Lance Reddick doesn't get to smile a lot on the job.
As federal agent Phillip Broyles in Fox's hit drama "Fringe," he is icy -- and possibly sinister -- as the head of an interagency team investigating a pattern of bizarre, deadly incidents. Flip the channel and you might also catch the Baltimore-born-and-raised actor in his recurring role as the stern and smartly dressed Matthew Abaddon, whose last name may be a fearful omen for the survivors of the plane crash of ABC's "Lost."
And he was rarely happy in his best-known role as the ambitious Lt. Cedric Daniels in HBO's "The Wire," where his character was trapped between the political miasma of the Baltimore Police Department and the never-ending wave of drug dealers wreaking havoc in the inner city.
Given his strait-laced gallery of characters, it's almost surprising to see Reddick flash a real smile away from the cameras. In fact, he's almost unrecognizable from his on-screen personas, appearing younger, less worldly and a bit self-conscious.
During a recent interview at his manager's office, he apologized to a photographer who was directing him: "I'm sorry, I'm not terribly visual," he said quietly. But Reddick's modesty cannot stop him from acknowledging that he's on a hot streak. In addition to bouncing between two hot dramas, he's also doing voice-overs for Cadillac commercials and is planning to revive a music career.
"It's true; things are pretty good right now," said Reddick, whose character is a key figure in tonight's "Lost" episode. "I went from being on one of the most critically acclaimed shows on television to one of the hottest shows on television."
"Lost" executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof said they felt very fortunate to have brought the fearsome-looking actor into the fold of their spooky serialized hit.
"One of the things we really gravitated toward was that Lance is very scary-looking, and he's a very intensive actor who also has this incredible charisma," said Lindelof.
Added Cuse: "What he does incredibly well is deliver exposition, and the audience isn't aware of it. That's an incredibly rare skill to find in an actor."
But even with his career flourishing, Reddick remains wary of the fickle nature of the business.
"As I watch the industry and see what it took me to get where I am," said Reddick, "I am more aware how precarious my position is. There's no such thing as a holding pattern."
