Very similar to the way that Sarah Michelle Gellar is beloved for her time on Buffy, fans of good TV – specifically, The CW’s short-lived Life Unexpected – immediately have recollections of one of their favorite shows upon seeing actor Kristoffer Polaha in a new project. The actor, who played “Baze” on the critically-acclaimed favorite, returns to TV alongside Gellar in the new series Ringer, which premieres at 9PM tonight on The CW.
We caught up with Mr. Polaha for a short time at The CW’s 2011 premiere launch party this weekend. Here’s what he had to say.
Please do not reproduce this interview onto other websites; instead just place a link to KSiteTV. Thanks!
What can you tell us about your new role of Henry on Ringer?
Henry Butler – he’s a writer, a novelist, who is married to a woman named Gemma, played by Tara Summers, who is Sarah Michelle Gellar’s character Siobhan’s best friend. Siobhan also happens to be Henry’s lover. So I’m having an affair with Siobhan, and when Bridget assumes Siobhan’s life, all of it goes cold, and Henry’s left to wonder “What’s going on?”
To have it be so hot for like a year and then suddenly be so cold, he’s just like “WTF?” So my character’s sort of sent in a tail spin in the pilot, and it really doesn’t correct itself until about episode 6. But what you will find out is there are a lot of dark undertones to Henry, but he is also randomly, and gratefully on my part, redeemable. So I think he’s going to continue to play a pretty interesting role in both the girls’ lives.
There’s a big surprise in the pilot that’s unveiled. Henry has something directly to do with that.
What is like to be playing a much darker character after playing Baze on Life Unexpected?
You know, it was a decision that I made really specifically. I read the script, and it reminded me of Twin Peaks, and I was like “you know what? It would be fun to sort of break away from Baze abruptly.” Which was a really scary decision to make, because fans really loved that character, and all that translates to a guy like me who’s playing him. All of a sudden I got all that love. And it was fun, it was nice. But I read this part, and I was like “you know, Henry’s one of those characters that you might love to hate,” and I’ve never played that. There is a dark side to me as an actor. I grew up in theatre and I played Eugene O’Neill – there’s a lot of dark, great, heavy stuff, that’s not like “Moo-ha-ha-ha” evil, you know what I mean?
There were a lot of dark elements to Baze, but the writing always tended to favor him and lift him up, and make him more lovable. But he was a son of a bitch. He got a girl pregnant, and he did not deal with it well. He left her high and dry.
Don’t miss Kristoffer Polaha on Ringer tonight on The CW. You can see images, trailers, and more here at KSiteTV!
