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HBO
So, how does it feel to be back at HBO?
TD
It feels fantastic. I still have my parking pass [LAUGHS] and I didn't use all of my money on my lunch card at the commissary, so I was glad that I was able to come back ... It's also nice to be able to play somebody quite a bit different than Jonesy on 'Carnivale.'
HBO
Was there anything interesting about how the role of Dave came your way?
TD
Not really. The call came to ask me if I was interested. And I read the script, and of course I thought it was wonderful – and then right after that thought, "Oh my gosh, I'm going to have to get naked."
HBO
You haven't had to get too naked so far, though.
TD
No, but stay tuned, my friend ... stay tuned.
HBO
You're married with children – how closely does your life resemble Dave's?
TD
There are some similarities, and there are certainly some dissimilarities as well. What's great about my life is that I am about three miles from the studio, so it was great to be able to come home for lunch. Now, sometimes that was a little odd because you'd have such an intense therapy session or something like that at the studio. And you'd break for lunch, and I'd come home and the washing machine had broken down. So the worlds sometimes would collide. But my wife was an actress – she's a full-time mom now – so she was able to understand what was going on. As long as I kept the names straight, I was fine. If I ever get the names screwed up, I'd get in trouble.
HBO
Is there any back story about Dave that doesn't come out on-screen?
TD
It can get tricky because if you have too specific of a back story for yourself prior to reading all the scripts and getting a sense of the character, you're undoubtedly going to have some conflicts. You know, if you have a back story of something that my guy had a near-drowning experience, for example, and then Cynthia Mort [the show's creator] writes this great scene where the whole family goes swimming and has a great time, it just doesn't work.
HBO
Speaking of Cynthia, how convincingly do you think she captures Dave as the typical guy in his 40s?
TD
Well from what I get out of Dave – and Cynthia and I have talked about this – he's just ... I mean we guys don't want to deal with anything. David said a couple times, "We don't want to be one of those people." But now they are one of those couples. It's a catch-22 because if you ignore the problem, then it's even worse. But somehow David always thinks the problem's just going to go away somehow. And obviously it doesn't. I think Cynthia's written a guy who, yes, wants it to go away, but in the end he wants his marriage to be right. And he misses his wife desperately.
HBO
Was there anything you talked with Cynthia about that you felt like wasn't a normal guy reaction?
TD
Well, she and I have gone back and forth on this. And for me, a year without sex seemed very extreme. But from research, it's clear that there are many couples out there that are like that. So, it was wrapping my head around that. But she's written that well in that if it's been a year, then there's an extreme amount of denial with that problem, which is what David is doing – he's just denying that there's a problem until finally he does go to therapy.
HBO
With all the sex on the show, is there a special choreographer for those scenes?
TD
No, there isn't. But if you read a scene, it's pretty well-written as to what kind of sex should be going on. It becomes a big discussion on the day of shooting. Cynthia's down there, another writer who wrote the episode, the director of photography, whoever the director is. Everybody's talking about how we should physically do it because you have a lot of things to answer to. One, you have to answer to the actor's vulnerability. And then you have to answer to where the characters are. There's a beginning, middle and end to this scene, so what are the characters going through? And then three, you've got to answer to camera angles. Does it work better this way? All the things that you have to answer to in a normal scene, you have to answer to in a sex scene. But there are no sex choreographers. I've volunteered going in and helping out with Sonya and Adam's sex scenes and Michelle's, but they feel they'd rather not have me there. I keep saying, "Guys it's an ensemble show. Come on ... One for all, all for one."
HBO
In the case of you and Ally, everyone is sitting and watching this show yelling, "Just do it already!"
TD
I know. Well they tried to force it a couple episodes ago, and then it's not there. I think they're trying to get back to what they had, as opposed to looking forward and accepting that their sexual life is going to change. You know, you can't go back and relive the days before the kids. They're two different people, and they've been through a lot together, so how are they going to move forward? Which is really frightening for them. So, I guess all I can say to those people who are saying, "Just do it ..." is this show is quite hopeful for couples. Think about it. It's been a year, so the walls are pretty thick. Fortresses have been built up by both sides pretty well.
HBO
How does it feel to be like, famous now for being the guy who doesn't get any?
TD
[LAUGHS] Well I've gone from famous from Bizarro Jerry on Seinfeld to a couple independent films that I've done to being the guy who runs the Ferris wheel. This is just another character in what I hope will be a long line of roles that I continue to play. But, my friends are constantly giving me shit saying, "Oh I got to get a lock for my bedroom door, too. That works really well." Or they'll come up to me and say, "Hey, I never knew you were a lefty." I just tell them it's a character choice. I'm a right-handed person but it's a character choice to have him be left-handed. It's just an aspect of his life.
HBO
What about next season – what do you want to see happen?
TD
I'll tell you what I want to see happen – I want to see David and Katie have sex every episode. Like they've gone crazy.
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