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Fred Weller plays a U.S. Marshall, humorously named Marshall Man, in In Plain Sight. He and his partner Mary Shannon, played by Mary McCormack, help witnesses of crimes lead new lives via the secretive Federal Witness Protection Program. Weller said the script immediately attracted his attention. "I auditioned for the show and [the script] really jumped," he said. "It was during pilot season a couple of years ago, and during pilot season an actor auditions for several TV shows a day. It's really kind of a frenzied month." He also said it is rare to be able to play a complicated character like Marshall Mann, calling him someone "who gets to be a badass and a dork at the same time." Many times actors prepare for roles by getting first-hand experience in their charactors field. This was, of course, more difficult for Weller due to the highly secretive nature of the Witness Protection Program. "I had read a couple of books prior to the shooting, but they really weren't as helpful as talking to our technical advisor, who actually was the head of the Witness Protection Program," Weller said. The advisor taught Weller and Shannon how to shoot guns, and allowed the actors to pick his brains about the Witness Protection Program. "At one point another marshall was helicoptered in - someone who's not retired but who is still active. It was interesting; she actually didn't know where she was going when she was helicoptered in," Weller said. "Their job is that secretive and on a need-to-know basis." He said he did not realize the importance of U.S. Marshalls and the work they perform on a daily basis. "I really had no idea just how badass the U.S. Marshalls are until I talked to these people," he added. "They do a lot of undercover work. They are the best in the world at protecting people." Although Weller found initial success on the stage, he was a regular on ABC's series "Missing Persons," about a fictitious missing persons unit, and also guest-starred on Law & Order. He said that as a stage actor, it was helpful for him coming into In Plain Sight with camera experience, but the show is not really comparable to his other work. "The tone of this show is unlike any procedural. It's more serialized than most procedurals... and it's funnier," he added. "I don't mean to say that other shows are formulaic... but this show is really special." In the Federal Witness Protection Program, witnesses have no choice in the area of their relocation. They are purposefully moved to a place where they have no ties and have never visited, Weller explained. He said that if he had to relocate, he could not go to any of his favorite places, such as his hometown of New Orleans of Charleston. He said he probably would pick Seattle because he's never been there, he's intrigued by the area and he has heard it is a cool place to live. However, in his role on In Plain Sight, Weller's character lives in the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area. The witnesses he and his partner deal with include career criminals, murders and people who were victims of crime. The show can be viewed on Sunday nights on USA Network.
Other In Plain Sight Interviews: |
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(May,
22, 2008) PCM's Ashley got the opportunity to ask Fred Weller
some questions. The actor is starring in 
