CSI: Crime Scene Investigation alum
George Eads is back on TV in the reboot of CBS’
MacGyver as MacGyver’s (
Lucas Till) seasoned partner, maverick former CIA agent Jack Dalton.
Dalton and MacGyver are employed by the Phoenix Foundation, a clandestine organization within the U.S. government where MacGyver uses his extraordinary talent for unconventional problem solving and vast scientific knowledge on missions, while Dalton provides the muscle and military expertise.
On tonight’s episode, MacGyver and the team are in Malaysia to extract a terrorist groups’ money man, Ralph (
Oliver Cooper), who holds key intel to an impending attack. But the mission goes south when the man is shot, and with only a driver’s license and hand sanitizer available, MacGyver must keep Ralph alive in order to learn the terrorists’ plans.
Parade.com had the opportunity to speak with Eads who talked about his decision to return to series TV, why the time was right to reimagine
MacGyver, working with Till, playing an action role at 49, and more.
Why was the time right for you to come back to television?
It was the project. I have a real affinity for
Les Moonves [Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Corporation] and what he does. He really has taken care of me the majority of my career. I feel like I was the wild thing called out from the bullpen from that movie
Major League, and he wanted me to bring some energy to this.
After I went and talked to Les, the producers asked me what kind of character I thought the guy was based on what I talked about with Les, and I told them. Then they said, “All right, well, what about the accent?” I said, “Well, you know, I can learn my lines phonetically, and I can sound less like Gomer Pyle if that’s what you want,” and they were like, “No, we like it.”
Did you like the old show?
I did, but I was a young kid when it was on. I still think it’s a great idea. The character does stand the test of time. I went back and watched old episodes and some of it seemed a little corny. That’s not a criticism. That’s just what I thought. I was like, “This does need a reboot. It’s time.”
What did you learn at CSI that you’re bringing to this show?
Well, you become technically proficient. As far as the simplest things, just hit your mark without looking, but at the same time, I can tell when I’m reading a script, especially when I read a scene, what they’re looking for. If they’re looking for a romantic moment, or if they’re looking for this heavy moment, and I think for me , having been on
CSI and finding nuances there, I’m able to quickly find some nuances and spice it up a little bit. That’s our
job, you know, to put things there that are not on the page.
How well do you and Lucas work together?
His process is different than mine. I handwrite out all my lines. I like to see my handwriting, and I like to keep my notes over time. I take hours to digest simple scenes and his approach is show up. If I show up super ready, he just likes to react off of me being real. So, I think I owe it to him to really be super prepared and real so that when we get there, he’s ready to go, but at the same time, he’s seen my handwriting and now he’s like, “Let’s rehearse every night.” I’m like, “All right.” So, we’ve rehearsed every night at least four hours before we get to work.
You are both from Texas. Does that make a bond?
I think it’s a common denominator. There’s that Southern vibe, that Southern cadence, or crazy sense of humor. My nephew is Lucas’ age, and I’m really close with him. So falling into this friendship with Lucas … I’d already been hanging out with a 26-year-old for about a year, so it just seemed right
How are you dealing with the action?
My body goes on me. This is very action packed. I have to take power naps. I have to ice down my knees, my back.
You’re not that old. You’re only 49.
Well, they’ll make fun of me for getting spun out quicker than they do, you know what I mean? At that age [Till is 26], you can keep going and going and going, and all of a sudden, I’ll just fall asleep. We’ll be in the middle of a scene and I’ll just go, “Hold on a minute,” and just sleep. I have to sleep. Sleep is the gasoline that keeps me going.
CSI was a science show and this is a different kind of science, so are you into science at all?
No. I’m an outdoorsy guy. I’ve always been. I grew up in the late ’70s. We played outside all day. I think that’s where I got the whole notion of being an actor, you know, stunt fighting with my friends. I like to be outside. I can’t even tell you the last time I sat down and got on the internet. I think it was probably at least a few weeks ago.
