A Looser Lucifer
Ray Wise Is Having A Helluva Good Time Playing the Devil

By Judith S. Gillies
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 18, 2007

Smooth, suave, sophisticated.

Not necessarily your first thoughts about the devil, which Ray Wise plays for drama and laughs on the new CW series "Reaper."

"He's well dressed, well groomed, has a great sense of humor and a wealth of knowledge -- as well he should, since he's been around since the beginning of time," Wise said. "He's perhaps a combination of a really good talk show host and used-car salesman, with his smile and demeanor to make you feel good about yourself. It's the only way the devil can operate."

And though he's a smooth operator, the devil has his problems. Seems that Hell is overcrowded and evil denizens escape every now and then. That's why the devil needs Sam Oliver (Bret Harrison) as a bounty hunter: to recapture those souls and send them back to Hell where they belong.

Sam didn't seek out the job. His parents (Andrew Airlie and Allison Hossack) sold his soul before he was born, mistakenly believing they would never have to deliver.

Sam confides in his two best friends (Tyler Labine and Rick Gonzalez), who usually help him in his quests. They're also on hand to commiserate about his unrequited love for an associate (Missy Peregrym) at the Seattle home improvement store where they all work.

But Sam, who's been a slacker for much of his life, realizes being the devil's bounty hunter is something he can do well.

"And there's something wonderful for anyone who can find something that they're good at," said Mark Gordon, an executive producer. "In this case, it was foisted upon him, but it gives his life focus."

Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, who became friends while working as assistants on "The X-Files," created "Reaper."

They wanted to marry the fantastic (such as the world of "Shaun of the Dead," complete with zombies) with the mundane (of 20-somethings who still live at home), and those ideas came together for the premise of "Reaper," Fazekas said.

They also explored the idea of a likable devil, she said. "He can be evil. He will do bad things. But he has this Rat Pack charm. . . and on a certain level, you like the devil more than Sam's parents because he's more parental."

"Reaper" was close to starting production "and we had seen dozens of very good actors, but Ray came in and read it with the exact amount of humor," Fazekas said. "He plays on many things in a simple line. This guy is really evil if he wants to be. He steals the show in many ways."

Wise, 60, graduated as a theater major from Kent State in 1969 and started working in the CBS soap "Love of Life" in New York in 1970.

He remembers riding the elevator with broadcast journalists Mike Wallace and Morley Safer, and "that whole CBS newsroom feeling got in my bones very early on." That was among the reasons he relished his role as newscaster Don Hollenbeck in the 2005 theatrical film "Good Night, and Good Luck."

He played Leland Palmer in "Twin Peaks," and Vice President Hal Gardner in "24." He's been in about 85 stage productions, 55 movies and more than 100 TV shows, he said.

In "Reaper," the younger actors -- whom he called a great bunch -- often defer to him because of his seniority.

"I don't have all the answers, but I have been around for 37 years or so," he said.

Wise calls the series a "horamedy" because it combines horror, drama and comedy, with state-of-the-art special effects thrown in.

The cast does a fair amount of improv, he said. "We have ideas and fly with them. Some they keep in. It's all in the editing, so critical, that establishes comic timing."

Getting into character as the devil is easy, he said. "I just put the suit on. It's a nice one -- they have several. They keep me in dark blue with light blue ties to kind of go with my eyes. I get the suit and tie and brush my hair, and I'm there. I look in the mirror and smile once and I'm ready to go."

Are his friends treating him differently since he's taken on the role of the devil?

"They look at me more askance now," he said. "And people who don't know me are a little reluctant to approach me. They're taking it all too seriously."

REAPER

Tuesdays

9 p.m., CW

How It All Began

On Sam's 21st birthday, the devil appears and, in a scene in Sam's kitchen, explains the situation:

Devil: Hey, look, I get it. It's a big deal. You didn't choose it. Not fair. Nobody's blaming you for freaking out -- yes, sir, chicken-fried steak. Oh, I'm so glad I don't have arteries. Mmm. Oh, do you want to try some?

Sam: No. Do I have to -- do I have to go to Hell now?

Devil: Now? No, no, no, no, no. Not now. You're going to work for me here in the earthly realm.

Sam: Like, kill people?

Devil: Wow! You're a real pessimist. Of course you won't be murdering anyone. You're just going to bring escaped souls back to Hell. You know, like a bounty hunter. That's cool, right?