An Interview with Ray Wise (The Devil, 'Reaper')

March 2008

He has been the King of England, Emperor of Rome, President and Vice President of the United States, a judge, doctor and even the General of Spain. Ray Wise certainly knows how to take command of a role and make it memorable.

On the CW dramedy Reaper, Ray Wise portrays the Devil himself, a role he was born to play. I had the amazing opportunity to chat with Ray and found him to be one of the sweetest and charming actors I've ever had the pleasure of interviewing. He is a true gentleman in every sense of the word!

Q: I understand you knew at a young age that you wanted to be an actor, were there any movies or plays that had a profound impact on that decision?

Ray: "It is true that I wanted to be a professional actor by the age of 13. My mother and father always took us to the movies as kids, so I saw a whole slew of films. I remember the one that had a great impact on me was On the Waterfront with Marlon Brando."

Q: You've done an incredible amount of television, film and stage work; do you have a preferred medium?

Ray: "You know, I used to say that I love being on stage more. Over the years, with so many different roles on television and in film, I've realized the potential that acting on film holds. You never stop developing as an actor. I love making movies because it's for a shorter duration, but then there's that wonderful aspect of playing a character like the Devil week after week. All three of them have a great appeal and a great advantage."

Q: You have played so many iconic roles over the years, would you say the Devil is the nearest and dearest of them all?

Ray: "Yes. I think that he's one of my ultimates. You could say that all the bad guys I've played in my career have all been building towards this guy."

Q: At the height of the Laura Palmer (Twin Peaks) craze, did you have any unusual or funny fan encounters?

Ray: "Oh my, yes! They have a festival every year up in the Northwest, a Twin Peaks festival. I went to the first one, way back when the show was just newly off the air. I believe there were about five thousand Japanese tourists who participated in that festival. Twin Peaks was very big in Japan, as it was in a lot of countries around the world. I appeared the first day at the festival and I remember all these Japanese tourists getting off their bus, seeing me and began racing over. They stopped about 10 feet short because they didn't want to get too close. They started bowing and I bowed back. It took them several moments to inch their way a little closer, but none of them would actually touch Leland Palmer."

Q: The entire cast seem to have a lot of fun filming Reaper, are you all as funny off screen?

Ray: "Yeah, pretty much. We're joking all the time. Tyler, Bret, Rick and Missy, they're great people. I'm sort of the old man in the group. They show a little bit of respect and reverence to me. They play on each other."

Q: Are there any practical jokers on the set?

Ray: "We try to keep it light. We want to have a good time while we're doing it [the show]. I think it shows up on film too."

Q: Do the guys come to you for advice?

Ray: "Oh, sure. They know I've been around a long time, almost 40 years and they know I've run into all sorts of situations. If it's a situation I'm familiar with, they'll ask my advice and I'll give it to them."

Q: What can you tell us about the remainder of season one of Reaper?

Ray: "I can sum it up in one phrase: All hell is going to break loose. I think there's going to be more emphasis on the characters that we already know and are familiar with, as opposed to the escapee of the week. I think there is going to be a greater conflict between the world of the Devil and Sam's world. I think more and more of the characters are going to get involved in that."

Q: Do you think the Devil will finally give Sock a chance to work for him?

Ray: [laughs]"Ah ha, I know Tyler wants that to happen! He's dying to have a scene with the Devil, so we'll see what happens. He [Tyler] keeps us in stitches all the time."

Q: I you could have played any role in TV or movie history, who would it be?

Ray: "Maybe Michael in The Godfather or Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront."

Q: Are there any TV shows you regularly watch?

Ray: "I like a variety of them. I like to watch Dexter. I love Michael C. Hall. The show is so well written and it looks so stylish the way they shoot it. I have tastes all over the board, it doesn't have to be a critically acclaimed show for me to like it."

Q: Anything to say to the fans?

Ray: "Please keep watching because like I said, all hell is going to break loose. Tell your friends! If we can get a few more viewers, I think we could have a good chance of being back next season and really explore the hierarchy of hell."