Christian Slater is setting the stage for a career comeback this fall in NBC's new series My Own Worst Enemy. The show will offer the actor twice the opportunity to strut his stuff as he takes on the dual roles of Henry Spivey and Edward Albright.
Spivey is the average man living the American dream: a home in the suburbs, a wife, two kids, a dog and a minivan. He works in a mundane job as an efficiency expert. But he has a far-from-mundane alternate personality: Albright, a top-notch government operative who can run a 4-minute mile, speak 13 languages and is a trained killer.
Joining Slater on the show is an impressive supporting cast that includes James Cromwell, Alfre Woodard, Saffron Burrows, Taylor Lautner and Madchen Amick as Henry's wife, Angie.
As one might imagine, Slater is a busy man appearing in nearly every frame of My Own Worst Enemy as either Edward or Henry. He took a quick break from the set on Oct. 3 to speak with press about the show, and SCI FI Wire was on hand. Below is an edited version of the conversation.
My Own Worst Enemy debuts Oct. 13 and will air Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, right after Heroes. (NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.)
Are you able to focus for a whole day on Henry or Edward, or do you jump back and forth?
Slater: On the first episode, it was pretty specific who I was playing on which particular day, but as we moved on, we've gotten to do a lot of fun things, and the other personality starts to come out in the midst of being in the middle of a fight or something like that. That's been challenging and fun.
As we peel the layers of this onion and continue to get into these characters, I think I'm going to continue to discover new things. The writers [are] just unleashed, coming up with a lot of interesting and creative scenarios and situations to put both of these characters into. For me, it's a continual process of discovery.
Was it the dual personality aspect of this that made this part appealing?
Slater: The dual personality aspect is definitely something that I enjoyed about this script. Taking the Jekyll-and-Hyde, angel-and-devil-on-your-shoulder [plotline] and blowing it up in such an extreme way was something that was very identifiable and very interesting.
This show has much higher production values than a lot of shows premiering this season. Was that one of the aspects that appealed to you about this series?
Slater: [The producers] told me each week they were going to try to put a movie on TV, and, as far as I can tell, the production value and the things we've been able to do have been extraordinary.
Is this kind of role fun for you, and how much does it play to your acting strengths?
Slater: We were shooting stuff yesterday, running through corridors and having this gun battle. [It's like] being a kid playing in my backyard, I'll be honest with you. I enjoyed doing it then, and I certainly enjoy doing it now. On every level, it's a unique and interesting challenge.
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Christian Slater as Edward Albright in My Own Worst Enemy. (Paul Drinkwater for NBC)
Edward speaks 13 languages. How difficult is emulating the languages?
Slater: They've brought in dialogue coaches. They give it to me with enough time to prepare and get ready. The languages that we're tackling so far have been Russian, a little Chinese and some German. It's all about listening. I try to listen to the specifics of what the teacher is telling me to do and get the details as much as possible. It's the specifics and repetition is really the trick so far that I've discovered to get a sense of the languages.
Are there different keys to playing Henry and Edward?
Slater: There are subtle differences a nd certainly some specific emotional differences between the characters. As we've gone along, we've discovered a lot of ways to make a distinction between the two characters in a very subtle fashion. Henry is certainly a character who is much more in touch with his heart. ... Edward is without a doubt the opposite end of that spectrum.
I don't want to give anything away, [but] as we delve deeper into this story, you will see what the purpose and reasoning for Henry's existence is.
Which character are you most like, who do you enjoy playing the most and which would you most likely be friends with?
Slater: It's interesting. In the beginning, I thought I really want to be Edward. He's this really cool, tough guy. [But] as we've gone along I've discovered that I really like Henry and find him to be a very relatable character and a very human guy.
For me, I don't ever want to be the extreme of Edward, so I'm somewhere in the middle between the two. If I could hang out with either one, I'd probably feel a lot safer with Henry.
Both Edward and Henry seem to be surrounded by women who take care of them. Can you talk about those women both of your characters play opposite?
Slater: Alfre is certainly a phenomenally strong actress and a perfect matriarch for this kind of environment, and she carries herself with great authority. She's a powerful actress, and I'm glad that she's the one holding the leash on Henry and Edward.
Saffron Burrows couldn't be a better therapist. She's intelligent and sharp and emotionally a very strongly developed character. Madchen [Amick] is just full of life and, I think, represents a great deal of the heart and soul of the story and what keeps Henry and Edward grounded.
Do you do anything physically different when you play the two characters such as a look or a way of carrying yourself?
Slater: There's nothing specifically that I try and do with the look. I think it's more in my emotional state. Hopefully it's more in my eyes. I can tell you that Henry prefers to have his suit jacket buttoned and Henry is open.
Are Henry and Edward going to find clues as to the existence of their other personality as the show moves along?
Slater: Yeah, in the first episode, the microchip that's implanted into Edward's brain has started to break down, and the two personalities are beginning to merge, and chaos starts to ensue. They do find different ways to communicate with one another. They write signs on their hands so, when they do come to, they can see what the other's been up to. As the show develops, they find much more technological things to be informed.
You had mentioned that, in regards to who you are personally, you've learned who you are not. Who are Henry and Edward not?
Slater: Henry is not Edward and Edward is not Henry.
-Jeff Otto
