The Verge: Badge Dale

I did want to ask you about Lord of the Flies. In a way, that boy-heavy shoot must have felt like the junior version of The Pacific.

Well, what was great about The Pacific is that I didn't have to run around in my underwear the whole time. You know, I was so young for Lord of the Flies, but what I remember was being so immersed in that experience also. The Pacific was a long shoot and there were difficulties at times, but the similarity was that you felt so drawn in. Everywhere you looked, 360 degrees, you were there. There wasn't any semblance of a Hollywood set -- you'd pick your rock and sit on it all day. It was intense, man.

Lord of the Flies was a pretty high-profile debut credit for a child actor, but then you didn't act again for over a decade. What happened in between?

You make it sound like I had a choice there! [Laughs] The thing was that when Lord of the Flies came, I wasn't a child actor. They came to cast and literally just stuck their heads into my elementary school -- 4th grade English class, I believe it was. I auditioned with about 40 other kids from my elementary school. Lord of the Flies was so much fun to do -- I didn't really know I was working -- and after I came back from that, all I really wanted to do was play hockey and be a regular kid. I hated the fact that when I came home, people would talk to me differently or treat me weirdly or think they knew me. It was all very strange, and as much as I loved acting, I hated everything that came with it. I didn't act again until I was about 21 years old, after hockey ran out; I got injured, and to be honest with you, I wasn't good enough to go any further. All my energy went back into the theatre program.

You hated everything that came with acting then, but how do you feel about it now?

I'm a little better with it. [Laughs] I'm planning to enjoy it more now. I just did this movie The Conspirator -- we shot down in Savannah, Georgia, Robert Redford was directing, it was this amazing cast, and I got to hang out with James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Kevin Kline. I didn't have a very large role, I just had the privilege of being there. Somebody mentioned The Pacific and I said, "Oh, no no no, don't believe the hype." And Kevin finally said, "Don't believe the hype...but enjoy the hype." It made sense. This is a business, people are going to say strange things and have opinions both good and bad, and you have to keep your head clear. At the same time, you have to enjoy these moments, because they don't come along very often. To talk to you about a show like this, that I'm proud of, that's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, that means something...those opportunities are rare.

I'd imagine you're uniquely positioned to enjoy the hype, because you've shot so many projects over the last few years, and now they're finally coming out. The Pacific, The Conspirator, your AMC series Rubicon...

You know, it's odd because I haven't had anything come out for the last three years! I've been working steadily, though -- I really haven't had much time off.

Well, tell me about Rubicon. This is AMC's next original series after Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Good company to be in.

The bar is set so high, man. Listen, it's a great company to work for, the story's interesting, I love the fact that we're shooting in New York. We're actually going into production in two and a half weeks, so if we talk again a few months from now, I'll be able to tell you a little bit more.

Wait, you haven't shot anything since the pilot?

We shot the pilot 14 months ago.

That's insane. Why did it take so long to go into production?

It's AMC, man! They just kind of take their time. They don't have to jump for anybody right now. They're in control.

[Photo Credit: Jason LaVeris/Getty Images]

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