Tim Roth Wouldn't Lie to You
Star of Hit Fox Series Lie to Me Excited Over Second Season
Sep 25, 2009
Roth says he spent a good part of the summer watching people trying to avoid looking him straight in the eye. So convincing was the London-born actor in the role of world-renowned deception expert Dr. Cal Lightman in the first season of the hit FOX drama Lie to Me that some viewers apparently believe he may have acquired the skill of analyzing facial expressions and eye movements to deduce a person’s emotions and honesty.
“People are quite excited by the science aspect of it,” Roth said in a recent phone conversation, “but I assure them that I have no idea what they’re thinking.”
As the second season of Lie to Me launches Monday, Sept. 28, Roth is excited about the possibility of learning more about what Cal Lightman is thinking. “It’s a much more character-based script that is coming forward, and so you’re going to find out a little bit more about the history of the characters, Lightman’s connection to them, and so on,” he said.
First Prime-Time TV Experience Was Challenging
“I thought of last season as an experiment, really,” said Roth, 48, perhaps best known to U.S. audiences previously for his roles in the Quentin Tarantino films Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction as well as 2008’s special effects blockbuster The Incredible Hulk. “It was my first experience doing this, and I found it quite difficult at times. We were working on stories just trying to find our feet, really, and I think by the end of the season we did.”
In Season Two, Roth is joined on screen by Mekhi Phifer (8 Mile) as confrontational FBI Agent Ben Reynolds and Hayley McFarland (United States of Tara) as Lightman’s daughter, Emily. More important, perhaps, he’s joined behind the scenes by Shawn Ryan, the executive producer of such series as The Shield and The Unit, as Lie to Me’s new show runner.
“When Shawn came on to do a couple of episodes last season, and he brought a couple of writers in, that was when I think we really found our stride, found a way of making this work,” Roth said. “The new writers come from all walks of life and have very different ideas. Shawn’s kind of the linchpin that brings them all together and oversees things. It’s been an incredibly creative force.”
Show's Cast Will Benefit From More Intriguing Scripts
Such creativity, Roth believes, will provide more of a challenge for the cast, which includes Kelli Williams, Monica Raymund and Brendan Hines, as the show’s growing pains subside and characters develop. “It means you’ve got some acting to do, which is great,” he said. “It’s much more for us to think about and to emote than last season. You’ll see there’s going to be an investigation of my relationship with my ex-wife (played by the still-lovely Jennifer Beals, in a recurring role). Last season, we were scrambling around a little bit, I think, although we did come up with some good stuff and we seemed to have hooked an audience, which is always a good thing, right? Last year was a struggle. I’ve loved it this year, really have. This year has been an absolute pleasure.”
The season opening episode finds the Lightman Group vetting a cynical Supreme Court nominee and taking on a Georgetown University law student (guest star Erika Christensen, in a standout performance) who believes she’s seen a vision of someone being murdered. British actor Lennie James (Jericho) appears later in the season as a mysterious visitor from Lightman’s past.
Roth Turned to Author Paul Ekman for Inspiration
To become Cal Lightman, Roth read the books Telling Lies and Emotions Revealed by Paul Ekman, the researcher upon whom Roth’s character is based, and met Ekman in person. And while he claims he can’t “read” people as accurately as Lightman does in the series, Roth admits that some of the preparation may have made an impression.
“I try not to learn this stuff as much as possible, and I just deal with what I have to deal with on a daily basis in the script, but some of it does sink in,” Roth said. “I find mostly it’s fun when I’m watching politicians on the telly. That’s always good fun, to put it to use like that.”
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