Molly:
Hi Lee. Now that Oz is ending,
you're not thinking of leaving
NYC for LA, are you???
My idea is to stay in New York
as long as I can.
Do you love NY? Why or why not?
Discuss.
I
love it for a lot of reasons. I
came here when I was eighteen,
so I sort of grew up here. I
have a lot of great friends
here, and there’s nothing like
New York. I mean, it’s easy to
get around, there’s the museums,
the theaters... you know, it’s
great.
Have you been surprised by the
level of fan adoration you've
encountered in the last year or
so?
Yeah, it’s always... I don’t
know if 'surprised' is the right
word, but it’s always exciting
that people care.
--------------------
Anne:
What is your middle name?
Oh, like I’m gonna give that
out! And my social security, and
my mother’s maiden name! Nice
try! [laughs] It’s Allen.
--------------------
Lori:
Dear Lee, I recently read online
that back in 1993, you did some
stage work in L.A., in a show
called “Naked Without a Coast.”
I was wondering if you could
tell us about that, and any
other stage work you’ve done?
That was “Naked at the Coast”.
There’s a group, a theater
company called “Naked Angels”
who are based here in New York,
and they came out [to LA], and I
have some friends in it. There’s
Marisa Tomei, and Rob Morrow,
quite a few people like that,
but then there’s some people who
I’ve known for years, who I
worked in restaurants with, and
they came out to LA and they
were doing a night of one-acts,
and I did one with them. I
didn’t do a lot of theater in LA
because it just was a lot
different out there than it is
here. Here, I did The Day
Jack London Got Pinched with
Tom Fontana and Kirk Acevedo and
Mums and Scott Winters, and I
was in a play called The
Exonerated which is an
ongoing thing, transcripts from
Death Row inmates. And right now
I’m working on a reading of a
friend’s play.
Also, which do you prefer - live
theater, television or films?
I
don’t know. People ask that, but
I don’t really have... I guess
if I had to pick one I’d pick
films, but they’re all good for
different reasons, you know?
Doing these plays has been
great, because there’s nothing
like live. So, they’re
all good.
--------------------------
Beth:
How do you sleep? On your back,
side or stomach? Do you ever
snore or talk in your sleep? Do
you generally sleep soundly or
are you a light sleeper? Thanks
Well... I usually start out
sleeping on the right side; they
say that’s the best side to
sleep on. I do sleep a lot on my
back, though. I snore at times.
And I sleep pretty heavy.
I
asked Chris over on his site to
dish about you. He replied "I
love him immeasurably. The
limited time I have here would
never give my feelings justice."
Awwwwww. Isn't that sweet? Feel
free to gush about him at any
time. :)
You know, I admire him a lot. I
think he’s got a lot of balls.
And I’ve seen ‘em!
Did you have fun when your
beautiful sister-in-law Toni
Lewis worked on Oz last season?
She was wonderful in "Homicide:
Life on the Street" by the way.
Yeah, it was a blast to have her
on the show. We didn’t actually
get to work together, which was
a drag, but she’s awesome.
Tell the truth, have you ever
peed in a swimming pool?
About this, I will remain
silent. Like the "p" in swimming
pool.
Is there any kind of food that
you absolutely refuse to eat on
the grounds it will make you
hurl?
No.
Thanks for your time!
------------------------------
Andra:
Hi Lee, I want to ask if you
would play again the role of a
gay, if you are asked for such a
role, and if you don't, why not?
Yeah, I wasn’t scared off from
that subject matter by Oz. I
don’t really consider Beecher “a
gay” -- but you know, yeah, I
wouldn’t rule it out. It would
depend on what it was. But
that’s how I feel about
everything. It depends what it
is.
And if you would and have the
chance to choose who would you
choose to be your partener?
Chris Meloni. My one and only.
Thanks a lot; Andra, a great fan
of you and Oz from Romania
--------------------------
bisi_fan:
Hello Mr. Tergesen,
On the DVD commentary you said
that Adewale was all method and
that he couldn't kept his hands
off your dick. Um....was he
really like that? Or were you
just joking?
About my dick I never joke!
-----------------------
Dede:
I
want to know what do you all do
when you not taping the show but
you can't leave the set do you
all hang out togather or do you
all hate to be around each other
LOL thanks
Yeah, we hang out. It was a
little easier when we used to
shoot it in New York on 15th and
9th, we used to have a bowling
night and stuff like that. But
when we moved to Bayonne, we
would hang out there because
there was no place to go,
really. So, yeah. There was no
hating of anybody or not wanting
to be around them. It was a fun
set to be on.
-----------------------
Susan:
Dear Lee:
Do you and Chris carefully plan
out how you will interact in
your joint scenes? Or, given
your limited time to read
scripts in advance and rehearse
(if at all), are you primarily
played instinctively, without
exception?
No, we don’t plan them out.
-------------------
Lisa and Patty:
Hi Lee,
You are one funny guy, we're
curious as to what you find
humorous. If you're in the mood
for a good laugh, what movie do
you rent? Favorite sitcom?
Comedian?
I
see humor in almost everything.
I think the world is funny if
you look at it that way, and I
think it’s unbelievably serious
if you look it at that way, and
for me, to get through it, I try
and look for the humor in
everything.
I
don’t know if I have a sitcom
that I really like to watch.
Hmm. I think Seinfeld is
funny, but there’s not much that
I watch on a regular basis. I
catch Seinfeld more now
that it’s in reruns than I did
when it was on.
Favorite comedian... I love
George Carlin. I just finished
reading the autobiography of
Lenny Bruce, who was a really
funny guy, and twisted. Nowadays
I love Janeane Garofalo, and I
think Dennis Miller is really
funny, and Bill Maher.
Let's say the members of the
Emmy committee were to pull
their heads out and give you the
award you so obviously deserve,
can you pick three scenes you'd
want on your Emmy reel? They can
be from any season.
Probably the scene where I find
out my wife is dead, the section
in Season 4 where I thought I
was getting out but it was a
dream, and maybe the last scene
that I have with Chris Meloni.
(My personal favorite is Beecher
talking to Sr. Pete about two
men loving each other, that
scene really touched me, you
were wonderful. L.)
Yeah, that’s a great one too.
Thanks so much for answering our
questions, it's very generous of
you. Happy Anniversary to you
and Leslie!
Thanks. (I’m a little late,
but...)
-------------------
Reut:
Hi Lee, my name is Reut and im
from Israel. First of all I
wanted to tell you that I think
you're an amazing actor. You're
great in Oz, by far my favorite
oz actor and character, and you
were great in Weird Science
[although I remember I kinda
feared you in those days :)]. I
wanted to ask if your role in Oz
has effected your behaviour -
like if you curse more or are
more violent, etc.? Thank you.
No, it hasn’t really affected me
like that. If anything, I’m more
understanding and tolerant.
---------------------
Aussi59:
hey, i just wanted to know a few
things... can you speak
Norwegian?
Not much. I just know phrases
that my mother taught me. And I
know the birthday song. I can
ask you if you love me, and I
can tell you I love you. And I
can tell you not to forget your
limp.
do you hang out with Chris
Meloni or Dean Winters more?
Dean Winters.
did you play any sports in high
school?
Not really for any teams... I
ran track for a little while and
I used to play basketball, but
never on the school teams. Just
schoolyard kind of basketball.
Ddo you prefer NYC or
California?
New York.
thanks. i love all your work
--------------------------
Jhon:
Hi Lee. If you won´t be an
actor, what would you like to
be?
Rock star! Well, maybe I should
have said “musician”.
------------------
Roxana:
Dear Lee, I´d like to know where
I can to write to get a photo
yours because I live abroad.
I´ll appreciate your answer.
You can send something to the
Gersh Agency. 120 W 42nd St,
New York, NY 10036
----------------------------
“M”:
Lee, how did you prepare for
your role as "Chris Thormann" on
"Homicide: Life on the Street"
after he was blinded? You did a
fantastic job and I was just
curious how you *got* that down
so well? (Side note: You can
relax, dude, you *did* nail
those scenes.) Thank you for
your answer.
Thank you. I don’t know, I
watched some blind people, and
sort of thought about how so
much of how we... you know, the
eyes are a very active part of
how we communicate and stuff
like that, and what would it
mean if they were unusable? And
I just tried to -- what’s the
opposite of accentuate? -- just,
not use them, really, I guess.
And kept them out of focus. And
relaxed. That’s what I did.
----------------------------
Devon:
OK I am sitting here
flabbergasted at the fact that
OZ is ending next year- not
because I won't have anything to
watch on Sunday nights (because
hopefully I won't be a loser all
my life ), not because I won't
see you act anymore (because I
know great things will come your
way), but because I have this
little thing permanently
tattooed to my back (the word
OZ- yeah I stole Tom Fontana's
tattoo)- so what am I supposed
to do with it now????
Well, Tom always said if the
show didn’t run, he would just
tell everyone it stood for
“ounces.” Or he said he would
put an “R” on it, and say he
used to date someone named Roz.
Seriously though, I wanted to
take the time to write and thank
you for all of your hard work
and dedication to the show, and
the fans. Take it from somebody
who works in the criminal
justice field- the depiction of
what life is like in OZ (the
conduct, the emotions, the
despair) is pretty close to the
real thing. Best of luck to you
and your wife- can't wait to see
you on the screen again soon!
---------------------------
Vanessa:
Hello.. my name is Vanessa.. and
I was wondering... what is your
eye color? Ive looked at so many
pictures of you and it seems
like they are a bluish green. I
still cant seem to figure it
out.
It changes. Blue-green... but
sometimes they skew blue,
sometimes they skew green.
Also.. and I was wondering...
when any of your shows or movies
are on... do you watch them?
Sometimes. Usually if it’s the
first time it’s on, I’ll watch
it.
What are your other favorite
movies and shows, beside the
ones you've been in? Thanx!
Well, I love Old Star Trek, but
nowadays I don’t know... I watch
Six Feet Under. Favorites? I
don’t know.
----------------------
SP:
If I may take a few moments of
your time --
You’ve mentioned several items
in your answers hinting at an
Eastern/Asian influence. Just
how much are you into the
eastern philosophies/religions?
Hmm. I wonder what it was that I
said? [laughs] I don’t
know, the way I look at things
is more a mix of a lot of
different things. I think
eastern philosophies are simpler
and easier to understand than
most of the western
religions/philosophies, and most
of what I believe in, or how I
look at the world, is about
being present and in the moment
and living for the now.
Which sports are you into
playing? Watching?
I
don’t really watch sports. I
love to play Frisbee. And
badminton.
Do you (computer) surf much?
Computer literate?
I
am basically computer
illiterate. I mean, I have a
computer and I can do some
things, but not much.
Why a Honda Shadow over other
cycles?
I
was looking at a Harley, and the
salesman just said some things
that really sort of annoyed me,
like: ”I’ve made a lot of
friends because of my
motorcycle!” and “People become
stars because of their
motorcycles!” and I was like,
what are you talking about?
And then ultimately, the Shadow
was the shape I was looking for,
and it was like a third of the
price. And I’ve always had
Japanese bikes, and they’re
reliable. Not that the new
Harleys aren’t reliable; I just
never really got caught up in
that part of the fantasy about
it, although I have friends that
do. I’ve ridden them, and
they’re fun to ride, but... I’m
more unassuming.
Collect anything?
No. My wife collects salt and
pepper shakers that have faces
on them, but I don’t really
collect anything, no. I collect
dust!
Favorite food?
I
don’t know what it is.
You fold a mean set of clothes
on Oz. Just how domesticated are
you? Do you cook? Iron? Etc? I
mean we all (even us girls) want
a wife. Would you be a good one?
Yeah, you know, I’m all right
around the house. I have trouble
putting my shoes away, but I can
cook... I can cook a hell of an
omelet, a good stir-fry. I don’t
find myself ironing a whole lot,
but I can do it. My mother
taught me.
Serious question? where were you
on 9-11-01? What was your
immediate reaction? What was the
first thing you did?
Oh... I was home. I didn’t
believe it. I turned on the
television and saw the second
plane crash, and got sad.
Random fact. Please. (ok I
ripped this one off)
When I was in tenth grade, I did
the musical “Godspell” and there
was a girl named Anne who I had
a crush on. And we ended up
dating for a while, but there
was a rehearsal where I took
this small American flag that I
had that was a prop of mine, and
I had laid it over her face and
then kissed her through it. And
I still have that flag. And I
have no idea why. *laughs*
Sentimental reasons....
--------------------------
reut pe’er:
Hi Lee, how are you? Just wanted
to say that I just saw the Weird
Science episode where you're a
strip dancer...hehehe...it was a
great show! I was wondering if
you keep in touch with anyone on
that show? Thanks :)
I
keep in touch a little bit with
John Asher, who’s now married to
Jenny McCarthy, and I’m very
close to the guy who played my
brother, Michael Manasseri.
----------------------------
Portia:
On the advice of some 'net
friends, I've been keeping my
eye out for "Desert Heat" and
was recently able to tape it. I
fast-forwarded to the
recommended scene, and -- Oh My
GOSH! That TONGUE!! Holy Smokes!
I didn't read the credits, so
I'm wondering if it got separate
billing? I think it should have,
sort of like: "Biker 1 played by
Lee Tergesen, Tongue played by
El Slip'n Slide." Or maybe "El
Mucho Muscularo?" I don't know,
I'll have to see if the
TwistedSisterhood can come up
with a good one, or maybe you
have your own nickname for it?
"g" Anyhow, does the Tongue have
it's own separate exercise
routine, or does it just lead
an, uh...active lifestyle?
'Cause that baby had *presence.*
LOL
[laughs]
Well, thank you. No, there’s no
name for it. I mean, sure, it
has an exercise plan... but you
know, if you got a nice car, you
don’t leave it in the garage....
Btw, we've just got the first
reports back from the Jim Cox'
gallery showing -- the Twisted
Sibs are all in a flutter about
how gracious and approachable
you were. You charming devil,
you! "g" And everyone has also
been very impressed with Mr.
Cox' work, including what we've
seen on his site.
Have a great one, and I'm
looking forward to seeing you on
ER this week!
-----------------------
Ian:
Hi Lee, my names Ian I'm an
actor. Which do you prefer new
G'N'R or old G'N'R?
I
didn’t know there was “new”
G’n’R. But, every once in a
while I break out Appetite
for Destruction, you know?
--------------------------------
Kadri:
Dear Lee; I'm Kadri and I'm from
Turkey. I'm adoring you! Would
you like visit Turkey?? I'll
waiting your answer Greetings
from Turkey...Kadri
Oh, I adore *you*. I don’t have
any plans to visit Turkey, but I
hear it’s beautiful.
-------------------------------
Anne:
Thanks for your charming company
at Kanvas. It meant a lot to
each of us. More than you’ll
ever know. Now to my questions
--
We (your fans) have been
discussing whether or not you
read the posts on the LT.net
forum? Could you clear up this
mystery for us? Do you read the
posts?
Every once in a while I go in
there and read around a little
bit...
If yes, do you read random posts
in all threads (i.e. categories)
or do you mainly stick with the
ones where we’re talking about
how wonderful you are?
Yeah, I basically stick with the
ones where you talk about how
wonderful I am. There are
others? Anne, shame on you!
You did an amazing job on
"E.R." You were riveting to
watch. Please keep Dori informed
about upcoming guest
appearances. We don't want to
miss any. Are there any other
current t.v. shows you'd like to
guest star on? What ones? What
attracts you to audition for a
role?
With TV nowadays, it’s usually
what they offer me.
Do you like to be constantly
working or do you like down time
in between jobs?
Well, it’s funny. I prefer to be
constantly working, but on the
other hand I like a certain
amount of down time. But not too
much.
Thanks! You’re a doll!
----------------------------------
Portia:
I
have it from numerous and
reliable sources (the Kanvas
Crowd) that you "smelled very,
VERY good." So, I'm wondering,
what were you wearing that
night, and is it your usual?
I
don’t really wear anything. I
wear, like, some Speed Stick.
--------------------
Krista:
Lee--First of all, I was so
excited to read that you are
Norwegian (I kinda guessed that
being that your last name ended
in SEN). I am Norse myself. I
would be happy to make you some
of my famous krumkaka if you
desire, let me know. My question
is rather shallow (*shallow
alert*) but I was wondering if
some of you boys from OZ might
find yourselves on the new Tom
Fontana series "Baseball Wives"?
Seeing you, Dean Winters and
Christopher Meloni in baseball
pants would help heal the "I
miss OZ" wound...what do you
think? Mange Tusen Takk for your
response :)
Don’t know. You never know.
“Baseball Wives” obviously isn’t
happening, but you know, he’s
always working on something.
-------------------------------
dave-fan from England:
hi lee! you must get so much
praise and stuff,but i am sure
you like hearing it so well done
for playing beecher so well! not
seen you in any other project
i.e weird science,but will try
to look out for them. on with
the questions,they are quite
random!
have you ever been to England?
(if not,come to Manchester and
not London.it's a much better
place!)
Yes. I love London, never been
to Manchester.
who do you rate as
actors/actresses?(i am sure
there are some you really don't
rate!!!)
I
love Jeff Bridges, Daniel Day
Lewis, Philip Seymour Hoffman.
My favorite movie is “Saturday
Night Fever” so I always put
John Travolta in there... I just
saw “Phenomenon” the other day,
he was good in that. And Bill
Murray.
are you surprised at how the
keller and beecher fascination
in oz has been so popular?(me
being a fan!i mean if you check
out the search engine on 'keller
and beecher' there are thousands
of web sites!a lot of yahoo
groups have formed just on
beecher and keller!)
Surprised? No. I think we’re
fucking hot! Come on!
how long is a typical filming of
oz?
It took about four months.
any pet peeves? (i really can't
stand big egos!)
I
try to steer clear of that kind
of stuff, because...well,
narrow-mindedness, I hate
narrow-mindedness, but I don’t
like to point fingers because I
know that then there’s three
other fingers pointing back at
me! If you spot it, you got it.
i heard you were a special guest
on ER, how was that?
It was great.
I went on chris meloni's
site,where a fan asked about you
and him starting a spin off on
oz! do you think there will be
one? what will it be about?
No, I don’t think there will
ever be a spin-off. Normally I
would joke about something like
this, but... but it’s too hard
now! It’s over!
i think you should be in svu and
replace ice t! you could be the
nasty bastard with attitude cop!
it would be interesting! any
views? have you been offered a
role in svu since we last heard?
No, I think they’re afraid to
give me a part on SVU. But I did
Criminal Intent, and I’ve been
asked to do a couple of Law &
Order’s, but it hasn’t
worked out yet, timing wise.
any wisdom advice on life?
Hang on. It’s gonna be a bumpy
ride.
any regrets?
Nah.
well i leave it as that! thanks
for taking time to attend your
fans,you and chris are
great.good luck with future
projects and i will keep an eye
out for them.
------------------------------------
Jamie:
Hi Lee. My name is Jamie. I met
you at Antone's in Austin. We
had a long conversation about
everything under the sun. I told
you that I was writing a
screenplay about my brother who
is an artist and that I would
love for you to play him. He was
a Baptist preacher until he fell
on his head and woke up as Van
Gogh. I don't know if you
remember the story or not, but I
remember you laughed a lot and
seemed to think it was a good
story at the time. I was
wondering if you accept
unsolicited scripts and who I
would send it to if you do. I
would love for you to read it.
You'd be perfect. I also wanted
to thank you for being so nice
that night. You gave me a lot to
think about. You were such a
good conversationalist and you
have a wonderful sense of humor.
Thanks. And of course I remember
you, Jamie! Yeah, send it to my
agent at Gersh.
---------------------------------------
Sara B:
I
hope this doesn't end up like a
20 questions-type thing, but I
do have a lot of questions to
ask. Thank you, though, for
taking the time to answer
questions.
Do you watch any reality shows?
Like Amazing Race? Do you think
if you and Chris did that show,
you would do well or would you
be eliminated the first week?
Every once in a while I’ll watch
an episode of a reality show. I
like watching Fear Factor
-- I guess that’s reality,
right? And The Real World...
but those aren’t
elimination-type things. I’ve
only seen a couple Survivor’s.
But if it was “The Bachelor”
or “Mister Personality,”
of course I would win!
I
loved you on Homicide. I thought
that was a great role. Did you
read the book or meet the
character you were based on? I
thought it was one of the best
books I read, so if you read it,
did you like it?
Yes, to both. I read the book
and I met the character it was
based on. It’s a great book.
How did you like working with
Edie Falco on both Homicide and
Oz?
Ahh, she’s awesome. I wish I
could work with her again.
Do you agree with the following
statement: Wayne's World is one
of the funniest movies EVER.
Wow. It’s pretty funny, but you
know, it’s hard for me to judge.
I think the funniest movie ever
is probably “Groundhog Day”. But
you know, “Wayne’s World” is up
there... it’s pretty funny,
pretty silly.
How was filming the Bohemian
Rhapsody scene in Wayne's World?
It looked like a lot of fun and
is one of the funniest scenes in
that movie.
Yeah, that was a lot of fun. I
originally wasn’t in it, it was
just the four guys, and we had a
reading of it and I asked Mike
Myers if I could be in it and he
put me in it. It was tiring; we
shot all night, we shot until
like seven in the morning or
something like that, so it was a
little exhausting. And if you
notice, I am the only true
head-banger in the car. I really
worked that fucking neck. But no
good head-banger stretches!
Thanks again for (hopefully)
answering my questions. Maybe if
I think harder I'll come up with
questions about Oz. Thank you.
---------------------------------
Rukia19
I
am a big fan of you and i think
you are a great actor. I really
enjoyed the musical episode of
OZ i didn't realise you were
such a good singer. did you find
it fun or embarassing to do
because i think your part was
brilliant.
Oh, it was a blast, especially
because my brother was the music
supervisor, so it was fun to
work with him on it.
------------------------------
Darryl:
Lee, I read in one of your
answers that your first DVD was
The Wall by Roger Waters. Are
you a Pink Floyd fan? I have all
their CD's. I'd love to have you
and the wife over to listen to
some. Maybe for Mardi Gras.
Thanks for the great scenes in
OZ.
Yeah, I love the Floyd. Oddly
enough, I think it was also the
first thing I listened to when I
got my first Walkman, back in
like 1981 or something like
that. And “Wish You Were Here”
is one of the few songs I can
play on guitar.
------------------------------
"v":
hi, i am writing to ask a
question i already asked Chris
just to get the other side of
the story. how can i be the
middle of a keller/beecher oreo?
inquiring minds need to know!
Peace
It would cost a LOT of money.
Well over one hundred dollars.
-----------------
Angela:
I
seriously doubt that this will
ever be answered but I'll try
anyway. First of all, I think
you are one of the most
spectacular, amazing, wonderful,
fantastic, extraordinary,
phenomenal actors on the
planet.... When you and the
other Oz guys were doing the
latest DVD signing I was there,
and when I handed you my DVD to
sign I tried to say something
but was so utterly terrified,
starstruck and overwhelmed that
I couldn't speak. *blush* Do you
find it strange that there are
people out there who admire you
so much that they freak out at
the thought of talking to you,
or are you used to it by now?
Well first of all, you
underestimate my talent.
[laughs] Second of all -- yeah,
I do find that a little
surprising, because I like to
think of myself as approachable.
But I understand, you know, it’s
not always easy.
-------------------------
Beth:
Hi Lee, Did you enjoy hooking up
with your old Oz buddy Kathryn
Erbe on L&O:CI? It was good to
see you guys together again.
Yeah, it was awesome. She’s
great. And I actually had done a
movie with Vincent D’Onofrio,
“Bark,” so it was a
re-meeting with both of them.
-----------------------
Darrin L:
Lee, I never write to fan sites
haha but what the hell. I gotta
say thanks for the inspiration
and courage you show in your
work and your attitude. It’s
great to watch and inspires me
in acting and in areas of life.
In a society where the whole
“gay” thing, the stereotyping,
taboo, etcetera is something so
many recoil from, it’s great to
see someone have the balls to
mount it and make it all work.
Your ability to play the roles
you play and cross over into
different characters and facets
of life without the
predictability that is so often
the case is nothing short of
admirable. It’s great to see a
person use a gift and craft to
break down barriers and send a
message just by the courage to
do so. Whether intended or not,
your willingness to accept these
roles and your attitude towards
your work, and towards others
speaks much positive where often
that message just isn’t the
norm. You ability to truly care
about others and value what’s
inside, to be moved by them is
awesome. I believe to be as
accomplished as you are in the
craft of acting, requires the
ability to go inside and not be
afraid to look around, to stand
sometimes and just observe
without movement or action.
Thanks again for the hard work
and dedication and hell, if
you’re ever in San Diego, let’s
hang. Haha Peace man.
Thanks, Darrin.
-------------------------------
Scott:
Hi, Lee... First, thanks for the
years of hard work on Oz... I am
new to this great site, and read
a LOT of the back questions to
you and they seemed to be
focused on your relationship
with another actor...which I
don't see why one answer once or
twice wouldn't suffice, but....
Anyway, what prompted this
question (I'm a long-winded
questioner...love the
long-winded answers!)... So many
people seem to want to ask you
what Beecher FEELS, or his fate,
etc. Now, they know you are not
the writer, but on some level,
to most fans, you ARE Beecher.
How do you feel about this? Do
you see it as being 'typecast,'
possibly wonder if these people
understand acting (Not meant in
a mean way.)...
No, there are no stupid
questions. Lay off the people.
[laughs] People are
interested, and they have
questions, just like you. I
don’t think about it too much, I
just try and answer the
question.
Or are you proud that through
Tom's writing and your ACTING
abilities, you made a 2
dimensional written character
become as real to people as a
neighbor or friend?
Yeah. That’s what I love to do.
If nothing happened for you
after Oz, could you accept being
known as 'Beecher' even MORE as
DVD sets are released and the
show gets wider exposure?
Yeah, I don’t have any problem
being known for that character.
I’m sure it’s something that’s
always... it’s been one of the
great jobs of mine. Yeah.
If nothing else, you CREATED
this character through your
talent...if people believe you
ARE Beecher, would a Post-Oz
existence satisfy you with the
knowledge that your acting MADE
an unlikeable character into a
dead real 'person' and
furthermore, made the audience
not only like him but worry
about his fate? That is a tough
thing to do.
Yeah, that would be enough.
On a lighter note, what would
you say are the top three KISS
albums, other than “Alive!”, and
do you have an order of ranking
for personalities in the band?
Well, if we’re talking about
*original* KISS, which is really
all there is for me...and if you
include all that I know about
them... well, when I was a kid,
I would say it was Gene, Paul,
Peter, and then Ace. But I know
Peter Criss now, and he’s a
great guy, he worked on the
show. Far as the albums go...
well, of course “Destroyer,”
“Hotter than Hell,” and, hmm...
well, you ruled out “Kiss
Alive”, so... “Kiss Alive 2”!
Ah...and what about Nirvana?
What about Nirvana?
---------------------------
Jennifer in Jersey:
don't really have any questions
to ask - but I just want to
thank you for your brilliant and
spectacular performance over the
years on Oz. I've been watching
the tapes of Seasons 1-4 (so
far) and I never get tired of
it. Beecher has always been my
favorite inmate on the program
and I couldn't imagine anyone
else in the role. There are many
faces of Tobias Beecher, but I
really never lost sight of the
fact that basically he has a
good heart and is a good person
who just happened to be in a
very bad place. (My compliments
also to Christopher Meloni, who
I believe as Keller, sort of
kept Beecher going in a way -
aside from the end of season 2).
Once again, thank you for your
talents that you've shared with
us and good luck with everything
that you do in the future. God
bless!
Thank you, J in NJ.
------------------------------
Ross:
Thoroughly enjoying the
metamorphosis your character has
gone through in Season one of
Oz. I am in Canada, and only
started to watch the series
through DVD rentals. I have to
say 8 episodes seems a little
weak per season. I guess my
frustration is a sign of a good
show. Do you know of any plans
to release the other seasons
sooner, rather than later?
Yeah. I think they’re gonna
start releasing them every six
months.
-----------------------------
Im a french fan of "weird
science" and "oz" ! Therefor of
course very fan of the great lee
! In france, the broadcast of oz
had stopped for the moment in
the end of the season 2, and
very im angry and disappointed
by the fact what beecher became
gay ! why not alvarey or even
reabadow ! why beecher?! im very
unhappy ! THAT Almost THE MYTH
WHO's collapsed ! I've got it
bad , and that ain't good ! But
Without this , beecher is for me
the best character of all show
tv of the story of television !
( chett donnelly too is cool )!
But now lee ! THE CINEMA IS TO
YOU !!! SO GO GO GO !! IM WITH
YOU ! YOUR GREAT !!!! and also ,
lee , to do again your beard of
crazy ! your cool with !!!!
ASTALAVISTA BYE BYE ! Ciao ! que
dieu benisse cette putain
d'amerique VIVA AMERICA !!!!
Well, thank you for the
acknowledgement of my Beard of
Crazy. [laughs] And
yeah, it was rough on old
Beecher, but don’t be down on
him because he fell in love with
a man! Jesus Christ, he was
lucky to find love at all! And
it’s gonna be an uphill battle!
------------------------------
Al:
Dear Lee, do you prefer plays "a
bad guy", "a good guy" ,a "funny
guy" or a "psycho guy".
Yes.
----------------------------
RC:
hey there. just wanted to say
that i am like a huge fan of
your work, and that you really
are a very talented man. but i
will just get to my fan thing
and ask the round of questions.
i recently sent some questions
to Chris Meloni's site cuz i am
also his biggest fan, so i will
ask ya some of them too.
1. Would u ever consider goin
some place to meet a fan? if so,
how far would u go? or would u
just ever hang out with a fan
for a day? cuz i really just
wanna shake your hand and say
congrats on all of your
accomplishments.
Well, that wouldn’t take a whole
day. [laughs] I do hang
out with the fans! I don’t know
if I would ever travel
specifically to do it... but I
guess, for the right amount of
money I’d do probably anything!
*howls* Woo-hoo,
motherfucker!
I am like the biggest fan of Oz.
i watch it every sunday, and
have all the dvds available. i
am so sad it is ending for good!
=( but anyway, i am the biggest
beecher/keller fan possible, and
i know u and chris get sick of
these questions, so i will make
them short. how often do u guys
ever hang out? talk?
A
few times a month. He’s very
busy right now, working on SVU,
so it’s catch-as-catch-can.
has anyone ever confronted you
guys in public and maybe asked u
wierd questions about your
relationship with each other on
the show? if so, what would they
be?
No, nobody’s ever done that,
really.
Would u and chris ever take out
a fan someday and just hang out
with them for the day? let them
in on all the "real" stuff that
goes on in Oz? if so, i am here
man, and i would be the happoest
person alive if i could hang out
with ya guys someday.
Probably not gonna do it.
Would u ever take a fan, and let
them show u a special talent of
theirs, dancing, acting,
singing, etc., and maybe help
them get a little farther in
making their dream come true to
become professional? if so,
again, i am here. i am a dancer,
and really need all the help i
can get to getr closer to
becoming a professional back up.
plz help if ya can. =) just to
say u helped someone else
succeed in life.
Well, unless your dancing
involves a pole and platform
shoes, I don’t think so. But,
good luck!
well lee, thanks a lot for
answering all of these
questions. i have a lot more,
but i will send them another
time. keep up the good work, and
say hey to chris for me
sometime, and tell him who i am,
and that he needs to answer my
questions. thanks again. and
ttyl peace
----------------------------
Lara:
Hello Lee, how do you feel after
the director called cut on your
last Toby scene?
I
felt... I was happy, because I
knew the show was complete for
me, and safe.
---------------------------
Ron:
Between Weird Science and Oz:
1) How long do you think Chet
would have lasted in Oz?
Weaponless? An hour.
2) If MTV ever resurrected
Celebrity Deathmatch, who do you
think would win a tag-team
between Weird Science, the
movie, and Weird Science,
the series? (personally,
after seeing what you did to
Schillinger in Oz: season one,
Paxton wouldn't stand a chance.)
Oh, please. Weird Science The
Series would take a huge dump on
the movie!
3) Speaking of: When you crapped
on Schillinger, if that wasn't
Sh**!, what was it?
It was a mixture of liverwurst,
peanut butter and chocolate
syrup.
------------------------------
Dana:
In Oz, it seems like bad things
always happen to everyone, not
just the bad people. If you
could have one bad thing happen
to one bad (and by bad I mean
evil, like Devlin) character,
who would it be and what? Me,
I'd have Devlin fed ground glass
like Schibetta. P.S: Do you like
Metallica? I know you like metal
Every year, I wanted to kill
Schillinger. And P.S.: Yes.
-------------------------------
Megan:
Hi Lee, my name is Megan. First
and foremost I want you to know
that you are an incredible
actor, and have served for many
of the most entertaining moments
on TV in past years, whether it
be a starring role or guest
appearance. Now for the
questions:
In Seasons 1 and 3 expecially,
Toby and Ryan O'Reily seemed to
be pretty good friends, if
that's what you would call them,
being Oz and all... in the past
two seasons, what happened to
them? I'm not sure they even
spoke two words to one another.
Yeah, I think Dean said he
didn’t want to work with me
anymore.
Now that Oz is over, are you
going to continue persuing roles
in movies, like Bark and
Mergers and Aquisitions,
or are you going to look into
more TV roles?
I’ve got my eyes open for
everything.
Speaking of TV roles, what was
your favorite guest role on tv?
I really liked your appearance
on ER, your character was
chilling, but you played him
great. Also, the character you
played on JAG, I found him oddly
ammusing.
Yeah. I hated Jag.
[laughs] But, I don’t
know... I did this thing on a
show called “Queens Supreme”,
but they only aired like three
episodes of that. Luckily, mine
was one of them.
Were you happy with the way the
Beecher/Keller relationship
ended? As a big fan of B/K, I
know lots of people were
dissapointed they didnt have a
"happier" ending...but I
personally thought it was a
logical ending for them.
Yeah, I was happy with the way
it ended, because Beecher was
finally standing on his own two
feet. I think he came a long
way to get to that point. And
now he’s free to date!
[laughs evilly]
Would you mind greatly if I
asked you to send me an
autograph? I just got chris's
(meloni) a week ago in the mail,
and I'd love to place yours
right next to it on my wall.
Yeah, write to Gersh.
Anyway, thanks for the great
acting, and for being such a joy
to look at! :) love ya, peace.
------------------------------
Glory:
Lee, you once did a Gilligan’s
Island’s spoof for us with Oz
characters. I was wondering if
you’d do one for West Side
Story, just to amuse me. :)
Hmmm. Well, of course Rita
Moreno would still be Anita. I’d
be Maria, so I get to do a lot
of scenes with her. Keller’d be
Bernardo. O’Reily would be Tony.
Cyril would be Riff. McManus
would be Officer Krupke. That’s
all I can think of... Oh, wait.
Warden Glynn would be the guy
who runs the soda shop. And Kirk
Acevedo would be Chino.
-----------------------------
Cynthia:
Did you see the B/K relationship
playing out differently than it
did?
No.
What did Meloni write on the
shirt you were wearing on
'Breaking the Law'?
Oh, wow, I don’t know...
[laughs] It was a lot of gay
stuff, like “I’ll always be
there for you,” and “Wear this
shirt with pride.” That’s all I
can really remember.
What's your favorite Beecher
quote?
A
lot of people loved the “Same
old story, I got fucked in the
ass!” line. My favorite....
well, the thing I say from the
show a lot -- which wasn’t
actually my line, it was Said’s
-- is: “Brick by hypocritical
brick!”
Where did the idea for the
crazyBeecher nursery rhymes come
from?
Tom. It was his idea, and he got
all these obscure rhymes,
because I guess there were
copyright problems with any of
the ones you would actually
know, so he found all these old,
obscure nursery rhymes. But it
was funny -- I just read this
biography about Charles Manson
called “Taming the Beast”, and
the Crazy Beecher years are a
lot like Charles Manson!
Why no B/K love (and by 'love' I
mean 'sex') scenes?
Oh, will you stop...
I'd love to hear anything you
have to say about the making of
the 'Junkyard Dawgs' chair
scene.
I
hated it. I didn’t have any
fuckin’ lines! Although I
really did -- I had one line.
It was “Fuck you." And I think
I got that out pretty well.
How has 'Oz' changed your
perspective?
I
think I’ve sort of answered that
already, earlier.
What have you learned from
Tobias Beecher?
Watch your ass!
---------------------------
Sandy S. :
Hi Lee-
First of all I want to say that
I am a big fan of your work,
especially on Oz. I wanted to
ask you a few questions about
your most recent project The
Exonerated. Before I get to the
questions I want to tell you
that I thought you were amazing
in the part and the play really
made me rethink my stance on the
death penalty. I also wanted to
say that I saw you outside the
theatre and you seemed like a
really nice and wonderful
person. It was amazing that you
took the time to greet your
fans. Ok so the questions..
What made you decide to do this
play? Do you believe in the
death penalty (or did your
outlook change throughout the
play)?
Bob Balaban directed an episode
of Oz and asked me to do
it, and when I read it I thought
it was really moving. And I
don’t know that it changed how I
felt about the death penalty,
but it definitely made me think
more about it. I’d have to say
in most cases I’m against it,
though I know there are some
people who WANT to be put to
death.
Did you feel that after playing
Beecher on Oz you had a better
grasp on what Kerry Cook was
going through?
Yeah.
What was it like meeting Kerry
Cook, since you were playing him
on stage?
It was good... although we
didn’t really talk until I did
it again, until after the second
time I did it. And you know, it
was interesting to talk to him,
he’s an interesting guy. He’s
got a lot of knowledge.
What was your favorite
thing/memory about doing the
play?
Working with Amelia Campbell,
she was the woman who played my
wife. Oh, and another thing --
there was another theater
downstairs, the entrance to
their stage was right near our
dressing rooms, and on the
second-to-last -- their *last*
night, a bunch of them were
about ready to go on stage and
we were just about to go to
places. And I walked up to them
and go, I’m gonna go on stage
with you guys! You know, as a
joke. And they were like, you
totally should do it! It's the
perfect scene to do it! And so
thirty seconds later it was time
for them to go in, and I held
the hand of one of the actresses
and sat down next to her, and it
was unbelievably exciting. I
mean my heart was just pounding.
Because it was like the actor's
nightmare -- I'm doing a play
and I didn’t rehearse.
[laughs] But it was a
blast.
Did you meet any new interesting
people while working on it? Did
you get along with the other
actors?
Judy Collins, Jill Clayburgh,
Jeff Goldblum... all the other
actors that are in it all the
time. Joe Morton. Yeah, I got
along with everybody. I get
along with people, basically.
That’s what I do.
Do you think that you will
reprise your role?
Yeah. I’ve done it twice, and if
I was available when they asked
me, I’d do it, yeah.
Are you going to do more theatre
like that, if so what is your
next project?
I
probably will, I don’t know what
right now.
Thank you for answering these
questions, I think that it is
wonderful for you to have a
forum for your fans.
