by Natalie Abrams

The long-awaited V — and “the Visitors,” as the show’s aliens are known — finally arrive Tuesday at 8/7c on ABC. But don’t worry, they are of peace, always. Well, maybe not always. Fortunately for Chad Decker (Scott Wolf), the arrival of the genetically blessed ETs boosts his job status when the TV reporter becomes the voice of the Vs in the media. Wolf tells TVGuide.com how Decker will screw up, what makes the show different from the 1983 miniseries on which it’s based and why its recent scheduling switcheroo is nothing to worry about.

TVGuide.com: How is is the show different from the miniseries?
Scott Wolf: There are obvious differences between our V and the original miniseries. Visually, the ability to generate this world — the special effects and computer graphics — it’s just light-years from where it was from when this show was created in the mid-’80s. It really looks like a movie, like a thriller every week. From a storytelling standpoint, a lot of it is faithful to what made the original so compelling. It’s still the same basic framework, but it’s updated. It is very much about how we live in a post-9/11 world.

TVGuide.com: Have you felt pressure to make the show great in light of the scheduling delays?
Wolf: It’s less pressure and more excitement. Oftentimes, it’s complicated to begin a story that has this kind of epic scope to it — the arriving on Earth is the biggest story you can tell. Every time there’s been any question, we’ve stopped and actually made adjustments. It’s incredibly rare. That costs money and takes time. Most of the time, the powers that be say, ‘Just make it as good as you can.’ In this case, there’s such a passion behind this story and this project, that they’ve not just thrown us to the wolves. The result is that we’re going to have great episodes.

TVGuide.com: Chad has an interesting motivation for helping the Vs. Will we learn more about his backstory?
Wolf: When we meet him and see his first encounter with [Anna], the leader of the Visitors, he’s put in a position where he’s forced to either give up the opportunity of a lifetime or compromise himself in a deep way. You come to understand why Chad is wired the way he is. On the surface, Chad is not necessarily the best guy. He’s very ambitious, but I think the thing that makes him really complicated and fun to play is that he’s ambiguous. There’s a sense that he’s a little up for grabs. In a larger way, he represents an idea, in terms of how much faith should be placed in our media figures. It asks the question: Is that a good idea? Or is it potentially dangerous?

TVGuide.com: Will Chad seek redemption?
Wolf: Yes, pretty quickly. As the story moves forward, we see a guy who clearly does not like having to bend at somebody else’s will and tries to fight his way back into controlling this relationship with Anna. He realizes that if he controls the dialogue about what it means to have the Visitors on Earth and whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, if he can prove that she needs him as much as he needs her, then he’ll ultimately have the power that he actually craves. Whether he does the right thing with that power or not remains to be seen.

TVGuide.com: Should we suspect everyone of being a Visitor?
Wolf: Yes, part of the fun of the show is your schoolteacher, your waiter at a restaurant, your own cousin could be a Visitor. I think that underlying suspicion makes for a lot of fun.

(Source)

by Jenna Busch

‘V’ debuted to a pretty wide audience last Tuesday. In fact, it opened with the best opening numbers since ‘Lost’ in 2004. In this re-imagining of the 1984 series, aliens have come to Earth, and they look just like us. Well, the better-looking ones, anyway. But they’re hiding a something. Something decidedly scaly. Scott Wolf plays Chad Decker, an ambitious reporter hand picked by the head alien to promote their agenda.

PopEater got a chance to chat one on one with Wolf about his role, whether or not we’ll see a few nods to the original series, how much he knows about his character’s future and how being a new dad affected his decision to come back to TV. He even mentions the possibility that Chad might be a visitor. As long as no one is eating hamsters…

Congratulations on the ratings!

“Thank you so much! It’s nice to get off to a great start.”

How excited was the cast when they heard the response?

“Pretty excited. I think we all believed in the show and have loved being a part of it, and you know, I’ve said to some of the other cast members, there have been a lot of things that I’ve been a part of that, even if things are going well, it’s sort of hard to see. It’s just hard to sort of see off into the future. And with this show I just, from the minute I jumped on board with it, I’ve just really been optimistic about it. I feel like it’s such a fun story. And people are really ready for just a fun, great story. And I think the numbers showed that. And you know, I think everyone knows well enough that it’s one great week, and we could not have possibly gotten off to a better start, but there’s a lot of work to be done to keep our audience. And to keep telling great stories so they have great stories to watch for a long time.”

Your character makes a decision that “doesn’t show him in a positive light”. So do you think he’s a good guy?

“You know, it’s funny. I think as actors, we always have to seek to understand out characters and to find the good in them, and to justify their behaviors. So I don’t look at Chad as a bad guy. I look at Chad as a guy who is incredibly ambitious. But there is such a thing as good ambition. We see it a lot of times in an ugly way. But ambition doesn’t have to be a terrible thing. I think he believes himself to be someone who is talented and has been sort of held back, and so for him, he’s just looking to get to the place where he believes he deserves and belongs. The problem with his is that he’s so focused on that end, that the means to the end are less important to him. But I don’t see that he’s a bad guy. He’s potentially dangerous in that he’s so focused on the prize that the things he might do to get it could be harmful.”

I know you guys are going to run four episodes and then take a break until after the Olympics. Morena (Baccarin) said you guys are filming again in January. Have you seen any of the scripts yet?

“We’ve not. We made these first four and we’ve gone down…we pick them up the third week in January. And frankly I can’t wait. I mean I’m going to miss being on set, but it sort of feels like waiting for Christmas morning. I feel like that first script to come in is going to be awfully fun to read. And we’ve left off, in our fourth hour that will finish off this initial chapter in November, is going to be chock full of really juicy and intense cliff hangers. And so, you know, funny enough, the audience is sort of hanging from the cliff, but so is the cast, because we have to wait to see where our story is taking us next too.”

So they haven’t discussed with you where your character is going?

“No, you know, they’ve given us…we’ve had sort of general conversations about what’s fun about each of our characters, in terms of a big giant story arc. Where does the person’s life take them and how does their particular journey serve this story? So it’s been in general terms. So there’s really nothing specific. You know, I have to say, our story is fun and it’s mysterious in it’s own way, and suspenseful, but it’s really straightforward. And so, you know, as intriguing as it can be, moment to moment, our audience kind of knows everything that our characters know. And same goes for the actors. We get our information on a need-to-know basis.”

Were you a fan of the original series?

“I was. You know, I have kind of vague recollections of it. I was pretty young. I remember kind of getting my parents to let me stay up and watch bits and pieces of it. But when I first read the script, I barely remembered the original. It was kind of a cool experience. I knew that there was really a ground breaking story, and that it was a re-imagining of something that had been a momentous landmark event on television, but then again, I was sort of reading it as if it was the first time I had ever heard it, and so, I kind of had the best of both, and really just got drawn to these characters. You know, the fact that the story is kind of taking a look at what life might look like today or tomorrow morning if alien ships arrived, was really compelling to me.”

Remaking a series that was so beloved, I’m curious about some of the iconic moments that they might give a nod to. Have you filmed anything yet that pays homage to the old series?

“Yes. Yes. I won’t give away when, but it’s in the first chapter of the show. It’s in this first batch of episodes. There is a major wink and major nod to a major iconic moment from the original. It was kind of thrilling to read it, and I’m excited for the audience to chew on it. It’s one of those things where the writers and producers have to find ways to…you can’t just wink and nod for the sake of itself. You have to have it fit within our story. I think the writers found some really cool ways to explore some of the things that made the original so memorable all these years later.”

People have been wondering if any of the stars of the original series would be in the new ones. I’ve interviewed Robert Englund and Marc Singer, and they both expressed interest. Do you know if there are any plans? Or has anyone been back?

“They…I…no one has been back yet. But I personally would kill to have either of those two guys. I’m a huge fan of both, and I know I speak for the rest of the cast when I say it would be a blast to have this connection between these two incarnations through the return of certain actors. Not necessarily as the same characters, but I just think it would be fun for all of us. I think it would be really intensely great for fans of the original. And it’s flattering that cast members of the original would have interest in our story. I think there’s no higher compliment we could receive.”

So you just had your first child this year. Did that affect your decision to do another television show?

“You know, I’m sort of constantly diving in and out of my work life, and I’ve been lucky to be able to do that. It’s a difficult business in a lot of ways, and it doesn’t necessarily encourage people to come and go. [laughs] But I’m grateful that I’ve had that opportunity, and that when I feel like I need to go live my life and be away from it for a little while, I can. And I’m grateful that I’ve had opportunities that allow me to come back in. I would definitely say that having my first child and looking down at this tiny face and knowing that I would do anything under the sun for him and, you know, that feeling of, it’s not just about me, or me and my wife. Now there’s a family to take care of here. So it definitely lit a fire under me a bit, and made me…sort of increased my drive to get back. To find work to do. But you know, I could not have…honestly, I’m pinching myself because, I had sort of a check list of things I was hoping for in a new show, and this has all of those things, and things that I couldn’t have even hoped for. It’s just kind of perfect and you know, it’s going great so far. I hope our audience stays intrigued by our story. I think they will. I feel like what’s going on with V right now is a testament to, I think, how passionate the people behind it are and the creative team is. But moreover, it shows how much hunger there is for just good, fun storytelling. And I think our show is just that. It’s a blast for the audience. And it’s smart enough and mysterious enough to keep people thinking. But it’s a fun way to spend an hour.”

So I heard that you’re a big sci-fi fan. Did you want to be an alien in the show?

“Did I want to be an alien? [laughs] You know, I feel like there’s fun for every character in our show, whether you’re an alien or a human. But quite frankly, I’m not even a hundred percent sure I’m not an alien. [laughs] It’s one of those things where, you know, I think…at the core of the show, one of the most fun mysteries, is who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, and who’s who? The aliens look like humans. So any cast member we meet within the story could be either. And that includes Chad Decker. I’m pretty sure he’s human. [laughs] But you never know.”

Can you give us a peek into the next episode?

“Yeah. Obviously it’s moments after aliens have arrived on Earth. So these really sort of deep and intense questions of what are they doing here and are we safe, are the main things we are focused on. So we see Erica (Elizabeth Mitchell) and Father Jack (Joel Gretsch) have gotten themselves involved in the beginnings of what looks like a resistance. They’re trying to try to piece through information and trying to get to the bottom of whether these aliens are actually good guys or bad guys. I think one of the intriguing things about the first introduction to our story was this relationship between Chad and Anna (Morena Baccarin), and the power that media plays in our society. She knows, even being a visitor and an alien, that if she can ingratiate herself and come off well in the press, that goes a long way with human beings. And she uses Chad to accomplish that. When we find them again, Chad realized that…he’s licking his wounds and immediately trying to turn the tables back on Anna. And I think he’s out to prove to her that she needs him as much as he needs her.”

by Arienne Thompson (Source)

Scott Wolf, 41, whose Party brother Matthew Fox continues to jump through time and space on Lost, is part of V‘s ensemble cast.

“On the surface, it’s this really fun romp, and people who are sci-fi fans will have a lot to chew on, but at the same time, it’s really driven by characters and big ideas,” Wolf says.

Namely, the existence of life on other planets and, in turn, a visit from extraterrestrials.

“The only thing that makes our show science fiction is the fact that it hasn’t happened yet. What is so compelling is that it doesn’t seem that far-fetched,” he says. “When there’s a group that’s very different, unfortunately our first impulse is to be fearful and to worry and protect ourselves, and I think what our show is attempting to do is blur those lines between the good guys and the bad guys. Is there a way to coexist and rise above our initial fears and embrace something that feels very different? ”

Wolf’s character, news anchor Chad Decker, is an opportunist who attempts to see the good – if only for his own gain – in alien invasion.

“He’s a confident guy who believes in himself, but he knows he needs an opportunity to break out,” Wolf says. When the leader of the alien population, Anna (Morena Baccarin), gives her first interview to Wolf’s Decker, he gets “an opportunity to be thrust in the spotlight in a way he thinks he really deserves.”

And in analyzing his choices, Wolf says, his character comes to the forefront of the ambition-vs.-integrity theme.

“Chad embodies that conflict. He really wants to be great at what he does.”

One person who excels at what she does, Wolf says, is co-star Elizabeth Mitchell. “I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time. … She and I haven’t had scene work together, but one of the things that the writers are doing intentionally is keeping these characters in their own worlds and not contriving ways for them to interact,” he says. “(Mitchell and I) have been spending time together on set and away when we’ve been doing publicity. She’s just lovely.”

Wolf, a new father – he and his wife, Kelly Limp, welcomed son Jackson in March – also looks to Mitchell as a role model for achieving the work-life balance.

“I’ve seen her with her son, and that’s something to behold. To see someone managing career and family as effortlessly as she seems to, and with the commitment that she does, is something I’ve been paying close attention to.”

By Katie Goldsmith

On ABC’s re-imagined V, which premiered last night, Scott Wolf stars as Chad Decker, a reporter who comes face to face with deceptively kind aliens. Wolf spoke with Vulture yesterday about the new show, the original one, and why this former Bailey Salinger is glad he’s not one of today’s teen heartthrobs.

Were you a fan of the original V?

I was. I don’t really have clear recollections of it, but I remember it being on, and I remember begging my parents to let me stay up late to watch it, and then being scared by it. But when I read the script I really didn’t have a clear picture of it in my mind, so I came to the story brand new and was really blown away by it.

Did you go back to the old series at all while prepping for your role?

Not so much. I looked at a clip here and there just so I had some sort of frame of reference as to what it looked like. But frankly it wasn’t of tremendous use to us because our characters are brand new, and our story exists today. So while the basic premise and the bones of the story are the same, it’s a complete update. So our focus belongs really on this version.

The network’s only airing four episodes, then it goes on hiatus. What’s the rationale behind that?

Right when the show was picked up, the folks at ABC felt that it was a unique series, and given the scope and scale of the story, it deserved a special style of broadcast. Obviously, aliens arriving on earth is a fairly large-scale story. The intention isn’t to take a regular series broadcast schedule and interrupt it for months in between. The intent is to view this show chapter by chapter. In this case, I think the second chapter would have come sooner, but there are programming issues, the winter Olympics being the main one.

We see Chad’s ethics questioned in the pilot. Do you find your character often grappling with morals and his journalistic integrity?

At this early stage of the series, that is Chad’s main journey. It’s this internal struggle between the side of him that wants to be a real journalist and fulfill this real potential that he believes he has, and the side of him that is so ambitious that he’s willing to do whatever it takes, even compromising himself and selling his soul. The thing that’s most interesting to me is that oftentimes you hope that the audience can’t quite pin down a character because it makes it more interesting, but I don’t that Chad knows who he is. And ultimately to play a character who even himself doesn’t fully know who he will wind up being is really intriguing.

Chad’s first interaction with Anna is a bit flirtatious. Will we see any romantic interests for him in the show?

There hasn’t been anything thus far, but there might be later on. The relationship between Anna and Chad is compelling just on the level that you have two people who both need something from each other. There’s a lot that they’re telling each other, but they’re also keeping a lot from each other. And so there’s this really great cat-and-mouse game going on between them. It’s this chess match that they both really want to control. Although they’re both people who seduce people to get what they need, so to watch them seduce one another is pretty interesting.

Are you sick of being associated with Party of Five?

Not really. I’m still really proud of the show, but I guess I’m not going to be too brokenhearted when that reference drops out of the picture. Hopefully V will sort of take its place soon.

As a former teen heartthrob yourself, do you have any advice for the Robert Pattinsons of today?

I look at what’s going on with him today, and it seems that we dealt with about one percent of that. When we were in the throes of it, there was a lot less intensity around the paparazzi and the public’s eye in all of this. It seems like it’s really exploded in the last few years. We got to be in a position where people had a strong reaction to the work we were doing, but it wasn’t like we couldn’t go out to eat.

(Source)