Matt Passmore: Interview with the star of A&E's 'The Glades'

Before A&E's hit drama The Glades begins its fourth season, TheCelebrityCafe.com talked with Matt Passmore, who plays the lead role Detective Jim Longworth. Passmore discusses everything from his beginnings in Australia, to filming the show in Florida.

TheCelebrityCafe: You grew up in Brisbane, Australia. Was it difficult adjusting to American culture at all?

Matt Passmore: I've fallen in love with the American culture. So, that's actually worked out pretty well for me. I grew up, as you said, in Brisbane, in Queensland. There's a lot of similarities with the Australian and American culture, and at the same time we're completely different. The thing about the States is that there are great stories being told, there are great characters. Not to say that they are not in Australia, it's just different. I was certainly at a point in my career where I enjoyed the stories that I saw being told, especially cable, in the States, and I wanted to be a part of that.

TCC: You also graduated from National Institute of Dramatic Art. After doing a little searching, (and you can tell me if this is true or not), I found that other graduates of the school include Cate Blanchett, Mel Gibson, and Baz Luhrmann, who just co-wrote and directed The Great Gatsby. Were you inspired by any of them?

MP: Yeah, from the moment you actually step into the National Institute, those guys' pictures are all over the walls, Mel Gibson, Judy Davis, and Geoffrey Rush. It absolutely inspires you as a young actor to do your best. And I had been to the army before, and there were a lot of similarities because you are kind of in an institution, and you just go hell for leather. There's not much time to do anything else while you're at the National Institute, but it's definitely inspiring. It's classical training, so you work on your voice and movement, looking at thousands of playwrights and the history, and all that sort of stuff. Then, it's once you get out of the National Institute, you actually start doing the work, and forming yourself into a real actor.

TCC: Are there any experiences there that has helped you get to where you are now?

MP: Yeah, I've always had a work ethic that has been drilled into me from my dad, then there was the army, and NIDA was just another piece to that puzzle. The one thing that you definitely know in Australia is that if you want to be an actor, you need to work. It's not about celebritism, it's not about walking red carpets, or anything like that. They're all just symptoms of working. It takes a lot of grizzle, and a lot of rejection, and a very thick skin, and also, when you are working, you work and you work hard. There's no entitlement, nothing's taken for granted when it comes to working as an actor in Australia.

TCC: After your pilot with Paul Scheuring called Masterwork, you ended up being called for The Glades. How did you get that opportunity?

MP: Masterwork we went and shot in Prague with Paul Scheuring, and pretty much the team that did Prison Break. It was a great experience, and I came back to the States, and we were waiting to see whether that would be picked up for a series, and they did a ton of international sales on it. So they were working very hard on selling it, and they extended my contract on that. While that was happening, there were a number of other pilots out there, and one of them was Sugarloaf, which is now called The Glades. I went in and talked with A&E because they had seen Masterwork the pilot. I went into the room and talked with Clifton [Campbell] and Gary [Randall], [creators of The Glades]. This never usually happens for an actor, but as I was walking out of the room, they were pretty much like, “You're our guy. We want to work with you.” Then, I lost the role, because they weren't going to release me from Masterwork. I went through a week of getting excited about doing this role, and then they said, “No, you can't do it anymore.” So, a few gray hairs and a little bit of disappointment, and then just before I was about to head back to Australia, they said, “Oh, by the way, you got that role back.” That's the way it goes, I guess.

TCC: The Glades is set in and actually films in Florida, and is one of three series right now that are filming there. How is it different filming in South Florida as opposed to L.A. Or New York?

MP: Florida is completely different. When you're down here, and in the muck almost, in the swamps, or on the beaches, Florida can't be substituted. So, that's one of the joys of being down here. Florida also hits you with, being down here, it's hot [laughs]. There are alligators, there are mosquitoes, there are beautiful girls in bikinis; it's great food, it's great culture, it's great music. You scratch the surface, and literally, Florida can flip you on your bum. You really don't know Florida, there's always another part that realize is down here, and it's absurd, and it's beautiful. I think that's what makes Florida so unique, and I think it's why so many shows get shot down here and actually use Florida as the antagonist and the protagonist. There are so many cultures here-, the South American influence, is an example. There are so many cultures from Russia, the Ukraine, Romania, and so many different things are all thrown together in this long piece of marshland or beachland. There are so many things pushed up against each other that it makes for incredible stories.

TCC: Your character, Detective Jim Longworth originally thought that going to South Florida would be a breeze and a nice relaxing alternative to Chicago. Did you have any similar feelings about moving down to South Florida?

MP: Jim was a fish-out-of-water. He was a Chicago homicide cop coming down into Florida, so a completely different energy, a completely different way of moving through the world and dealing with people. I think he still definitely has the Chicago boy about him, but Florida is now starting to seep into his veins. It's not so absurd to him anymore; he actually really enjoys it. In fact, the show really starts to embrace that thing that the next murder that comes along will show a completely different Florida, and he just embraces it and seems to dive in head first. There's no hesitation anymore; he will literally run into this absurd part of Florida, accuse absolutely everybody of committing the murder until someone says, “Shut up, alright, I did it”, and he's fallen in love with a Floridian girl. So, he's dropped his roots here now.

TCC: What has been the best part about filming this show?

MP: The best part about filming the show is actually being down here in Florida—the food, the culture, the sports bars, the beach, being able to swim in that ocean (usually at night because that's the only time I can), and my cast and crew, which are the best in the business. I know everyone says it but mine actually are.

TCC: Now that The Glades is going into its fourth season, did you originally think the show would go this far?

MP: Well no, you never know how a show is going to go, but I'm just glad that people seem to enjoy the show and have fun along with us.

The Glades season premiere airs on A&E on Monday, May 27 at 9/8c.