Movieline Flashback: The Only Tobin Bell Interview You'll Ever Need

You talked a little bit about very technical acting ability, which I would imagine gets a workout when you appear on a sitcom. You did a guest spot on Seinfeld where you played a record store owner. Can you tell me about that?

Loved working with those guys. All I had to do was react! "Don't turn the magazine you're reading on their lines." You're talking about the very specific things you can and can't do, like you have to turn the magazine pages at a very specific time so that you don't interfere with the sound guy. I had to jump over a counter, and that could only be done at this one exact moment. So those are the constraints of an actor.

Working with those guys was a delight. Unlike most of the other half-hour stuff I've done, where most of the control is in the hands of the writers and producers, these guys were the producers. Jerry, the guy who plays George, Kramer, Newman...these guys had a lot of clout on that set, and what was beautiful about it was that we'd get halfway through rehearsals and Jerry would say something like, "You know what? That's not funny. What would be funny is if we did this..." and they would change it. For actors to have the ability and the power to make constructive changes in dialogue and the script, and to make it more human and funnier as a result, I loved it.

You were also on ER as it started its fifteen-year run.

Yeah, I remember doing that episode of ER as a doctor. I don't remember exactly what the hell I was doing in the scene, but they decided that they wanted one of those long walking shots down the corridor, so you're talking and you're walking at the same time. Another perfect example of technical constraints.

You were around during the beginning stages of the "TV talk and walk"!

"Don't walk too fast! Don't walk too slow! Can we put something on Tobin's feet, because they're banging on the floor too loud?" Working on ER...it was a hot show at the time.

You were in the second episode ever.

Yes, the second episode. It was also one of the very first big hospital drama shows, so they were working very hard to create this reality thing. Around the same time, they came up with another show...oh, Chicago Hope! Which I also ended up on, the next season. Had a much more interesting role on Chicago Hope, really liked that guy. He was both poetic and terminally ill.

You and the terminally ill characters! What about The Sopranos, which you also had a role on?

That was an amazing show, terrific writing. I came in and played the commandant of a military school, and Tony's son had fucked up in school and so the family came to this military school for a tour. I interviewed the kid, and then I interviewed the mom and dad. It's kind of a fascinating juxtaposition to Tony's life, and it gave me the opportunity to work with two amazing actors. I cannot remember...what is the name of the actress who plays Tony's wife?

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