Post by prossman on Jan 29, 2009 8:07:49 GMT -7
FWST: Michael Irvin guest stars as a football coach on 'Burn Notice’ - 01/29/09
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By DAVID MARTINDALE
Special to the Star-Telegram
SPECIAL TO THE S-T
Michael Irvin, center, says "the camera has a unique ability of pulling out what’s inside you." SPECIAL TO THE S-T
Michael Irvin is still learning the nuances of acting, but already he’s eager to step out of his comfort zone.
"Next I want to do a role that has nothing to do with football," the former Dallas Cowboys receiver said. "That’s the goal. That’s the natural progression I want to make."
Irvin fell in love with the moviemaking biz while working alongside Adam Sandler, Burt Reynolds and Chris Rock inThe Longest Yard in 2005.
Now he’s a guest star in an episode of Burn Notice that airs tonight at 9 on USA. Irvin still hasn’t left the football field, though. This time, he plays a coach who seeks help from ex-spy Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) when a ruthless thug threatens one of his players.
How does moviemaking differ from doing TV? Oh, man! Let me tell you what was interesting about that, the difference between doing a movie and doing TV: On a movie, we can work on the same take all day; on TV, they’re like, 'OK, got it; let’s move!’ It was interesting, getting used to how fast they work. But I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed being on the set with those guys and learning the things those guys showed me about acting.
After The Longest Yard, your costars kept praising you, calling you "a natural." Have you found that it’s easy for you? I have come to the conclusion that acting is a lot like playing golf: Just when you think you’re right where you want it to be, that’s when you have a moment of 'What was that?’ I mean, there have been times when I thought I was dead on, that I’d really gotten it right, and then I saw it and said, 'Hmm, that wasn’t right at all.’ Just like golf. But the good thing is the camera has a unique ability of pulling out what’s inside you. So if you believe inside what you are saying, it will come out of your mouth believable. I don’t remember who told me that, but that’s the secret to great acting.
Does it help in any way that, during your career, you were on camera all the time? But the difference is that the years I’ve been on the camera, I’ve been talking and promoting and pushing and being Michael Irvin. Now, when I’m on as a character, they’re telling me to make sure I’m not Michael Irvin. They tell me, 'Be who we write you to be.’ That’s tricky. It’s hard for me not to be me.
Is Burn Notice, with its spy yarns and action, your kind of show? Are you kidding? Every red-blooded American boy loves action pictures and spy movies. Jeffrey Donovan plays kind of an American James Bond. He’s cool, he gets the girl, he makes spy gadgets that will blow your mind. That’s manly stuff he’s doing and I enjoy every bit of it.
Perhaps that’s something you can aspire to do in your career. What do you say? It will be a long time before I’m able to carry a movie or a TV show the way Jeffrey Donovan does. But I am fascinated with the craft and I want to do more of it. And let me tell you this too: I want to get into producing a movie. I’ll be producing a reality show (this summer for Spike TV), but what I really want is to produce a movie at some point. That’s how much I love this business.
www.star-telegram.com/807/story/1171335.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By DAVID MARTINDALE
Special to the Star-Telegram
SPECIAL TO THE S-T
Michael Irvin, center, says "the camera has a unique ability of pulling out what’s inside you." SPECIAL TO THE S-T
Michael Irvin is still learning the nuances of acting, but already he’s eager to step out of his comfort zone.
"Next I want to do a role that has nothing to do with football," the former Dallas Cowboys receiver said. "That’s the goal. That’s the natural progression I want to make."
Irvin fell in love with the moviemaking biz while working alongside Adam Sandler, Burt Reynolds and Chris Rock inThe Longest Yard in 2005.
Now he’s a guest star in an episode of Burn Notice that airs tonight at 9 on USA. Irvin still hasn’t left the football field, though. This time, he plays a coach who seeks help from ex-spy Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) when a ruthless thug threatens one of his players.
How does moviemaking differ from doing TV? Oh, man! Let me tell you what was interesting about that, the difference between doing a movie and doing TV: On a movie, we can work on the same take all day; on TV, they’re like, 'OK, got it; let’s move!’ It was interesting, getting used to how fast they work. But I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed being on the set with those guys and learning the things those guys showed me about acting.
After The Longest Yard, your costars kept praising you, calling you "a natural." Have you found that it’s easy for you? I have come to the conclusion that acting is a lot like playing golf: Just when you think you’re right where you want it to be, that’s when you have a moment of 'What was that?’ I mean, there have been times when I thought I was dead on, that I’d really gotten it right, and then I saw it and said, 'Hmm, that wasn’t right at all.’ Just like golf. But the good thing is the camera has a unique ability of pulling out what’s inside you. So if you believe inside what you are saying, it will come out of your mouth believable. I don’t remember who told me that, but that’s the secret to great acting.
Does it help in any way that, during your career, you were on camera all the time? But the difference is that the years I’ve been on the camera, I’ve been talking and promoting and pushing and being Michael Irvin. Now, when I’m on as a character, they’re telling me to make sure I’m not Michael Irvin. They tell me, 'Be who we write you to be.’ That’s tricky. It’s hard for me not to be me.
Is Burn Notice, with its spy yarns and action, your kind of show? Are you kidding? Every red-blooded American boy loves action pictures and spy movies. Jeffrey Donovan plays kind of an American James Bond. He’s cool, he gets the girl, he makes spy gadgets that will blow your mind. That’s manly stuff he’s doing and I enjoy every bit of it.
Perhaps that’s something you can aspire to do in your career. What do you say? It will be a long time before I’m able to carry a movie or a TV show the way Jeffrey Donovan does. But I am fascinated with the craft and I want to do more of it. And let me tell you this too: I want to get into producing a movie. I’ll be producing a reality show (this summer for Spike TV), but what I really want is to produce a movie at some point. That’s how much I love this business.
www.star-telegram.com/807/story/1171335.html