A BIT OF SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

The devil has been portrayed many was in our media, but none have done it with a sense of twisted innocence and honesty quite like Mark Pellegrino has, who brings alive the devil ~ Luci! ~ on our favorite show, Supernatural!

He did an interview with artistdirect, and here's what the seemingly chivalrous devil talked about :

ArtistDirect (AD) : Playing the devil is pretty awesome…

Nic-I mean, Mark : Yeah, the devil is awesome [Laughs]. It's a really fun part. You can do just about anything you want, and it's all good because you're Satan [Laughs].

AD : How do you get yourself into the mindset of playing the ultimate villain? Moreover, how do you put a different spin on Satan?

Mark : One, it's about not looking at it as evil. As an actor, you always have to justify your character's actions to yourself, and I think the devil has a really interesting beef. If you think about it, he was a faithful son who was rejected and betrayed by his father and his brother. He's pretty mad and he wants to get even. He was thrown over for beings that he thought were so much less than him and so unworthy of what his father wanted, so he felt sacrificed. I think any human being can relate to the feeling of being betrayed and wanting revenge for that as well as justice. That, is what I think gives the part strength and moral force instead of thinking, "I'm just evil." The devil wants to destroy humanity for a damn good reason [Laughs].

AD : There's definitely a sense of fun to that, but you still preserve the character's inherent darkness.

Mark : Sure, revenge is a pretty doggone dark place and feeling murderous rage towards people is really dark. The interesting thing about the way they write Satan in the series is he's kind of down-to-earth, honest, simple and uncomplicated in a way ~ totally! he's like your bestfriend who knows all those secrets about you ~ He comes at everybody not just from their weaknesses but from a truthful and just point of view. When he's tempting people, everything he says to them makes sense. I think that's a pretty cool angle.

AD : As Verbal Kint says in The Usual Suspects, "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist…"

Mark : Yeah, that's for sure! The trick to playing evil is to not play evil. The most evil people that you can think of in history think that they were fighting for a moral good. Hitler thought that he was fighting for a moral good. I was just reading a book about the Salem Witch Trials. I don't think a single judge on those panels that killed 19 people and imprisoned 150 ever thought he wasn't doing the Lord's work.

AD : Of course not…As an actor you can go into an interesting psychological headspace as the devil. The character can be so nefarious, but he's also the ultimate tempter. We all have that side.

Mark : Definitely! I think Satan comes at you from the side you can't escape—that material side. You're in the world and you're a human being, so you're going to have certain characteristics that the devil can work with—ambition, desire, lust and all of these worldly powerful emotions and feelings that drive you. They're not necessarily negative, but they can be if taken to the wrong extreme.

AD : Did you spend a lot of time researching other portrayals of Satan? How did you create your devil?

Mark : No, I like to just figure out what I'm doing and do that. I was lucky in the sense that being a student of history and philosophy, I had read the Bible several times and the Book of Enuch which is about the fall of angels ~ a book about fallen angels? intriguing~ I had a little bit more of a head start on the mythology than some other people. That was a plus working for me. The show's writing lends itself to a more humanistic approach instead of something really ethereal and untouchable.

AD : What's up with LOST?

Mark : It's pretty exciting! I'm getting the impression that my TV career is like my internal dynamic. I'm playing Jesus in one show and the Devil in the other. I'm assuming that's kind of what it is. Jacob seems like a Christ-like figure or an angel of sorts on the other side of Satan. The LOST creators always throw twists and turns. I've done a few episodes of LOST but who knows where it's going to go. Just as they get you thinking that you're going to be one way, it ends up turning into something entirely different. It's a great show. It's wild, and it's a blessing. However, Satan's character feels a little more flamboyant and even a little more reachable or accessible in a way than Jacob does. I don't know what that says about me [Laughs]. Jacob's got that calm, unruffled, seeing-beyond-the-horizon guise. It's very different from me. I feel like I'm closer to Lucifer in a lot of weird ways [Laughs].

AD : Do you ever listen to music to get into character?

Mark : I've never really tailored a list of music to a particular character. I do use music sometimes just to open myself emotionally. There's all kinds of stuff that does that. Music can definitely help me concentrate and get away from the chaos of the set. It gets you more internal and open.

READ ORIGINAL INTERVIEW

I seriously don't think there's a better version of the Devil than his. Mark's Luci is awesome! :D

CAS vs LUCI. both bbs are fudging fiercee

wonder what kind of music he listens to to play a devil like Luci,

Super and Natural **MissTee

PART II OF BUDDY AND THEM 4 FINE MEN

Remember the interview BuddyTv did with Mitch, Mark, Rob, and Chris?

Well, turns out there's a PART II !

The Winchesters love their 'friends' below

BuddyTV and Mitch, Mark, Rob, Chris Q&A

If given a choice, what type of movie roles would you like to do that maybe you haven't already done?
Chris : Straightforward Comedy type movie.
Mitch: Anything Comedy.
Mark: Horror Comedy, similar to Shaun of the Dead.
Rob: Zombie filled movie of some sort.

What weird/alternative Jobs have you had outside the usual acting jobs?
Chris: I was once a Chicken Plucker in a factory for a while.
Rob: I did an ad playing 'the other Pizza delivery boy' in a Domino's Pizza advert... I was hot and smoking the whole time. My leg was on fire whilst doing the ad as well!
Mitch: I made toilets overseas for a while, 12-8am, used to take a sledgehammer to those I didn't make properly so they could be remade again!
Mark: [Still wincing over Mitch's 'I made toilets' story] A Bouncer in a Club
Mark then told a story about a night working as a bouncer when a drunk guy with full cheeks, vomited right in front of him in a stairwell outside Club. Although, he found the incident funny, he said he didn't miss those days at all.

What 3 things/Superpowers would you like to have if possible?
Rob: [laughing] To be Jensen for a day ...maybe flying, having some height and to be good at UFC [Cage fighting]
Rob then remembers his first day on the set of Supernatural. While talking to Jared and Jensen, Jared's first words to him were, "Cage Fighting, you watch?" Rob had to look it up later. ~ LMAO Jared. he's lucky that he's cute ~
Chris: To eat and eat but still stay thin! ... and to love passionately.
Chris also mentioned he'd love to beat his five year old son at things. He's very competitive and had a hard time keeping up.
Mitch: To grow [long] hair just like I had in the 70's, flying, maybe invisibility, and being good at winning things in Vegas!
Mark: [Admitting it's corny] Flying. To be able to free all repressed people.
Mark also added his wish to be able to love his wife all over again! Even I was melting at this one- Lucky Girl!!! ~ Lucky btchh! ~

When asked about the start of their acting careers and how they've found their journey so far each one had a story to share.
Mitch's started in 3rd grade with a passion for acting. He spent his time singing Elvis songs. Once he began his career, Mitch dedicated his time and full attention to it.
Chris was born in Luton, England but moved to Vancouver at an early age. He was always messing with his friends, telling them he had sharks in his fish tank, etc. Action came naturally.
Mark's first experience acting is all thanks to his 4th grade teacher, Miss Ross. He did a school play and often goofed off with his friends, resulting in being dragged off stage by his ear. There was a time when he thought he'd be a marine biologist but in his early 20s the acting bug struck again and he's never looked back.
As for Rob, in High School he started thinking about becoming an actor but thought getting a Law degree first was in his best interest ~ LOL OMG can you imagine 'Chuck' with a law degree? i say hawt! ~ . After realizing the time it took to read, study, etc he revisited the acting idea. In college he studied theatre and things naturally progressed. Rob also formed a band, Louden Swain, and have been writing their own music, songs, and performing together for the last 10 years.

What is the best advice you can impart to others now that you are all solidly well into your careers?
Chris: I'm very blessed to be where I am, I guess you have to work hard, be kind, have manners at all times and show up on time!
Rob: Being professional, appreciate what you do, either as a character or an actor, remember timekeeping!
Mark: Don't take anything for granted, be grateful and love your craft!
Mitch: [nodding in agreement] I'm appalled by actors who don't do the above. Supernatural people were all great! Some [actors] don't even have the talent to start off with.

Hope you enjoyed this other part of chatting with our Supernatural grandpa winchester, Lucy, Chuck, and that Ron guy!

ORIGINAL ARTICLE IS HERE

keeping you up2date,

Super and Natural**MissTee