By Christina Radish

Christian Slater at the NBC Universal All-Star Party held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. on July 20, 2008.

On the new NBC drama My Own Worst Enemy, Henry Spivey (Christian Slater) is a middle-class efficiency expert living a quiet life in the suburbs with his wife, Angie (Madchen Amick), their two kids, Ruthy and Jack (Bella Thorne and Twilight’s Taylor Lautner) and a dog. Edward Albright (also played by Slater) is an operative at Janus Headquarters, who speaks 13 languages, runs a four-minute mile and is trained to kill. Henry and Edward are polar opposites who share only one thing in common -- the same body.

MediaBlvd Magazine> Of all the shows premiering this season, this show is head and shoulders above the rest, in terms of the production value, the action and the storyline. Is that what you wanted and needed, if you were going to commit to a television series?

Christian Slater> It’s always a risk and a gamble, whatever project you get involved with. But, Ben Silverman, Terry Weinberg and Katie O’Connell have really kept up their end of the agreement. They told me that they were going to try to put a movie on TV every week and, as far as I can tell, the production value and the things we’ve been able to do have been extraordinary. The crew and the team that is assembled is beyond first class. To show up to work every day is a phenomenal pleasure.

MediaBlvd> Were you looking at other pilots, before you came across this show?
Christian> No, not really. Ben Silverman was so relentless in his pursuit, and then, when I read it, I got very excited. It’s a dream come true part because I get to do two different roles. It’s pretty fun.     

MediaBlvd> Were you paying attention to film actors finding success on TV, like Kiefer Sutherland has with 24?

Christian> In the first episode, it was pretty specific, as to who I was playing on each particular day. But, as we’ve moved on, we’ve gotten to do a lot of fun things, where the other personality starts coming on, in the midst of being in the middle of a fight, or something like that. Edward may be having hand-to-hand fist combat with a guy on a train, and then start to feel Henry, who doesn’t really know anything about fighting, coming out. That’s been challenging and fun.

MediaBlvd> How much creative input do you have into Edward and Henry?

Christian> As we’ve gone along, and I’ve worked with the directors and with John Eisendrath, it’s been great. If I have a question about a particular moment or a particular scene, or I feel like a particular action would be more Edwardian or Henry-esque, the directors and John have been very, very happy to hear the suggestion and, oftentimes, have incorporated it into the script.

MediaBlvd> Are there key differences to playing Henry and Edward for you? Is there something different you’re tapping into to get those two to be separate?

Christian> Yeah, there are subtle differences, and certainly some specific emotional differences between the characters. As we’ve gone along, we’ve discovered a lot of ways to make some clear distinctions between the two characters, in a very subtle fashion. Henry is a character who is much more in touch with his heart. He is a much more compassionate character. Edward is, without a doubt, the opposite end of that spectrum. We come to discover Henry is specifically created. As we delve deeper into the story, you will see what the purpose and reasoning for Henry’s existence is.                                  

MediaBlvd> Do you do anything physically different when you’re playing the two characters, either in the way you carry yourself or the look you try to adopt?

Christian> There’s nothing specific that I try to do with the look. It’s more in my emotional state. Hopefully, it’s more in my eyes. I can tell you that Edward prefers to have his suit jacket buttoned, and Henry is open.

MediaBlvd> Are the two characters so embedded in you now that you can easily jump from one to the other, or is that still a hard thing to do?

Christian> As we peel the layers of this onion and continue to delve deeper and deeper into these characters, I’m going to continually be discovering new things. And, it feels like the writers have just unleashed and are 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.

MediaBlvd> When it comes to Edward and Henry, who are you most like, who would you probably be friends with, who do you like to play the most, and who is easiest to play?

Christian> In the beginning, when I first read the pilot and we started filming, I thought, “Gosh, I really want to be Edward.” Edward is this cool, tough guy. And, as we’ve gone along, I’ve discovered that I really like Henry and find him to be a very relatable character, who is a very human guy. I’m certainly enjoying discovering more and more things about that particular character. I don’t ever want to be the extreme of Edward, so I’m somewhere in the middle, between the two. But, if I could hang out with one of them, in particular, I’d probably feel a lot safer with Henry.                                               

MediaBlvd> Were the dual personalities the aspect of this that made it irresistible to you? If the show were only about Edward and not Henry would it have been as interesting for you?

Christian> I think the dual personality aspect was certainly something that I enjoyed about this particular script. I thought the title was great fun. Taking the Jekyll and Hyde premise and using that angel and devil on your shoulder scenario, and then blowing it out into such an extreme way, was something that was very identifiable and very interesting.

MediaBlvd> How bad-ass is Edward?

Christian> I would say Edward has some skills that I’m looking forward to delving more into, and certainly getting deeper and deeper into the action, as much as possible.

MediaBlvd> In contrast, how much softer is Henry?
Christian> Henry is certainly a much more passive guy, but he’s got some skills. He’s good with puzzles and word games, and things like that. Those are probably all elements that will be brought into future episodes and used somewhere in the spy world.

MediaBlvd> Will the personalities of Edward and Henry clash?

Christian> A little bit. We’ve found different ways to communicate. Edward’s found ways to warn Henry of possible dangers, and ways to get prepared. If I had to classify who is whose own worst enemy, in the first episode, it would actually be Henry. Henry’s the one that gets involved in a situation in Moscow, where he wakes up in a hostage-type situation and doesn’t know what to do. He ends up giving away more information than he should and getting himself in a lot more trouble than Edward necessarily would. It’s like playing tennis back and forth, between the two characters.

MediaBlvd> Having them named Henry and Edward is clearly an allusion to Jekyll and Hyde. How much is this show about the guy and how he may be lacking in both halves of his personality?

Christian> That is where Jason obviously picked those names from. Certainly, in the first episode, I would call it more Hyde/Jekyll, in this type of scenario. It’s taken the Jekyll and Hyde thing and turned it on its ear, by making Edward the one who would normally be the Dr. Jekyll character.                                                                                   

MediaBlvd> Do you know what the long-term plans for the character are?

Christian> They won’t tell me anything! I can only assume, in my own brain, that it is a very human, emotional story and, over the course of however many episodes we get the opportunity to do, at the end of the day, it’s going to be a story about finding balance. That’s only my projection, though. I really have no idea.

MediaBlvd> Is it tougher, playing a character that you don’t know the full story of, going into it?

Christian> For me, it’s fun and challenging. This show obviously lends itself to mystery and intrigue, and it is set in the spy world, so not having all the information is actually pretty fun. Seeing how the layers of the onion are peeled off, episode to episode, it will be fun.

MediaBlvd> Have you created back stories for both characters?
Christian> Quite honestly, the back story that we did in the first episode, there will be changes made in future episodes. It’s just that kind of show. You don’t really know what to believe and what’s the truth, who’s telling you what, what’s set up, what is real and what isn’t.

MediaBlvd> How much do you think this plays to your acting strengths?

Christian> We were shooting stuff yesterday, running through these dark corridors and having a gun battle, and it does go back a little bit to being a kid, playing in my backyard. I enjoyed doing it then, and I certainly enjoy doing it now. This particular show certainly provides me the ability to do two very distinct personalities. On every level, it’s a unique and interesting challenge.                

MediaBlvd> Did you watch any dual-character movies or TV shows to see how other actors have played two characters?
Christian> I don’t think so. This one felt pretty unique and different. It was material that a lot of people responded to, and they were all excited to be a part of it. I’m certainly grateful for the cast they were able to assemble. It’s a great cast! Saffron Burrows is beautiful, Mike O’Malley is hilarious and Alfre is an elegant, graceful, beautiful woman. I’m glad she’s the handler.                       

MediaBlvd> Are you a fan of spy movies?

Christian> Oh, yeah! I love Sean Connery. I grew up watching all of his Bond films. And, I love Daniel Craig. I think he’s a great Bond. I’ve traditionally always loved this genre.

MediaBlvd> Edward is this intense operative who speaks many, many languages. How many languages do you actually speak in real life? Do you have to just fake it on the show?

Christian> As far as the series goes, they have brought in dialect coaches, and they record the stuff on CD and give it to me with enough time to prepare and get ready. The languages that we’ve tackling so far have been Russian, a little Chinese and some German.

MediaBlvd> Is there one that’s particularly hard?

Christian> It’s all about listening. I try to just listen to the specifics of what the teacher is telling me to do and get the details as much as possible. It’s specifics and repetition. That is really the trick, as far as getting a sense of what the languages are.

MediaBlvd> When you left Ryan’s Hope, did you ever imagine that you would be the star of your own TV show?

Christian> No! It’s fun, it’s cool and it’s exciting. Ryan’s Hope was a great experience, and was probably helpful in doing something like this.

MediaBlvd> You’ve had such a long and amazing career. Looking back, are there one or two projects that stick out to you, that you’re especially proud of?

Christian> For me, I go way back to a film I did, called Pump Up the Volume, that I enjoyed a great deal. I loved playing that character. And, he had a bit of a dual, split personality thing going on as well. This particular show is reminiscent of that, in some ways.

MediaBlvd> How so?

Christian> In Pump Up the Volume, I played a very shy high school kid, who by night was this guy that had this other personality, when he felt comfortable being in the privacy of his own room. I liked the duality of that. I like the Clark Kent/Superman aspects of that particular film.                                      

MediaBlvd> You’ve done guest starring spots on other television shows, but now you’re not just the star of this show, you’re actually two stars of this show. How has that been for your work load?

Christian> When I go to work, I love to work. It’s difficult when you show up to work and you end up sitting in a trailer all day and you feel like, “Wow, what was the point of this?” So, for this, I can honestly say that I haven’t spent a lot of time hanging out, sitting still. It’s been like jumping on board of a very fast-moving train, hanging on and keeping up, and enjoying the ride as much as possible. There is a lot of bouncing back and forth, and a lot of twists and turns. It just never stops moving. And, I seem to really respond to that kind of atmosphere.

MediaBlvd> Do you have a plan to maintain that energy level through 22 episodes?

Christian> Just take care of myself, and hang out with people that are supportive, caring and nurturing. Because the crew is so great and I’m really enjoying working with all of these people, it hasn’t felt tedious or agonizing. It’s felt pleasurable and like a real fun experience. We’re spending a lot of time laughing and being creative. And, the directors that have come in have been phenomenal and wonderful, and incredibly easy to work with, so that makes the job that much easier.

MediaBlvd> Is it hard to juggle work with parenting?

Christian> No, it’s pretty good. I’ve got a great team of people that help run things smoothly. I get to spend time with my kids. It’s working out so far, as far as scheduling goes.

MediaBlvd> Was that part of the appeal of doing a TV show, since you’ll be in the same place?
Christian> That was certainly an element. But, the energy that NBC has displayed, as far as this show’s concerned, and the passion they have for it, shows their hope that it succeeds.

MediaBlvd> As a long-time movie actor, what do you like or dislike about the storytelling differences with working in television?

Christian> It’s a phenomenal experience to come in, every eight days, and be handed a new script, and see the direction that things are going and the questions that are being answered. As an actor, having done theater and having done movies, you show up and you get to tell that one whole complete story within two hours, or however many days it takes to make the movie. With this, it is a continual, unfolding journey. It really is up to the writers and how creative, clever and interesting they’re willing to be. I can honestly say that I couldn’t be more excited with the direction they’re taking the show. It’s fun to sit in the read-through’s and hear the other actors go, “Oh, my goodness!,” because they haven’t read the scripts yet. It’s fun to hear that they’re genuinely surprised.                        

MediaBlvd> As someone who starred in several cult films that have really stood the test of time, like Pump Up the Volume, Heathers and True Romance, do you feel like a TV show can have that same impact and staying power?

Christian> I think so. Certain shows have been quite historic. Star Trek is certainly a show that had staying power. Without a doubt, shows that are done well, with integrity, and that have interesting characters that people can relate to, certainly have the ability to stand the test of time. And, if people are putting their heart and souls into them, it comes across.

MediaBlvd> Your show is going to be running on Monday nights with Heroes and Chuck. What would you say to that audience to convince them to stick around and check out your show? What do you think your show offers the comic book fans?

Christian> This show has so many phenomenal twists and turns. I think we’ll continue to keep audiences guessing. We have continual storylines, and some characters that are very well developed and are in the process of being developed, and some really great actors. James Cromwell, Alfre Woodard, Saffron Burrows and Madchen Amick are all just very, very interesting characters. I hope people enjoy it as much as I’m enjoying making it.

MediaBlvd> Do you think My Own Worst Enemy will end up crossing genres, like Lost does?

Christian> I certainly think it has that possibility. It’s going to come down to what the writers choose to do and what direction they feel is the best possible direction to take the show in. I certainly see it as a very human, relatable and identifiable story. That will keep it grounded in a certain sense of reality.

MediaBlvd> The supporting casting in this is really strong.  Were you involved with the casting?

Christian> Oh, yeah. I could not be more thrilled with the people that are involved. And, the kids that I have on the show are incredible. There’s going to be some really interesting storylines to delve into, in later episodes, with those particular characters. I couldn’t be happier.

MediaBlvd> Both Edward and Henry seem to be surrounded by a group of women who take care of him. Can you talk about working with the women in the cast, specifically Alfre Woodard, but also Saffron Burrows and Madchen Amick?

Christian> Alfre is a phenomenally strong actress and a perfect matriarch for this kind of environment. She carries herself with great authority. She’s a powerful actress, so I’m glad that she’s the one holding the leash on Edward and Henry. And, Saffron Burrows couldn’t be a better therapist. She’s intelligent and sharp, and emotionally a very, very strongly developed character. Madchen is just full of life and really represents a great deal of the heart and soul of the story, and what keeps Henry and Edward grounded.

MediaBlvd> Storywise, is your home life going to get pulled into more of the spy world? Will Henry’s wife become involved in that aspect of the character’s life?

Christian> Working with her is one of the greatest experiences of my life. I love her. The chemistry that I feel with her is just very special. I certainly look forward to whatever the writers do have in mind. I can tell you that, of course, there are going to be some very interesting scenarios for her to have to deal with, and for my character to have to deal with, as far as relationships go, dealing with a marriage and this kind of extreme circumstance.

MediaBlvd> Are you doing a lot of the stunt work?

Christian> Yeah, they’ve been great about getting me involved. We’ve got a great stuntman, who’s fantastic. I’ve also got a great stunt double who’s fantastic. But, I enjoy getting involved in the fights. I love doing it. I took Kempo Karate for two and a half years, and I just started to go back again because I would like to get my black belt. I’m two belts away from getting my black belt, so I’d like to continue to do that and incorporate as much of what I know into the movements that Edward is capable of doing.

MediaBlvd> What type of training have you had so far?
Christian> Nothing, really. I eat spaghetti Bolognese every night, and all sorts of stuff. Doritos are my favorite thing. I’ve done no physical training, whatsoever.

MediaBlvd> What’s been your biggest challenge, handling two characters that are so diverse?

Christian> It has been an interesting process for everybody, discovering how to make the characters’ transitions. I’ve done, and continue to do, my part in trying to make it as clear, distinctive and relatable as possible, but it’s a challenge to be coming into a scene one way and exiting another, and seeing the differences in how I carry myself, how I behave and how I identify with things emotionally.