The questions below are from letters, conversations and interviews.
Is he related to Robert Culp?
"I am NOT the son of Robert Culp. Years ago, when I was a young actor in New
York. I was playing Danny Wolek in "One Live to Life" and just by accident
found out that the studio was about to send out a whole publicity packet based
on the fact taht i was Robert Culp's son. Lucily I found out in time to correct
the mistake. People always assume that we're related, but is not true. We are
not related in any way."
What would you like to be, if you were not an actor? (1996)
A writer.
If you weren't an actor what profession do you think you would have chosen?" 9-2003
"Disc Jockey"
About being an actor:
"I really love this job. I love the way you have to think. I love the way
you have to use yourself. I love the particular discipline it takes. It
really sparks a lot of things in me, and I find metaphors for growth in my
own life through the work that I do."
What kind of things do you like to do when you are not working?" 9-03
"Raising children seems to take up most of my time right now. I like playing
and listening to music, bicycling, swimming, hiking, reading all kind of things
and taking the kids places"Favorite writer
Wow! There are so many that I just love. Here are some of my
favorite books: "Howard's End," "Middlemarch," the works of Raymond Chandler
and Ross MacDonald, Shakespeare ... What am I reading right now? Right
now I'm reading John Updike's collected stories and Ron Chernow's
biography of Alexander Hamilton. What kind of music do you like?
"All kinds except what's popular on the radio. Right now I seem to be
listening to a lot of Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie. The new groups I
really like are The White Stripes and The Thrills. And my kids are huge
Beatles fans. When did you first become interested in acting? When did you first start
your acting career?
I first became interested in acting in high school. But I never
really took it seriously until toward the end of college. I think I had
ambitions to be a writer, possibly a musician, but I fell in with actors
and after that was lost for good. Then I somewhat arbitrarily decided
to get an MFA in Theatre Arts and after that I went to New York and
pretty much immediately started getting work. My first job was, I was a
nice young kid who turns out to be a psychotic baby snatcher on the soap
opera Another World. And it was soon after that that I started getting a
lot of jobs in the New York theatre. Most of my early career was in the
theatre, in and around New York. And I would recommend a theatrical
background for anyone who's interested in taking up acting.
What happened with the Star Trek Movie "Nemesis"?
"At least forty minutes has been cut from "Nemesis". The original cut came in at
over two and a half hours, and the filmmakers have been working to get it down
to under two hours. As a result, the character of Martin Madden (my character)
is on the cutting room floor, along with many other scenes and characters.
There's a possibility that he could show up on the DVD. Too bad-my wife was
really looking forward to seeing me in the Star Trek uniform!"The deleted scene between Madden and Riker in "Star Trek: Nemesis" was
priceless, I felt it should have been left in the final release. Did you
enjoy shooting that scene?
"I did enjoy shooting that scene. My agents had sent me a slightly
different version of the scene and asked me if I was interested in going
in and reading for it. I know I sound like the pickiest actor in the world,
but my first response was "absolutely not." It was such a tiny little scene.
But then I ended up reading the script over the weekend, and I thought it
was just a terrific script, and then I saw how the character of Madden
actually fit into the movie and I thought it would be the coolest thing
in the world to just show up at the end of this movie and take over as
second in command on the Enterprise. Originally I was going to do it as
a total cameo appearance with no credit, because it just seemed like a
cool thing to do.
So yes, I did enjoy shooting that scene. As soon as I heard they were
cutting 40-50 minutes out of the film, though, I had a feeling that the
scene would not survive and I was right. I did see it on the DVD and I
have to say I think I could have performed it better. Although I don't
think that had anything to do with it being cut. What do you like better, working on stage or film?
"It depends on the role, the quality of writing and the calibre of people that
you're working with. Webb, for example, has been a joy because he's a really
interesting character and fun to do. Generally, the writing you get for the stage
is more interesting than the writing for your average television show; however, when
you have a great script and you're playing a role like RFK, it's like you're doing
Shakespeare.
One thing I do like about the stage, as oppose to TV or film, is that you get an
entire story in one sitting, to an audience that is right there in front of you.
There is something very exciting about that. However each venue has things to
recommend it"
Work in a comedy?
"I'd love to be a well-written comedy series, like Frasier or Seinfeld. I
think Scrubs is a good show. Most comedies on television don't reach that
high of a standard, though. And although I've done a lot of comedy on stage,
I don't think the people at the networks think I'm very funny. On filming "Thirteen Days" and Kevin Costner (1999)
"I've been working nearly ever day since the convention ad just loving it.
We're almost half way through principal photography at this point. It looks
like I'll be shooting through the first part of January so it'll be a while
before I'm available to return to JAG. Soryr but don't worry Webb will return
sometime this season. I can't say enough things about Kevin Costner and the
cast and crew of "13 Days"; everyone's just been great to work with"
(2000)
"We're still fimlimg "13 Days"; as of this writing, I have one more scene left
to do. I can't tell you what a pleasure it has been for me to do this movie.
Everyone is very excited about the film. I'm really going to miss Bobby- he's
been a great character to have lived with these months"
If you could have any role on Broadway or in the theater what would it
be and why?
"That's difficult to say. I wish I was able to read every new play that's
coming out. In some ways I feel I already have some of those roles. Doing
"Angels in America" would certainly qualify. I did that play at the American
Conservatory Theatre. I've had a real desire lately to tackle Shakespeare's
"Henry V," and I suppose, like all actors, I'd still like to be able to
play "Hamlet," although I'm too old for it now. A great Shakespearian role
is just the most wonderful thing in the world. The last one I did was Brutus
in "Julius Caesar" and I'd really love to have the opportunity of tackling
another great one soon. What makes it difficult at this point is that it's
tricky doing theatre and raising a family at the same time. Simply from a
financial standpoint, it's not quite as productive. But I'm constantly on
the lookout for opportunities. However the last few years, between TV and
movies, my plate has been very full"What types of movies do you like?
"This is sort of like my opinion about music! I'm generally not interested
in what is popular. Most of the big Hollywood blockbusters, where the scripts
are witless and lots of things blow up, hold no interest for me. Last year,
as far as big Hollywood movies go, I thought "Seabiscuit" was very good. I
also really liked the movie "21 Grams," but it's gotten to the point, at the
end of the year, I can barely remember most of what I've seen. Sorry if I
sound like a snob. It's just personal taste.How do you concentrate on so many roles?
"That's a good question. I actually find, now that the kids are here, I've
had to become more focused and constructive about my use of time than I ever
have. The secret of doing all these different roles, I think, lies in
preparation. If I have the time to prepare, I use it. And especially now,
since I have less free time at home, I find I'm much more constructive with
my free time and I will grab whatever script I have for whatever job I have
coming up, or as is often the case, for more than one job I have coming up,
and secret myself away and prepare. So by the time I get on the set, it's
pretty easy to click into it.
On JAG
In regards to the JAG Trilogy 2003
"I'm not surprised the JAG story was so controversial. Still, I had a terrific
time shooting it. Here is Webb, his career bottomed out, stuck in the middle
of nowhere, unable to trust anyone, questioning what he has done with his life,
becoming incresingly reckless, building up a fantasy about someone's he's
found attractive and perhaps not acting in the most rational manner. Seemingly
un-Webblike."
In Regards to Trevor Goddard's death
"Barbara and I were of course, shocked and saddened to hear of Trevor's death.
I had not seen him since the last JAG fan convention, and had no idea that he
was having family or any other kind of problems. He was really a good man,
and I'm glad to have known him. Our prayers go out to his loved ones."
The character of Webb is so mysterious, we don’t know enough about him. We want to
know more!
"One of the things that makes Webb intriguing, I think is the fact that he
is mysterious, that he keeps us guessing. I think the writers have done a
great job in revealing just enough to keep Webb interesting. I understand
the desire to know more, but as I say, it’s a tricky balance"
How has SC described the character of Webb?
"He is really a rather pragmatic individual.... what some
people would call the weasle in a suit role."
"I think he is, quite often, he is right and he is just very pragmatic about
it. And he gets what he wants. I think the writers and the producers, keep
putting him in positions where his pragmatism butts up against his moral sense.
That’s what I think makes the character click, that's what's interesting about
him. The writers keep throwing me curves and I try to deal with them and that's
what makes it fun"
He sees Webb as someone who: "Would never apologize for who I was, I would get
what I want, believe that I was right and to heck with everyone."
How is he different from Webb?
"The way he operates with people is just different to how I am in life.
Sometimes I think it's better than me and in some ways I think he could work
on his social skills."
About the broken nose incident on JAG:
"After shooting 18 hours and you’re racing the sun coming up. Everyone was
going so fast..We were just too fast, didn’t rehearse it enough"
"I was told that I was on my mark, because I dont remember the moment I was
hit, but I am told I was on my mark. It's one of those things that happen."
"He was so worried he kept calling me and calling me. He felt so bad I had to
tell him to stop calling me. He is a great guy"
As an actor, do you find that doing action scenes are more difficult
versus technically loaded lines? Have you had any more accidents like the
one a few years ago while filming?
"What the question's referring to is when John Jackson broke my nose
on the set of JAG. It's just one of those things that happens when
you're 18 hours a day into shooting and everyone is going way too fast.
And that was one of the things I initially discussed with Vince Deadrick.
(Enterprise- Episode "Harbinger") I said no matter what happens, we can't
let them we can't let them make us feel rushed. But of course, in the end,
Dominic and I would go into a move with very little rehearsal because we
were running out of time. But at that point we had been working together
enough that we were in tune with each other's rhythms. I do like doing action,
it's a lot of fun. It's kind of like being a little kid again. But I don't
think I could do a steady diet of nothing but action. Because character really
interests me. And one of the things about Major Hayes is that his character is
very much defined through his actions. Not just action itself, but the
way he goes about performing his actions, if that makes any sense.
On the joke he played on JMJ after JAG accident
"I got a bottle of champagne and a Friday the 13th mask from the set, so I just
had to use it"
(Steven showed up on the set for his first scene with John after the incident,
wearing the hockey mask.)
"He turned as white as a sheet. I felt really bad because he thought I was
serious. I was trying not to laugh. The joke backfired, he thought I was really
traumatized... John turned as white as his uniform."
Favorite JAG Episode 9-03
"The episodes leading up to this year's season finale. (season 8) Adventure,
intrigue, romance and an edgy, conflicted Webb. I also like working with
Catherine, Randy and Brad May"
Webb and Mac? (1998)
"If too much is revealed about the character, for example a romance with Mac,
the question becomes, where do you go from there? One thing about TV series-
once you have something happen, it's hard to take it back."
Is there anything else you'd like to share with JAG fans? 9-03
"Thank you for being such loyal and supportive fans. God bless you all!"
About His fans (1996)
"I really appreciate your thoughtfullness and support. Also the people have
been commenting on the great fan response Webb has been getting. Your efforts
are not going unnoticed"
Check page for additions from time to time.What SC had to say after 9-11
What does SC think of Rex & Desperate Housewives? His comments about "Thirten
Days"? For that and much more check out the "Interviews with Steven" page
The questions below are from letters, conversations and interviews.