Memories From The Set: Sebastian Roché
celebutopia
24
Roché enjoyed playing professional killer John Quinn "because he was such a machine... I felt like it was the guy in Terminator," Roché jokes. His time on set included a "street fighting" scene with Jack Bauer himself, Kiefer Sutherland, who "couldn't have been nicer." Roché even got to impress the stunt team with his climbing capabilities. "There's basically a [stunt] where I disappear through the roof and... I hoist myself up inside the roof and they were like 'How are we going to do this?' and I said, 'Guys, I've got it' and I literally pulled myself up and they were like, 'Damn!'"
criminal minds
Criminal Minds
"I liked being the good guy," Roché says of his Criminal Minds role, Interpol agent Clyde Easter. His character offers Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) a job, which is the reason her character isn't a regular for four seasons of the show. Thankfully, "I didn't get hate for that. I think the creators got hate... [The fans] really loved the character, actually. He was a really fun time." Roché remembers Clyde fondly, "I love him. The English Interpol agent. Someone who sounds like he's from West Virginia," he said, momentarily reviving Easter's southern accent.
odyssey 5
Odyssey 5
On Showtime's Odyssey 5, Roché played Kurt Mendel, "a man of great intelligence and humor. Slightly decadent, but you know, at least I didn't get killed at the end," he quips. Roché even shared some thoughts on a possible revival: "Actually it could be a series — and Manny Coto, the executive producer, has said he could continue it. There would be very easy grounds to continue Odyssey 5 because of its time-travelling nature. We could be swept forward in the future and then go back again."
once upon a time
Once Upon A Time
"I was thrilled to be on it," Roché says of his time as Aurora's father, King Stephan on the ABC fantasy drama. "It was fantastic. Especially being in armor, on horseback — that's everything... I was one of the lucky ones. I was shooting exteriors and didn't have to be surrounded by green screens all over the place." Although brief, Roché says his time in the Enchanted Forest may not be over and he's definitely open to returning.
roar
Roar
No stranger to immortal beings, Roché's recalls his "sense of elation" when working on the 1997 series Roar as Longinus, a 400-year-old Roman soldier. "Basically we're living on the Gold Coast of Australia, going to the studio to shoot with a newcomer called Heath Ledger. It was really amazing. There was a wonderful cast and a wonderful atmosphere on set. And you knew Heath was going to be a big deal," he reminisces. "We felt like we were on holiday most of the time because we were on this gorgeous location and [doing] what you love doing — in costume, on horseback, swinging swords, turning into 400-year-old men," he says, laughing. "It was a really, really amazing experience." The show was cancelled after only eight episodes, because "we were up against Buffy, and I think Buffy took the cake."
scandal
Scandal
Let's not forget Roché's appearance on Scandal, his character Dominic sharing a brief, albeit intense scene with Kerry Washington's Olivia and Joe Morton's Rowan. According to Roché it was a "brilliant end scene," when Rowan, who was playing Russian Roulette with Dominic's life, killed Dominic in Olivia's office. "Maybe I should have rethought that," he says, with a laugh. "I didn't know I was going to get my brains blown out. I never know beforehand," he adds. "They give me the lovely surprise. But you know, it's all a part of the game."
supernatural
Supernatural
Who could forget Balthazar, a hedonistic fallen angel whose past tangled with Castiel? Roché still attends fan conventions for Supernatural, giving fans the opportunity for a picture, autograph, or crying session. "I approached this stall and there was a girl there who, as soon as she saw me, burst into tears." And what do you do if the sight of you causes someone to uncontrollably sob? "Well, you tell them, 'I'm just a normal person' and you try to console them and be as kind as you can and generally they calm down," he says. Fun fact: One of the oddest places Roché was recognized by a Supernatural fan? An Ikea, he recalls, laughing loudly, in Istanbul.
DSC04257.ARW
The Man in the High Castle (cont.)
Obviously, there can be pitfalls to playing a character from one of the world's most-hated regimes, especially if you walk off set. "It's kind of weird... [to go] to the catering truck on the street with a Nazi swastika on your arm. And you suddenly realize, oh my god, you have to cover up. So basically people would come with masking tape and put masking tape on the swastikas as we were going to lunch. It is a hateful symbol, and it might also upset a lot of people, understandably. I figure it was appropriate to hide it."
the man in the high castle
The Man in the High Castle
On Amazon's alternate history dystopian drama, Roché plays a high-ranking Nazi. While he portrays a rather heinous character, Martin Heusmann, he says the perks of playing a Nazi leader aren't so bad. "I remember being outside and leaning against this early 1960s Mercedes thinking, 'Oh, that's a rather nice Mercedes' and then they said 'You know the car you're leaning on is actually 1.3 million dollars,'" he laughs. "I thought to myself, not a bad gadget that the Reichsminister has."
the originals
The Vampire Diaries/The Originals
Roché has spent plenty of time on The CW, especially as human-turned-filicidal-vampire Mikael, father of the original vampires. "I remember doing this intensely dramatic scene where I'm biting someone's neck and my tooth basically started popping out," he laughs. "I was basically a one-tooth vampire. We had to stop... I'm here being my terrifying self, attacking someone's neck... but I started laughing. It's difficult to keep a straight face."
the young pope 2
The Young Pope (cont.)
Roché has nothing but admiration for the cast and crew, especially director Paolo Sorrentino. "He has such an extraordinary vision that his whole team knows exactly what he's going to do, so there's this incredible calm and sort of 'relaxation,'" he laughs. Having Law as a scene partner sounds like a dream, too. "A set is defined by its star and Jude was truly a prince... he was a bloody legend, because he instills so much generosity, calm and kindness. It made for a wonderful shoot."
the young pope
The Young Pope
On his first day of shooting "there was a huge heat wave in Rome," Roché reminisces about the HBO drama, which follows the reign of Pope Pius XIII (played by Jude Law). "I really remember that day because it was just — I felt like I was cooked." The scene in question called for Roché and Law to walk outside in scorching 100-degree weather. "Jude and I were literally sweating... I had to focus on the scene and look cool and composed as a Cardinal in front of his Pope. I mean, Jude also is a trooper."
fringe 2
Fringe
After his guest stint on Fringe as Thomas Newton, nefarious leader of the shapeshifters, Roché's odds of recognition skyrocketed in Spain. "Fringe was huge in Spain. And I didn't know that. And I remember walking around with [Vampire Diaries co-star] Ian Somerhalder and everyone kept stopping me and not Ian Somerhalder," he says, laughing. "And I thought, that's hilarious, the world is upside down because next to me is the big, breakout star of The Vampire Diaries. Every time someone stopped, I was expecting them to stop Ian — and it was me."