Interview with Silas Weir Mitchell

Silas Weir Mitchell is playing Monroe in the new show “Grimm” on NBC. His character is similar to the “big bad wolf” from the Grimm world. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Silas about his role and what we can expect from season one.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you get involved with the show “Grimm” playing Monroe?
Silas Weir Mitchell: I had previously worked with Jim Kouf who is one of the creators of the show. He and I had hit it off and we have a great working relationship. They called me in and it was a good fit.

MG: What has been your greatest challenge playing the role?
SWM: The best part for me has been the inner conflict that the character has. He is a reformed criminal and I have to fight against my criminal urges. My character is really trying hard not morph as he is all done with those things.

MG: What has it been like working with the CG and make-up effects?
SWM:  I haven’t had to wear the prosthetics that much. It takes so long to get everything on that they have come up with a way to use both CG and make-up. They have a system that works really well. A lot of the time I just have markers glued to face for the computers to read.

MG: How has it been working with David Giuntoli?
SWM: We have had a great time working together. We are very lucky here as we have fun and everyone gets along. David is perfectly cast for this role. He has charm and a sort of haunting quality which is perfect for his character of Nick. Our relationship in the story is very unique and almost like a chess match. David and I really enjoy that.

MG: What can we expect from the first season?
SWM: In the first few episodes, the writers are definitely hitting the fairy tales that we know. The writers are changing them though. They are using the original stories as a foundation. The episodes are sort of jumping off points as opposed to a re-telling. There is a mythological quality to what is going on without using the humanity.

MG: How does this show compare to your other work?
SWM: It’s different for me as I have been in on this show from the start. I came in on the ground floor. Every other series I have worked on I have come in later in the process. When I did “Prison Break”, I originally was only supposed to do a couple episodes but it worked out to where I was around for awhile. I didn’t come in knowing I was going to be in every episode. With “Grimm” it’s been great knowing that I have steady work. There is also just so much to chew on as the character is very rich.

 

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