Michael Chiklis

Actor

View Full Interview

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

Tab

About

About this interview

In his three-hour Archive interview, Michael Chiklis recalls his early interest in acting and performing in Summer Stock as a teenager. He tells of studying acting at Boston University, moving to New York, and getting his big break playing John Belushi in the feature film "Wired." He explains how he was blackballed by the industry for his role in the film, and turned to television work when Burt Reynolds hired him in B.L. Stryker. Chiklis then details starring in The Commish at the age of 27, and describes his encounters with fans of the show. He mentions his voiceover work on Family Guy, and then talks of the other show for which he's best known, The Shield. He discusses the tone and look of the show, playing the role of "Detective Vic Mackey," and shares how the show was shot. He comments on his Emmy and Golden Globe wins for The Shield, and speaks of his current acting, directing, producing, and music projects. Stephen J. Abramson conducted the interview on December 13, 2013 in North Hollywood, CA.

"If I can entertain people, and at the same time make them walk away from something that I've been in and make them have a conversation, and make them think and feel something, that's important."

Highlights

Michael Chiklis on playing John Belushi in the film "Wired" and getting blackballed

04:21

Michael Chiklis on playing "Tony Scali" on The Commish and meeting the real man upon whom the character was based

03:57

Michael Chiklis on the pilot of The Shield and the synergy of the cast and crew

04:16

Michael Chiklis on his Emmy and Golden Globe wins for The Shield

01:35

Michael Chiklis on playing "The Thing" in "Fantastic Four"

01:30

Full Interview

Chapter 1

On his childhood and early influences; on knowing at a young age that he wanted to be an actor; on doing Summer Stock as a teenager and attending Boston University

12:26

On earning his Equity card doing repertory theater; on television shows he watched as a kid; on starting to lose his hair during college and his talent for impressions

08:22

On moving to New York City and learning his craft; on getting an agent, playing John Belushi in the film "Wired" and getting blackballed

08:54

On Burt Reynolds hiring him for a role in B.L. Stryker and starting to get TV roles on Miami Vice, Wiseguy, Murphy Brown, and Seinfeld

17:37

On starring in The Commish at the age of 27; on his character "Tony Scali" and the show's production schedule

11:32

Chapter 2

On the cast of The Commish; on the show's fans; on the end of The Commish and returning to the stage with "Defending the Caveman" on Broadway

07:39

On doing character voices on Family Guy; on playing "Curly" in the ABC movie "The Three Stooges"; on the sitcom Daddio

08:16

On reinventing himself and auditioning for The Shield; on the synergy of the cast and crew

16:36

On the complexity of his character, "Detective Vic Mackey" on The Shield; on the show's great writing

12:10

Chapter 3

On the challenges of playing "Detective Vic Mackey" on The Shield; on the look and tone of the show

11:00

On how real cops and fans enjoyed The Shield; on the arc of the show and the finale

20:36

On playing "The Thing" in "Fantastic Four"; on starring in the superhero show No Ordinary Family and Vegas; on Emmy and Golden Globe wins for The Shield

07:44

On then-current projects: directing, producing, and recording music; on career achievements and regrets and where he sees himself in ten years

11:14

Shows

Commish, The

Michael Chiklis on his role in Wiseguy and meeting Stephen Kronish, co-creator of The Commish

02:26

Michael Chiklis on playing "Tony Scali" on The Commish and meeting the real man upon whom the character was based

03:57

Michael Chiklis on fans of The Commish feeling like they know him

01:04

Michael Chiklis on his input on playing "Tony Scali" on The Commish and how the character evolved over the course of the show

02:15

Michael Chiklis on a typical production schedule on The Commish and how it affected his personal life

02:05

Michael Chiklis on the writing on The Commish and his input on changing lines

02:11

Michael Chiklis on the cast of The Commish

01:58

Michael Chiklis on the fans of The Commish

02:42

Michael Chiklis on the end of The Commish and being typecast after the show ended

01:35

Michael Chiklis on how fans of The Commish and The Shield respond to him

01:24

Family Guy

Michael Chiklis on doing character voices on Family Guy

01:37

Miami Vice

Michael Chiklis on making an appearance on Miami Vice

01:47

Murphy Brown

Michael Chiklis on his role on Murphy Brown and his admiration for Candice Bergen

02:41

Seinfeld

Michael Chiklis on appearing on Seinfeld and enjoying the cast and set

03:42

Shield, The

Michael Chiklis on meeting Shawn Ryan and auditioning for The Shield, originally called The Barn

06:42

Michael Chiklis on the pilot of The Shield and the synergy of the cast and crew

04:16

Michael Chiklis on the stars aligning to get the lead role on The Shield and the sense of family among the cast and crew

03:02

Michael Chiklis on the complexity of his character, "Detective Vic Mackey" on The Shield

08:39

Michael Chiklis on his preparations to play "Detective Vic Mackey" on The Shield

01:32

Michael Chiklis on surprises in the scripts on The Shield and the great writers on the show

01:59

Michael Chiklis on the challenges of playing "Detective Vic Mackey" on The Shield

03:10

Michael Chiklis on the tone and look of The Shield

03:04

Michael Chiklis on Los Angeles as a character in The Shield

02:48

Michael Chiklis on "gross" things in The Shield

01:58

Michael Chiklis on how real cops reacted to The Shield

02:24

Michael Chiklis on "Detective Vic Mackey" as an anti-hero people still root for on The Shield

01:13

Michael Chiklis on how fans of The Commish and The Shield respond to him

01:24

Michael Chiklis on how people respond to him since The Shield

02:57

Michael Chiklis on "Detective Vic Mackey's" home life on The Shield

01:39

Michael Chiklis on censorship not being an issue on The Shield

00:34

Michael Chiklis on interaction with the writers of The Shield

03:10

Michael Chiklis on "Detective Vic Mackey's" relationships with "Shane Vendrell" and "Curtis Lemansky" on The Shield

03:41

Michael Chiklis on the arc of the show and the finale of The Shield

03:34

Michael Chiklis on how The Shield changed the television landscape

01:18

Michael Chiklis on his Emmy and Golden Globe wins for The Shield

01:35

Michael Chiklis on his proudest career achievement - The Shield

01:30

Wiseguy

Michael Chiklis on his role in Wiseguy and meeting Stephen Kronish, co-creator of The Commish

02:26

Michael Chiklis on his character arc on Wiseguy and shooting in Vancouver

00:56

Topics

9/11

Michael Chiklis on 9/11 occurring during the run of The Shield

00:58

Advice

Michael Chiklis on advice to aspiring actors

00:51

Characters & Catchphrases

Michael Chiklis on playing "Tony Scali" on The Commish and meeting the real man upon whom the character was based

03:57

Michael Chiklis on his character, "Detective Vic Mackey" on The Shield

02:32

Creative Influences and Inspiration

Michael Chiklis on meeting his mentor while doing Summer Stock as a teenager

03:00

Emmy Awards

Michael Chiklis on his Emmy and Golden Globe wins for The Shield

01:35

Fame & Celebrity

Michael Chiklis on the fans of The Commish

02:42

Historic Events and Social Change

Michael Chiklis on 9/11 occurring during the run of The Shield

00:58

Overcoming Adversity

Michael Chiklis on playing John Belushi in the film "Wired" and getting blackballed

04:30

Pivotal Career Moments

Michael Chiklis on playing John Belushi in the film "Wired" and getting blackballed

04:30

Pop Culture

Michael Chiklis on playing "Tony Scali" on The Commish and meeting the real man upon whom the character was based

03:57

Michael Chiklis on his character, "Detective Vic Mackey" on The Shield

02:32

Television Industry

Michael Chiklis on the fans of The Commish

02:42

Michael Chiklis on advice to aspiring actors

00:51

Michael Chiklis on changes in the industry and "binge watching"

00:56

Professions

Actor

View Profession

Michael Chiklis on different schools of acting that he studied

01:12

Michael Chiklis on advice to aspiring actors

00:51

Directors

View Profession

Michael Chiklis on his love of directing

01:05

Performers

View Profession

Michael Chiklis on different schools of acting that he studied

01:12

Michael Chiklis on advice to aspiring actors

00:51

Producers

View Profession

Michael Chiklis on learning how to produce from The Shield's Executive Producer Scott Brazil

02:30

Genres

Cop/Detective/Mystery Series

Michael Chiklis on starring in The Commish at the age of 27; on his character "Tony Scali" and the show's production schedule

11:32

Michael Chiklis on auditioning for and playing "Detective Mackey" on The Shield

28:46

Michael Chiklis on the challenges of playing "Detective Vic Mackey" on The Shield; on the look and tone of the show; on the finale

31:36

Drama Series

Michael Chiklis on starring in The Commish at the age of 27; on his character "Tony Scali" and the show's production schedule

11:32

Michael Chiklis on auditioning for and playing "Detective Mackey" on The Shield

28:46

Michael Chiklis on the challenges of playing "Detective Vic Mackey" on The Shield; on the look and tone of the show; on the finale

31:36

People

John Belushi

View Person Page

Michael Chiklis on playing John Belushi in the film "Wired" and getting blackballed

04:21

Candice Bergen

View Person Page

Michael Chiklis on his role on Murphy Brown and his admiration for Candice Bergen

02:41

Stephen J. Cannell

View Interview Page

Michael Chiklis on working with Stephen J. Cannell and Stephen Kronish

00:59

Elton John

View Person Page

Michael Chiklis on Elton John being a fan of The Commish

00:36

Stephen Kronish

View Person Page

Michael Chiklis on his role in Wiseguy and meeting Stephen Kronish, co-creator of The Commish

02:26

Michael Chiklis on working with Stephen J. Cannell and Stephen Kronish

00:59

Michael Chiklis on the writing on The Commish and his input with Stephen Kronish on changing lines

02:11

Seth MacFarlane

View Person Page

Michael Chiklis on doing character voices on The Family Guy

01:37

Leslie Moonves

View Interview Page

Michael Chiklis on Les Moonves believing in him

00:42

Edward James Olmos

View Interview Page

Michael Chiklis on making an appearance on Miami Vice and Edward James Olmos helping him on set

00:25

Burt Reynolds

View Person Page

Michael Chiklis on Burt Reynolds hiring him for a role in B.L. Stryker

01:12

Shawn Ryan

View Person Page

Michael Chiklis on meeting Shawn Ryan and auditioning for The Shield, originally called The Barn

10:58

Michael Chiklis on surprises in the scripts on The Shield and the great writers on the show

01:59

Michael Chiklis on the arc of the show and the finale of The Shield

03:34

Jeff Sagansky

View Person Page

Michael Chiklis on Jeff Sagansky not wanting him to play the lead in The Commish

01:05

Kurt Sutter

View Person Page

Michael Chiklis on interaction with the writers of The Shield - Kurt Sutter

03:10