Adam Baldwin Talks About THE LAST SHIP

Michael Bay, well-known and well-respect executive producer of action movies is branching out and working on TNT’s latest show The Last Ship, premiering Sunday, June 22 at 9/8c. The show looks at a post-apocalyptic world after a deadly virus has killed nearly eighty percent of the population. One remaining Navy Destroyer remains, having been on assignment with the one doctor who might have the clues on how to combat the virus.

Adam Baldwin stars as the Executive Officer of the ship and took the time to speak with several reporters about the show last week. Most of the reporters have seen the first three episodes of the season, so there are mild spoilers for those episodes below.

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Question: I’m a big fan of yours, so I’m glad to talk to you. So what was it that first attracted you to the role on “The Last Ship” that made you want to do it?

Adam Baldwin: It was a TNT production with Michael Bay at the helm. How could I say no? The opportunity to work aboard a Navy-guided missile destroyer is a chance of a lifetime. We’ve had the opportunity to go over the horizon on an embarkation to see that ship – Arleigh Burke-class of destroyers in action is something I’ll never forget. It’s life altering.

And the character himself, the difference between him and the captain played by Eric Dane is one of – there’s a fine line there and we had to thread this needle of – you don’t want to be insubordinate and yet you need to be supportive and challenging of decision-making processes in a supporting role and I’m very good at that.

Question: Did you do a lot of research before you started the role?

Adam Baldwin: The research materials that we were supplied were mainly the book Command at Sea by Captain James Stavridis and Vice Admiral Mack, and it details how officers are to interact and also to uplift the crew while still being in a fighting demeanor. It’s been very helpful with the language, the stature that you must bring, and the respect of command.

So that’s been our main research and resource bible, if you will. Plus, the writers have done much more research than all of us put together. They’ve had a lot more time at it since then and we’ve had technical advisors detached from the Navy to supervise and collaborate with us throughout the whole process.

Question: Good, yes. I really enjoyed the first three episodes of “The Last Ship” and you are terrific in them, of course, but what do you like most about Slattery as a character and what do you enjoy most about playing him if there’s any difference between those two things?

Adam Baldwin: Well the thing I like most about Slattery is his ability to balance Chandler’s decision-making process and to be a leader. I love the leadership role that an executive officer must bring to the command in this world. Also, we get an insight into his background, his family. He loves God and country. He loves his family. He wants to restore order in civil society in this catastrophic scenario. So I thought the different levels and depths of a guy like that in a leadership position – plus you get to wear a really cool uniform. That’s cool.

Question: I am also a big fan. What’s interesting is the relationship between Slattery and the Captain. And it kind of gets off to a rocky start and there seems to be a lot of room as they find each other a little bit to grow both of those characters.

Adam Baldwin: That’s true. Again, it’s the supportive role and it goes both ways. The Captain, obviously, has the final say and Slattery, being second in command, must respect that in order to maintain discipline and order. It’s really a common sense benevolent dictatorship, if you will, on board the ship. We have to keep these ideals in mind as we’re going along — common sense, integrity, enthusiasm, composure.

It’s all managerial ability too. You have to manage this crew of several hundred in this apocalyptic situation and Slattery and Chandler are able to strike that balance while Slattery is still able to challenge him; but not in an insubordinate way, but in a man-to-man way within the command structure, obviously, of the Navy.

Question: Hey, loved you in “Chuck” and I was curious — is there any John Casey in Mike Slattery?

Adam Baldwin: There will be an opportunity, I believe, you’ll see in one of the episodes where Slattery does get to go out into the field a bit. So, sure, there’s a little bit. I think there’s a little John Casey in all of us, don’t you?

Question: My question for you is what do you think, in your opinion, are the biggest selling points for “The Last Ship?”

Adam Baldwin: The biggest selling points for “The Last Ship” start with the United States Navy and its structure of goodness and power and discipline and civil order. These are the things that break down when you have an apocalyptic event such as we portray, and I think the honor that we show and the respect that we show to the United States Navy and to the other armed services is a huge selling point. I think there’s a huge appetite for that around the world. These are men and women that put their lives on the line and sacrifice years from their families and loved ones to basically allow you and me and the rest of us to make TV shows about it. So we try to portray that as best we can.

Plus, Eric Dane is a powerful, powerful captain as our lead. It’s always important to have someone in the leading role who is a kind and stern and reliable leading man. And Rhona Mitra is a powerful and strong, beautiful leading lady. And I’m just happy to be along for the ride to help support those guys and make this show exciting. It’s scary, it’s sexy, it’s – boom.

Question: I’d love to know more about what it was like filming on the Navy carrier and any other locations that you guys may have filmed at and what it’s like doing all the action sequences.

Adam Baldwin: We film mostly aboard the Navy-guided missile destroyer Halsey – the USS Halsey during the pilot. And then we switched over to the Dewey for the run of the series and we also had some stages built at a local soundstage studio.

For the most part when we were aboard the ship – well, I can only speak for myself. Personally, I felt that I was in the way of an operating Navy ship, so I would try to stand aside as much as I could unless I was granted the room to actually be on camera while we were filming the scene. Although the captain and the crew were excited and they loved having us aboard, it’s a functioning Navy ship that has business to take care of. So in that regard there could be – I just wanted to respect where I was standing. So that’s the way I approached it. And the crew, they did as well. I’m just trying to personalize it as much as I can. It was exciting. We got to see guns fired while the ship was on maneuvers out across the horizon. All I can say is I’m glad they’re on our side after seeing what I’ve seen.

Question: I also wanted to know as you being a husband and father yourself, how is it to play a father and husband on the show who can’t get to them? How is that?

Adam Baldwin: Well, there were desperate moments and yet, as any soldier/sailor/airman/marine knows when they’re deployed, they are responsible to the crew that is under their command. And Slattery – his wife is out there and his children are out there and he wants to get back to them, obviously, but first things first.

So there’s that inner conflict that he has to deal with, that everyone on board has to deal with. Do we stay? Do we go? What do we do? Do we go back on land and run to them? Will we get hit by the virus? So the higher purpose has to come into play. So we’re all torn and yet we know what our mission is.

Question: Hi, Adam. I echo everyone else. I’m a huge fan. I just wanted to ask you — you’ve been in lots of different series where you play the burly, hunk agent or a lieutenant or colonel or second command in general. I’m just wondering if you feel typecast and if you enjoy playing these characters like Slattery.

Adam Baldwin: You have to remember that the root of typecast is “cast.” It’s work and I can’t deny my physicality. I am 6’4”. I am 245. I’m just a large guy and so those roles naturally fall to, I guess, just the appearance. So I don’t ever run away from it. Would I like to play the softer, gentler, kinder Adam Baldwin? Sure. But in the meantime, I’m having fun kicking ass.

Roz @ ChuckTV.net: One of the things that I noticed in watching the episodes is, unlike some of your other roles, you’re always on the ship. Is that a different sort of dynamic to play as an actor to stay in one location and still help further the plot or do you miss having a few more action scenes?

Adam Baldwin: Well, there is something – I don’t want to give anything too much away. He’s not always there. You’ve begun the taste of the first few episodes. I’m not really at liberty to go beyond those. It’s challenging in that you are constrained within the bridge or the command and control center or the Helo Bay or wherever it is. So in that sense, you have to find things to busy yourself with or – you asked me if I want to go off the ship and kick ass? Yes. The answer is yes. And do I? I can’t say.

Question: So what’s your favorite part overall about the experience so far?

Adam Baldwin: “The Last Ship” – my favorite part? There’s so many. My favorite part is my friendship with Eric Dane. We’ve become fast friends and colleagues and we trust each other and that’s so important when you’re working on a project of this long term nature. First, the captain and the second in command — they need a good working relationship and because Eric is such a cool dude and so am I, it worked out great. So that’s my favorite, that relationship.

The experience itself overall — and I think Eric would probably echo that — is the opportunity we’ve had to walk aboard these ships in and amongst real sailors and have them welcome us and show us their equipment from the engine room on up to the bridge and for them to trust us. To be trusted by the Navy with depicting their branch of the service in an honorable way while still finding the flaws in human nature, which makes drama interesting over time, is a chance of a lifetime. I don’t know if that answers you question, but those are just my visceral reactions.

Question: Hi Adam. Thanks for talking to us again. It’s really interesting to talk to somebody as the series is debuting. So since you’ve been working so hard on this, what do you do in your free time that’s fun?

Adam Baldwin: I play a little golf. I ride my mountain bike. I live near the beach, go down to the beach. I hang out with my dogs and my kids. I see a lot of music. I’m a big hockey fan. I go to the Kings games, they’re in the finals this year against the Rangers, which is huge. I like to read a lot.

Question: Will you anticipate, now that it’s going to really be fully green-lighted and as you keep going forward, that you’re going to have that much time off to keep doing all that?

Adam Baldwin: I hope not. I hope I get – the less – it’s funny, it’s the dichotomy of life. While you’re working, you think when it’s in the wee hours of a “Fraturday” like three in the morning and you’re tired and you go “I’d just rather be golfing now.” But then when you’re on the golf course, you’re like “Crap, I’d rather be working.” So, the grass is always greener. But this show is so fun and it’s so cool to go to work that tech – I’m hoping against hope, I’m cautiously optimistic we will be doing more and I look forward to it with great anticipation because they’re such nice people.

Question: I wanted to find out — did you always want to work in this industry while you were growing up, or did you have other professions in mind?

Adam Baldwin: Well, when I was young I was a hockey player and I was a pretty good one because I was big and strong and fast and skated a lot since I was maybe 3 or 4 years old. But then came a bit of a family problem that short-circuited my going to hockey camp when my buddies would go to hockey camp. So when they came back after two summers of hockey camp in Canada, I couldn’t really compete with them at the highest level I wanted to so I had to find another group to hang with.

And the theater department where I grew up was very well-organized, great teachers. It was well funded and it’s this misfit collection of – see what I love so much about the theater is that you have this welcoming home for misfits. You have tall, short, fat, skinny, straight, gay, black, white, and up and down, square round — all these different pegs in this one little – go in the theater and all you’re trying to do is make each other laugh.

And so from a young age, I got to meet this diverse culture of people and all we were trying to do is make each other laugh. And I think that’s such a valuable thing for kids and I’m sad to see schools lose their budgets that they can’t afford that. Music is so important, too. My kids — they do music and I did theater and it’s been such a blessing for me that I just feel very lucky.

The Last Ship premieres Sunday, June 22 at 9/8c on TNT.

Attached: Adam on the USS Oak Hill during Fleet Week / courtesy TNT