Exclusive interview with Tim Guinee

December 7, 2012 | Tim Guinee is definitely no stranger in the movie and television business. He looks back on a long and interesting career and embodied many different typs of characters. Right now he can be seen as Ben Matheson in "Revolution". We talked to Tim about his work on "Revolution", his time on the set of "Stargate" and his recent visit to the University of North Carolina.

Note: © myFanbase 2012 - The interview is exclusive to myFanbase and may not be published on other websites or the like. You may share the first two questions if you link back to this site. Translations other than English and German may be posted with full credit including the writer's name and link to this site.
Foto: Tim Guinee - Copyright: Randall Slavin
Tim Guinee
© Randall Slavin

1. You play Ben Matheson on the new show "Revolution", who we don't know very much about. What is your take on the character?

Ben is a scientist. He loves his family and like so many people in the world today, he faces challenges in terms of keeping his business afloat. He may or may not understand the depth of the consequences of those decisions when he makes them (we'll have to see what the writers come up with), but I do think he has a deep sense of personal morality. He is, for example, the only one of the series regular characters who we've never seen commit physical violence, which is a fascinating distinction. (Even though he was perhaps involved in the end of civilization as we know it - and the subsequent countless deaths caused by the loss of power). I think on a mythological level he's interesting. Alot of comparisons are made between Revolution and the Lord Of The Rings trilogy & Star Wars. To me to put Ben in context with those works, he would be Gandolf or Obi-Wan. He sets the journey in motion. He is a keeper of great secrets, very few others possess. He is involved in bringing different worlds in contact with each other.

2. You've worked with Eric Kripke and also with Jon Favreau before. Did this help you in any way to get settled on set more easily?

It's always a great joy to work with folks you've worked with before. (It's one of the best things about getting older and having a career which is long enough to allow you to meet lots of artists). But I also have to say that getting to work with Eric [Kripke] and Jon [Favreau] again was more than just comforting. They are both wonderful artists and it fills you with confidence anytime you get to work with people of their stature.

3. The show is filmed in Wilmington, a place where lots of "One Tree Hill" and "Dawson's Creek" fans from all over the world visit just to be on location. Did you already meet fans of "Revolution"?

I do meet them. All the time. And the fans of the show are a wildly diverse group. I have a twitter account and the fans of Revolution are high school students and nuclear physicists and everything in between.

4. The role of Rachel Matheson was recast with Elizabeth Mitchell. How did this effect your work? Was there a lot of reshooting?

Andrea Roth originally played Rachel when we shot the pilot and she was fabulous. She was recast for reasons I wasn't privy to and Elizabeth Mitchell took over the role. I also have to say I love what Elizabeth is doing with the character and she's a joy to work with. They are both extraordinary, gifted actors and are very different in the role. The only scenes we reshot were a couple in the pilot that took place in our pre-blackout apartment, which was rebuilt in Wilmington.

5. We know that Miles (Billy Burke) and Bass (David Lyons) had a brotherly relationship while Ben and Miles did not seem to be that close. Will the show dig deeper into the relationship between Ben and Miles?

I certainly hope so! Lot's of people have written asking about that. I think the show gets deeper every time it examines the back stories of any of the characters.

6. "Revolution" draws a world without any kind of technology. Which is the one technology or technical device you wouldn't want to live without?

This is boring, but I live in an 1840's farmhouse and all of our water comes from a hand dug well. The thing I would most miss was my water purification system. Everything else I could deal with - except maybe one thing: I play the banjo (An instrument notorious for going out of tune) - I use an electric tuner. I can't imagine tuning a banjo without one.

Foto: Tim Guinee, Revolution - Copyright: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Tim Guinee, Revolution
© Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

7. Family is a very important theme in "Revolution". Growing up with three brothers and two sisters, what does family mean to you personally?

Wow, that's a huge question. I think family is our great personal mythology. We have our real families and somewhere inside us some odd idealized sense of what a family should be. And inside there is an ache for that idealized family. A longing. And I find an equal longing for the reality of family. I have no idea if that answer makes any sense (but it does to me).

8. You also play the lovely character Andrew Wiley on "Good Wife". Are there any plans to bring the private investigator back on the show?

Oh I hope so! I love playing Andrew. Robert King, one of the show's creators and producers, called me on Friday. I'm very hopeful that Wiley will make a reappearance.

9. You were also part of some episodes and the film of "Stargate SG-1". What was working with Claudia Black and the whole cast like?

Claudia was hilarious and we stay in contact. I really didn't work that much with the rest of the cast. In the Stargate film I did, I had a scene with Chris Judge, who was lovely too. The scene was a quiet conversation which was the kind of thing I don't think they usually wrote for his charater and I think he really enjoyed the writing that day. Currie Graham was also on the movie - who is one of the great actors around. We had a lot of fun doing the interrogation scene together.

10. We learned quite a lot about you character Tomin but was there something you would have liked to add to the character?

Tomin rose to great power through the show and eventually the film, eventually being an incredibly powerful ruler. I would be curious to learn whether that power would eventually corrupt Tomin.

11. A few weeks back you talked to students of UNCSA about creativity and the entertainment industry. Can tell us a little bit about that experience?

It was very moving to me to return to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where I attended school. It's an amazing place: the first state supported arts conservatory in the country. Throughout my life I have been the lucky recipient of energy from a wonderful collection of teachers and mentors. Some of those folks have passed away in the last few years and I've realized it's important for me to try and give back. It was wonderful spending time with those students. And it was a two way street. I was completely inspired by their fierce commitment and energy around the craft of acting.

12. Charity work seems to be very important to you. Is there a special project you're working on right now that people should take notice of?

I've been pretty focused on climate change for some time now and alot of my energy is focused on that issue.

13. myFanbase is an online magazine about U.S. television shows. Do you have one or more favorite show(s)?

"Homeland" and "Game of Thrones"

Annika Leichner - myFanbase

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