So we asked to see his pop culture credentials.
The moment I knew that I could act
I’m still looking for that moment!
I guess it was junior high school.
‘NCIS’ star Gary Cole.Art Streiber/CBS via Getty Images
I got some laughs in a play, so I figured I was doing something right.
I had to do this routine twice, and got the same [positive] result.
So at least it proved it wasn’t an accident.
Al Pacino in ‘Dog Day Afternoon’.Everett Collection
My earliest acting inspiration
I saw a movie calledDog Day Afternoonthat starred Al Pacino.
I was just starting college.
It was kind of a revelation to me.
Walter Matthau in ‘The Fortune Cookie’.Everett Collection
I remember going to see it with my parents when I was 10.
I had a lot of questions about it, ‘cause at the heart it was about insurance fraud.
I kept asking, “Why is he in a wheelchair?
Gary Cole in ‘Office Space’.
Why are people spying on him?”
They were saying, “Just be quiet.
Watch the movie.”
Christine Baranski and Gary Cole on ‘The Good Fight’.Elizabeth Fisher/CBS
The movie role I’m most often asked about
It’s a toss-up betweenTalladega NightsandOffice Space.
All of us [fromOffice Space] started hearing quotes echoed back to us on the street.
We were surprised at first because we thought the movie hadn’t done very well.
Gary Cole on ‘American Gothic’.CBS via Getty Images
But then there was a period of time where we realized it had survived, somehow.
That’s where my [Good Fight] character came from.
It took place in a small South Carolina town called Trinity.
‘NCIS’.Cliff Lipson/CBS
It was a little bit afterTwin Peakscame on, so it had that kind of flavor.
There were demon elements and dark humor in a stylized way.
The most appealing part of myNCIScharacter
Well, he’s punctual.
Getty Images
What keeps me sane at home
The pandemic introduced me to jigsaw puzzles.
I got very deep into that.
I probably have 20 under my belt now.
