Pablo Schreiber plays the role of Virgil in the new NBC series, “Ironside.” A reboot of the classic series from the 1960s, the show centers around a wheelchair bound cop who is willing to cross the line to solve the crimes. Schreiber described the character of Virgil and how he came into Ironside’s orbit:
“Virgil Burke is a NYPD officer, father of two, and is dealing with the demands of being a gentle father at home and being a rough and tumble/violent New York police officer. I think Ironside stood up for Virgil at a time when he was down in the dumps. He has had some sanctions as a police officer for violent behavior and excessive force. At some point in his history as a police officer, Ironside came in, picked up Virgil, and asked him to be a part of his team at a team when other people in the department was not so high on him. So, I think he owes a lot to Ironside, basically his career. They have a fraternal relationship, but also have this father-son relationship going on. It’s a gruff and tough relationship, but they also have a mutual respect for one another.”
The major difference that fans can see in “Ironside” is that it has more of a dark, grittier tone to the series than most of the procedural shows on the air, and they are not afraid to push the boundaries if necessary.
“They will definitely push the boundaries. At the same time, there are laws and rules, and as police officers, they do their best to stay within the guidelines. However, they will push the envelope as far as they are able to.”
One of Schreiber’s most buzzed about performances took place during the season finale and premiere of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” where he played the character of William Lewis, a serial rapist who took Det. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) hostage. The actor spoke about what it was like to film those scenes:
“It was a pretty tough episode, and was obviously tough to watch in terms of what happens to Olivia Benson during the course of the show. I think it was a really well-done episode, very high-end, and felt more like a movie than a TV show, which I was very proud of to watch.”
We touched on more with Pablo Schreiber as we talked about his role in the film, “Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight,” which premiered on HBO this past Saturday, October 5, as well as his role on the Netflix original series, “Orange is the New Black,” which is currently filming its second season.
To download the full audio podcast interview, click on the player below.
Follow Pablo Schreiber on Twitter: @schreiber_pablo.
