So is Christian Slater just a glutton for punishment, or does he just really want to work in TV?
For the third time in as many seasons, the ’90s heartthrob is headlining a network series, this time starring as the owner of a personal security company in Breaking In, which premieres Wednesday night on FOX following American Idol. In a recent chat with reporters, Slater compared his thus-far quixotic quest for regular TV work to that of Goldilocks, saying that while NBC’s My Own Worst Enemy and ABC’s the forgotten didn’t fit, “this bed here at FOX feels just right.”
Fast-paced and full of charm (sounds like someone we know), Breaking In follows the brilliant misfits at Contra Security, headed by Oz (Slater), as they try to find weaknesses in their clients’ security systems. This involves a lot of computer hacking, picking locks, elaborate con games and the occasional blackmail. In between jobs, the employees’ main focus seems to be pulling pranks on each other. In addition to Slater, the cast includes Bret Harrison (Reaper), Odette Annable (The Unborn), Trevor Moore (The Whitest Kids U’Know), Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville) and standup comic Alphonso McCauley.
Slater also spoke about getting a chance to flex his comedic muscles, and why he’s just not letting this TV thing go:
On why he keeps returning to television: “I like the consistency of it. I like the pace of it. With the first 
two experiences I had, I really did respond well to the schedule. It’s a very, very fast moving train. I don’t like sitting around. I really like to get in there and do the job and get it done and feel good about it at the end of the day, and that pretty much seems to be the vibe on all the sets that I’ve gotten to be a part of.”
On what he attracted him to his character, Oz: “Well, I do like the fact that he is an eight-moves ahead kind of guy. You know, he pretty much knows what the outcomes are going to be right from the get-go, which I really appreciated and I like. I think it’s nice to have characters like that on TV. It makes people feel safe and comfortable. Even though it’s a made up character it still, I think, makes people feel safe that there’s somebody out there like that, potentially. I like that he’s in charge. I like that he likes to have fun, that he doesn’t really take things all that seriously and he’s just kind of a guy — a very mysterious guy, and there’s definitely a lot more going on beneath the surface than he’s revealing. … He has the ability to kind of find these little diamonds in the rough, you know these people with these great skills that aren’t really using them to their full and utmost potential. He picks these people, like Cameron’s (Bret Harrison) character who’s a brilliant computer hacker and really gives him the opportunity to kind of flourish and have fun and sort of point his skills in a particular direction where they could have gone down a darker path.”
On why he chose a comedy: “I did a bit on Curb Your Enthusiasm, and I did something on The Office and I was pretty much playing myself in — well I was, I was playing a version of myself in those particular shows. This was an opportunity to create a character from the ground up and really make somebody come to life in a comedy-esque type fashion. It was something new, it was something different. It was something that certainly feels more geared towards my strengths and things that I really do enjoy doing. I definitely prefer doing comedy. I think comedy is vital in our world. I think it’s very, very important and we need as many excuses to laugh and be jolly at this particular time.”
On references to his past movies: “There’ll be as many references as we can throw in. As many references as [writer/producer] Adam [F.] Goldberg is comfortable throwing in. We’re certainly willing to take those chances and kind of — hopefully not overdo it but keep a nice, fine balance.” (Note: There is a book at the end of the pilot that is a prop Slater says he “stole” from The Name of the Rose. His character also has the original captain’s chair from Star Trek in his office, which is a nod to Slater’s outspoken love of all things Trek. He also hinted that there could be Pump Up the Volume references coming.)
Photo: © Fox Broadcasting Co. Credit: David Johnson/FOX
