ScreenTime – Warehouse 13′s Eddie McClintock Exclusive Interview

I got a chance to talk with Eddie McClintock recently, and it was a real pleasure to pick his brain a bit before we hit the season finale of Warehouse 13. I've been a nervous fan since I gave you the preview review of the show here, and I've been pleasantly surprised by the ratings the show has received. I was nervous, because while I thought the show was a fun mix, I wasn't confident that it was the kind of thing a lot of people would connect with... even if I thought they should. Such is often the case with me.

At any rate, the show is doing fantastic, and ScreenTime rolls on.

Here we go!

1. Warehouse 13 is a little odd, but doesn't quite take itself seriously about that (ala X-Files, etc.), is that your style as far as picking the shows you watch?

I should point out that Eddie quickly dismantled one of the main theories behind ScreenTime itself, because he told me that not only was it the kind of show he would like to watch, but that it was the perfect job for him, because in many ways he was simply able to be himself. My general theory being to get to know people, and Eddie's general reply being that you probably actually have a fairly decent idea of who he is from watching the show.

He didn't mind admitting that he is a bit juvenile, in more or less the sense that Pete is on the show. Ultimately, his answer to the question was a solid yes, especially with the kind of chemistry going on with Warehouse 13.

2. Let's say you had an episode of Warehouse 13 which involved sending you to the set of some other show being filmed and investigating the actors. If you could pick, what show would you want that to be?

Eddie quickly answered Deadliest Catch, but then switched to Bones, where he would investigate David Boreanaz... largely because everyone keeps comparing them to each other. Perhaps there's an artifact involved there.

Opening the question to any TV show, Eddie thought the way to go would be to check out the set of Happy Days, which would ultimately lead to the Fonz' jacket being in the warehouse.

3. Are there any characters or actors from TV or film that you might say are inspiring Pete?

Eddie actually had a host of potential answers for this one, and it was rather fun running through some of the legends with him. Any of the Not Ready For Primetime Players, Jim Belushi, Bill Murray, Gene Wilder - especially in Young Frankenstein... and that was just the tip of the iceberg. We also talked about Michael Keaton in Night Shift, which was a blast from days I'd not recalled in a while, and Michael J. Fox and/or Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties. There are more that escaped me, I'm sure, but the remarkable thing was that I could see Pete as being all these people. Or, at least, as someone who was himself inspired to be who he was by all these people.

4. Are there any movies that you think might give people a really good idea of your tastes, or that might let them know who you are a bit because you like them?

By now a somewhat standard ScreenTime question was thrown down and demolished with this effort. A question that often raises eyebrows at first, Eddie got this question immediately, and not only had answers... he had stories.

We'd already talked about Young Frankenstein, and if that isn't a movie that tells you a little something about a person, I don't know what is. But, that led us to Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, and coming from someone in a hit TV show of today, that's an illuminating answer as well. Something about the blend of the classic horror stylings and Abbott & Costello's particular brand of comedy makes for a real winner in his book. This somehow led to the knowledge that Eddie has a 3-sheet for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, and that's got to be knowledge that's worth something.

His other answer was Jaws, which is not necessarily as helpful an answer, but like I said... he had stories.

His first audition ever, years before there would be another one, was for a part while he was in college. It was a rather spontaneous thing, as I understand it, and the part seemed well-suited to Eddie the college wrestler, or so thought those who wanted him to try out for the part. But, when he was put on the spot to just "do something," what he came up with was Quint's monologue, which he had memorized.

5. What shows do you watch that might surprise fans of Warehouse 13, because Pete would never watch them?

Eddie had an answer here, and an out... which may or may not have been given to me to relay to you... we may find out. The out is that, in Eddie's words, more or less, he learned a long time ago that if he wanted to spend time with his wife, he might have to watch some television that was not necessarily his number one choice. That might be pretty close to how Eddie expressed his thought, and it might not.

The answer was America's Next Top Model (the most recent episode of which, by the way, is possibly the greatest thing that has ever aired).

Now this was fun, and I apologize to all of Tyra's fans (and... I think to Eddie's wife), but we rather had a go at the show for a while.

6. Suppose we have the "switching bodies" episode of Warehouse 13, and Pete finds himself switched with some rather evil character. Who would would you want to guest star as the person who is going to have to act like Pete trapped in someone else's body?

Bruce Campbell, and it was just that fast.

7. If you could work out a script for an upcoming episode, just to give you the chance to do something you've always wanted to do, what would that episode look like?

The relevant portion of the episode, it turns out, involves lulling a Great White to sleep off the coast of South Africa so that Eddie could extract a tooth... and generally swim around with sharks. I was never clear exactly how this related to the show though.

8. Three best movies ever?

We already had Jaws and Young Frankenstein, to which Eddie added Apocalypse Now, but add a bit of fairness he also threw out John Carpenter's The Thing, and Silence of the Lambs.

9. In an era of remaking things gone wild, what show or movie do you wish would get redone?

As you might guess, this was a question that was a bit tricky to jump right into. There's so much. We played around with The Wiz for a while, and it was rather hilarious actually. Then we latched onto Brian's Song for a good while, and went over that one with some detail, but ultimately we couldn't quite decide if we wanted it redone, or just wanted to watch it again.

Finally, we really got hold of the answer - Rat Patrol.

That's it!

I want to thank Eddie profusely. He was great to talk to, and that hopefully translates to the written word with some degree of accuracy.

Make sure to tune in to the season finale of Warehouse 13 next Tuesday on SyFy.

Here's a clip for you.

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About Marc Eastman

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

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