Perhaps Michael
Emerson should have known he was destined to play a
role like serial killer William Hinks on "The
Practice," considering it was while watching a performance
of the play "Arsenic and Old Lace" that he was bitten
by the acting bug.
"I was drawn to the crazy younger brother (the nephew of
the murderous spinsters) who thought he was Teddy Roosevelt and
kept running upstairs thinking he was charging up San Juan
Hill," Emerson says. "That sure looked like a fun
thing to do."
Emerson got to have fun playing the diabolical Hinks after
"Practice" casting directors saw his starring turn in
the Mark Taper Forum production of "Gross Indecency: The
Three Trials of Oscar Wilde."
Though the role of Hinks was written with the idea of landing
a bigger-name actor -- Dustin Hoffman was briefly interested --
Emerson, whose TV resume includes the pilot of "Encore,
Encore" ("I was a snotty opera fan") and
"Stark Raving Mad," ("I was a smart-ass
doorman") won the job.
"It was never my goal as an actor to be frightening, and
maybe that's why Hinks was so frightening," says Emerson of
his chilling portrayal. "You don't try to play at a
villain's villainy, you try to set up a world where their
actions make perfect sense to them."
What was supposed to have been a quick guest shot became two,
three, four episodes -- and two more in voiceover after Hinks
himself had been the victim of a grisly murder.
"I thought I was going out to L.A. for 10 days,"
says the New York-based actor. "It wound up being two
months."
Ultimately, considering "Practice's" recent success
with guest actor nominations at the Emmys -- the show gained
three of the five nominations in last year's category, including
one for winner James Whitmore -- his time as Hinks may serve
Emerson's career better than his wry assessment of the part.
"Of course," he says, "it doesn't lead to
anything but more roles as psychotic killers."
