Most of the interviews I do are done on a strict schedule so there's usually only enough time to hit the serious talking points. I did have enough time with Oscar-nominee David Strathairn to get around to a few superficial questions.
At one point, we end up talking about facial hair. In the original pilot I saw for the new Syfy channel series "Alphas," Strathairn sports a salt-and-pepper beard. He shows up for the interview without the beard and looks 20 years younger.
He says the beard will be gone when the show launches.
"I liked the idea of having the beard because you don't see people on television with a lot of facial hair. Television is a clean environment. What I liked about this show was not only the eccentricities of the characters on the inside but also having some on the outside," Strathairn says.
So why shave?
It was a simple decision. Strathairn shaved the beard off for another role and didn't have time to grow it back before filming started on the cable TV show.
That's something I'd never known with a shorter interview.
