Actor Gerald McCullouch chats about his TV career and his new horror movie.
Award-winning actor Gerald McCullouch, whose credits include everything from 90210 to Melrose Place to CSI, in which he played the long-running role of Bobby Dawson, plays the Sheriff in Richard LeMay’s new classy horror effort Blood Bound, which hits VOD January 15th.
We spoke to McCullouch about his past credits – in particular, we reminisced about his days on 90210 and CSI – and what attracted him to starring in a scary movie.
Where did it all start for you Gerald? I imagine 90210 was a big break?
Ha. Hilarious, a 90210 call back. Yep - I’ve been around for a while. It actually started for me in Atlanta, though. I shot my first TV show there - In the Heat of the Night. I remember watching 90210 while in Atlanta though and thinking "I could be on that show." Funny enough, 90210 was the first recurring role I ever booked. I pretty much went from the last season of 90210 to the last season of Melrose Place playing Amanda’s architect to CSI which started the following season and became the crazy thing it was.
Hey, maybe Dan McGrath can return for the reboot!?
Good ole’ Dan. That’s hilarious. I actually just watched some scenes from those 90210 days over the holidays. I was home at my mom’s and stumbled upon a bunch of my old reels on VHS as we were cleaning out her storage area! And she has a VCR, of all things. I couldn’t resist the temptation. So oddly enough I just had a little reunion with good ole’ Dan McGrath and that odd cult of his.
And how did the CSI role come about?
It was just an audition that came my way. Bobby appeared in the very first episode so I was lucky enough to be on that crazy ride from the beginning.
Do you miss playing Bobby Dawson?
I loved how I got to be a good ole’ boy who dug guns and was one smart mother fucker. I miss Bobby’s twang. I’ll tell ya’ that. I don’t miss having to memorise all those crazy technical terms and jargon. But Bobby’s still around if you flip those channels. I don’t know if that show’s ever going to go away. Which I don’t mind at all.
TV has been kind to you. Is that why, for those early years, you stayed pretty loyal to TV and didn’t stray into film too much?
I just go where I’m lucky enough to get hired. It’s all the same to me. It’s all story telling. TV has just provided more opportunities to tell some pretty cool stories that are so freakin’ far from my own life. That’s the fun part. I just shot an episode of FBI for CBS that airs January 8th. The role was an emotional whirlwind and had to deal with situations that I’ll never have to deal with in my real life, and would never want to, but to get the opportunity to pretend it’s really happening is the work I dig doing. Luckily, that work has also come my way since leaving CSI through the various indie films I’ve done since and my directorial debut film Daddy.
How did Blood Bound come about?
I have such admiration for Rich LeMay, the writer/director. We met on the film festival circuit many years ago when we both had films that were in circulation at the festivals. We actually had a few films back to back in the world wide festival circuit so we kept seeing each other at festivals and parties and luncheons all over the US over a few years and a friendship developed. He was a huge inspiration for me in the process of directing my first feature, Daddy. He really became a mentor to me in that process.
And the role – what appealed to you about playing the Sheriff?
It’s a whirlwind of crap I’ve never really had the chance to deal with before. I mean the shit really hits the fan time and time again for the Sheriff and the world that unfolds in this film would fuck anyone up. Right? As an actor, that’s all very exciting for me. But I was sold on the opportunity to work with Rich from the get go. He’s a great guy and a wonderful filmmaker.
Was that the first time you’d played an authority figure?
I’ve played cops on a handful of shows through the years so, no, not the first and I hope I get to keep doing it for years to come.
Did you have to get the sheriff lingo and behaviour down pat?
CSI has always been a huge asset with all of that. I was inundated with all things ballistics on that show so learned more stuff about guns and learned more lab lingo than I ever thought I would. But more so than just Sheriff lingo and behaviour, this role is about all this weird stuff going on in my town and the even weirder stuff happening to my daughter and the unrelenting havoc it’s causing on my family and my town.
The filmmaker has described the film as a drama, more so than a horror film; how do you look at it?
I kinda’ agree. How about Supernatural Thriller -ish?
What’s next for you?
I’ve got another film coming out top of the year called Divorce Party. It’s a comedy, which I don’t get to do often and then a new Netflix show will land shortly after, I think, where I play the Dean of Williams College, yet another authority figure. Ha. I try my best to tweet it all out whenever I can at @ItsAHardG.