The Big Wheel: Behind the Scenes Pictures with Alex O’Loughlin

It may have been over a year since Alex O’Loughlin amazed us with his phenomenal performance on Criminal Minds, but it’s one we remember with great fondness. Guest starring in episode 4.22, his first role since playing Mick St. John in Moonlight was “a great way to blow out the cobwebs” for Alex.  His portrayal as OCD afflicted serial killer Vincent Rowlings was very well received by fans and critics alike.

“It’s my job as an actor to elevate material off the page and this material was already right up there, so I kind of felt like: I hope I can match it,” Alex said in the behind the scenes special feature.

Writer and co-executive producer Simon Mirren in TV Guide Magazine: “You know it’s a good [performance] when the crew starts hanging around the monitor. They came up to me and said, ‘This guy’s great.’”

For another behind the scenes peek, check out the CBS pictures in the gallery of Alex that were taken on the set on February 25, 2009 with Simon Mirren and director Rob Hardy. Please link back to this site when reposting – thank you.

[tags]alex o’loughlin, alex o’lachlan, criminal minds, cbs[/tags]

Alex O’Loughlin: “I totally underestimated my own creepiness”

Take a quick break from The Back-up Plan activities for a moment and revisit Alex O’Loughlin’s stint on Criminal Minds with an Ed Bernero interview! The Minds’ executive producer sat down with iFMagazine for a chat recently and Alex made a guest appearance during the meeting.

iF: Did you enjoy being on CRIMINAL MINDS?

ALEX O’LOUGHLIN: I totally underestimated my own creepiness. On the E-Trade ad, they totally underestimated the creepiness of Bobo the Clown. Thank you for helping me tap into it.

[Writer's Note: O’Loughlin courteously takes his leave.]

BERNERO: [re: O’Loughlin] He’s so nice.

iF: Were you a fan of O’Loughlin on his CBS vampire series MOONLIGHT?

BERNERO: I was a huge fan of MOONLIGHT – I actually met him through development and developing other things. It was actually Simon Mirren who wrote the part for him. [Mirren] thought [O’Loughlin] would be so great for CRIMINAL MINDS. You like to take people you wouldn’t think of as killers, who look like everyday people, because that’s what these serial killers are, they’re the last person you would expect to kill someone. So someone like Alex is perfect for us, because you look at him and go, “Oh, that’s a beautiful guy, there’s no way he could hurt anybody,” and then make him as depraved as possible. It always works.

Read the full article at iFMagazine: “Exclusive Interview: Showrunner Edward Allen Bernero Gets into More ‘Criminal Minds’

Thanks to Susan for the tip!

[tags]alex o’loughlin, alex o’lachlan, vincent rowlings, criminal minds, the big wheel, cbs[/tags]

“Criminal Minds” Spin-off Characters Revealed

Those of us who are speculating on Alex O’Loughlin’s next project will find it interesting to know that casting descriptions were recently released for one of the shows on the list of several possibles! We’re already aware that CBS has ordered a pilot for the Criminal Minds spin-off — remember, the apparent intent is to introduce the new show in an episode of the existing one in the spring of 2010 — and Spoiler TV recently published some more details about the characters involved.

The pilot is expected to be shot between February 16th and March 5th.

[COOPER] 45-50, all ethnicities. The team leader, he’s fierce in his loyalty and mysterious in his daily life. A former star profiler in the BAU, he’s been off the radar for the last eight years – leaving only a trail of rumors and legend in his wake. He runs a team that exists outside of FBI bureaucracy and is intensely loyal to him.

[GINA] 28-32, all ethnicities. She’s strong, intelligent. Raised in a tough neighborhood in Baltimore, she managed to avoid the streets. Got straight-A’s. Was the first person in her family to ever go to college. Recruited from school to the FBI, she finished at the top of her class at Quantico but was destined to work deep cover in the same streets she’d managed to escape. Her father died before he could learn that she hadn’t wasted her life. After she quit the FBI, Cooper talked her back by inviting her onto his team.

[MICK] 30, all ethnicities. Formerly of the British Special Forces, though he was discharged for reasons that remain classified. Expert sniper. Survivalist. He was educated at Cambridge but his demeanor is more charmingly rakish than posh. He’s as adept verbally as he is physically and he knows it. Part puppy, part guard dog.

[PROPHET] 30s, African American. A former gang-banger from L.A. He did seven years in prison for drug trafficking but found Jesus in jail. He’s street-smart, connected but also incredibly dexterous at quoting scripture. He feels this unit is his chance at redemption – a way to direct his street skills toward a noble end.


The cast of Criminal Minds shared their thoughts on a possible spin-off recently with TV Guide (issue November 16-22):

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but in the case of the Criminal Minds spin-off — due to premiere on CBS this spring — it’s also triggered some professional envy. “We’re not jumping up and down for it,” admits Minds’ A.J. Cook (Jennifer Jareau). “We’re a little jealous. It’s typical actor behavior: ‘Look at me!’” Minds producer Chris Mundy is currently crafting an outline for the spin-off slated for a February shoot, but no cast has yet been named. “We feel a little threatened,” Cook adds. “Are they going to take some stories away from us? We don’t want them to put their energy on anyone but us.”

Minds star Thomas Gibson (Arron Hotchner) is baffled by the premise of the spin-off. The original show is based on the idea that there is only one BAU unit in the FBI. “I was operating under the impression that we were the only ones,” he says. “We were it — that’s what made us special.” But a spin-off suggests that another BAU unit exists. “Most of the time I think spin-offs are a crass grab at capitalizing on something that’s worked,” Gibson says. “But occasionally they’ve been great… Best of luck.” — Lisa Berhard

[tags]alex o’loughlin, alex o’lachlan, criminal minds spinoff, cbs[/tags]

Mandy Patinkin Guest Stars on “Three Rivers”!

TR_1.07CBS announced a terrific development for Three Rivers today: Mandy Patinkin will be guest starring in an episode of the show!

Most of us remember him as Criminal Minds’ SSA Jason Gideon, the BAU team’s father figure in the first two seasons. In the Three Rivers episode The Luckiest Man, the award winning stage and screen actor plays Victor, a car crash victim with Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS), who decides that he should be taken off life support so that his organs can be used to help others.

Fans are very much looking forward to watching Alex O’Loughlin interact with Mandy Patinkin, who, incidentally, is the recipient of a double corneal transplant. The operations were carried out in 1997 and 1998 to correct a vision-impairing eye disease called keratoconus.

To say that the Chicago-born actor is popular does not do him justice, given the number of websites that carry the news of his upcoming guest appearance. The Luckiest Man is bound to be a memorable episode!

[tags]alex o’loughlin, alex o’lachlan, three rivers, mandy patinkin, criminal minds, cbs[/tags]

Alex O’Loughlin’s Killer Performance Reviewed

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Because we can’t get enough of Alex O’Loughlin and love hearing others wax poetic about him, here’s a collection of comments from different web sources on his recent guest starring role as serial killer on Criminal Minds:

“Did anyone catch the April 29th Criminal Minds episode titled “Big Wheel”, where Alex O’Loughlin guest starred? I have never seen an actor transform so differently between television roles like Alex did for this one. In fact I watched the episode and it wasn’t until the teaser opener was done that I recognized his eyes. And if I didn’t know at some point he was guest starring, I’d never have caught it. He changed his looks, his voice and mannerisms to the point of being this character.

“Aside from O’Loughlin guest starring, for the first time in my life, I felt truly bad for the murderer. O’Loughlin pulled this off in a way I never expected and if you are even a partial fan of either the franchise or the actor, TRACK IT DOWN. That’s my recommendation for the week.

“After seeing that, I truly am looking forward to his new pilot on CBS, a medical drama called Three Rivers.” — Screen Rant Weekly TV Wrap Up, May 7, 2009

“I have to admit that when I heard Moonlight’s Alex O’Loughlin was guest starring as the Creep Of The Week in The Big Wheel, I was extremely skeptical. I never watched the show, but I heard plenty to make me never want to. But what I was treated to in this episode was actually a pretty good performance, coupled with an interesting story and a totally irrational desire to get new glasses that aren’t quite as similar to Vincent’s. Thank you, contact lenses.” — TheTwoCents.com, May 1, 2009

“The real gem of the evening was Moonlight star Alex O’Loughlin playing against type on Criminal Minds. The charming, and handsome former vampire played a shy, nerdy, serial killer with OCD. From repeated door openings, to a new soap bar everyday, Vincent’s life is cluttered with ‘must dos’ and one of those is a yearly murder. O’Loughlin’s performance was so consuming, I actually felt bad for him when he died in the end. Yes, I felt bad for the serial killer — now that’s great storytelling.” — SheKnows.com, April 30, 2009

“This was possibly the best Criminal Minds episode yet, and it was due, in large part, to the help of Alex O’Loughlin. Fortunately, viewers may not have to wait much longer for another dose of the Aussie. His pilot, Three Rivers, may be picked up by CBS for next fall.” — Thunder Bay Television, April 30, 2009

“‘Minds’ has always been great fodder for featuring guest stars. And tonight O’Loughlin puts in an Emmy-worthy performance as an obsessive-compulsive serial killer with a strange attachment to a little boy. The case piques the interest of the BTU team because O’Loughlin’s “unsub” leaves a message at one of his crime scenes asking them to stop him. It’s a great hour of TV.” — StarNewsOnline.com, April 29, 2009

“Cheers to Alex O’Loughlin for his chilling–and moving–turn as a serial killer on Criminal Minds. The ex-Moonlight bloodsucker actually made Vincent, a Buffalo videographer who wrestles with his obsessively murderous impulses and bonds with a young blind boy, a sympathetic character. If CBS doesn’t pick up O’Loughlin’s fall pilot, Three Rivers, they’re crazier than Vincent. This guy’s a Simon Baker waiting to happen.” — Cheers & Jeers, TV Guide Magazine, April 29, 2009