"I don't care as long as there is action…"
-- Eddie Cibrian
He played a bad boy on "Sunset Beach," a half-naked masseuse in "Living Out Loud," a fireman with a gambling problem on "Third Watch" and coming up he plays Joseph in "In the Beginning." No matter what the role, EDDIE CIBRIAN is eminently watchable.
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT:
What is living in New York like for you?
EDDIE CIBRIAN: It has probably been the biggest challenge for me. I was born and raised in Los Angeles; I have always been in the Southern California area. It is my first time living anywhere else. New York City is crazy. Getting adjusted and acclimated to this type of lifestyle has been tough. No car. Always walking and in the extreme weather. There is an energy here that is unmatched. I actually am looking forward to going back.
ET: Are there lots of loose ends to tie up as far as "Third Watch" is concerned?
EDDIE: I wish I knew. We haven't even seen a script yet. I know the last episode was a big cliffhanger where my character was concerned. I don't know whether I am going to get back together with my ex-wife or not.
ET: What can we look for?
EDDIE: I have talked to a couple of cast members, and we haven't seen anything yet. I know we are going to ascend to an even higher quality of television this year. We were working out a lot of kinks last season. JOHN WELLS had to find out what worked and what didn't work. I think this season will be high quality television.
ET: What happened that you thought made the show better?
EDDIE: Progressively, each of us developed a rapport with our characters. The chemistry and the direction of the show improved as it continued. Collectively, we determined which directors and writers worked well.
ET: What would you like to see happen to your character (Firefighter Doherty)?
EDDIE: It was tough in the beginning because my character is the only one on the show who doesn't have a partner. It was difficult for them to figure out where to put me, and in which storyline. I had the ex-wife, I had the son, and that was about it. I just anticipated every script thinking, "What are they going to do with me now?"
ET: Is Doherty actually cleaning up his act?
EDDIE: His act is cleaned up. It was exciting to have the opportunity to play a not so stable guy. He was still very immature. He didn't know what responsibility was as far as taking care of his kid, and he had a gambling problem. As the show progressed, he started to deal with each of those issues. At the end, everything seemed to finally gel. But as he was turning over a new leaf, he is shot and goes into the hospital. It looks like he wants to get back together with his ex-wife until his fiancé arrives and breaks up the whole thing. That is where I stand. I don't know what is going to happen next.
ET: What would you like to see happen?
EDDIE: I don't care as long as there is action and I keep fighting fires and getting into precarious situations. I would be happy just doing that.
ET: Do firemen approach you and give you tips?
EDDIE: A lot of my friends are firefighters and a lot of the extras on the show are real firemen. On their time off, they come and do the show. So they tell me, "This is what we would do. This is what a cool fireman would do. This is what an un-cool fireman would do. So, what do you want to be?" So, I get help all the time.
ET: Are you happy that "Law and Order" is your lead-in now, because it gives "Third Watch" a higher profile?
EDDIE: I hope so, because a good lead-in is important. We have been holding our own remarkably well this last year and we look forward to bigger success this year. It is going to be tough. We have the Olympics and we are not going to air until after that. And we have Monday night football that we have to deal with, but I think we are in the right timeslot. We started out at Sunday nights at eight, which didn't work out, so they moved us to a 10 o'clock timeslot. This year, honestly, we are really going to make a big stride as far as ratings. I think "Deadline" might help.
ET: Going from a soap to primetime, do you
notice a difference in the people who recognize
you on the street?
EDDIE: No. They are the same people. The same fans. A lot of them still recognize me from the soaps and followed over to "Third Watch." I don't notice anything really different. However, in New York people are less star-struck.
ET: What do you think about NBC's "In the Beginning" since you played Joseph in the production?
EDDIE: It is amazing. I think this is going to be a huge success and I am looking forward to seeing it. It is a story that appeals to everybody from the beginning of time. This is something that I think everyone is going to be interested in.
ET: What was it like playing a religious icon?
EDDIE: When I was approached to play Joseph, I was immediately excited because I thought I was going to play a Hebrew most of the time with a beard, and long hair. I thought it would be dirty, and I'd get to go off and do all of these things. Then I read the script, and discovered I would be portraying an Egyptian Joseph because he is sold into slavery, and then rises up through the Egyptian ranks. I had no beard, and a lot of eye makeup. It was a great experience.
ET: How long did makeup take for your role?
EDDIE: Usually, makeup took about 45 minutes. However, once, nearing the end of shooting, I had to be 108-years old. My call time was 2:30 in the morning and I was in makeup for five hours. Then I had to do a speech. It was tough being a pharaoh, but I had a great time.
ET: Some actors who have performed in religious epics have described feeling transformed after the performance. After playing Joseph, did you have a different perspective on life?
EDDIE: No, same perspective. I didn't know Joseph's story going into this project. I mean, I knew about his coat of many colors. But just learning about his progression and what he actually accomplished amazed me. Learning about that time period, while doing this movie, was probably the most enlightening thing for me. But my perspective is still the same. It hasn't changed. However, the production value of this huge miniseries was unbelievable. The sets were enormous. You felt as if you were actually inside the pharaohs' palaces. They did a masterful job of recreating it. Also, we had 1700-1800 Moroccans as extras dressed up and with camels, horses, and donkeys. All of these aspects of the Moroccan set seemed to recreate that ancient time.
ET: When something like this comes up, even
though it is very flattering to be asked to play a
religious icon, did you ever think, "Gee, maybe I
would just like to kick back with a cool one
around the pool instead of going off to
Morocco"?
EDDIE: No, I wanted to work. It's tough for me to sit around and do nothing and I wanted to get into something. I was fortunate enough to go to Morocco and then Budapest, Hungary. So, although I was working, it was almost like a vacation because we were travelling too. So, it fulfilled me in two ways. Plus the hours were pretty good. We didn't work late at night, and we always got off at a decent hour, had some dinner, relaxed, and then went back to work in the morning.
ET: What is a more difficult shoot -- the streets of Morocco or New York?
EDDIE: The streets of New York without a doubt. You never know what is going to happen.
