All right. I'll be fast so you can get back to your--

Oh no problem, I'm here for you.

So how did you become involved in this project?

Well you know I've been fan of Tony Hillerman's books for years. In fact I have a place in Colorado, and I would make the drive back here, and I would always drive, if I could, I preferred being in that countryside. Such beautiful scenery, I love the Southwest. I love the desert Southwest. I love that terrain. And I was actually, I was reading the Hillerman books and some of them I had on tape, and I would listen to them as I drove through the settings where the books were set.

So when I heard some time ago that Redford had secured the rights to all the books. So I was just kind of sitting around waiting, wondering when they would actually get made and if there would be something I might able to do. And eventually I heard that PBS was doing the series, and I heard that Wes was playing the guy, so I said well let's look and see if there's something for me to do in there.

And then eventually this little role turned up. Which, I mean it's not a lot to do, but you never know. And I just wanted to be a part of it, just because I loved the books. So I thought it would be a fun thing to do, I went down there for two days and played this sort of nefarious trading post character. And we'll see, you know. He's arrested at the end of the piece that I did. But he's not sentenced to death or anything. I mean he could come back.

As long as you're not dead at the end of the mystery there's hope. So was it fun to play this kind of bad, bad guy character?

Oh it was great fun. I mean the thing is, I've got this huge moustache going anyway, because I'm playing Wild Bill Hickok on an HBO series right now. So I had to grow my own moustache for that. And it served. It worked for this character of McGiniss.

He's kind of disheveled--

Yeah he's a little disheveled. He's-- He's not what you'd call your most trustworthy sort. I mean he obviously, he specializes in kind of underhanded dealings and black market stuff. He's not a completely honest fellow so this-- The look that I had going already, plus I used a wig to add to it, and it was just a wonderful role. He's kind of one of those desert rats that we've all run across in our travels. And I'd never played anybody quite like that so yeah, it was fun.

Great. What was it like to work with this established cast that was coming back together to do these movies that already sort of had things established?

You know, for an actor to come into the midst of that, it's-- It can either be difficult and somewhat unnerving, or it can be very embracing and like, kind of stepping into a nice hot tub. In this case it was very inviting. I mean they were all terrific. They had a wonderful rhythm. The machine that makes the show day after day was in place and working well, and so for someone like myself, I just found it very enjoyable.

So how does this-- Is this role similar at all to others that you've played in the past, or-- So I guess you're playing Wild Bill Hickok, so it's sort of Wild West maybe similarities.

The Western genre is certainly something with which I'm familiar. I've done a lot of Westerns.

Do you enjoy them?

I love them. But I love to be outdoors. I prefer being outdoors to, you know, being inside.

On a set.

And so I love films that are kind of rural in atmosphere. And you know, it's just a nice place to be day after day. All be it, it can be hard, it can be hard work. You can get hot.

Yeah, especially--

And you know, it's not easy. But by the same token it's pleasurable work. I enjoy the-- I enjoy the surroundings. I like the Western genre, I think it's uniquely American. And I think that's, that's just something I never get tired of exploring myself. As a film-goer or as a reader. I love the setting and I love the genre. And I love the resonance of it, you know, the fact that it echoes back to the beginnings of this country.

Were any of the scenes you were in on the reservation, or were they--

Yeah we were on the reservation.

What was that like? Did you get a vibe or--

I didn't get away much. I didn't get much of a vibe.

You were too concentrated on--

Well I mean, I drove out to the set and did my work, and then I drove back. And at the end of each day's work there wasn't time to explore. And as I said, I was only there for a brief time. But I've certainly got out there before. I've spent my time in New Mexico. I've shot there several times. In fact the first film I ever made was shot in Santa Fe.

So you had the background already to fill in the blanks.

Yeah.

What was it like working with Jan Egleson as a director?

It was terrific. He was very enthusiastic. Very, really open to whatever I wanted to bring as an actor to the role. So it was fun.

Were there any funny moments or weird challenges, I don't know.

Well--

You weren't working with any snakes, so you were lucky in that regard.

I can't say there were any weird challenges-- You know, but it was definitely a lot of fun. Certainly one of the highlights was sitting with Graham Greene. Who is an absolute non-stop joke-teller.

Oh really?

Yeah, and I tend to be that way myself. So it was interesting to actually sit there and trade jokes with someone like Graham. He was hilarious. We had a good time. We worked together in a scene, and I've been in an admirer of his over the years. And I certainly admired Wes Studi's work. It was nice to work with Wes. We've both worked with Walter Hill, a great director, so we had that in common to talk about. All in all--

Trade stories--

Yeah, it was just a wonderful, albeit brief, experience.

Right. So you're starting this HBO series. And what else is next for you, that you're going to be working on?

Well let's see, I've got that. I'm doing, I'm actually hosting a series on the History Channel called "Wild West Tech". Basically it's an exploration of the technology in the Old West. And it's an interesting show. So I'm hosting that--

So this is becoming your specialty.

Well you know, I seem to have wound up in the genre more often than not. It certainly isn't all I've ever done--

Oh gosh no.

If you look back at my filmography I've been in-- From Napoleonic France to turn-of-the-century New Orleans to, you know, I mean-- But the Western genre seems to fit me well. I seemed to get called back to it on a regular basis.

Maybe it's the ability to grow a moustache on command.

Not hard, all I had to do was stop shaving.

Excellent, yeah. Peter was growing a big beard, you've got the moustache going, they've got all the facial hair covered.

So that's it. Quick, easy, thank you very much for your time.

Thank you, nice to meet you. My pleasure.