FEATURE |  William Sanderson: As Good As They Come
WRITTEN BY Kai Alexis Smith

             MODA MAGAZINE -- William Sanderson might not exactly be a household name just yet, but this talented actor certainly isn't camera-shy and his filmography is lengthy.  Many might recognize him as Larry from New Hart or in one of his most notable film roles as J.F. Sebastian in Blade Runner or if you still can’t pin point who he you may recognize him as E.B Farnum in HBO's popular show, Deadwood. While such an accomplished actor in both his career and life experience can be intimidating, Sanderson is anything but. When I got to know William or Billy as he says many call him, I learned that Billy wasn’t as “Hollywood” as I’d imagined. He was just a simple Southern man very grateful for the cards he has been dealt and dead set on trying to make me laugh until my cheeks cramped into place. 

Like his idol Elvis Presley, Sanderson spent two years in the army. Afterwards, he attended Southern Methodist University, and went on to earn a BBA degree and JD law degree from Memphis State. Perhaps unsure of whether law was the right path, Sanderson followed his instincts and opted out of the bar exam to New York for a shot at acting. Since then, Sanderson has amounted an impressive career with many diverse roles in films and shows with some of Hollywood's best including the likes of Sissy Spacek, Bruce Willis, John Candy, Faye Dunaway and Tom Hanks.

THE EARLY YEARS...

KAS:   I know that you were in the army and have a BBA and a Juris Doctorate. What lead you to switch to acting?

WS:     That’s the most difficult question to answer intelligently. [Chuckling.] I just loved the theater as a kid, but sports were my obsession. I had a friend in the theater but I was too shy to try out. You can say I had a late start since I finally got my nerve up to try out when I was in grad school. Once I started doing it, acting was fun. The heart has its reasons which reason doesn’t always understand. Going into acting wasn’t rational.

KAS:   Do you wish you ever pursued your career in law instead of acting?

WS:     Not really. Not seriously … but I guess saving somebody’s life would be a noble thing to do. I am not sure acting is so noble. But I have never regretted it. I do think making people laugh is a valuable social service. 

KAS:   I know that you are a big fan of Elvis Presley and that you grew up in and around Memphis in the 1950's. Do you think your love for music or admiration for the King has influenced your acting or career? 

WS:     Music is the most ideal of the arts. I envy great singers and musicians. They inspire me. Honestly, as a kid I probably wanted to be Elvis. I wasn’t any good at music so I ended up in show business.

KAS:   Who had the greatest influence on your career when you were first starting out as an actor? Is that person still the biggest influence in your career?

WS:     A wonderful Australian director named Barry Fuller was a great influence. He was very compassionate towards people who wanted to break into the business and very supportive. David Milch is another great influence. He is a great writer and I believe he is a genius. He does things a certain way and wants things done perfectly.

ON ACTING...

KAS:   I’ve noticed throughout your career you’ve jumped from TV to film and vice versa. For example you went from Deadwood to The Promised Land. Do you prefer acting for TV or film?

WS:     Well, I’ll put it this way I love movies, they are like a mistress. I have a great passion for them, but TV is my life. [Pause.] I love them both really. The whole acting business is a young person’s business if you look at it very generally. I am just thrilled to have survived in it.

I remember when I was in movies and people would come up to me and say, “Why aren’t you in a series?” In the 80s, I got on the Newhart Show and then people would ask me “Why aren’t you doing more movies?” Honestly, I like a regular job. Deadwood is like making a little movie. It takes three weeks and seven to eight months out of the year and by then I’m ready to rest.

KAS:   You’ve done quite a bit of westerns such as Deadwood, Lonesome Dove and Maverick to name a few. Do you prefer acting in westerns more?

WS:     Not really. I can’t win a beauty contest. [Laughter.] They probably see me as some rural redneck. I remember working with David Garner and some drunken crew member said that “if they bring back westerns you’ll work forever.” No one works forever, but it was nice to hear. I also did a number of science fiction projects, which are like modern day westerns: aliens, eccentrics, off beat misfits and outcasts. I pretty much take what comes along. It’d be nice to plan your life out and have it happen just like that. Or to start at the top and stay there like Oscar Wilde said.   

KAS:   Do you think since you’ve played in so many westerns you’ve been typecasted or stereotyped into a certain role? If so, what have you done to get out of that?

WS:     Well time will tell, but I’d rather be typecast then not cast at all. I’m very grateful for the cult film Blade Runner. I went through two hours of latex and make up and in that I at least got to play the sympathetic as well as the renegades. Maybe, I guess … I don’t know. Maybe … but I’m keeping the money.

Do you think I have been?

KAS:   Well …

WS: A lot of the films I’ve worked on people haven’t seen them. A lot of people call them bottom feeders.

KAS:   Noooo.

WS:     Well, I’m terribly easy. [Laughter.] I’m kind of lazy. You have to drive yourself. I am also polite. In this business in order to succeed you have to be polite. So consider me a journeyman but I a happy one. People think that being happy is form of mental illness, but I am happy.

[Both laugh.]

KAS:   I try to always be happy so people must think I am crazy.

WS:     Well, then you are. [Laughter.] Nah, I am just being facetious. Not to be too heavy, but there is a war going on, there is poverty, there are Katrina victims. I am not self promoting. I could say this guy has a bigger dressing room or I don’t have a big enough helicopter or jet. What really is important to me is to think about my wonderful wife and son. And the other things come and go.

KAS:   That’s great that you are really grounded.

WS:     Well I am trying to say something to keep from boring you.

[Laughter]

KAS:   Nooo. I’m not bored. I am intrigued by you. I have done so much research on you. Your career fascinates me.

WS:     Well, thank you. Can I tell you something I learned from the star of the show Newhart?

KAS:   Of course.

WS:     In Hollywood, they will tell you that you are brilliant. Bob told me one time “Billy, that’s Hollywood’s word for fair.” He’d tell me it’s a joke. But when you compliment me I should say “thank you.” You know I have all kinds of things to keep my head from swelling. I’d say that for every thirty people that don’t like me there are fifty that never heard of me. You just try to hear the applause, compliment, enjoy it and then politely leave it. As a matter of fact, I like my insecurity and self doubt. That’s what drives me. But it’s hard on my wife.

When I was working on Coal Miner’s Daughter I was learning how to take a compliment because I was around Sissy Spacek. With all the hyperbole in Hollywood they will do that to motivate you to keep going.   

DEADWOOD...

KAS:   So let’s talk a bit about Deadwood. What attracted you to the role of E.B. Farnum?

WS:            Actually, my daughter heard about it while I was visiting my son on the east coast through her friend whose husband is an actor. She told the agent about me and they put my name in there. And for some reason, I got the role with out too much difficulty. The director of the pilot was Walter Hill. He directed a lot of movies like 48 Hours and he had directed me in a film with Bruce Willis called Last Man Standing. So he knew I’d show up sober. [Laughter.]

There is a great country singer, much older than you. He got thrown into San Quentin, but when he was much younger he got put in jail and escaped. They say one time the jailers must have liked him and left the doors open for him. I feel like somebody left the door open for me.

KAS:            Deadwood was nominated for 11 Emmys^® and two Golden Globe^® Awards in its debut season. When you got the character of Farnum did you expect the series to be such a success?

WS:     With Milch’s background on NYPD Blue and his credentials of teaching at Yale, the cast thought it had a chance. I try not to get my hopes up, but when something nice happens I’m presently surprised. But there were a lot of people who were optimistic and still are about the show. I don’t know how it will play out though. We’ll see we’ll see.

KAS:   Do you think it will go on for a couple more seasons?

WS:     HBO has offered several years, but we are certainly in the middle of the third season, which will go on in June. I do believe it will be very exciting because of the tremendous actors we’ve got.

KAS:   The cast is amazing as well as the writing. HBO always produces great series.

WS:     HBO has a little more liberty than the other networks. They can do sex and violence, but there will be humanity among the characters. Also they make shows for the intellectuals.

I have a superficial mind. Deadwood is like what they are trying to do in Iraq. They are trying to build a democracy and it is not pretty. People die and they use brute force and people don’t want to give up their power struggles. I’m proud to play a real life mayor who survived and did well though they fictionalize him as a buffoon. Milch will be writing a book about combining fiction and reality in the characters in Deadwood.

KAS: What is going to happen to E.B. Farnum in the new season?

WS:     He keeps getting in trouble. H doesn’t own the hotel. He is the manager, so he has insecurities. He is surviving at this moment. But honestly I don’t know what’s next by the end of the season. No actor does. It is one way the director and writers keep the actors guessing.

Deadwood is just great fun. Acting is reacting and I have a lot of great actors to react to. Especially the ones that come over from England, they seem to bring so much. Like Ian Mc Shane and I’ll leave somebody out so I don’t sound like I’m pimping. [Chuckling.] HBO does a good job of casting their shows whether it’s Entourage or Sex in the City.

KAS:            Anything to look forward to?

WS:     They started re-airing the second season on HBO and those who didn’t get to see last season can catch up. I think it starts in February. We got some new characters as well. One of them is the British actor named Brian Cox. He is in the new Woody Allen film Match Point. Brian plays in the theater troop that comes to town and we have a bunch of bizarre characters there. And we have this great character named George Hearst.  He comes to town trying to buy up all the gold and for some reason, one of the characters is very vicious.  I think this will be a season that the audiences will like because there is a lot of trouble brewing.  

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO aka NEW PROJECTS...

KAS:   I know that you have a new film coming out. You play Rat Kinneson in the new film Disappearance which is in post production now. Can you talk about the film a bit and your character’s role in the story?

WS:     I did Disappearance last summer. It was based on a book. And I’m in it with Chris Cristopherson. In the industry it’s considered an independent and it probably won’t get into Sundance, but I kept the money. You know I got to meet Chris who is a great poet and scholar. I may not be Tom Hanks, but one of my claims to fame is always mentioning people I’ve met. So many of the actors I’ve worked with have been Academy Award winners.

But there is no major film to tell you about.

I’ve been in cartoons; the last one was the Higgly Town Heroes. Now I don’t know if they’ve cut me out of that or not, but I use to do more like Batman and Buffy, but there isn’t much time to do other work when you are on a series like Deadwood. I may have time here and there to do a few commercials and then whatever.

Self deception thrives in the compost of flattery. Out in Hollywood they raise that to an art. You should shave your head and say he’s crazy.

[Laughter.]

THE FUTURE...

KAS:   What would you like fans to know about you that is not the image of the role you played on Deadwood or else where?

WS:     That I would love to be a mercenary or a gladiator, [Laughter.] instead of the pathetic characters I play. [Laughter.] That at heart I am an assassin. That’s it. [Laughter.] You’re thinking, he thinks he’s a potential Charles Manson. [Laughter.] He’s really crazy too because he wanted to be a song writer. He’s an example of one of those people that don’t reach their goals. [Laughter.] Look at Hitler he wanted to be a damn artists. I’m just this buffoon on a TV show who doesn’t know what he will do. I hope you get the gist of what I am trying to saying.   

KAS:   Yes, I do. Is there something you haven’t been able to accomplish in your life that you hope to soon?

WS:     Career or personal? [Chuckling.] Oh, I know you are talking professionally. [Laughter.] To take myself less seriously.

KAS:   What is in the future for William Sanderson?

WS:     I guess to find out who William Sanderson is. [Laughter.] You can make the joke. He doesn’t know who he is. [Laughter.]

Picasso was in Europe and this person said this woman doesn’t like you. Picasso said which one, so if someone ever says they don’t like me, I’d say which one. You know we are several different people like when some deceives you or when someone threatens your family. 

KAS:   Do you have anything further to add?

WS:     Live’in and love’in and loosing gracefully. [Laughter.] I am going to deny I took myself so seriously. [Laughter.]

For more information about William Sanderson, visit: http://www.williamsanderson.net