James Spader talks about his shady character in The Blacklist and clears the air on the show’s resemblance with Silence of the lambs
What attracted you to the roleIJ
I was intrigued by the pilot script and even more intrigued by the end. The episodes in this show stand alone, but come together eventually to form a larger picture. There is something compelling and charming about the character I play. I know his personality but the facts and figures from his life are a great mystery. One of things I like about the show is that you learn about him. He is strange, he can be very direct, but the answer he gives just poses another question.
What do you think about the similarities between this show and Silence of the lambsIJ
The relationship between the two has been imagery-based. In the pilot episode, I think the two things that brought about was the imagery of someone in a containment cell, which is a function of a high value criminal and the question that what do you do with them to mitigate the danger. The other thing is the relationship with the younger woman. But in this case, there is a real relationship based at this point. It is on an unknown but very specific and intimate knowledge of her that speaks to a past, which is obviously very different from Silence of the lambs. This is more of a psychopathic obsession.
How did you prepare for the roleIJ Is he a psychopath, did you study psychopathsIJ
No not really. I’m not convinced he’s a psychopath. It was probably none of those things as a whole ultimately. The answer is that it remains to be seen. For me as a player, it requires reading a script that’s six years down the line. A TV show is exciting and intriguing because of the fact it’s undetermined and you may have quite a long time to get to the end of your story. For a story like this, that clearly has a standalone aspect to it, there is absolutely a greater story to be discovered.
You enjoy doing TVIJ
I have had tremendous opportunities in films and continue to have, but it’s such a different thing than working in television. In three years, I’ll be able to read a script that sends me back on my heels — I like that.
Talk about your relationship with co-star Megan Boone.
Our relationship working together was analogous to the two characters working together. We had no preconceptions about working together. I was very curious about her and I think just the mix of age and experience has been great. The balance of that between the two of us has worked well. I am certainly older than she is and have been doing this for a long time. But she is very facile. I think that mirrors the character. It is proving to be great fun. We are becoming friends just like in the show, slowly, and with great respect for each other. We have to build a little box together. As for her character, she’s drawn in because of his demands, but once there, she can’t help going back and being drawn to it.
Your character’s hair is long in his ‘Most Wanted’ photo but ends up being short once he arrives at the FBI. This haircut got a lot of buzz online.
It’s eminently practical for his life but also it’s a haircut you can give yourself if you’re in a cave somewhere. But I also thought it would be good. My hair was very long when I came to New York for the pilot. I thought the ‘Most Wanted’ photo looked good with him in long hair but then he looked very different when he came with short hair. Also, he has to travel light and the hair is part of that.