Wilmer Valderrama’s role as Fez on “That ‘70s Show” required little in the way of stunt work, but that didn’t stop the actor from setting up fake action sequences and jumping through windows on set. His co-stars on the Fox sitcom knew he was destined to take on a role like the one he’s found on the network’s new drama, “Minority Report.”
“When they found out I was doing this, they started laughing because all eight years of ‘That '70s Show,’ I was always doing slow-motion scenes,” Valderrama told Headlines & Global News in an exclusive interview. “I was the little mime and the class clown so I would do this fake action sequence and sequences dressed as Fez and they were like, ‘This guy is going to be an action guy at some point.’”
Valderrama plays Will Blake, the boss of precog Lara Vega (Meagan Good), on “Minority Report,” which follows the partnership between Vega and Dash (Stark Sands) as they solve crimes yet to happen. The show is the first TV adaptation of a Steven Spielberg-directed movie, based on his 2002 film starring Tom Cruise and taking place 10 years after the movie’s setting in 2065.
“The one thing we were able to do in the pilot, which is very difficult when you're capturing Steven Spielberg's universe, is translate it into a weekly television series that’s not just a sequel, it's a continuation of the story,” Valderrama said.
Cruise has not offered his opinion on the new show, but gave William Mapother a larger part than his small role in the movie.
“We haven’t heard from Tom,” producer Max Borenstein told HNGN. “But we have cast William in a cool guest-starring role which is fun. He plays a different character from the film, but plays a part in the longer serial plot we are forming over the season.”
Valderrama spoke with HNGN about joining the high-tech series, returning to Fox, best representing the Latino community. He also talks about his dream role as Desi Arnaz and who he would cast as Lucille Ball (girlfriend Demi Lovato, perhaps?).
How did you get the role for ‘Minority Report’?
I was still in the middle of shooting ['From Dusk Till Dawn' on El Ray]. I only took one meeting for pilot season. This was the one. This was the only meeting I wanted to take. There were a few awesome networks that had put projects in front of me and I felt I had a lot of responsibility to figure out what that next role was going to be, specifically because of the Latino community. They need more positive characters and that made me turn down a lot of stuff that was being offered. But this was one of those situations where this was the only meeting I wanted to take, this was the only show I wanted to be in.
So there was no script ahead of time?
No script. It was a scene and it explained to me what this character could possibly be. And that made me ridiculously excited because the fact that I play a lieutenant, I am the boss of the precinct. It was such a mature character for me and it was such a new character for me. I just had to do it. My chips, I bet it all on black for this one.
Will any of these projects be animation like your children’s program, ‘Handy Manny?’
Yes some will be animated. I love the comic book world so I built a publishing arm to the company. We do everything -- scripted and non-scripted television, feature films, live-action and animation. I've also been acquiring some documentaries. I feel that's the arm it's missing, but I don't have anyone in house that knows those that well. Unless we have someone who gets it, I don't want to push that. We also have in-house publishing and licensing. A music division. There’s also graphic novels we’d like to turn into TV shows and movies. I've had dealings with everyone from Relativity, Fremantle to Lions Gate and done so many things with them. Having an independent studio is great. We hope to announce our biggest project soon. It's a major motion picture with an incredible cast and all my friends will be in it.
It’s nice to be friends with you then?
I'm super lucky that all my friends trust me with their legacy and allow me to put together platforms where we can all come together and play. That's what it's really all about. How can we do a company where we can build and play and have a good time? Now it stands alone and it's called WV Enterprises with a president, CEO and executives.
You're a busy man. So where do you stand on the board?
I'm the CEO. And founder! But the company runs itself on such a level. After the last couple of years, where I was off camera, that's what I was doing. Finally the camera started calling me back and I want to do something different and I had to kick ass! That's what I really want to do. Once the company had grown to a point where I could just oversee things I can now find those roles I can't wait to play. I was very fortunate in that Robert Rodriguez gave me ‘From Dusk Till Dawn.’ Steven Spielberg gave me ‘Minority Report.’ It's like I'm a little boy right now as I idolized those guys.
What do you owe to your longevity?
The way I look at it is I never broke anyone's sink or window and was never reckless at their barbecues. So I kept getting invited to the party. That's been a blessing for me. 20th Century Fox, the Walt Disney Company and everyone that supported me over the years, I have to tell you, they believed in me before anyone saw me as a producer, writer or director. Now I'm a DGA director and that's insane. But it's all because of these people that saw this little guy, who wasn't afraid to dream out loud. The moral of the story is I kept pushing until they said yes [laughs]. It's about commitment and believing.
And never giving up your dream?
Right. I've always been committed in what I saw, what I thought could be real, but talking about this triggers emotions in me. I've been very patient and never took a job for the sake of taking one. When I look at my IMDB I'm proud of everything I've done.
There's not one thing you regret doing?
Okay, there was one thing I did I thought could be really awesome and while I still love it, it wasn't great. It was a comic book movie called ‘El Muerto’ that we did independently. It was a comic book movie about this zombie guy and it was a cool premise that just didn't translate into what I thought it could do. Regardless it was a fun experience. I loved working on it and I actually like the movie.
“Minority Report” airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. on Fox.
