You mentioned “Lethal Weapon.” You must get recognized a lot for that role. What’s it like having played such an iconic character?
It was a gift. I was very hesitant at first because of what Mel [Gibson] had created, and I’m such a fan of what he created. He’s part of the reason why I wanted to be an actor. I was quite nervous to go into that shadow, and you talk about being in someone else’s shoes. I was lost in those shoes. I was so small in what he had created again.
With all of the negative that came at the end of [“Lethal Weapon”], it was truly a blessing. I met my makeup artist, who’s worked with me on “The Killing of Two Lovers” and “Joseph Chambers,” crew, Jordana [Brewster, and] Chris Coy. All these people that I met doing “Lethal,” it’s really helped me facilitate what I believe has been my dream to make my own, tell my own stories. It was special.
Wven with all the nastiness, it ended exactly how I wanted it to end. I was able to play this guy with a perfect arc. Where we found Riggs and where we left Riggs, it doesn’t happen on network TV. I know that it was unintentional, the way that it ended, but as an artist, as an actor, that was a dream come true.
To be able to take away those relationships with other people and still work with them, that’s invaluable.
It was the first time I’d ever been on set every single day, all day. I was on that set 75 hours a week. It was the greatest lesson in filmmaking I could have ever been given. It was such an intimate education.
A lot of times as an actor, you get pulled in, then you get pulled out. I lived on the Warner Bros. lot, and the knowledge I gained is the only reason I’m sitting in Tribeca today, because of what I learned on that [TV show].
They didn’t give me … any other choices, really. I was backed into a corner and it happened when I was 40. I was like, “Man, if I’m going to keep acting, I better go do this s*** on my own and take this opportunity to tell the stories I’ve always wanted to tell and do what I’ve always wanted to do,” because I realize it can go away just like that. Something I’ve been working [on] for over 20 years, [I] can lose it so quickly, and that could have been through a car accident or through anything. It’s all so fragile. I gained a great appreciation.
