(May 2009) - PCM recently interviewed two stars from the USA series, In Plain Sight! Check out our Q&A interview with Nichole Hiltz and Joshua Malina. Nichole plays the role of Brandi and Joshua the role of Peter on USA's hit series In Plain Sight, which is airing all new episodes! We sat in on a great media conference call and picked out some of the best questions that will help you get to know the stars and the show. Malina is quite a humorous guy and we're sure you'll get a chuckle from some of his answers!

Q: What about your role continues to challenge you?

N. Hiltz: A lot of things this year. Brandi is trying to change her life, but she doesn't really know how to do that over night. So she's still getting into trouble and challenges and bumps. It doesn't help that my mother is asking me to go to AA meetings for her when I'm trying to get my own life together. It's challenging because she wants to be better and doesn't really have the tools to be that yet.

Q: Joshua, was there interesting cast chemistry when you began working with everyone or did it take a bit of time to develop? I know you're mainly working with Nichole though.

J. Malina: I really felt welcome right away. It was nice that I knew Mary McCormack already and it was fun for me right away. Nichole is a blast; I certainly liked her right away. I can't speak to whether she felt any chemistry, but right off the bat, we were laughing. Our very first scene we were shooting outside on a bench and it was really cold. There was the instant camaraderie of how do we act not cold. How do we do this scene without shivering?

So yes, I hit the ground running. Everybody there is very cool. I had done a play reading with Fred Weller; I kind of knew a few people and that's always nice. It's also very, the vibe on the set from everybody on camera and behind the camera is pretty relaxed. It's a very cool place to work.

Q: First question's for Nichole. I was checking out the forums on the show's official site and I noticed a lot of fans hate your character and Jinx as well. I was just trying to figure out do you take that kind of thing to heart or is it confirmation that as an actor you're playing Brandi perfectly?

N. Hiltz: I want to go with the second. It is challenging. It's hard sometimes to play; I know already in the script that she's screwing up. How do you back this up and how do you fight for it? But I had to learn quickly not to take it personally. It makes my character more complex and it's something to fight against and makes it more of a challenge. Sure everybody wants to be loved, but they've given me such great stuff this year, the stuff with Josh, has been really, really fun and has brought a lot of integrity, I think, to my character. Thanks, Josh.

At the same time if every character is perfect and always doing everything right then we don't have a show and it's not as interesting. It balances out.

Q: Joshua, for you. What's your personal view of Peter? Is he somebody you'd want to hang out with?

J. Malina: That's a great question. I think for at least the first two or three episodes Nichole and I would talk about I was just called Mr. Bummer, like what is that? My god, a self-righteous recovering alcoholic. That being said I like people like that; I enjoy hanging out with people who are a huge drag. That's just me. The greater overview as David Maples and the other writers have written him, I actually think there's a lot to him. I think he is the kind of guy I'd like to hang out with, in part because I think we'll discover he's got a lot of money, too. Maybe I'm not supposed to say that. I certainly enjoy hanging out with the rich.

To be more serious now about answering your question, yes, I think there’s a lot to him. When we first see him it's in a very specific situation. The guy's at an AA meting and this really cute girl crashes it, tells this amazing story and then he immediately finds out that it's all a lie. So we're not seeing him at his happy best. He's definitely feeling kind of taken advantage of and sort of bummed out. What I can promise is that we're going to see these guys start to enjoy each other more.

Q: Between last season and this season, what was your most memorable scene?

N. Hiltz: Last year I really, really, 11 and 12 were great episodes, I think, for the family altogether, but I, it was a very small scene, but I got to do this scene with a baby, another point where Brandi starts to change a little bit and I really loved it. The writing was really heartbreaking and it sort of gave me a connection to my sister that we don't get to hear her say. It sort of happened out-loud in this experience. That was my favorite of last year.

This year my favorite is with Josh. It has, all of my favorite stuff has been story lines with Josh. I love the AA stuff for sure and I can't really talk about the things I love more because they haven't been seen yet so I'm sorry, but it's our stuff. The chemistry has been really great and like Josh has said, these characters are so unlikely and yet so, so perfect for each other in sort of an ironic way.

Q: I've only seen the first episode that you've done so far, but I know that the character, AA is such a vital part of his life and his recovery and everything. Did you visit any AA meetings or talk to any members to prepare for that?

J. Malina: That's a good question; I wish I had a good answer to it. The short answer would be no. But let me expand on my no and defend it. I certainly have, I've got friends and people I know who are in the program and others who ought to be so I feel like I know the world fairly well through that. Also a combination of inclination and laziness; I'm the kind of actor who's very much let's see what's on the page. I’m not like the big back story research guy.

When the writing is really good as I've been lucky to have, to do a lot of good writing and David Maples' writing is terrific. I'm all about the text and it's usually all there on the page and my approach to acting is the character is the guy who says those things in the script I was just given. So unless it's very specific stuff that really needs to be researched for me I've got to find it in the dialogue.

Q: Nichole, I thought that Brandi's speech at AA exposed a lot about the character. What do you think she was trying to get across and what do you think she let out without meaning to?

N. Hiltz: I'm not sure that she was trying to get anything across at all. I think when Peter asks her to talk all she's thinking is I just want to get that card signed for my mom so I can be the dutiful daughter. So I think when she first gets up there she’s kind of having fun with it. People are clapping and she thinks she's just going to amuse herself and make up a little bit of this speech and try to get by. She becomes nervous and had just heard Peter's story that was open and touching and I think it just happened for her because she's been carrying all of this around between all the stuff that she'd gone through last year.

Now she's in this room that's open and listening and I don’t know that anybody's ever asked her if she's okay or what's going on. So I think it's a surprise to her. When we go to the park later she's like I can't believe I flipped out like that. I love the way that scene was written. It almost came through her as opposed to something was at all contrived. So it was innocent and I think, kind of realistic in a lot of ways.

Q: If you were placed in the witness protection program yourself, where in the world would you like to be located and why?

N. Hiltz: That's so unfair because I don't think you get a choice. Mine would be tropical for sure. I don't think I have to explain why, but I don’t know that that happens. Otherwise I really want to be in witness protection.

J. Malina: I'm thinking Israel because I would just blend in with my fellows Jews, Jews, Jews. I think I would be safest there. Ironically, safest in Israel.

Q: My next question would be what do you feel it is about a show like In Plain Sight that resonates well with viewers?

N. Hiltz: I think for one it's found a way to be very funny and sometimes very dark and very real and it has that great combination. The characters are all so, so different. I think families can tune in together and the fans seem to really get into it. So that helps.

J. Malina: Speaking as a fan before I was on the show I would say definitely the cast; it’s got a fantastic cast and you kind of care about everybody. It's got a pretty wide selection of characters. You've got Mary's home life and her professional life. It’s pretty compelling. It is funny at the same time. I think Maples has created a compelling and interesting world.

Q: So what's your favorite part about being on the show, both of you?

J. Malina: For me it was pure fun. As I mentioned, it came out of the blue as a text from Mary McCormack, one of my favorite people in the world. So it was really along the lines of, "Do you want to come play in my sandbox?" It was a pure delight for me, completely unexpected. This came out of the blue and then happened very quickly and all of a sudden I was shuttling back and forth to Albuquerque with Nichole, whom I love, and all these nice people and great material.

So for me it's just pure fun. I like working altogether and being an actor. With my career there's a lot of downtime. So just having a job is a wonderful thing, but when it's good material, which is rarer still and good people and the set is relaxed. I literally would just fly out there and play with my new friends and fly back home. So the whole thing's been a joy for me.

N. Hiltz: For me I have to say that I have to give a huge shout-out to David Maples because I didn’t really know what Brandi would be or to come. At first it was just wonderful. I learn a lot on this set and from Mary Evans and from Lesley. We have great guest stars, some really great guest stars this year and new directors every week. But I am very lucky to David Maples, who's so good at writing for his actors and he can take something that; I think he actually steals from my real life sometimes and then tries to put a different story on it and knows what will touch me or what will be fun. I feel very taken care of that way. The writing gets bigger and grows and that's a huge gift as an actor. He's not putting her in a box and he’s letting her grow. That's been the best part for me.