Written by Christina Radish

IESB: How did you get interested in acting? Was it something you always knew you wanted to do, or did something lead to it?

Eddie: I grew up in Ohio. My dad was a wrestler and a football player. He played football in college. He was a huge sports fan. So, I grew up as a jock. I wrestled for 12 years. I wrestled in college. I played football for 8 years. I never even thought of actually doing a play or being in the theater department, or anything like that. But, my dad and I would go to the movies all the time. That was really our favorite thing to do, as father and son, other than my sports. We just went to movies, and I would always come home and act out the parts in the movie. I’d do all the voices, and entertain my family. And, I loved Saturday Night Live and used to do all those great characters.

So, there was a part of me that always wanted to perform and always has been performing, ever since I can remember. But, as far as actually making money at it, I just never even considered it, until I moved to L.A. in 1991, to actually sell insurance for my uncle in Brentwood. He fired me after seven months and said, “Kid, you’re not cut out for West L.A. You need to move to Hollywood.” So, I moved to Hollywood, became a production assistant and did a lot of commercials, for three years. And then, by that time, I had made quite a few friends that were in the business and some people were like, “Have you thought about acting? Have you considered doing this?”

I got side-pocketed into this little commercial agency and I got two national beer commercials for Coors Light, and then a couple other national commercials. That gave me enough money to be able to really start studying. I got into class with this woman, Ivana Chubbuck, who’s Charlize Theron’s acting coach, and Charlize and I started class together. When she was doing That Thing You Do, I was her acting partner. We would go to Ivana’s together and rehearse, so she could prepare for that movie. I just took class for two and a half year, without ever even going on an audition ‘cause I wanted to make sure that I didn’t blow any opportunities. I’m sure that I still did, but I wanted to be as prepared as I possibly could ‘cause I was coming from nowhere. I had no training at all.

IESB: How did you originally get involved with Warehouse 13?

Eddie: It was just a regular audition. I think I had tested four or five times already for that season, last year, and then not gotten a job. The testing process is one of the most soulless, terrible, frightening experiences. You sign your contract and you see how much you might be making per week, if you get this job, and then they walk you in to a giant room filled with people in suits that are all looking at one guy, who is the head of the network, to see whether or not he’s laughing. If he’s laughing, then you’re doing something right. Sometimes it goes well, and sometimes it doesn’t. But, I wanted this job so badly, and I just lucked out. There were a lot of great people that came in, and I just happened to be picked this time.

IESB: What was the initial appeal of this show?

Eddie: For me, the initial appeal of the show was the fact that I was going to have an opportunity to play comedy, which is something that I enjoy and that I’ve done a lot of and, at the same time, have an opportunity to play the thrills and the chills, and take real moments, as an actor, to experience the scene. In a comedy, like in a sitcom, it’s all based in a drum beat. In a show like this, you can actually take your time and really feel things, emotionally. So, the fact that I could do comedy, drama, action and thriller, all in one, was the dream job for me.

IESB: Were you nervous at all about being one of the leads on a television show, or were you confident enough in your abilities, as an actor, that this felt like the time for you to do this?

Eddie: I’ve never been #1 on the call sheet before, in a series. I’ve done a couple pilots where I was the top guy, so I guess if they had gone to series, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I didn’t think the business saw me as a cop. I was trying to make the transition from the best friend to the guy that has the best friend, and that transition took a couple of years. It wasn’t easy, but I think the episodes I did of Bones really gave me the confidence to know that I could play that and the business would see me as that, and I’ve never really looked back. So, yeah, I was ready for this job. I’ve been doing this now for almost 12 years, and I’m definitely ready to take on this responsibility.

IESB: How would you describe your character, Pete Lattimer?

Eddie: He’s a very impulsive, intelligent, man-child who has joined the Secret Service, in order to make good on some feelings of guilt that he has, in relation to the death of his father, when he was a child. He wants to make the world right.

IESB: How much were you told about your character, and is he turning out to be anything like what you imagined he would be?

Eddie: He is turning out to be what I imagined because, as the show goes on, they write to me. It’s less about me having to adjust to their writing. Instead, they’re adjusting to who I am. They see me and they see how I work and they hear my voice when they write. I think that’s just the way it generally happens. Peter is great. It’s just such an opportunity to do so many things in one show. I can be a tough cop, I can be a wise guy, I can be funny. It’s all the different beats that one would want to play, as an actor, and I get to do all of it in one show. I just love the character. It’s such an amazing opportunity. It’s a gift.

IESB: Does he have a lot of backstory?

Eddie: Yeah, and not even necessarily that has been written, but just stuff that I made for myself, so that I could have something to work with, as an actor.

IESB: Are you channeling any great action heroes?

Eddie: I don’t know. I hadn’t thought of that, necessarily, but I hope so. I’m a huge fan of film and TV. I love action films, and I love action heroes that have always been able to do their own stunts. So, whenever I have an opportunity to do my own stuff, and they’ll allow it, I’ll do my own stunts.

IESB: Are there ways that you feel you personally identify with your character, and are there ways that you are specifically different from him, that you’ve enjoyed exploring as well?

Eddie: I try to put as much of myself into the character as I can. For me, that makes the character more real because it basically is a real person. I’m not playing a character. I’m just being who I am. I’m saying the words that are written, the way I would say them. In the same token, his father died when he was very young and my father is still alive, so I have to figure out the emotional beats of how to deal with the fact that his father is gone. And, the fact that he’s a Secret Service agent is different from me. I’ve always admired police officers, so to get to play somebody who’s out there, fighting for the good and not evil, is intriguing to me. That’s exciting.

IESB: What is the most challenging thing about doing a show like this?

Eddie: The most challenging thing about the show is that I’m away from my two sons and my wife. It’s not family-friendly. With the show, I look forward to all of the challenges. I never know what’s going to happen. I get to the set and, all of a sudden, I’m like, “Oh, my God, I’m in a giant cave and there’s an artifact that’s trying to attach itself to my body, and I’m in pain and I’m terrified. What’s that like? What do I compare that to?” It’s just such a great opportunity to explore who I am, as a person, and who Pete is, and to be able to infuse the two people together.

IESB: What’s some of the most difficult or dangerous stuff that you’ve had to do so far?

Eddie: Myka and Pete get into a bit of an altercation, where Pete finds himself thrown into things, beat up, punched and kicked, and I ended up with some real bruises. At one point, we were supposed to cut, and then they were going to move the stuntman in, but we were in the midst of this thing and I just thought, “You know what? I’m just going to do it,” so I ended up flying over this table, knocking over these lamps and landed down into this hole, and the stunt coordinator was just like, “Okay, I’m going home. I’m not libel for that. I don’t need a lawsuit on my hands.” I’ve wrestled and played football, my whole life, and I’ve always been into doing physical comedy and being physical, so I enjoy it.

IESB: What is the wildest thing that you’ve had to act out?

Eddie: I had to act out a possible suicide, in order to save my colleagues, and that was really intense.

IESB: Did you and Joanne have an immediate rapport?

Eddie: I think we did, actually. The testing process, to get a job on a show, is really tense and it’s very stressful. For me, the only thing that’s worse than that part of the job is not working at all. For the test, they had six actors for each character, so they were mixing and matching. With Joanne and I, when we were in our test together, we looked at each other and we really seemed to be on the same page.

IESB: Can you talk about the relationship between Pete and Myka? Whenever you see two FBI agents in a supernatural or sci-fi show, you think of The X-Files. How does that inform what you do?

Eddie: As far as I’m concerned, our relationship is more of a brother-sister relationship. Pete is more of the pesky little brother. He’s basically always pulling Myka’s hair and poking at her, and she’s punching me in the arm, most of the time. I know that viewers want to see the two leads get together, whether it’s in the writing or not, but I think it will remain to be seen, whether the viewers will want that. As far as the way we’re playing it, and as far as the way it’s written, it’s more of a brother-sister situation, kind of like the way we are in real life.

IESB: Who is the adversary for your characters?

Eddie: The artifacts tend to be the adversary. The Warehouse itself has become a main character. In the third or fourth episode, we find out that, along with the artifacts, there is an actual adversary who comes from Artie’s past, and Artie is played by Saul Rubinek.

IESB: These artifacts fight back?

Eddie: A lot of times, they fight back by altering us, emotionally. Another thing that I like about the show is that it’s not just about this inanimate object that we need to collect. It’s about emotions, and how these artifacts affect us emotionally and how they affect the civilians emotionally as well. I love that about it because it gives it more depth. If the audience feels that they can connect to these characters emotionally, and to the artifact, then they’re more invested, as an audience.

IESB: Do you have any favorite artifacts that you’ve had to hunt down on the show, that you’re looking forward to viewers getting to see?

Eddie: I do. I’m not really allowed to talk about specific artifacts ‘cause they’re the A stories of all the shows. They’re all fun, but some are a little spookier than others, and I tend to like the horror aspect. I love horror films and Sam Raimi, so I like that stuff. I wish I could be more specific, but I do like some more than others, sure.

IESB: What’s it like to work with a veteran like CCH Pounder?

Eddie: In my opinion, CCH Pounder is just an amazing actress. Doing my first scene with her, I was like, “I’ve made it! I’m working with CCH Pounder!” I’m from Ohio, and I should be digging a ditch there, but I’m working with CCH Pounder. That makes me want to smile and laugh.

IESB: How has it been to work with Saul Rubinek?

Eddie: Saul was my favorite character in True Romance. He plays that character, Lee Donowitz, who is the film producer that is buying the cocaine off of Christian Slater’s character. He was so great! Me and my buddies would imitate those lines. So, when they were like, “Yeah, this guy, Saul Rubinek, is coming in and you have to test with him. He’s done a bunch of stuff. He’s been around. He’s done Unforgiven,” I was like, “Oh, my God, I get to act with this guy? This guy’s brilliant!” For me, being able to work with two people like CCH Pounder and Saul validates who I am, as an actor. If I can stand in there and hang with them, then I guess I’m doing something right. I have a lot that I can learn from the both of them.

IESB: If the attention you get from this show leads to more film work for you, are there types of roles or specific genres that you’d really like to do, that you haven’t gotten the chance to yet?

Eddie: Apocalypse Now and Platoon are two of my favorite movies. Apocalypse Now is my all-time favorite movie. I would love to be able to do a great war film, like Saving Private Ryan. That’s really the only genre that specifically jumps out at me, that I’d love to do. I always just loved playing army, as a little kid, and have loved watching war films, over the years. That would be what I’d really like to go for.