Underwood’s Tours of Duty Are in Front of and Behind Camera

Blair Underwood doesn’t pick a trendy Hollywood restaurant in which to chat about his role in the new Tommy Lee Jones-Samuel L. Jackson military thriller, “Rules of Engagement,” which opened Friday.

The disarmingly charming actor instead opts to meet at the merry-go-round at Griffith Park--a favorite haunt of his two young children.

The 35-year-old Underwood first came to fame on the Steven Bochco series “L.A. Law,” for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. He also appeared in the short-lived ABC police drama “High Incident” and currently plays Dr. Ben Stone in CBS’ “City of Angels,” Bochco’s medical ensemble drama that has a primarily African American cast and crew.

Winner of two NAACP Image Awards for his acting, Underwood has also appeared in the feature films “Deep Impact,” “Just Cause,” “Set It Off” and “Gattica.” He’s also directed five music videos, as well as a dramatic short, “The Second Coming,” in which he played Jesus Christ.

In “Rules of Engagement,” which was directed by Oscar winner William Friedkin, Underwood plays Capt. Lee, a second-ranking Marine officer under veteran Col. Childers (Jackson). When the Marines are sent into Yemen to rescue the U.S. ambassador and his wife from a mob, Childers orders Lee to open fire on the mob after the commander ascertains that his men are under attack by the angry crowd of demonstrators.

Underwood will also be seen in the upcoming independent feature “Asunder,” which he co-produced with director Tim Reid, and hopes to direct his first film this summer.

Question: What was it like to go through basic training for “Rules of Engagement”?

Answer: Oh man. We were in Morocco for a month--shot for three weeks. The first week, we spent seven days and six nights doing basic training. You’ve heard of Capt. Dale Dye?

Q: He put the actors through their paces on “Saving Private Ryan.”

A: That’s what we did. We slept on the ground with a poncho and a bag and two sticks and then in the daytime we would march and do equipment maneuvers. We practiced for the mission in the film. Capt. Dale Dye set the tone early on. He said, “Listen, when you put on those Marine uniforms you represent this country and you represent too many men and women who have died and I will not allow you to lie and be false.”

For that week, I was not called by my name once. I was Capt. Lee. I had to learn how to lead the 30 or 40 men [in my squad].

Q: Did this training help you get into the mind-set of Capt. Lee and what he has to do?

A: Absolutely. It was a phenomenal experience and one of the most amazing acting experiences in my life.

Q: Because?

A: Of the mind-set. The training put you in the mind-set. When it came to shoot the film, it was like butter [between the actors].

Q: Your father was in the military for 27 years. Has he seen the film yet?

A: He hasn’t seen it yet. We have sent him the trailer and the press kit last week. What did he say? Fiercely proud just to see his son . . . because I have never been in the military. I have told him one day in a movie somewhere I would [be in the military]. I don’t have anything against the military, but it wasn’t for me.

Q: Weren’t you supposed to do a film before directed by Friedkin, “Night Train,” in which you would play boxer Floyd Patterson?

A: Exactly. I trained for 10 months. It’s really the Sonny Liston story. Ving Rhames is playing Sonny Liston. He is producing it with Tom Cruise and his company and Paramount. I had gone to meet with Friedkin about playing Floyd Patterson. He didn’t mention anything to me, but unbeknown to me, he calls my agent the next day and says, “I’m going to Morocco first next month to do this film called ‘Rules of Engagement.’ There’s a small role, but a pivotal role I think he would be interested in.” I said [to my agent], “Wait a minute. Morocco. Friedkin. Samuel Jackson. Tommy Lee Jones. I think I can do that.”

Friedkin scrapped that script [for “Night Train”] and has started all over again. I’m not sure when it’s going to happen.

Q: This past year, the struggle for minorities to have more representation on TV series and TV movies had made headlines. Is the door more open to minorities in feature films?

A: It’s really about the same. If you look at the whole picture of television, it’s really not that there’s a lack of diversity. The lack is on the major networks. Now it is all about the specific channels. That’s where all the frustration came from and the anger. You are saying, UPN, the WB and the cables--you’ll handle the black audience, and the networks that have the most money, access and channels will exclude all the people of color. Therein lies the problem. But when you look at the big picture, as far as work in television, the stories are being told on TV, just not on the major networks. By the same token on film, you have that more in independent films more than the big studios unless you’re a big name like Sam Jackson or Denzel [Washington].

Q: You co-produced an independent thriller, “Asunder,” with Tim Reid, which he also directed. When is that movie hitting the theaters?

A: I don’t mind working within the system, but to build and maintain [a career], you have to go outside the system. That is what Tim is doing and that’s what he did with “Asunder.” That was the very first film out of his studio, New Millennium.

We made it in April ’98. We tried to pitch it around town and we got a lot of offers after we made it. Cable stations wanted it. Video companies wanted it and we said no. We made this to make a film. It deserves to be on the big screen. I said I don’t want to do a TV movie or a cable movie. He made a promise to all of us, we would make a feature. So he’s fought tooth and nail to make this work.

Q: So did you get a distributor?

A: We got an investor. He, out of necessity again, created a distribution company with his wife, called New Millennium Releasing. It opens in Richmond [Va.] the same day as “Rules of Engagement.” It will open in Chicago on April 12 and then in other cities. Then we’ll just roll it out in secondary markets. Once we have a track record, we can sell it to the video companies.

Q: Can you talk about the production company you have with your wife and brother?

A: I just bought the rights to this book, this incredible story called “My Soul to Keep.” It is about an immortal man who has been living 450 years who now in the present day has a wife and daughter. He is at a point in his evolution where he has loved and lost too many times and he refused to let go this time. It is an erotic suspense thriller. Tim and I will produce it, and it will be the first film I direct. We are still in the process of getting the financing, but we are looking to shoot it in June in Tim’s studio to keep costs down.