The Shield: The Complete Series was released today as a 28-disc set! Series creator Shawn Ryan looks back on the award winning show that lasted seven seasons on cable channel FX and mentions some of its guest stars, including Alex O’Loughlin, in a new interview with MovieWeb. “It’s always fun when we’d find an actor or an actress that no one knew. I mean, we gave Kristen Bell her first job on TV, in the premiere of Season 2 and, obviously, she’s gotten huge. We brought Alex O’Loughlin to American TVs, and he’s had shows on CBS.”
In mid 2006, Alex shot seven episodes for The Shield’s Season 6, that originally aired between April and June 2007. As Detective Kevin Hiatt, he was not only fresh to the series, but his character was also a recent addition to the Strike Team. On being the new guy adjusting to the fast pace of the show, Alex said in a 2006 interview with IGN, “… this has been kind of good for my character; I mean I felt a little bit like a fish out of water.”
Although The Shield wasn’t Alex’s first appearance in a US production (that distinction goes to a small non-speaking part in The Holiday), it was undeniably a role of great importance to his career. As he explained to a reporter with Sydney’s Daily Telegraph in May 2006, “This will probably be the thing that gets me recognized. It’s a big deal. The role was highly coveted over here and I’m really happy.”
Alex wouldn’t be Alex if he didn’t prepare to portray the LA detective by doing more than just memorizing his lines. “I’ve been doing a lot of reading and spending a lot of time with the LAPD guys. I’ve been doing that and going out shooting lots of guns and sort of rolling with these cops and just talking to them and just doing as much research stuff as I can.”
Obviously a fan of the show himself, in April 2009 he did some reminiscing of his own: “I couldn’t believe it, I was like, ‘Holy Shit, I’m on THE SHIELD. Oh my god!’”
You can catch Alex O’Loughlin in episodes 6.04-6.10 on DVD!
[tags]alex o’loughlin, alex o’lachlan, the shield, kevin hiatt[/tags]
Moonlight introduced me to Alex here in Canada. After watching his great acting on Moonlight I purchased season six of The Shield on DVD. I loved his portrayal as Kevin!
Thank you MizzoH for posting and sharing these two videos of The Shield. It does bring back old memories with Alex O’Loughlin as the young and brave detective Kevin Hiatt.