“ 'They'd just written a role that he thought I should audition for, if I was interested. (Duh.) Two auditions later and I was on my way to Wilmington.' ”
[A couple of weeks ago, Rob Nagle -- the actor who played Jen's therapist, Tom Frost, on Dawson's Creek in the fourth season -- sent me a lovely email thanking me for my support and complimenting me on my recaps. I couldn't decide whether to feel flattered or to cringe with my entire body, recalling as I did more than one reference in my recaps to marrying Tom Frost and having little Tom and Sars Frosts. Oops. Busted.
In the end, I went with both, thanking him for reading and then hiding red-faced under my desk (when he passed along the fact that Michelle Williams had pointed him to TWoP, I briefly went fetal). Happily, Nagle allowed me to redeem myself somewhat by generously agreeing to an email interview. Hey, better late than never, right?]
Sars: Well, I'll start with an easy question. Will you marry me? (I'm guessing the answer is "no," but that's okay -- just give me a way to segue into the question.)
Rob Nagle: As much as your support has meant to me since the episodes aired last season (and as much as I don't want to start an interview on the wrong foot)...I have to say "probably not" -- my wife Heather would take issue with me, and I like her a lot. Now, if you kidnapped me and took me to an all-night chapel and held a gun to my head, I would definitely have to reconsider.
That's completely understandable. I don't want to cause any trouble. Okay, now that that's out of the way, can you tell me a little about how you came into the Tom Frost role?
I went to college with one of the show's executive producers, a great guy named Greg Berlanti. Hadn't been in touch in years. One night I found myself at a party, talking to a friend about how much we enjoyed the sweet movie that Greg wrote and directed (The Broken Hearts Club). Well, this friend insisted that I email Greg and tell him exactly what I'd been telling her. Greg replied quickly. He couldn't believe the good timing -- he'd been thinking of me and wondering if I was in Los Angeles or in New York. They'd just written a role that he thought I should audition for, if I was interested. (Duh.) Two auditions later and I was on my way to Wilmington.
The Rob Nagle Interview
“ 'The last moments between the two of us and my final wave goodbye were honestly felt. It's weird, but I still miss those sessions. They were good.' ”
Did you like the way the writers approached the character?
I was very happy with the writing, across the board. I thought the writers created an interesting scenario with some wonderful dialogue. They made my job easier by giving me wonderful things to say. Though Tom Frost seemed a little frosty at the beginning ["hee" -- Sars], I loved the way they kept us guessing about where the storyline was heading. We didn't even know when we started where exactly this was going. And after the first episode aired, my brother called in a minor panic. He wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to be a bad shrink and kiss Jen. I told him he'd have to watch.
How did you feel about the resolution to that storyline for Jen? (We hated it, and not just because we wanted to see more of you.)
I felt it was abrupt. And sad. I felt a lot like Tom did in that final scene, actually. ("You're not done; you're just starting to make sense of all this.") Of course, I'd hoped the writers would send Jen back for a session now and again, and I guess they still could if they wanted to. But the last moments between the two of us and my final wave goodbye were honestly felt. It's weird, but I still miss those sessions. They were good.
They seemed honestly felt, too. I was on my couch all "NOOOO! She has to go back! That's not right!"
AMEN, Sars!
So, tell us about Michelle Williams -- what's it like to work with her?
What's it like to work with Michelle Williams? Very easy. Michelle is an absolute doll. She is a very talented actress, as you know, and a very charming person. Most of us actors are shy at the core, and we cover that in different ways. Michelle is sexy, funny, sometimes wacky, beautiful, vulnerable when she needs to be, and an extremely natural performer. By that I mean you can't see her working, which I believe is the mark of someone with a genuine gift. She and I had a lot of fun acting opposite each other in some challenging scenes and were quite proud of what was captured on film. I've got nothing but good things to say about that woman.
The Rob Nagle Interview
“ The set felt like a big family. Like any family, I'm sure some people get along better than others, but they're all in it together. Everyone was perfectly friendly and welcoming, but also there to do their jobs. It's a business, and we had deadlines. ”
And what's the atmosphere on the set -- more friendly, or more business-like?
The set felt like a big family. Like any family, I'm sure some people get along better than others, but they're all in it together. Everyone was perfectly friendly and welcoming, but also there to do their jobs. It's a business, and we had deadlines. I was the visiting guest, so I did my best to fit into their family as seamlessly as possible. The worst thing I could imagine would be to show up and disturb a strong dynamic like that -- sorta like transferring to a new school. You try to blend in as quickly as possible so maybe people will forget that you haven't been there the whole time.
How did working on DC compare to working on The West Wing? From the IMDb, it looks like that was a one-off (and I alone in America don't watch that show, so I didn't see you).
I had a much juicier role on DC and worked for three and a half weeks or so. The West Wing was a co-star job that turned into a glorified background performer very quickly. I only worked eight days on that, and it's nothing that will recur. So I had a lot more fun and much more to do on the Creek, but work is work. It's nice when you can get it.
Speaking of the IMDb, what's coming up for you? Any exciting projects in the works?
Coming up for me? I don't really know. Somebody throw me a bone here, right? Actors deal with 85-95 percent unemployment at any given time. I think those are low figures, actually. Not complaining at all, though, since that's the life we choose. I could have a job tomorrow, week, month or...I hope it's not much longer than that! But I'm getting meetings, keeping myself busy, and auditioning for theatre, film and television work. In the downtime between jobs, I work in a development capacity for a director friend of mine who's about to land his second feature film, and has two others in the works.
Okay, one last question and then I'll let you go -- is Van Der Beek's head really that big in person?
Okay, I'm laughing now...did I notice that the Beek has an enormous, mutant head? Not really. I didn't notice. But then I'm probably not the one to ask. I have quite the melon on my shoulders. Then again, you know what they say about guys with big heads, don't you? Big feet. And they're VERY sensitive about their oversized heads.
Heh. Thanks so much for answering all of my questions!
Are you kidding? Any time. It was a total pleasure.
[Rob Nagle, ladies and gentlemen. Now all y'all casting agents out there get your acts together and hire him.]