Old Ted King interview from 1999
Apr 22, 2022 23:34:50 GMT -5
prudencehalliwell, The Crone, and 1 more like this
Post by Sandra on Apr 22, 2022 23:34:50 GMT -5
We rarely see much or any interviews with Ted King who played Andy.
It is a pleasant California afternoon and I have the chance to sit with the, ahem, charming actor who portrays Detective Andy Trudeau on the hit series CHARMED, T.W.
HO: You work on CHARMED - a series about witches. Do you find yourself believing in the supernatural?
TWK: The supernatural? Just because I work on Charmed, or in general?
HO: In general.
TWK: That's an interesting question. I can't say specifically that there is anything I believe in or that I don't that is specifically supernatural...I believe that there are presences of things from the past that are residing here in the present and - I am not sure that they are ghosts per se - but I think that are ...there is an energy that exists from people who have went before us. You can feel it sometimes when you are in particular edifices. It is a great thing too, I remember when I was rehearsing DRACULA and we went to the Cloisters in New York to rehearse - that was pretty powerful.
HO: Have there been any unusual or scary incidents on the set of CHARMED?
TWK: It's always scary wondering if you are going to be picked up for another season. Unusual? We tend to play a lot of pranks on each other, but nothing really scary.
HO: You work with three of the most beautiful women on television - what is like working them - especially working with Shannen Doherty?
TWK: It has been a fabulous experience to say the least. Shannen? I like the bad girl in Shannen - I like that aspect of her. It's been good - I have to say that these are three very strong willed women who have had a lot of success at an early age, and also have had a lot of experience in front of the camera on television, so I have nothing but things to learn from them in a lot of respects - both on and off camera.
HO: Are the things we hear about Shannen rumor or fact - both good and bad?
TWK: I think some of it is rumor, but a lot of it is based on truth because she was young when success hit her. The great thing about Shannen is that she is a total professional and is always prepared, and she expects everyone around her to be at the same level - and I like to think I am the same way, so I respect the way she is around the set. We get things done, things rapidly and according to the script, so I certainly can't complain.
HO: What do you think accounts for the phenenomal success of Charmed?
TWK: I think - I think - I have no idea! I wish I did! I think largely it is a show that has found its audience, an audience that is interested in the occult. I think that the chemistry between the three women is great as sisters on the show, and as time goes on and I get to watch them, I believe that they really are like sisters. Even offset, they have a great rapport and that transfers well to the screen.
I think that Shannen and I have a good chemistry between us. I am trying not to play Andy as the tough, stereotypical cop - I am trying to have a sensitive side to him. He knows that she is the love of his life and he will put up with not knowing the mystery of what is really going on - not knowing that they are witches simply because he is totally in love with her. Hopefully at some time, it will be something that her character will address and will be straight with me - I should say Andy. I honestly don't know why it is the success it is, I just know that there are a lot of people who are interested in the occult and a lot of people are interested in these actors on the show.
HO: How do you respond when people refer to and dismiss it as just another "jiggle" show?
TWK: It's not - it's not at all. There are jiggle shows and there are jiggle shows but CHARMED is not one of them. We have very little of that. If anything, I feel that there is a bit of reverse discrimination because it is a show about three women, so the guest star of the week is usually a good looking man - which doesn't do me any good, but I guess it keeps the women who watch the show happy.
HO: What has been your favorite episode so far?
TWK: As a viewer, it would be the episode that took place in Chinatown - it had a depth to it that I really liked, a great relationship, a great guest star. It's hard to find a great guest star - and the Chinese actor who came in to play the character was just great. The relationship that developed with Piper was beautiful - kind of sad in the end. The great accomplishment was that within an hour show, they were able to convey a lot of different emotions in addition to all the action of the show. The writer of that episode is very talented, and it was a very original show, dealing with gangs in Chinatown - things that we hadn't dealt with at all until that point.
HO: The February 3rd episode brings the Wendingo into the fray (read the review in our TV section). How do you feel about bringing monsters into the show as opposed to keeping it strictly supernatural?
TWK: Well, that is more of a question for the executive producers than me! I don't have an answer for that one, I think that monsters can be supernatural - shape shifters, that sort of thing. Vampires are monsters and are also considered supernatural. It's a natural progression, I think, for the show.
HO: How do you see your character developing over the course of the next several episodes & where would you like to see him go?
TWK: That's a tough one to really answer. I have been trying to play Andy as intelligently as possible - despite the fact that there are homicides going on and the girls always seem to be showing up at the crime scene! I have to stick with the idea that there is no way if you were dating someone would you suspect them of being a witch - it wouldn't be the first thing that came to your mind. You may think that they were involved in the events in some manner, but you would not think she is a witch! There is something going on in the episode I am about to shoot this week - my character is actually very much in control of his suspicions about Prue and her sisters. Unfortunately, I can't comment on that too much because it is about to happen, and there are going to be some interesting revelations. He is not as dumb as you think and he is very, very suspicious of what is going with Prue and her sisters - hopefully, there is going to be a confrontation at some point.
HO: Do you have much input into the scripts?
TWK: I actually have restrained from giving my input during the first season because I think it is very important for everyone involved with the writing to put as much of themselves as they possibly can into the series. What it really comes down to is that it is their show and their ideas. When I feel that the time is right, and when I feel that they are open to my input, then I certainly give it. The only thing I ask right now is not make my character totally oblivious to everything going on under his nose!
HO: Is Aaron Spelling very much a hands on executive producer?
TWK: Yes - surprisingly so for me because of the number of shows he has on the air. I am constantly surprised by how completely involved he is in every single aspect of the show we do. He pays attention to all aspects of it which I think is fantastic. Not having known him for that long, I think that his attention to detail is the reason for his tremendous success - he does not let anything slip through the cracks.
HO: How did you become involved with CHARMED?
TWK: I had met Mr. Spelling in the spring of 98 briefly and then months passed. I went to New York to do some work for Make A Wish, and then I came back to LA on a Tuesday. I got a phone call from my agent saying that Mr. Spelling wanted to see me on Wednesday - the next day- at 3pm to read for CHARMED. I arrived at the office at about 2:45, got the material, and fortunately there were about six other actors there and they were taken in first, so I had a little bit of time to work on it. 24 hours later, they had me back to read for the network - the WB - with a whole new set of actors and they offered me the role. It all happened within 24 hours.
HO: Are there any plans for a CHARMED feature?
TWK: Not that I know of at this point.
HO: Does Andy get a lot of fan mail?
TWK: Yeah, actually, I have been quite fortunate in getting so much fan mail that I can't return it all. I would like to do it, but it takes a lot of time to answer everyone's letter and write a response to whatever they have asked you.
HO: Is there a typical fan for Charmed? For Andy?
TWK: I don't think there is a typical fan to the show, it pretty much runs the entire gamut. The people writing me are teenagers, children writing on behalf of their parents, parents writing to me telling me how much their kids like the show, husbands write me asking me to send their wives a picture as a surprise, housewives asking me for photos - all types of people.
HO: Thank you, T.W. for your time and the best of luck to you and your co-stars on CHARMED!
TWK: Thank you - and thank you to everyone who is out there watching us every week.
HO: You work on CHARMED - a series about witches. Do you find yourself believing in the supernatural?
TWK: The supernatural? Just because I work on Charmed, or in general?
HO: In general.
TWK: That's an interesting question. I can't say specifically that there is anything I believe in or that I don't that is specifically supernatural...I believe that there are presences of things from the past that are residing here in the present and - I am not sure that they are ghosts per se - but I think that are ...there is an energy that exists from people who have went before us. You can feel it sometimes when you are in particular edifices. It is a great thing too, I remember when I was rehearsing DRACULA and we went to the Cloisters in New York to rehearse - that was pretty powerful.
HO: Have there been any unusual or scary incidents on the set of CHARMED?
TWK: It's always scary wondering if you are going to be picked up for another season. Unusual? We tend to play a lot of pranks on each other, but nothing really scary.
HO: You work with three of the most beautiful women on television - what is like working them - especially working with Shannen Doherty?
TWK: It has been a fabulous experience to say the least. Shannen? I like the bad girl in Shannen - I like that aspect of her. It's been good - I have to say that these are three very strong willed women who have had a lot of success at an early age, and also have had a lot of experience in front of the camera on television, so I have nothing but things to learn from them in a lot of respects - both on and off camera.
HO: Are the things we hear about Shannen rumor or fact - both good and bad?
TWK: I think some of it is rumor, but a lot of it is based on truth because she was young when success hit her. The great thing about Shannen is that she is a total professional and is always prepared, and she expects everyone around her to be at the same level - and I like to think I am the same way, so I respect the way she is around the set. We get things done, things rapidly and according to the script, so I certainly can't complain.
HO: What do you think accounts for the phenenomal success of Charmed?
TWK: I think - I think - I have no idea! I wish I did! I think largely it is a show that has found its audience, an audience that is interested in the occult. I think that the chemistry between the three women is great as sisters on the show, and as time goes on and I get to watch them, I believe that they really are like sisters. Even offset, they have a great rapport and that transfers well to the screen.
I think that Shannen and I have a good chemistry between us. I am trying not to play Andy as the tough, stereotypical cop - I am trying to have a sensitive side to him. He knows that she is the love of his life and he will put up with not knowing the mystery of what is really going on - not knowing that they are witches simply because he is totally in love with her. Hopefully at some time, it will be something that her character will address and will be straight with me - I should say Andy. I honestly don't know why it is the success it is, I just know that there are a lot of people who are interested in the occult and a lot of people are interested in these actors on the show.
HO: How do you respond when people refer to and dismiss it as just another "jiggle" show?
TWK: It's not - it's not at all. There are jiggle shows and there are jiggle shows but CHARMED is not one of them. We have very little of that. If anything, I feel that there is a bit of reverse discrimination because it is a show about three women, so the guest star of the week is usually a good looking man - which doesn't do me any good, but I guess it keeps the women who watch the show happy.
HO: What has been your favorite episode so far?
TWK: As a viewer, it would be the episode that took place in Chinatown - it had a depth to it that I really liked, a great relationship, a great guest star. It's hard to find a great guest star - and the Chinese actor who came in to play the character was just great. The relationship that developed with Piper was beautiful - kind of sad in the end. The great accomplishment was that within an hour show, they were able to convey a lot of different emotions in addition to all the action of the show. The writer of that episode is very talented, and it was a very original show, dealing with gangs in Chinatown - things that we hadn't dealt with at all until that point.
HO: The February 3rd episode brings the Wendingo into the fray (read the review in our TV section). How do you feel about bringing monsters into the show as opposed to keeping it strictly supernatural?
TWK: Well, that is more of a question for the executive producers than me! I don't have an answer for that one, I think that monsters can be supernatural - shape shifters, that sort of thing. Vampires are monsters and are also considered supernatural. It's a natural progression, I think, for the show.
HO: How do you see your character developing over the course of the next several episodes & where would you like to see him go?
TWK: That's a tough one to really answer. I have been trying to play Andy as intelligently as possible - despite the fact that there are homicides going on and the girls always seem to be showing up at the crime scene! I have to stick with the idea that there is no way if you were dating someone would you suspect them of being a witch - it wouldn't be the first thing that came to your mind. You may think that they were involved in the events in some manner, but you would not think she is a witch! There is something going on in the episode I am about to shoot this week - my character is actually very much in control of his suspicions about Prue and her sisters. Unfortunately, I can't comment on that too much because it is about to happen, and there are going to be some interesting revelations. He is not as dumb as you think and he is very, very suspicious of what is going with Prue and her sisters - hopefully, there is going to be a confrontation at some point.
HO: Do you have much input into the scripts?
TWK: I actually have restrained from giving my input during the first season because I think it is very important for everyone involved with the writing to put as much of themselves as they possibly can into the series. What it really comes down to is that it is their show and their ideas. When I feel that the time is right, and when I feel that they are open to my input, then I certainly give it. The only thing I ask right now is not make my character totally oblivious to everything going on under his nose!
HO: Is Aaron Spelling very much a hands on executive producer?
TWK: Yes - surprisingly so for me because of the number of shows he has on the air. I am constantly surprised by how completely involved he is in every single aspect of the show we do. He pays attention to all aspects of it which I think is fantastic. Not having known him for that long, I think that his attention to detail is the reason for his tremendous success - he does not let anything slip through the cracks.
HO: How did you become involved with CHARMED?
TWK: I had met Mr. Spelling in the spring of 98 briefly and then months passed. I went to New York to do some work for Make A Wish, and then I came back to LA on a Tuesday. I got a phone call from my agent saying that Mr. Spelling wanted to see me on Wednesday - the next day- at 3pm to read for CHARMED. I arrived at the office at about 2:45, got the material, and fortunately there were about six other actors there and they were taken in first, so I had a little bit of time to work on it. 24 hours later, they had me back to read for the network - the WB - with a whole new set of actors and they offered me the role. It all happened within 24 hours.
HO: Are there any plans for a CHARMED feature?
TWK: Not that I know of at this point.
HO: Does Andy get a lot of fan mail?
TWK: Yeah, actually, I have been quite fortunate in getting so much fan mail that I can't return it all. I would like to do it, but it takes a lot of time to answer everyone's letter and write a response to whatever they have asked you.
HO: Is there a typical fan for Charmed? For Andy?
TWK: I don't think there is a typical fan to the show, it pretty much runs the entire gamut. The people writing me are teenagers, children writing on behalf of their parents, parents writing to me telling me how much their kids like the show, husbands write me asking me to send their wives a picture as a surprise, housewives asking me for photos - all types of people.
HO: Thank you, T.W. for your time and the best of luck to you and your co-stars on CHARMED!
TWK: Thank you - and thank you to everyone who is out there watching us every week.
