Noah Wyle Q&A
In 'Curse of the Judas Chalice,' the third installment of his TNT movie franchise 'The Librarian,' Noah Wyle reprises the title role and battles vampires, searches for an ancient relic and romances a beautiful jazz club singer in romantic New Orleans.
It's Indiana Jones meets James Bond meets your college history professor.
Wyle chatted with AOL TV about filming in the Big Easy and returning to 'ER' for its last season ... and why he got reamed for talking about George Clooney. -- By Kelly Woo
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1. Why did you decide to shoot this movie in New Orleans?
Well, our budget dictated that we had to scale back a certain percentage of the production values that we had in the other two, which meant we probably wouldn't be doing an international storyline. So we looked at America and thought, "OK, where's the history? Where's the mythology? What can we use?" And I think we all collectively wanted to do a good karmic turn by bringing some work down to New Orleans and employing their local craftsmen. And then once we'd identified that city, its own history and mythology sort of sprang to life and the story line followed suit.
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2. Do you have a favorite New Orleans experience?
It was all great. I mean, the great thing about these movies is I can be thrashing in a jungle in Mexico, or I can be riding a horse through the deserts of South Africa, or I could be poling a skiff through the swamps of New Orleans; I get to do it all. But I think just being there and [seeing] the indefatigable spirit that the people had and their ability to come on board this really fast moving train ... and infuse it with their sense of humor and their sense of professionalism, was really astonishing to me. The city still -- and will -- bear the scars and effects of Katrina for a long time to come. But [they] couldn't have rolled out a better red carpet for us or make us feel more welcome. Ironically, we went down there thinking, "Oh, we'll employ some people and we'll help the economy" and we got down there and found out we were the 11th production shooting [laughs], and that most of the crews had already been taken. We actually had to import crew members from Texas and Florida.
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3. This movie franchise has done well for TNT. Has there been talk of making it a series?
There's been a lot of talk about doing it as a series. That's something I'm less interested in doing, only because we stretch our dollars and our production values pretty thin as it is ... If we were going to try to make a series out of it, the storytelling would be there. But in terms of production costs and bang for your buck, I think it would be somewhat unsustainable, and I much prefer to see this franchise not diminish its own potential.
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4. But would you like to return to series television someday?
Oh, definitely; probably. How's that for an answer? Definitely, probably [laughs]. It will be at a time where I feel I can dedicate those kind of hours to something again without giving my family the short change. That's the only thing I'm reticent about. It's just a tremendous amount of hours and work to launch a series and to promote it. I mean, a cable show that does a shortened season may be more appealing, but for the time being I'm really happy picking and choosing work that affords me the quality of life with my family.
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5. Why do you think the movies appeal so much to viewers?
It probably speaks to a vacuum of this type of storytelling and entertainment on TV. You see it more often in features -- this sort of action-adventure-comedy geared toward famil[ies]. Being a father of two kids, there are very few things that you can sit down and watch all together and not feel like you're having your brain sucked out of you if you're an adult or like it's all going over your head if you're a kid. And this targets exactly that, and I think it delivers quite well.
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6. Will you keep making these movies every year?
I hope so. I think even two years apart is a little long to wait when you're trying to build momentum of viewership; 18 months sounds more right to me. And whether we continue to make them on TNT, or try and launch a feature off of it, or if we end up someplace else -- I couldn't tell you. But I really don't want to say goodbye to the character or the movies. I'm really having more fun doing these than just about anything else I've ever done.
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7. You seem to really enjoy the comedic parts of the movie. Is comedy a genre you'd like to move toward?
Well, it's one that I moved away from. I think during the early years on 'ER,' I definitely was utilized as more comic relief than as a dramatic touchstone. We had Eriq [La Salle] and George [Clooney] and Tony [Edwards] to play those storylines out, and I was the guy that was carrying the tray of piss and tripping in the background -- doing sort of more physical comedy -- and I've always enjoyed it. And then gradually as that character matured, and those other characters left, I sort of fell into the more dramatic storylines ... But I really love going to work every day and not having to think about cancer or dead babies or any of that other stuff [laughs].
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8. How do you feel now that 'ER' is coming to an end?
I'm really excited about going back, and I'm really excited about writing the final chapter to what this 15-year experience has been. I think the show's still firing on all pistons. But as long as it's on the air and I'm not on the show, it's sort of like watching somebody else raise your kids and you're accountable to it without having a contribution to it. The opinions that I've taken from cast members who have subsequently left are that we all feel similarly that the time is very right to have it go out with some grace, while still being a credible show.
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9. What can you tell us about Dr. Carter's return?
I really know very little. I know less than little. I think that the narrative will be a continuation of where the character went off -- to Africa and to practice more sort of triage international medicine -- and I think it will be having to do with his return to Chicago and to the hospital in some fashion. But beyond that, who I'll be working with and what I'll be doing is anybody's guess.
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Reader Comments (33)
paula at 10:33PM on Dec 1st 2008
I think Clooney is too much of a snob to go back to E.R. I don't care if he comes back to E.R. I would rather see some of the others again, Elizabeth,her daughter,abby,luca,joe,kerry weaver,jing-mei,ray...those are some of the ones I wish would come back.
JEANNE at 12:40AM on Dec 2nd 2008
'I THOUGHT NOAH WYLE 'WAS THE BEST., SORRY 'GEORGE
Alisha at 8:04PM on Dec 2nd 2008
i stopped watching ER along time ago..i just thought the show started to get alittle boring and then i started watching HOUSE..and im still a fan..but ER was ok..i mean clooney he thought it was a waste of money..because he was getting those big movie deals and roles..
Alex at 8:14PM on Dec 2nd 2008
WOW!!! Jessica Simpson posing nude here:
http://www.celebcvid.com/video.php?v=Jessica_Simpson_nude
Myshiloh at 8:53PM on Dec 2nd 2008
Of all the actors, Goran Visnjic as Luka came off the best to me. He made any trace of Clooney vanish from my ER thoughts and he knocked the socks off Noah Wyle. So of all those I'd like to see return (and assume I won't), Luka tops the list. I'd be okay with some others too, but he and Abby (Maura Tierney) top the list. No interest at all in seeing Clooney or Marguiles.
Sylvia at 8:55PM on Dec 2nd 2008
I loved Noah Wylie on ER, but George Clooney was such a snob and STILL IS!!!! NO, he isn't the Sexiest Man Alive and never will be in my books.
Sylvia
nancyw29 at 9:13PM on Dec 3rd 2008
I think clooney should stick to his oceans 11 12 13 and whatever. I agree some or all of them should come back. I would love to see his girlfriend and twins that they had before they left. I wish they would show Mark Greens oldest daughter Rachel. I am really going to miss this show I watch reruns on cable channels because I love it so much. I think it's the longest running medical show in history isn't it? Goodbye er. when is the last show?
AL at 9:06PM on Dec 2nd 2008
I HEARD THAT NOAH LIKES TO TAKE THE BIG STICK IN HIS MOUTH ALL THE TIME,, HE LOVES THE BIG LONG ONE
AL at 9:12PM on Dec 2nd 2008
noah did me in the alley last night in n.y.c. he said it is such a hassle being a straight actor, he loves to take it in the behind and to suck it in his mouth what a guy or whatever
AL at 9:14PM on Dec 2nd 2008
did you ever think that the name noah rhimes with blowya,, not just a conicidence,, he is a raging homo,, he sucked me off last night till it was hanging off my bod