tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight, a conversation with two-time emmy award winning actor michael emerson. following his performance in "lost," he is now in "person of interest," and he had his broadway debut opposite kevin spacey in "the iceman cometh." we are glad you could join us with our conversation with michael emerson, coming up right now. >> every community has a martin luther king boulevard. it's the cornerstone we all know. it's not just a street or boulevard, but a place where walmart stands together with your community to make every day better. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

tavis: michael emerson is a two- time anywhere -- emmy winner, when one of those for his performance on "lost," and his show "person of interest" -- >> that they had a .45 pointed at me from under the desk. -- that lady had. the secret government installation designed to protect classified data. he is some kind of spy. and he thought he did not have a life. so how do we spy on a spy?

>> i believe i've found a way in. it blocks wireless signals, but what about good old fashioned wires? and since every officer runs on caffeine, all we have to do is hide a camera and a transmitter inside a coffeemaker and wait for them to plug it in. >> let me play it for you again. >> we have got a signal. tavis: somebody asked me earlier today, "who is on the show tonight?" and i said, "michael emerson," and they said, "oh, that creepy guy." is that a compliment? >> i will take it. i used to be on the stage and played funny guys, but somehow, i suppose because the first big break i had on television was playing a serial killer, and i had some success in that

portrayal. and that has defined in a certain sense everything i have done since. tavis: is that a good or a bad thing? >> it is just a thing. it could be a pigeonhole. but it is there to cope with and make decisions around. tavis: and is actually a complement to your acting chops to go from playing a funny guy to playing a serial killer. that is a complement to your acting, yes? >> yes. i tried to think of myself as a flexible performer and a problem solver. i tried to go in and help the writer and director to get the best they can out of the text they are working with. tavis: the funny stuff that you started out playing that people may not have seen, even though they know you for other characters you have played, the funny days. >> i used to do farce.

i used to do clown work. i got my new york state to break in a show where i played oscar wilde, who was a great wit. i played a bumbling husband on broadway, that sort of thing, the guys you would never be afraid of, and now all of a sudden, on and the sinister, fearful guy. i do not get it. i think it is kind of funny, really. i have to say that sometimes i feel that i am still doing comedy, it is just that i am the only one who knows it. tavis: that is one way of putting it. speaking of broadway and you worked there, is there anything better than it eugene o'neill? >> i do not think so. i can tell you that i will be thrilled to the end of my days that my debut on broadway was an "the iceman cometh," and it

is a huge production, and preparations were so distracting that i think it was in our third performance before it dawned on me that my dream had come true, and they would go out before the show and be on the table top, and i was there one night thinking that this is a broadway stage and that that was a broadway audience. tavis: to your point about eugene o'neill, that it isn't as good as they come, his writing to perform an act out? >> i think he is as large a writer as any american playwright has ever been. there is a link between the ambition of his work, the scale, the terror, the inner revelation that it is part of an

unbroken chain that goes back to the greeks. i felt that strongly playing it. i also felt that i had fit into a chain of american players an american plane. one night, jason robards was backstage when i came down from the dressing room. this is a man who was probably the greatest player of o'neill that the american stage had ever seen. and he has seen this show. i am in a play that he once did. it was a great feeling. tavis: to your point about jason robards, this is an act or, have you ever been frightened by the work itself? >> there are rules that are terrified because they are large, or you may feel that they are out of your mind, but i am

never terrified once the actual work begins. you know, once you begin rehearsal, then it is small building blocks. it is solving the problems one at a time. so terror is not a big factor in my work. i suppose that the first time you go in and audition, i suppose when i auditioned for "iceman," and at my second or third call back, kevin spacey was there, that got me nervous. i thought it was probably mine to lose now, but the beauty of the theater is that once you get going, all of that terror is in anticipation. the minute i get a light, and the minute i open my mouth, then i am an incredible space with will problems coming my way

one after another. i can usually solve most of them. tavis: dr. theater. >> dr. theater is the thing that allows you to finish a performance even if you just broke your arm, or in spite of or in the face of everything that was distracting you before the curtain went up. problems at home, a bed tax report, all of those things you leave behind you when "in the moment" starts, and it is one of the things i like about the stage. it is a kind of meditated experience. time does standstill. you have no concept of the passing of two or three hours' time. it is kind of one present moment, which is a kind of

description of meditation, so i have always enjoyed that aspect of the theater, and you get it to a smaller degree in the world with the camera, especially focused to tune out the distractions of hundreds of people with microphones and cameras and all of that going on around. tavis: you offered a couple of examples and moment ago, and you may have been teasing, and you may or may not choose to answer this question, i am curious. can you recall a specific moment, incident, play, it may have been health-related or something where you really did have to summon every bit of your capacity to get through that particular performance because something either in the performance or prior to was so much a distraction? >> well, health and the health of the voice is always the

bete mar in the actor's life. as much as i have fretted over my voice, i realized the other day that i had never missed a performance due to voice. but i have come close, and that is a terror. that becomes the inverse of the meditated experience i was describing, where the thing passes in the blink of an eye. then it becomes one of those longer hours of your life. i did a performance in d.c., and every time i got off the stage, i would run to the middle steamer, because team is good for the boys, and somehow, i made my way through it, and afterwards, i would say, "i am

so sorry because i was not invoice," and they would say, "i could not tell." tavis: i am not on the stage, so i do not have to do that night after night after night. do you hear the stage calling you during what is a pretty good television run? >> yes. i regret that i do not have an opening in my schedule to do a stage play. i have not been on stage in six years. that worries me a little, because my idea was always that because i started late in this career that i could at least work later or longer, and i would like to be one of those older gentleman who kinston duet -- can still do it and know their lines. i hope i can get back to that. tavis: are you are worried that it will not be like riding a bicycle, that you can forget?

>> i am not overly worried about that. i get little opportunities now and then to do readings or workshops, and it seems to be all right there at my fingertips. tavis: another strange question. are there bad habits that you know that you are learning now from all of the years of television, or things that might concern you, habits or television that you know are not necessarily good for this stage? >> i know what i do now is not useful on the stage, but i find, those occasions when i do get to perform for a live audience that i am so hungry to perform more largely that i am more likely to overact when i go back to the stage been to bring the smaller,

newer style of television acting. i am anxious to bust out of that. it is great. it is very apparent to have a camera so close to you so that you are absolved of responsibility to do much. as long as you are thinking the thing, the camera will give it richness or life. you do not have to do a a whole lot to be playing well on television, and yet, you cannot do nothing. combination of having it going on inside your head and then letting a little of that bleed out in little ways. tavis: i am amazed at the number of people but i watched that overact. >> it is an instinctive thing. i do not know of any kind of acting can be taught to very

successfully. i got taught everything else, boys, movement. how to walk in high-heeled shoes or wear a wig, that kind of stuff, but acting itself, there are a number of schools of acting. tavis: how do you get good at it? repetition? >> repetition. and i think going to the theater. there was a time in my life when i saw many more plays than i did movies, and i think that was useful. i learned more by going to the theater. tavis: so with your love of theater, how did "person of interest" happen? >> when "lost" was over, i wanted a bit of a break, but you come off of a successful show

like that, and you just do not want to leap into something else right off of the bat. by the same token, you can wait too long if you need to follow up in that medium, and i fretted over it for awhile, and no insanely good offers came my way for a good amount of time, and i mean stage or screen. it is good to be quiet. it is good to have a fellow period to recharge your batteries, and finally, this job came about because i have a relationship with abrams, and j.j. is a guy that if he says he has something that is cool and would be good for you, you would do well to pursue it, because he is a guy whose tastes i trust. he may not hit a home run every time out, but his batting average is high, and the things

he likes i tend to find interesting as well, so i was intrigued by this script. i like the style of work. i liked the shooting in new york city and having this bengie noir kind of feeling with a bit of science fiction, though i should call its science fact. it just seemed somehow right. that is a decision you make instinctively, and i thought a bit about, well, how much different do i have to make this part from what i become known for, and i wrestled with that for awhile. the writing of the character is different, and he is handicapped, and he is a good guy and has a different look, but at the end of the day, i decided i would free myself from worrying about that too much, because that is out you can drive yourself crazy, beijing

every moment, it "is that good enough? have i departed sufficiently from what i have done before?" tavis could you talk about j.j being a pretty good hitter, not hitting it out of the park every time. what is your sense about what was loved about "lost," and what is your sense about "person of interest"? why do you think we like both of these shows? >> i think j.j. brings a kind of child sense of wonder to his work. i think he chooses his projects on some instinctive level. i think we appreciate what j.j. appreciates because he appreciates a mystery. it all goes back to that black

box lecture that he gave that is often quoted, but the idea of mystery, he never leaves that out as an element, and i think there is kind of an unbeatable ingredient in a show that will keep you going. that and he takes care of character. the creator of the show says we can have the best plot. we can have the best devices, but no one will stay with a show on as they are involved with the characters in the show, so somehow, j.j. is able to get that mix right more often than not. tavis: let me take you to the beginning of our conversation about the creepy characters. you are one of the best character actors, using that term, and do you take joy in that could do you take pride in

that? if for the remainder of your career you would be known as a great character actor, would that be enough for you? >> that would be fine. that would be a dream come true. the actors i always liked where the character actors. when i was a kid, i liked peter lorre and sidney greenstreet, and all of those guys who had an unusual way of talking and had exotica lives. i would be happy with that. you asked me what would terrify me, and i think that would be if i was asked to play a straight romantically, because i have done so little of that. i had an opportunity to do a small part in a film coming up in which i am have a love scene with a fairly famous actress, and that is going to give me some sleepless evenings. tavis: your fans know that your

wife is a famous actress on a show called "true blood." what would she say? >> she would just say to do what you do. i am sure she would say, "you do all right at home." tavis: that is what you want your wife to say. your referenced over the course of this conversation the beginnings of your career. how did this happen? how did you know that being in thespian was going to be your vocation? >> i knew it as a teenager because i found my niche in school. i was not an athlete, and i loved the marching band, but i could not play an instrument to save myself, so drama club, and in iowa, where i grew up, speech and debate are the big things. i grew up in toledo, iowa, a little farm town. i went to college in drag.

tavis: i was just in drake two days ago. >> i got blue ribbons at stake for doing humorous monologues, dramatic monologues, stuff like that. i had a real taste for it. i saw the power of it, and i sigh -- i saw a way to extend and enjoys spending at least part of my life in more exotic fictional places. tavis: what do your parents back in iowa think of this? >> i think they are a little mystified, with how did he go from here to there? how did our boy and up in new york city doing this for a living? i think is and will mystified. my mother would say, "i always knew. it is no surprise to me." tavis: every mother says that.

>> and my father just shakes his head. and i thought of as my calling as a teenager. i graduated college, and i moved to new york city, and i knocked around a bit. tavis: you had an interesting life before this. >> yes. i was one of those freelance guys. i did things for the "new york times." this financial magazines. tavis: that is actually kind of fascinating. >> it was good work. what is funny is it was not any easier than if i had chosen to pursue acting. for some reason, i took and less personally. tavis: those types of periodicals and newspapers, clearly you have always been a creator. >> yes, i guess so. i think i was meant to be working in some creative field.

i have spent parts of my life doing less creative work. but it was not as enjoyable. tavis: i take it you are "?joying "person of interest >> i am. it is a good show. i have a set -- a certain amount of exposition. how do you give the audience data and information and do it in a way that seems compelling, that furthers the story? tavis: i just step a few seconds to go. i cannot even describe it. your voice coming your way of speaking. i think that is as much a part of your acting style as anything else. have you heard that before? >> yes. but to me, every actor lives or dies by their voice. tavis: but some voices are more

distinct than others. >> yes, i think my voice is unique, though it sounds different in my head then it does to you. tavis: i have that. i recognize the voice. but i hear it in your voice. good to have you on. >> a pleasure talking to you. >> his name is michael emerson, "person of interest" the show he stars and. that is our show for tonight. you can download the app from thor wunching, and as always, keep the faith. >> so far, he has better than average security habits. have not been able to pack his voice mail or email or any online accounts. >> he is just like you, finch. how did you get his number? >> well, john, there is this machine.

>> yes, but you did not get it here. >> no. much more subtle than that. >> the next time i know how the machine communicates with you. would you not want me to keep doing this is something ever happened to you? >> if something ever happens, i have a contingency. >> sooner or later, you will have to let the cat out of the bag, finch. >> curiosity kills cats. >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a conversation with -- lympic athlete and

another. >> every community has a martin luther king boulevard. it's the cornerstone we all know. it's not just a street or boulevard, but a place where walmart stands together with your community to make every day better. you. thank you. >> be more. pbs.