it at the time, a scene with Shiri (Appleby - Liz) in bed. We were trying to piss Max off, and it worked. We were just laying there - actually I liked it before they cut it, because they had to cut all my stuff out.
Then there鈥檚 another thing, which actually they cut also, from the Christmas episode. It was the first time I鈥檇 felt I did an okay job. I almost did what I had in mind. Usually I aim for something and I fall short and get disappointed, but that time I felt "There are a few little things where I did almost what I aimed to do." [It felt] pretty darn good.
Hanging out
In your spare time what do you get up to?
I haven鈥檛 hung out with the others outside of work a whole lot. Bill I鈥檝e seen more than any.
It's not for any reason in particular, it just hasn鈥檛 happened.
I think I鈥檝e hung out with each of them at some point or another individually, but it鈥檚 so infrequent that I wouldn鈥檛 really say "I hang out with them."
I go to movies and concerts and stuff - that鈥檚 why I think all my money would be gone if I weren鈥檛 working because I just keep spending it, on that, and CDs, and I don鈥檛 know.
A different side of Kyle
Do you have any ideas about what should happen to Kyle?
I don鈥檛 know. I just let them write it.
There were a couple of things that I did come up with on my own, but then they approached me with some ideas and on that list was my idea, even though I hadn鈥檛 mentioned it to anyone. I thought "That鈥檚 cool" and so I responded pretty well to it because it was something I鈥檇 already thought of.
I said "Well, I don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 even the best idea of the bunch, maybe some of your other ideas are better but that one stands out to me because I鈥檇 already thought of it." I think they鈥檙e going to go with it.
Just because it鈥檚 my own weakness - I have a lot of tricks that I fall back on, and I get disappointed in myself for doing that - so I would like to avoid situations where I鈥檓 told "Do it that way that Kyle always does it". [It might be] that鈥檚 something I did accidentally and I was never happy with.
I want to do it better, and so if I seem a little different this season, that鈥檚 good. But I鈥檓 afraid they鈥檙e going to say "You鈥檙e doing it different."
Good and bad fans
What鈥檚 the fan reaction to you like?
It鈥檚 been pretty immense, not for me, just overall.
The [fans have] all been really cool. I鈥檝e had little funny things happen. Some kid sent me a [letter saying] "I want to say hello, and thanks and keep up the good workm" and then included in the envelope was this booklet about god. I appreciate it, kid but I鈥檒l never read it.
I鈥檝e gotten a few frightening ones actually, which is not fun. I think those people are threatening to ruin it for everyone. Personally, I don鈥檛 go and seek contact with fans, but if they happen to find me somewhere I鈥檒l say hello and speak to them for a while. But [those guys] are threatening to make it [so I have to be] a recluse so I don鈥檛 have to worry about feeling threatened.