Another from HBO.com


HBO: The show has had great ratings. And critics love it. Why do you think the show is a big hit?


B.D. WONG: This show is not like any other show on television. I have never been in a show, or worked on a show, that was so... had its own kind of sense of originality. I think that that is what appeals to people -- that it's not like anything else you can see anywhere, especially on television.... It has a very unique look... and an incredible set of actors in it; and it's got incredible work in it. And it has great vision. And it doesn't hold back for a second, in any episode. So I think that people really are drawn to that. Also it takes place in a world which most of us fantasize about in our worst nightmares -- and I think that people are always interested in exploring a part of humanity that they hope they won't get to see in real life.


HBO: And you've got some great directors... Kathy Bates, Bob Ballard, Matt Dillon. What's it like working with these people who have done your job in front of the camera?


BDW: It is so much easier to work with an actor as a director, than with a director who has never had the experience of acting. It's just easier; and in my opinion, it's better. It makes the show better. I think it makes the acting better.... Because I don't have to explain, or try to explain, to a director what I'm experiencing. Every time an actor has walked on to this set and directed an episode, it has been an amazing experience for me. So it's been terrific, and quite an honor, actually -- one of the many honors of being on this show.

HBO: Do you get involved with any of the boxing scenes at all?


BDW: Father Ray started out kind of not into the whole thing. He is not sure whether he thinks it's a good idea or not. So, that may play out later on.


HBO: As a viewer watching the show, which storylines do you get most inspired by?


BDW: Well, I am really interested in McManus, Terry Kinney's journey through the whole show, as the kind of visionary who created this remarkable place. And watching him deal with the day-to-day frustrations of having such an idea of how a human being can be rehabilitated -- and questioning whether that's really true or not. I find that incredibly compelling and a real foundation for the whole show. Dramatically, I think that anything that Rita Moreno does is fascinating. And I think the relationship between the various staff members and the inmates is amazing and fascinating. I am always looking for every new script to see what facet of that is going to emerge. HBO: Do you ever give Tom any suggestions about where you think your character or a storyline should go?


BDW: There is nothing that I could suggest to Tom that would be any better than what Tom could come up with by himself. The only suggestions I ever make to him are really menial, and they're about the language, or the way he speaks, or whether he is really wearing that... you know, things like that. I consider this whole thing a ride; and I like being on the ride. I don't like predicting the future. I don't like knowing what's going to happen . In some ways, I am watching the show while I am participating in the show, which is extremely entertaining.


HBO: Do you ever meet any real priests that have seen the show?


BDW: Oh, yeah, lots. Yeah.


HBO: What do they say?


BDW: Well, they're not particularly validated by my presence on the show, as a priest. But I have tried to do a fair amount of research, with a certain amount of artistic license thrown in. And I have one favorite priest, Father Gary Seibert, at Holy Cross Rectory here in New York City, who has helped me whenever I had really specific things to do. But I do run into priests who watch the show who get a kick out of seeing their vocation on the screen.


HBO: You don't see too many priests on TV, do you?


BDW: You can really name them. You remember them when they're on. There's a priest on THE SOPRANOS. And there have been a couple of series in the last couple of seasons with priests in them.


HBO: Let's say you have been arrested and convicted wrongfully, who would you pick as your cellmate among the cast?


BDW: Oh, that's really funny. God, what a sick question that is. Well, it has to be an inmate, right? I can't pick Rita Moreno.


HBO: No.


BDW: [LAUGHTER] Well, I can't pick Edie Falco -- the greatest actress who ever lived. Well, you know what... first of all, I would pick my favorite people on the show. Edie Falco is one of my favorite actresses. I think that her work is transcendent. And I have already told you what I think of Rita. I would pick them to be in the cell with; but that's not really answering the question, because I really should pick somebody who is an inmate. I'd pick Rebadow, because I just think he's a good person. He is sweet, and I think he would be a really good roommate.


HBO: Someone else picked him. They said: he knows everyone.


BDW: Yeah. He'd be the perfect person. You'd never have to worry about watching the back door with him.


HBO: Is it hard to unwind after the day? Does it feel like you're really in prison?


BDW: What I'm not sure the audience can perceive is how literal the set is. All the various areas: the cafeteria, to solitary, and the psychiatric wing... the staff offices, are all built in this one floor, in a studio in Chelsea, New York, where you really feel that you are in the confines of a prison. I mean, even your dressing room could be used as a cell. There is no neutral area here. So that makes it very strange. It is on those days when you're doing those most heaviest of scenes -- as fans of the show know, there are many of those in this show -- where you feel exhausted, or sad, or a residual feeling of the drama that you have been participating in. That's not an everyday, constant thing. It is pretty much a joy to be here. I know that sounds really ironic, but for an actor, and an artist, it's extremely gratifying to be here.





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