triangle man, triangle man

So, uh . . . there’s a story about me in today’s New York Times.
Oh my god. The New York Times. And it’s incredible.
In 1000 words John Schwartz captures and communicates who I am, what I am, where I am, and (most importantly) why I am. I always hope that reporters will understand me, but John grokked me.
I spoke with John for about 90 minutes last week, and the story he wrote is in today’s edition of the Times: A Computer Is Also a Screen, Wil Wheaton Discovers.
I was going to buy the reprint rights so I could put it up here, but the Times wants $1,000 from me for a year, and as much as I’d like to spare you all the annoying-but-free registration, I think that money would be better spent on some bills. The bugmenot plugin for Firefox calls . . . 🙂 Update: or you can use this NYT-approved blog-friendly link. Thanks to countless e-mailers and commenters who pointed it out, and to Aaron Swartz who wrote the oh-so-useful code.
The absolute best part, the part that made me scream out in joy and run laps around my living room is:

Mr. Wheaton said that on the “CSI” set, he had to manage a potential conflict between his new writerly self and the professional actor. “It was unbelievably difficult for me the first two days I was working on the show to be very present,” he said. “They’d say ‘Cut!’ and I’d say, ‘I can’t wait to write about this!'”
If he was distracted, it didn’t show, said Duane Clark, the director of the episode. Mr. Wheaton had originally tried out for a smaller role, a hotel clerk. But after seeing his audition tape, Carol Mendelsohn, one of the executive producers, suggested giving him the meatier role of Walter, even though the writers had drawn him as an older alcoholic. A younger drug addict, she said, might prove more menacing, more interesting.
At first, Mr. Clark said, the writers said, “Wil Wheaton, a crack addict – are you nuts?” But Mr. Clark said that Mr. Wheaton brought “a lot of scary volatility” to the role.
“He really dug his teeth into it,” Mr. Clark said, “and on his own came up with a backstory of who Walter was.”
“He really filled out what could have been a caricature. ” he said.

Oh.
My.
God.
When I read that the producer and director believed in me, and the writers took a chance on me . . . well, I’m speechless.
And if all this wasn’t enough, John helps me put some nails into that “former child actor” coffin:

To Mr. Wheaton, the experience on “CSI” is proof, if any is needed, that he’s still in the game. “When you say a ‘former child star,’ you may as well say ‘failed child star,’ ” he said. “The fact is, Jodie Foster is a former child star. Ron Howard is a former child star. I am a former child star. It doesn’t have to mean anything.”

I can’t wait to watch CSI tonight, and see how I did. I haven’t been this excited to see something I did since the first screening of Stand By Me.

Discover more from WIL WHEATON dot NET

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

204 thoughts on “triangle man, triangle man”

  1. Hey Wil… Looonngg time reader, first time poster. I just want to let you know how excited I am for you. I just read the article from the New York Times Website. I thought it was fantastic! I live in Lexington, KY and CSI is not on at its normal time tonight because of the SEC Baskteball tournament. I have set the ol’ VCR to record CSI at 12:30 am and I can’t wait to see it. I would stay up and watch it, but I gotta go to work in the morning. As much as I love reading about your (relatively) new life as a writer, I hope this role leads to bigger and better things in the acting world! You deserve all the great things that I think (and hope) will be coming your way. That’s my positive Mojo for the day – aimed directly at you my friend. Best of luck! Cheers from the Bluegrass State. Hope you enjoy a nice, frothy Guiness while you’re watching CSI! 🙂

  2. i saw you on CSI tonight. you were great. i was hoping to see more of Walter though. you still kick ass even if you are a former child actor 🙂

  3. Hi Wil,
    You were great tonight on CSI. I told all my friends to watch it – It’s great to show everyone that you still rock at acting, and I hope this opens the door to more spots in your future!
    btw, you played your character much better than Stephen Baldwin. Thanks so much for making us fans proud!

  4. Yay, Wil. (I guess lots of people are posting because the site is CRAWLING) 🙂
    I wish there had been more. You did great, and you could tell that you put a lot into the role. It made it pop that much more for the time you were there. I would not have known it was you had I not been told beforehand. You certainly shed the sparkling WC persona.
    Here’s hoping to see more (although I favor your writing)

  5. Hey, congratulations on making the Times and prime-time this evening. Great job. Also, thanks again for signing my old-school Newton 120!

  6. Wow, I’m going to say it, “Geeks only say ‘Da Bomb'” and Will you were Da Bomb!
    WARNING SHAMELESS PLUG HERE:
    I wrote a bit about it on my blog. Check it out. Just click the name. LOL

  10. wil…excellent job on CSI tonight. I just wish there had been more of you. Nick mentioned ‘the homeless guy’ and my roommate and I started yelling ‘Wil Wheaton Wil Wheaton!’…OK, maybe it was ‘Wesl-er-Wil Wheaton Wil Wheaton!’, but hey, we’re two nerdy Trek girls. Anyway, you were awesome, I loved all the little things you did with the character. I hope this is the start of a slew of interesting roles, you certainly deserve them!

  11. Hey Will — I had never watched CSI before tonight, I am not a real big TV guy. The format of the show confused me a little, I was waiting for the two storylines to cross. Anyways, I’ll echo the “good jorb” of above… very intense, very visceral. I wanted to see more, maybe an apology or the release or something. Anyways, entertaining.
    BTW, why didn’t Carl Johnson roll through Las Venturas and kick those cops’ *ss while they were harrassing your character?

  12. Oh you were so awesome on CSI! Fabolous job!
    I must say if you hadn’t said you were gonna be on the show I wouldn’t have recongized you.
    Anyway that was very exciting see you on the show 🙂

  13. The ep will only show here in Mexico in a few weeks but just to say: I’ll make sure I’ll catch it.
    Congrats on the NYT article. I am emitting a proud, geeky glow to actually have known most of what they write. 🙂

  14. I know that what I’ve got to say is just echoes of echoes of what’s already been said, but… All I can say Wil is good job! I thought you did a great job with Walter. I didn’t tell my wife you were on and when she saw you she said, “Hey, it’s, it’s… oh crap, what’s his name!” She knows who you are as we both eagerly await your column in Dungeon magazine but she couldn’t come up with it. I think it was the fact that she had to put up with seeing Stephen Baldwin earlier in the program. That will screw with anyone’s mind. 😉

  15. Hey, the aforementioned dialogue about how geeks should be revered and stuff — they wrote that in ‘cuz they knew you were gonna be on the show, didn’t they? 🙂
    I thought that was the perfect setup for Walter’s big scene. You were one cracked-out hobo, I tell you what. Way to freak all the kiddies out. You, sir, are da bomb.

  16. Hi Wil! I’ve been reading your site for awhile but this is my first time commenting. (“Hello strong bad I’m a long time watcher first time writer.””oh a l.t.w.f.t.w.”) You were incredible on CSI tonight! I wanted to watch your scenes over and over, which I probably will and show that episode to everyone I’ve ever met. You were totally Walter and I loved it!

  18. aw, wil. you were great tonight! i only wish they had actually shown you more. much better part than the hotel clerk though. very believable, very rough. and yes, i did notice the dirt under the fingernails (but i think that’s just because you had mentioned it). i can’t wait to see you in more stuff.

  21. Hey! We now have new Wil Trivia!
    What CSI Actor is as tall as Wil Wheaton?
    I suppose the answer could be called a spoiler, so I won’t give it.

  22. You did such a great job, Wil! Wow, Walter was really intense… yikes. That took some hard work! Excellent, excellent performance. *applause* :oD

  23. Wil,
    Way to go on CSI!! You were GREAT! You brought Walter to life better than anyone else could have done. It is about time they get a great actor out there. Big time congrats on the article about you in the NYT. They hit it right on the nail. That stupid Hooters waitress ought to have her words shoved up her butt. Your acting is a millon times better than these so called “Good” Actors these days. If I were an actor, you are the one I would look up too. Even though I do not know You I still look up to you as a friend. I know, it’s a one sided friendship, because you do not know me. Maybe some day I hope!! Thank you for a awesome website! Again, Fantastic job tonight! The best always to you and your family!

  26. Fantastic job tonight, Wil! They didn’t use Walter nearly enough, though. I have to say, Walter is truly a scary sob…but there was a pitiful side of him too. Like you could feel his desperation and confusion. He’s living his life the way he sees it, but what he sees doesn’t have much bearing on reality. Totally believable portrayal. Kudos!

  28. i’m watching it right now!!!!!!!!! this is so cool!!!!!!!!!! you’re crazy wil!!!!!!! did you do it??? i cant wait!!!!!!!!

  29. Wow. I’ve heard of people losing everything in Las Vegas, but it really didn’t take you long to hit the skids when you got there, did it!

  31. Wil, you were so damn scary, I totaly forgot it was you on the screen…man, Walter gave me goose bumps.
    Congrats,
    Al from Rhode Island

  32. Wil, you don’t know me at all, obviously, but I’ve been visiting here long enough that when I saw you on CSI tonight, I felt like I was watching a friend. That is the coolest.
    Sincerely,
    Becky
    P.S. How’s Sketch doing?

  33. haha you looked funny. i’m glad you didnt do it. beth says it would have been cool if you had done it. maybe next time. so i’m here with my two Wil Wheaton fan buddies! and we ate mac n’ cheese on USS Enterprise plates. we’re such nerds!!!!! way to go wil!!!!!!!!

  34. haha you looked funny. i’m glad you didnt do it. beth says it would have been cool if you had done it. maybe next time. so i’m here with my two Wil Wheaton fan buddies! and we ate mac n’ cheese on USS Enterprise plates. we’re such nerds!!!!! way to go wil!!!!!!!!

  35. haha you looked funny. i’m glad you didnt do it. beth says it would have been cool if you had done it. maybe next time. so i’m here with my two Wil Wheaton fan buddies! and we ate mac n’ cheese on USS Enterprise plates. we’re such nerds!!!!! way to go wil!!!!!!!!

  37. Wil!! I also squealed when I saw your name on the screen!! You were awesome and scary! I can’t wait for your next acting gig. 🙂 Love the blog too. I check it everyday!

  38. Walter the Crazy Homeless Guy has a posse!
    You were freakin’ awesome, Wil. I agree with the guy who said earlier that seeing you on TV was like watching a friend. I’m so happy for you for getting that role, and I was really entertained by your performance. ♥

  40. that was SO FREAKING COOL. I wanted to take a quick commercial break to post, but didn’t want to risk missing anything.
    Damn, that Walter was one freaky SOB. You were *totally* believable in that role… and I hope that came across as a compliment… erm… indeed.
    So since I’ve been looking forward to this episode for weeks now, it’s almost a let-down now that it’s over. ~pout~
    So. I guess I’ll just send some karmic good vibes your way and hope I see you on the screen (small or big) veddy soon my droog.

  41. Oh dear — I’d love to read all 136 comments, but I just can’t. Wil! You were awesome! (And I’ll bet that only geeks still say “Awesome”, too.) We just finished watching it. I’m so proud. I was so mesmerized enjoying your mad acting skillz during the interrogation room scene that at the end I had to TiVo back and catch all the plot stuff I hadn’t been following.
    Anyway — way rad. I’m kind of sorry you weren’t the Bad Guy, but I’m also glad (kind of like Wesley, who feels strange, but also good).
    Now you can tell us all the stuff. Details please!
    Now that CSI is over, we seem to be watching a ST:TNG re-run. Poor little abused Alexander is being his 18% Most Annoying self. Hee!

  43. That was great fun! I can see why they thought of you for the hotel clerk at first and I can really see why they decided to use you as Walter. Way to twitch! I especially liked the scene where they were reenacting the crime and had the suspects superimposed over the CSI folks, that was very creepy.
    Did anyone else find that Walter was a bit more of a tragic figure than a villainous one after hearing a bit of his back story here? OK, I’m the kind of gal that takes in the “Charlie Brown” critters from the animal shelters so maybe it’s just me – I kind of just wanted to clean him up and get him on the right meds. :O
    Congrats on the episode Wil! We all know that you da bomb!

  44. I flipped away from the middle of Celebrity Poker Showdown so I could see your performance on CSI, Wil. (Ah, it was a rerun anyway.)
    Great job! I watched anxiously to see when they’d show your character…you were utterly believable in the role. All that preparation you did paid off, even though you didn’t have a lot of screen time. On a detail-oriented show like that, details are key…and you did exactly what you seemed to be intended to do in the episode (which I’m not going to speak about for fear of spoilers). It was fun to see you stretch like that; I predict that there’s other shows that’ll be giving you a second look because of this, now that you’ve successfully played against “type” in such a high-profile environment.
    Congratulations on the excellent performance! Rock rock on!

  45. Okay, now I”m reading comments, and everyone else has said stuff I wish I’d said.
    Add me to the list of people who squealed “Whoo hoo!” in their living rooms when the name “WIL WHEATON” appeared on the screen.
    This was my first CSI, too. I’m a L&O addict, and can’t afford to get hooked on any new drugs. But I have to admit that watching CSI tonight made me want to get hooked. We’ll see if I can resist.
    It’s true, you do have a distinctive voice. You are also cursed with a perpetually sweet and youthful face — you and Leonardo diCaprio, and he’s doing alright for himself — so it’s to the credit of the CSI casting guys that they were able to see beyond that and give you something more gritty and — dare I say the word? — edgy to do.
    Heh. “Finders Keepers!” That’ll be our new thing we ask you to say when you come to town for book signings. (Kidding.)

  46. Wow. Only you can make the Goddess of Justice and Vengeance squeal and clap her hands like a four-year-old, Mr. Wheaton! And I second Meerecat in the fact that I, too, shrieked with joy at your name on the screen. And your performance….
    I watch an actor’s eyes more than anything when I see a film or television show, and yours were just dead-on for your character! And the nervous fidgiting, especially the hands…superb. (I can’t help but think of “Empire Records” when I hear the word “superb”, but it applies!!) And I sincerely cringed during your “arrest” scene, in addition to screaming “Don’t hurt Walter!” at the television.
    I have witnesses to vouch for the idiotic grin plastered on my face every time you were on screen. Each of your scenes was greeted with applause and a happy little butt-dance. Again, I have witnesses, and I’m sure they got me on tape and will blackmail me with it later.
    And yes, your posse have indeed memorized your lines and will no doubt make various references to them for the next year or more. The Goddess predicts that sweaters will figure prominently in your life for a while to come. Even during the summer.
    I also second the countless others who commented that they, too, were proud of you. I was surprised that I felt the same pride for you that I feel whenever my Hubby does well on stage, even though I only know you through your blog and your books.
    When the show was over, I turned to my gracious hosts and smiled. “That was my Wil,” I said, in the same proud voice I use when Hubby wraps a play. (Of course, reading it here it looks very stalker-ish, but it’s not meant like that at all. Really. Honest. I’m happily married!)
    Congratulations, Mr. Wheaton. Feels nice, doesn’t it?
    Justice is served.
    Herself,
    The Goddess

  47. Awesome job on Walter.
    I love the energy, the life I felt coming from the screen.
    I also enjoyed seeing the full character, his insanity, his confusion, his desperate needs, all present.
    Thanks.

  48. Fantastic! We had a great time watching the show tonight, and we’re really proud of you! What can I say that hasn’t been said already? A very rich and obviously dedicated performance. I absolutely cannot wait to hear more about your experience.

  49. Nice interview with the NY Times but,
    REALLY, really good work on CSI! This fan was impressed and even knowing you were going to be playing the part, found it hard to remember it was you; I hope the casting companies take note. Great job!

  50. Great job, Wil! Like plate_C, I also live in Lexington, KY, where NCAA basketball is the second religion after Baptist. So I had to stay up so late to watch CSI–but it was worth it! You absolutely ruled as Walter, and I never would have guessed it was you if I hadn’t known. Major props, man. May you gain many hit points from all the good mojo.

Comments are closed.

Related Posts

Recent Posts