Eddie McClintock as Agent Pete Lattimer in Warehouse 13. Photo by Philippe Bosse and copyright of The Syfy Channel.
U.S. Marine, recovering alcoholic and Secret Service Agent - there is no denying that Pete Lattimer's life has had its share of ups and downs as well as the occasional brush with death. Just when he was convinced that things could not get any more interesting, Pete and fellow Secret Service Agent Myka Bering were reassigned to Warehouse 13, the latest in a long line of top secret facilities housing thousands of the world's most priceless, and in some cases most dangerous, treasures.
For over a year now, Pete and Myka have been working with the Warehouse's head agent, Artie Nielsen, to find and recover such Artifacts. In the Warehouse 13 first season finale MacPherson, it looked for a time that they had been outsmarted by Artie's arch nemesis. However, our heroes soon regained the upper hand in the season two opener Time Will Tell. For Pete and the others, the action picked up from where we left them last year, but for Eddie McClintock, who plays Pete, it was not quite the same.
"We actually filmed the episodes out of order, so the first one we shot for this season was Age Before Beauty, which is where Myka [Joanne Kelly] goes undercover as a fashion model," explains McClintock. "By the time we got to Time Will Tell I was settling back into things, but it was a very, very busy week for us, too. We were flying to New York for the Syfy Channel [press] upfronts, and I can remember there was a lot of sleeping as a result of that. Literally in-between takes, Joanne and I would try to catch a catnap on the set.
Pete (McClintock) confronts Damian Jardin (Salvatore Antonio) in an effort to figure out what is causing fashion models to age to death in "Age Before Beauty." Photo by Philippe Bosse and copyright of The Syfy Channel.
"I had watched all of season one before starting back to work this year, because I like to study my performance and see where I'm at as an actor in regards to my comfort level. That includes where I feel I might have pushed the comedy or beats that ended up not ringing true for me. I felt that last season perhaps there were moments where I pushed as opposed to allowing the words to speak for themselves, and what I mean by 'pushed' is like I forced the comedy rather than just letting it happen. So this year I tried to be a little more conscious of that, and let the words do the talking and not push so hard physically as far as the comedy.
"This is the first time since I began acting in 1997 that I've ever moved into season two of a TV show, and it was really nice to have the opportunity to come back and work once again with all these people who have become such good friends and truly part of my family."
In Warehouse 13's Time Will Tell, Pete and Myka travel to London in search of legendary author and ex-Warehouse agent H.G. Wells, who together with James MacPherson (Roger Rees), also a onetime agent, plans to break into the Warehouse's Escher Vault. The two agents arrive at H.G.'s former home, now a museum, and are surprised to discover that H.G. is, in fact, a woman (Jaime Murray). Unfortunately, she manages to trick Pete and Myka into activating a booby trap, allowing her to escape.
Pete (McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) find one too many surprises at H.G. Wells' former home in "Time Will Tell." Photo by Philippe Bosse and copyright of The Syfy Channel.
"I loved doing the scenes at H.G.'s house," says McClintock. "My favorite comedy is Young Frankenstein, and to be able to reference that movie in one of the scenes with the line, 'Put the candle back,' was great. My buddies and I used to hang out at college, having a beer and quoting lines from our favorite movies, so to do that on my own TV show was surreal. I love that we have ability with Warehouse 13 to pay tribute to so many of the incredible iconic films, TV shows and other cultural phenomenon.
"Obviously working with Jaime Murray is a very good thing. She's a terrific actress and we get along really well. On the day we filmed the little make-out scene between Pete and H.G., Jaime and I had literally met each other 15 minutes before the cameras began rolling. It's an interesting part of the business, and luckily we ended up liking one another and became friends."
Quoting lines from his favorite movies, collecting comic books (in particular Iron Shadow), cracking jokes and enjoying a good cookie are just some of Pete Lattimer's lighter sides. On the job, he is a highly-trained agent whose sixth sense for impending danger is invaluable. Keeping Pete's professional demeanor and his more quirky personal nature balanced has led to McClintock creating both a very believable and tremendously likable character.
Myka (Joanne Kelly), Artie (Saul Rubinek) and Pete (McClintock) watch a small disaster unfold in "Time Will Tell." Photo by Philippe Bosse and copyright of The Syfy Channel.
"I would love to say that Pete has really grown up and matured over the past two seasons, but I really can't," admits the actor. "I don't know, but in some ways it even feels like he may have taken a step or two backwards this year as far as his maturity level. I guess for me as an actor, the main challenge is trying to walk the line between funny and just plain silly. I don't ever want Pete to just be silly. I want everything that he says as well as does to be grounded in reality and come from a place where you allow him to sometimes act a certain way because you like him and really want him to succeed.
"I want Pete to earn the right to be who he is in front of the audience, which is why I think the [second season] episode Around the Bend, which is where he kind of goes off the rails, is so important. I like the fact that my character became so intense because it showed a side of him that maybe people either had forgotten he had or perhaps didn't know about if they hadn't seen the first season. I always like to say that we need to earn the comedy by having moments that are grounded with a lot of heart and sincerity. If we can connect with the viewers on that level, then I think they'll be willing to go along for the comedy ride as well. I also believe that the show's writers do a fine job of making sure we don't cross that line too many times.
"There's a moment at the beginning of Around the Bend where Pete blows his mouth up on the glass, followed by his Sherlock Holmes routine, and then he starts poking fun at Myka because she's unwilling to acknowledge that for once, Pete has gotten something right. He's teasing her and jumping back and forth over the velvet ropes. but then Pete hears something and immediately snaps back into work mode. That to me is a great example of who my character is. Yes, he likes to have fun because it's what keeps him sane. However, when it comes to his work as well as his family and those he loves, there is no one else you would want to have covering your back. Pete is fiercely loyal and incredibly competent as far as the bare bones of his job, which is trying to save the world on a day-to-day basis."
Viewers see a very different side of Pete Lattimer (McClintock) in "Around the Bend." Photo by Steve Wilkie and copyright of The Syfy Channel.
Relationships with others, both in the real and fictional worlds, are part of what makes people who they are, including Pete. "My character's relationship with Myka has come a long way, and it's interesting because it's sort of like the distance that my relationship with Joanne Kelly has traveled," says McClintock. "One day we were filming a scene where I'm supposed to be driving this old Studebaker convertible. In fact, the car was being pulled by a camera truck, so as we were being moved to our next position, I asked Joanne, 'Does it ever bother you that I can never take anything seriously?' She said [jokingly], 'Sometimes I want to poke you in the eye with a pencil, but if you were any other way it wouldn't be the same.'
"I've used that as an illustration of our relationship and how close it is to the one that our characters have on the show. We're like brother and sister, and while sometimes we may not like one another, we love each other as friends. I would do anything for Joanne, and Pete would do anything for Myka. I don't know if that type of relationship is unique to our show or maybe it's unique to successful shows. Perhaps that's what it takes to have a successful series, or vice versa - that type of relationship together with that trust as friends and members of a family. So Pete's and Myka's friendship continues to develop, and while she has certainly helped him grow up a bit, Pete has gotten Myka to loosen up and be a little lighter as well."
What about Pete's relationship with his boss Artie (Saul Rubinek) and the Warehouse's resident techie, Claudia Donovan (Allison Scagliotti)? "I made a choice that Pete considers Artie to be kind of a surrogate father because of the death of his own father when he was a kid," notes the actor. "I love their relationship, and I think it really shows in the episode For the Team, when Pete tells Artie, 'I would be honored to have a life like yours.' As much as Pete was talking to Artie, a lot of that was me talking to Saul. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Saul and the weight of his career. He's had an accomplished career and is incredibly smart, too, so I like to listen to what he has to say.
Pete (McClintock) makes a surprising little discovery in "For the Team." Photo by Philippe Bosse and copyright of The Syfy Channel.
"As for Claudia, she's like Pete's kid sister. Again, it's really wild how parallel the two universes are in regards to us as actors and our characters. Allison is frighteningly smart and a really talented actress, not to mention a great young lady. I adore her, and I think Pete is extremely protective of Claudia, too.
"When you're working 15 hours a day, five days a week and for six months with your fellow castmates, you're spending more time with them than you are with your real family. So you either quickly become enemies or, again, like family, and I think I've been very lucky to have the latter happen with this show. There's not a ton of acting going on when I'm at work. I'm pretty much having a ball with these people."
Season two of Warehouse 13 has marked the debut of two other women in Pete's life. One is a former colleague, Agent Katie Logan, played by Tia Carrere, and the other is Dr. Kelly Hernandez, a veterinarian and Pete's new love interest, played by Paula Garces. McClintock speaks highly of both actresses.
Pete (McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) deal with a man who, thanks to an Artifact, gains extraordinary powers, in "Mild Mannered." Photo by Philippe Bosse and copyright of The Syfy Channel.
"To have a career like the one Tia Carrere has had and for her to still be the person that she is, it's just wonderful," he says. "When you hear about these Hollywood divas and how they behave and the demands that they make, and then you meet someone like Tia, you think, 'Wow, there's hope for humanity.' I can't say enough about what a pleasant person she is and what fun we have working together.
"She was just in the episode Vendetta, and, unfortunately, I guess it ran a little long and a big scene of ours got cut out. It was one where Kate basically says to Pete, 'Look, I think we should take whatever this is between us to the next level and see what happens.' And Pete has to tell her that he's found this other woman [Kelly] and he thinks it's serious. My character apologizes to Katie and she says, 'You know, you don't need to apologize. I actually like this Pete better.'
"It's a shame that that scene didn't make the [final] cut because it shows, again, how Pete earns the right to be who he is, and at the end of the day he's really a stand-up guy.
Myka (Joanne Kelly), Claudia (Allison Scagliotti) and Pete (McClintock) come up against some celluloid baddies in "Beyond Our Control." Photo by Philippe Bosse and copyright of The Syfy Channel.
"When it comes to Paula Garces, she's someone else who's also very, very smart as well as talented and the two of us just get along. Again, we're lucky enough to like each other. And just so you know, there are people who I don't get along with or who I've come in contact with and we haven't necessarily clicked," says the actor with a chuckle. "This is yet another testament, though, to good casting and solid writing where we were fortunate enough to get Paula to come and do a few episodes. It also looks to me as if the relationship between Pete and Kelly is moving forward."
In the season two Warehouse 13 episode Merge With Caution, Pete is looking forward to spending a romantic weekend with Kelly, but neither he nor Myka expect to come in contact with an Artifact that causes them to swap bodies with one another.
"I was really happy with the way this episode turned out," says McClintock. "I thought it was the right blend of lightheartedness and a kind of creepy Warehouse 13 storyline. My big concern here was being able to play Myka without playing a caricature of her. I wanted it to be funny and I wanted to find pieces of Joanne as well as Myka in my playing of the character, but not have it be so over the top that it was ridiculous. I think there were places where I held true to that notion and then other places where maybe not as much. I have to hand it to our director, Anton Cropper, who had great notes for me and did a terrific job of making sure I walked the line and turned in a performance that I would not be ashamed to watch at the end of the day."
Pete (McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) take a little trip back in time in "When and Where." Photo by Steve Wilkie and copyright of The Syfy Channel.
Besides Tia Carrere and Paula Garces, McClintock and the rest of the Warehouse 13 cast and crew welcomed several other familiar faces to the show's Toronto set this year, including such veteran performers as Lindsay Wagner (The Bionic Woman) in the recurring role of Dr. Vanessa Calder, and Judd Hirsch (Taxi), who plays Artie's father in a special Christmas-themed episode airing in December. In the Warehouse 13/Eureka crossover story 13.1, Rene Auberjonois (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Boston Legal) guest-starred as Hugo Millar, a former Warehouse resident tech expert who had part of his personality trapped inside the facility's computer system.
"I don't know if this is typical for actors, but I still get star-struck," reveals McClintock. "Like when Lindsay Wagner came on the show it made me think, 'Wow, man, I must be doing something right because these people from my past have been put right in front of me.' I consider them people from my past because I grew up watching Lindsay on The Bionic Woman, and Judd Hirsch also came in and did our show, as did Rene Auberjonois.
"So I'm in good company, and being able to work with someone like Rene in 13.1 was so cool. Here's a guy who's worked as an actor for most of his life and is a true artist as well as well-respected. It was great to see him play a character that, again, could have been a caricature, but that wasn't the case because Rene grounded his performance in reality. His character went off to work in Eureka, so hopefully we'll see him back. I know Rene got on really well with our executive producer Jack Kenny, so if there's any chance for Rene to come back I think we'll see it."
Things get a little complicated for Pete (McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) in "13.1." Photo by Ken Woroner and copyright of The Syfy Channel.
Just prior to doing this interview, McClintock was looking forward to attending Dragon*Con before flying overseas to London for another convention appearance at Reunion 8 and then going on to Paris to do press for Syfy France. From all reports, he thoroughly enjoyed himself at Dragon*Con and was overwhelmed by fan response to Warehouse 13.
"When I saw the Warehouse 13 pilot for the first time I said to myself, 'Hey, this is good,'" recalls the actor, "but then I think it really struck me last year when we were filming the episode Claudia that, 'This is a pretty cool show.' As an actor, you want your show to be cool and you hope that it's worthy of coolness. However, at the end of the day, to go, 'Man, this really is cool,' is such a great feeling, and the fact that the fans have been so incredibly responsive to the program is why I do what I do.
"I love signing autographs and talking with people and hearing what they think of the show. To be accepted by this group of fans is just amazing," he enthuses.
Eddie McClintock speaking with fans at Reunion 8 in London. Photo courtesy/copyright of Jo Healy.
Along with Warehouse 13, the actor can be seen guest-starring in an upcoming episode of the new USA Network series Facing Kate, which he shot last month in Vancouver. "I grew a great big hairy goatee for the part," says McClintock. "My character is a cowboy with his own cooking show, so he's pretty far from who Pete is."
With Warehouse 13's second season finale, Reset, airing next week (Tuesday, September 21st) on the U.S. Syfy Channel, is McClintock pleased with where his character's story arc is headed?
"Yes , I am," he says, "and I feel that the show's arc in general is headed in the right direction as well. It'll be interesting to see what the third season arc will be. Hopefully I'll have a little bit of input into that. I tend not to get involved in that side of things, but if I have an idea and feel strongly about it, Jack Kenny will always encourage me to voice my opinion. I really love our writers, though, and I trust them, so I'm thrilled with where Pete's storyline is going. I also think I have a good understanding of where we're headed for next season and I'm excited about that because I think we're going to get deeper and deeper into who, what and why Pete is."
Not only is Eddie McClintock an all-around great guy and talented actor, he is also an accomplished artist. Please take a moment to check out his website - http://eddiemcclintock.com/
Steve Eramo
As noted above, all Warehouse 13 photos by Philippe Bosse, Steve Wilkie or Ken Woroner and copyright of The Syfy Channel, and Reunion 8 photo courtesy/copyright of Jo Healy, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
This was a great interview. Enjoyed reading Eddie's comments about his fellow actors and actresses, and have to admit that his quote regarding Saul actually got me a bit teary-eyed.
Posted by: CandyMaize | 09/18/2010 at 06:30 PM