Warehouse 13's Eddie McClintock - Part of the Family

Warehouse 13's Agent Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock). Photo copyright of Syfy.

When it comes to job satisfaction, Eddie McClintock has no complaints. On this particular Monday afternoon in May, the actor is all smiles as he walks into the lunchroom at Warehouse 13’s Toronto studios. He and his fellow castmates as well as the crew are hard at work filming an episode of the hit show’s fourth season. When we last saw our heroes in the two-part year three finale, Emily Lake and Stand, one of their own, Steve Jinks, was murdered while undercover, and former Warehouse agent H.G. Wells sacrificed her life in order to save Agents Pete Lattimer, Myka Bering and Artie Nielsen as the Warehouse was destroyed around them. The whole experience is one that neither Pete nor the actor who plays him, McClintock, will soon forget.

“In Emily Lake we lost Aaron Ashmore’s character of Steve Jinks, and for me, that block of television, that moment where our characters discover Jinks and then deal with that followed by the ultimate destruction of the Warehouse was quite brilliant,” praises McClintock. “I don’t care if this is basic cable or not. That’s some of the best TV I’ve seen in a long time and I’m very proud of it. I’m so happy to be able to give viewers something like that that they can hold on to. I had people writing to me on Twitter and saying, ‘It’s so unfair the way that you guys ended last season. We hate you, we love you.’

“That’s what you want, though. You want people to feel something. It’s nice to make them laugh and that’s all well and good, but ultimately if you can get somebody to have the kind of emotional response that I had watching the death of Steve Jinks, that to me is part of the why I chose to become an actor. The Warehouse is gone, Jinks is gone, HG [Jaime Murray] is gone, Mrs. Frederic [CCH Pounder] is gone - we’re not sure about the dog, though. I thought I heard a yelp in there when the Warehouse went up. So that’s such a great place for us to now begin the fourth season.”

Myka (Joanne Kelly) and Pete in the season four opener "A New Hope." Photo copyright of Syfy.

Regular watchers of Warehouse 13 are familiar with the fact that Pete and his colleagues work for a secret government facility that houses thousands of historical Artifacts with strange powers that pose a threat to the public. Throughout the centuries, Warehouse agents have risked their lives to bag and tag such Artifacts and bring them to the Warehouse. It is not uncommon for an Artifact to be used to set things right, which Artie (Saul Rubinek) does at the start of season four. However, his decision is not without its consequences and one that impacts each of the characters in different ways going forward.

“There is a great deal of urgency when we start off season four,” explains McClintock. “Pete is devastated by the loss of his friends as well as a job that he loves. He loves the Warehouse. It’s the biggest toy store in the world for Pete, and what’s happened forces him to grow up a little bit, but not for too long.

“If you’ve seen the season four opener [A New Hope] you know that Pete gets killed, so I had to play dead, which is always challenging for an actor. I mean, you can’t be overly dramatic with your tongue hanging out the corner of your mouth,” he says with a chuckle. “I remember watching Johnny Depp’s character die in Platoon and Giovanni Ribisi’s character dying in Saving Private Ryan. He [Ribisi] plays a medic, and in the scene where he’s shot, he has them roll him over and asks, ‘Where’s the hole?’ They show him and he’s like, ‘Oh, it’s my liver. That’s bad.’ Again, that’s one of the reasons why I go to the movies, to have someone’s performance affect me on that level. I want to be able to do the same thing. I want to affect audiences in that way.

Pete is sizing up the situation. Photo copyright of Syfy.

“So Pete’s death scene was a challenge for me, and probably the biggest [acting] challenge I’ve faced so far this season. Otherwise, it’s just me behaving like a goofball. Oh, Pete does get a new love interest this season, played by Danielle Nicolet, and it’s always great to work with someone who is really in the room with you. For example, if I decide to say something one way in a scene, she’ll adjust, and vice versa. It’s kind of like a little dance with words and emotions, which for me is one of the pleasures of being an actor.”

McClintock’s onscreen death is “courtesy” of a familiar face to Sc-Fi TV and feature film audiences, none other than Brent Spiner, Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Lt. Commander Data, who plays the recurring role of Brother Adrian this season on Warehouse 13. “Working with Brent Spiner has been fantastic,” enthuses the actor, “but how could it not be. First off, the guy is Data, and he just happens to be really funny as well as incredibly talented, not to mention an icon.

“So in the fourth season opener my character is stabbed by the actor who plays one of the coolest cybernetic beings in the universe. On top of that, Pete’s mom [played by Kate Mulgrew] was a Starfleet captain [Star Trek: Voyager’s Captain Kathryn Janeway] and his ex-wife [played by Jeri Ryan] was once part of the biggest race of arch villains [the Borg] in Star Trek history, not to mention one of the sexiest women on the planet. I’ve been really lucky, considering I should be digging ditches somewhere in Ohio. That’s how I see myself. So for me to be here and working with people like Brent along with a number of other great guest-stars, including Lindsay Wagner [Dr. Vanessa Calder] and Rene Auberjonois [Hugo Miller], both of whom are coming back this season, is pretty amazing.”

Warehouse 13's dynamic duo - Myka and Pete. Photo copyright of Syfy.

While the actor considers his character’s demise in A New Hope to be his biggest challenge so far the show, he should also be commended for his performance in season three’s Trials, in which an Artifact causes Pete to lose his memory and regress back to childhood. “That episode was written by Drew Greenberg, and for me was an opportunity to explore feelings that I have in regards to my mother,” says McClintock. “I lost my mom when I was in the sixth or seventh grade. She didn’t die, I ‘lost’ her. She was basically just out of my reach for a time, so with this episode, I drew upon that abandonment that I felt as a kid.

“As an adult I’ve come to understand that none of that is really my mom’s fault, but in this case it was a way for me to let people know how I felt about having lost her without having to beat them over the head with it. So it was kind of a way for me to give up something that I keep inside, and I think that’s part of what acting is all about, at least for me. It’s being able to access certain feelings and emotions that are sometimes tricky to express, especially for men. This was a chance for me to play a little kid and in that moment let you know, ‘Hey, things didn’t really go that well for me back then.’ I didn’t have to be over-the-top or keep you at arm’s length with my comedy. I was given permission through the words that were written on the page to go there and let you [the viewer] in.”

As the situation for the Warehouse 13 crew becomes more complex and dangerous this season, the dynamic amongst the teammates grows even stronger. The same holds true for relationships behind the camera. “I see us as a family,” notes McClintock. “I spend more time with these people than I do my own family, and after four years I’ve spent a lot of time with these people and I love them. As the years go on, our relationships as people change and develop, and I think in this case that has an affect on what you see in the final product on our show.

Pete and Myka in the season four episode "Personal Effects." Photo copyright of Syfy.

“As actors we have to say what’s on the page, obviously, but I still believe that what we experience as people has an impact on how we say what we say. There’s an ebb and flow that goes along with a group of people who love each other as well as have a mutual respect for one another, especially when they have to spend an ungodly amount of time together under what can sometimes be stressful circumstances. Perhaps that’s why we’ve stayed so successful. TV viewers are pretty savvy these days, and I think they can tell if a group of actors can’t stand each other.

“That could be why some shows fall apart. A program becomes successful and then the actors get really competitive and feel they have bigger fish to fry, so their hearts aren’t in it any more and they want to go off and do movies or whatever. Look, I want to do a movie as bad as the next guy, bit I still love my show and working for a guy like [executive producer] Jack Kenny. It starts with Jack, and if he wasn’t who he is, then no one would want to be here. It’s still fun for me to be here, though, and I honestly believe that comes through in what you see on the screen.”

Unlike Warehouse 13’s first year that had 12 episodes and seasons two and three that ran for 13 , Syfy has renewed the series for 20 episodes this time around, which came as a nice surprise, but a surprise nonetheless for McClintock and his family. “My boys are now at an age where they have a better understanding of time and know that I’m gone,” says the actor. “When daddy goes away it’s hard and, ultimately, harder for me because they’re still doing their own thing. They see me on Skype, though. My wife and I basically turn Skype on and then just leave it on, so I can hear everything going on at the house. I don’t know how people did this before Skype came along.

Pete and Myka on the trail of another Artifact. Photo copyright of Syfy.

“So I’ve gone from being away for five months to nine months, which financially is very good for us, but emotionally kind of bittersweet because I miss my wife and kids. However, with the economy what it is today and so many people unemployed, for me to be a working actor and being paid to run around with a ray gun trying to save the world is pretty darn good. I’m extremely grateful.”

During the hiatus between seasons three and four of Warehouse 13, the actor had the opportunity to work on a few other projects that his fans can look forward to seeing him in.

“I did a film last year in Sofia, Bulgaria called Boogeyman,” says McClintock. “It’s for Syfy, and when I got to Bulgaria and met the director [Jeffrey Scott Lando] he told me, ‘Look, Syfy said to me that if you want to change things, add things or make things funnier, you’ve got full rein.’ I’ve got to tell you it’s tough without Jack [Kenny] there to make me look good, but I just took that as my opportunity to give a shout-out to [producer/writer/director] Sam Raimi and [actor/producer/director] Bruce Campbell because they influenced me so much with Evil Dead and Evil Dead II.

Eddie McClintock in Syfy's Boogeyman. Photo copyright of Syfy.

“So I tried to make this movie a bit funny, much like Warehouse 13, which can be funny as well as kind of scary, but all these things can exist in the same universe, right? Syfy is planning to premiere Boogeyman in August to coincide with season four of Warehouse 13.

“Then I did a straight drama called A Fish Story for a Canadian production company. In it I play a guy who gets a second chance at making things right with his family. There may be one scene where I’m telling the kids a fish story and you see a little comedy, but, again, it’s a drama. So that was cool to do and a nice change of pace for me.

“There’s one last thing we have in the works that I’m really excited about. After I did Boogeyman, my manager Ric spoke with Tom Vitale [executive vice president of programming and original movies] at Syfy Films and said, ‘Eddie had a great time on that movie. Maybe we can do another one.’ Tom said, ‘Sure,’ and Ric said, ‘Perhaps we can pitch you something.’

“That got me thinking. Warehouse 13’s stunt coordinator, Matt Birman, has been friends for years with [writer/director] George Romero, who is one of my icons. One day I mentioned to Matt, ‘What if we come up with an idea, got George Romero’s name over the title and took it to Syfy.’ So Matt has been working on a concept, which we pitched to George over lunch, and he’s onboard. Obviously it’s still very much in the planning stages, but we’re working on a script and hopefully this time next year we’ll be in production.”

Another shot of Joanne Kelly (as Myka) and Eddie McClintock (as Pete) from season four's "Personal Effects." Photo copyright of Syfy.

Agent Pete Lattimer had no idea what awaited him when he was reassigned from the United States Secret Service Agency to Warehouse 13. It was no different for McClintock when he first booked the role on the TV series, but over time, the character as well as the actor has found their respective new jobs equally rewarding.

“Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect,” says McClintock. “It’s funny, not too long ago my wife and I were in New York for the Syfy upfront presentation and we went to dinner at one of our favorite places, Ruth’s Chris Steak House. A man who was around my dad’s age was waiting on our table, and about halfway though our meal he asked me, ‘Is your name Eddie?” I said, ‘Yes, how did you know?’ and he said, ‘Oh, I love your show. I watch it every week and I think you’re so great.’

“To me, for someone to have that kind of random awareness of a TV show and fondness for your character is pretty special. I’ve learned, though, that Sci-Fi fans tend to be a bit more invested than your average TV fan. I love that and think it’s wonderful. I have no problems with it. Look, if you don’t want people being fans and coming up to you, talking with you and asking for your autograph, then don’t become an actor. That is a byproduct of success in this business, and I’m all for it. I wouldn’t have gotten into this if I didn’t want to be at the top of the business, and I guess my idea of exactly what the ‘top’ means to me is doing the best work possible with the best people possible. That’s what I’m doing here on Warehouse 13.”

Steve Eramo

As noted above, all photos copyright of Syfy, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Comments

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Eddie just oozes class. To be that grateful and grounded about where he is and where he's come from is tremendous. I also love the fact he doesn't take himself so seriously. Eddie, you're already at the top because you're a fantastic man.

Posted by: Jerry | 08/02/2012 at 04:14 PM