Articles

John Pyper-Ferguson Talks The Last Ship

By Jamie Ruby

John Pyper-FergusonJohn Pyper-Ferguson, who portrays private security contractor, Tex, in TNT's The Last Ship, recently talked to the media about his work on the hit series, which has already been renewed for a second season.

Pyper-Ferguson talked to SciFi Vision about what first attracted him to the role of Tex. "I got what we call sides, so basically about ten pages of scene work for auditions. That was sent to me as there was interest in me going into read for Denise Chamian.

"I picked up the sides. I read them with a gal friend of mine. And we both looked at each other and said this role is mine. So I could only screw it up. So it was quite terrifying going in. And I read for Denise. And it went from there basically."

After being cast, there wasn't much time to do research. He told the site, "I didn't have time. It literally was - went in, read and it started. So within the limited amount of time I was looking at some pictures of what these mercenaries looked like in Afghanistan.

"I have known a few SEALs in my time who have moved into the private sector. So I've had conversations with them in the past. So I have some idea of that. But honestly there wasn't time. It was getting thrown into it and really working with the folks on set.

"We had Harry Humphries, who is one of the original SEALs, on set helping us out. And he'd bring in some of his other boys. And they would teach us on the fly. Then you'd have your gear that you had and these amazing armors in the props department who know what's going on and teach you.

"And then you're really just working through repetition and going over sticking your gear on - knowing how to do that, knowing how to work with your weapons. And then they teach you how to move through a space or a warehouse, if you will, and what that looks like."

The actor also talked to the site about working with the cast on the series. "It's kind of great. Eric and I spent a few days together in the beginning in Gitmo, and particularly in the water.

"The day we had to do the water we just figured out - we knew it was going to be a miserable, awful day in the water. And by the end of the day we'd not only be exhausted, we'd be freezing. We just figured out a way to have a boatload of fun and make it as easy as possible for ourselves and the crew.

"Because it's not an easy show to shoot, as I'm sure you're aware, with all these action sequences, all these locations. When we're stuck in cramped quarters on the actual destroyer, the USS Dewey; we just figure out a way to enjoy ourselves and make it as easy as possible for everybody." 

TNT Conference Call
The Last Ship
John Pyper-Ferguson

August 5, 2014
2:30 pm ET

SCIFI VISION: Can you first talk about what attracted you to the role of Tex originally?

John Pyper-FergusonJOHN PYPER-FERGUSON: Oh wow. I got what we call sides, so basically about ten pages of scene work for auditions. That was sent to me as there was interest in me going into read for Denise Chamian.

I picked up the sides. I read them with a gal friend of mine. And we both looked at each other and said this role is mine. So I could only screw it up. So it was quite terrifying going in. And I read for Denise. And it went from there basically.

QUESTION: With this character, at first they’re not sure what to make of him, he’s stuck in Guantanamo. And what was it like to go in knowing this character isn’t going to be trusted? And how much say did you have in developing him a little bit?

JOHN PYPER-FERGUSON: In terms of development of the character, it’s more instinctual. And it’s given during the work we do on the day or when a script comes in, we might talk a little bit about the use of dialog.

But I agree with you. I love that there hasn’t been a heck of a lot revealed about Tex’s background. So we still really don’t know who is and what his motivations are other than he’s hot for teacher. He’s hot for the doctor, and we’ll see where that goes.

QUESTION: Actually this follows up a little bit about that. Where do you want to see your relationship with Dr. Scott go over the rest - or how would you like it to have gone if it didn’t go that way through the end of the season, since we’ve got four or five episodes left?

JOHN PYPER-FERGUSON: Well, I guess speaking in Tex’s terms, if the gal doesn’t put out he’s got to move on. You know what I’m saying? He’s a lonely man.

QUESTION: You talked about your character’s motivations. A couple of our readers are already theorizing that maybe Tex knows that that wasn’t the good guy’s helicopter. And that’s why he let Chandler go first. What do you want to say about that theory?

JOHN PYPER-FERGUSON: All I can say is at the end of the episode I’m left in the water. So who knows where Tex is going after that episode?

QUESTION: You said. “This role is mine.” What was it about it that just nailed you? Was it the fact that he gets to say lines like, "Let’s eat"? What was it?

JOHN PYPER-FERGUSON: I guess it’s a number of things. You sort of - I pick it up. Well, let me go even back a little bit further.

My manager, Leanne Coronel, just sent my reel to Denise, not actually pursuing The Last Ship because I believe they were actually looking for a younger guy. And (Denise) responded to Leanne, “I’m not sure that he’s right but we’ll take a look at him.”

So I was going in near the end of the arc of people that they’d seen. And then when I picked it up, the scenes that I had to read for, if I recall correctly, a couple of them were actually this last episode that just aired in the water.

And I just got it. I just understood that the guy just tries to lighten things up when it’s dark. And I really enjoyed it and I got it. I just - there was a sense of “I can do this in a way that I don’t think anybody else is going to see it.” That’s the best I can do because it was pretty raw when it all happened.

QUESTION: What were some of your favorite moments from filming?

JOHN PYPER-FERGUSON: I would have to confess although it’s a non-filming moment, we were down in San Diego shooting at the naval base. And I ended up with shooting a half day.

And I’m obsessive about golf these days. I had a half day so there was an opportunity to go out and play a round of golf, which I ran off to do. And I found Mission Hills, a little public course that apparently Phil Mickelson grew up on playing a lot there. So that sounded really cool to me.

And I went to play golf. And I hit a slightly errant shot. I was off to the left side in a little bit of dirt. And there were some rocks a little bit in front of me. But at no risk in play it was pretty clear that if I hit a bad shot and hit the rock it was going to go forward by the shape of the rock. And inevitably just as I was coming down on the ball to swing at it, one of the fellows I was golfing with stepped out into my view. So I pulled up on the shot as I struck it and I skulled it into the rock. And I hit the one place that it would come directly back at you.

It came directly back at me, hit me in the eye, cut me open. I put my hand to my eye. I was golfing with Charles Parnell, who plays Master Chief on the show. He came running over. I pulled my hand away. And of course it’s a head wound so there’s just gobs of blood.

And I said, "How is it?" And Charles had a horrified look on his face and stepped back, so I knew it wasn’t good. I ended up racing to emergency. An excellent doctor there stitched me back up. I had 12 stitches. I did not shoot the next day.

They actually gave the little bit that I had to (Miller) which seemed appropriate. And you can only really tell it’s there in one scene. However I do have the residue of the scar. Although it wasn’t filming, that was probably the most memorable moment of the season for me.

QUESTION: We have a feature in our magazine all about celebrities and their pets. So we wanted to know about your pet - what kind of pet you have, what’s his name and everything you love about him - that kind of thing.

JOHN PYPER-FERGUSON: Thank you. I wasn’t expecting that. Just before filming started on The Last Ship, I put my dog down of 13 years. His name was Lance. He was a rescue. I used to volunteer at the Amanda Foundation training some of their more difficult dogs and getting them adopted.

And Lance came in. He was a Lab/Pit/Shar Pei/Australian Shepherd. He had a few behavioral problems, but he was an amazing dog. And I knew that if the wrong person got him he could end up biting him because he needs the leadership.

John Pyper-FergusonSo I took Lance on. And we spent a good 12-and-a-half years together. For a long time we traveled around in my truck and the truck was his home. So anytime I had to pack luggage for a trip he would be gone all of a sudden. And I learned he learned that the truck meant we were going somewhere. So when I would get a job elsewhere out of town and I started packing my bags, he’d go lie under the truck because he didn’t want to get left behind.

And eventually Lance got liver cancer. I chose to help him out homeopathically. I didn’t want to cut him open and do all that stuff. And I did a lot of care for him - a lot of palliative care in the last couple of months. But he was a great dog and a great friend to me.

QUESTION: So you’re a mercenary at the core of your role. And that’s something you have done in the past. How do you think you’re going to develop conflict? You already have - in your role you dine with the officers, then the enlisted. And you’re a civilian and all those kind of roles while these guys are very much happy to be very regimented to stay focused since right now you might be the whole Navy. No one really knows.

How do you think that’s going to develop over time for your character with these relationships? And do you think being a merc helps you with the doctor?

JOHN PYPER-FERGUSON: First of all, I think you nailed [it] there. Tex is a lone wolf. So he can choose what he wants to when opportunities arise, definitely. He’s not under the thumb of the Navy, although he’s got to behave appropriately in some aspects while he’s on the ship because he certainly doesn’t want to be man overboard.

And in terms of the doctor, it’s like there’s only one horse in town. He’s not allowed to fraternize with the Navy peeps. And he certainly wants to stay in good there. So until he gets to land or they bring on some other opportunities for him, that’s all he’s got going.

So I think he’s a truculent fellow. And he’s not prone to giving up.

SCIFI VISION: Can you talk about working with the cast in general?

JOHN PYPER-FERGUSON: Sure. It’s kind of great. Eric and I spent a few days together in the beginning in Gitmo, and particularly in the water.

The day we had to do the water we just figured out - we knew it was going to be a miserable, awful day in the water. And by the end of the day we’d not only be exhausted, we’d be freezing. We just figured out a way to have a boatload of fun and make it as easy as possible for ourselves and the crew.

Because it’s not an easy show to shoot, as I’m sure you’re aware, with all these action sequences, all these locations. When we’re stuck in cramped quarters on the actual destroyer, the USS Dewey; we just figure out a way to enjoy ourselves and make it as easy as possible for everybody.

QUESTION: Since your characters are known for their epic deaths, should the audience be worried about your current character, Tex? Do we need to start a (Don't Kill) hashtag for you as well?

JOHN PYPER-FERGUSON: Well, it’s never a bad idea, but it could always be too late. I can say that as we’re heading into the end of the season here, all the characters get in a lot of jeopardy and there are casualties of war. And there has to be in a show like this.

So hold your breath. Let’s see what happens.

QUESTION: Can you tease us a little bit on what could be happening for the finale? Is it a cliff hanger or is it just a straight up?

JOHN PYPER-FERGUSON: I would say cliff hanger.

QUESTION: John, where do you think Tex’s loyalties, even as a mercenary, do lie right now? Do you think that odyssey there in the water started forming a legitimate bond between him and Chandler?

JOHN PYPER-FERGUSON: There’s no doubt that Tex admires and likes the man. There’s no question of that. As to his own political views and motivations, I think that’s still yet to be revealed. I think it’s pretty clear he’s a libertarian - that he’s not only a mercenary, he’s a survivalist.

And this might be the kind of world where he could potentially excel. And the previous world with a lot more rules and regulations was a place that held him back from his own nature.

QUESTION: With being on the ship and everything, what sort of toys have you seen around the Navy that you like - on the ship, on land - the things that have been fun to see in action or play with or at least experience walking by them?

JOHN PYPER-FERGUSON: Well first of all, when you walk onto the USS Dewey, although there’s not a sign, there should be – “Do not play with the toys.” So I did not push any buttons or move any levers or switches. It’s pretty daunting. You know how powerful that destroyer is.

And I don’t know if she was packing when we were on her or not. I’m sure that she’s well-armed. You see the canons. You see signs and warnings. You see do not sit on a launcher, which sort of makes sense but it’s always good to have a reminder.

I mean you just - you walk on it, you know what you’re on. And it’s really impressive.

SCIFI VISION: I was just curious if you did any research before you started the role.

John Pyper-FergusonJOHN PYPER-FERGUSON: I didn’t have time. It literally was - went in, read and it started. So within the limited amount of time I was looking at some pictures of what these mercenaries looked like in Afghanistan.

I have known a few SEALs in my time who have moved into the private sector. So I’ve had conversations with them in the past. So I have some idea of that. But honestly there wasn’t time. It was getting thrown into it and really working with the folks on set.

We had Harry Humphries, who is one of the original SEALs, on set helping us out. And he’d bring in some of his other boys. And they would teach us on the fly. Then you’d have your gear that you had and these amazing armors in the props department who know what’s going on and teach you.

And then you’re really just working through repetition and going over sticking your gear on - knowing how to do that, knowing how to work with your weapons. And then they teach you how to move through a space or a warehouse, if you will, and what that looks like.

QUESTION: In relation to the gear, did you do as much of your own stunts as you could? And describe how you were trained in that a little bit.

JOHN PYPER-FERGUSON: For me, although I had stunt doubles on set, I can’t think of anything that I didn’t do. There was some water stuff, just out of dealing with locations that we were doubled in terms of time because there’s such huge days to get. But fight sequence - all that stuff - there was nothing so gigantic that I was not able to do it myself.

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