American actor Eric Christian Olsen is chilling out in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, one recent afternoon while on the phone with Rappler and other Asian media reps.
He may be busy lately putting together “a reality show, a half-hour comedy and two hourlong dramas,” but we were in conference mainly for his top job to date: as would-be lawyer turned detective Marty Deeks in the parallel reality of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service — the television show, that is.
“NCIS: Los Angeles” is quite the formidable series, taking off from the Mark Harmon predecessor. This location-specific spin-off a la “CSI” is already four seasons strong — each season having a whopping 24 episodes.
Once again, this “Service” is a military drama and police procedural combined, but this time centered on the LA-based Office of Special Projects (OSP), an elite division handling undercover work. What’s more, with Olsen on board, “NCIS: LA” manages to inject some good-natured humor amid the action and drama.
Olsen, who turned 36 last May 31, may not yet be a household name compared to lead stars Chris O’Donnell (who was Robin in Joel Schumacher’s two “Batman” movies) and LL Cool J (a smooth rapper since the late ’80s). But he’s certainly been around, in TV and in the movies.
