Exclusive! Tim Sale interview part 1
House Petrelli: I was interested to see that your art was in Tim Kring’s original unaired pilot script, and I was just wondering if that was used to help sell the pitch, or why that was in there.Tim Sale: That is why it was in there, and in the original discussion, it was “How do I help Tim sell the script to NBC.” And the next conversation I had, a few months later I guess, Tim said, “Would you please come up to my office,” which at the time was over at Universal because he was still working on Crossing Jordan. And I didn’t really know why. When I showed up at the office, Aron Coleite and Joe Pokaski were there, Dennis Hammer was there, the set designer Curtis Schnell, and the director... they were all there. One of the first things they asked me was about my painting ability. And so we had a long conversation about how I can’t paint, but how we might be able to pull it off anyway. We actually went to my website on Tim’s computer, and there were examples of how I do it in comics – drawing stuff in inkwash and charcoal, and things like that, having it colored on the computer. So it really just sort of jumped from one to the next. I was told that Tim wanted some artwork to help sell the script, but also to I think kind of draw a bit of a connection between comics and some of the themes of the TV show, you know. And Tim does not have a background in comics, as you probably know.
HP: Yeah, I do know that. Interesting. So, do you think it helped sell it? Because I’m picturing the studio executives in their suits going, “What is this?”
TS: Yeah, I have no idea. As I say, I did the drawings, and the next thing I knew I was being asked to come up to the studio and work on the pilot. So they had gone from “We hope NBC is interested” to “Not only are they interested but they’re paying us to do a pilot, and not only are they paying us to do a pilot, it’s a two-hour pilot.” So how much my input was helpful, I don’t really know.
HP: Well it must have done something because there it is, right? (laughs)
TS: Well, it’s a pretty great script.
HP: When you finally saw the pilot for the first time, what were your thoughts?
TS: Well, I thought it was terrific. It’s hard to reconstruct it a little bit because I had already seen it two or three times. I got an advance copy and saw some of it being filmed and stuff. I went to Isaac’s loft.
HP: Oh, nice.
TS: Santiago actually came out to my studio and I talked to him a little bit. He started taking art classes and things like that. So I know that when I first saw it, I felt like I’d seen it a lot already, but that was only because I kind of immersed myself in the process. It was all fascinating to me. As a result, I never want to see anything before it’s on the air.
HP: (laughs) That’s the same thing that Jason Badower said too, is it kind of sucks the magic out of it, you know?
TS: Well, not just the magic, but it’s “Okay, I’ve seen this before.” There are very few things that hold up for me over and over and over again, and I like it to have as much magic as it can.
HP: Sure. So you’re doing the Usutu paintings? That’s you too, right?
TS: Yes. I’ve done an awful lot of art for Season 3.
HP: Yeah, Heroeswiki said that you’ve created more art for Season 3 than for Season 1.
TS: Yep. Already. And we’re only halfway through.
HP: So is there more than the Usutu...? And you’re listed as “Staff artist and artistic consultant,” so I’m wondering what else is going on there.
TS: I have no idea what that means.
HP: (laughs)
TS: Really, seriously... I have no idea what that means. But it’s likely the kind of thing where I get a little more money because I have a different title.
HP: Oh, well that’s good!
TS: But it is more than Usutu’s artwork. It’s quite a bit more. But the artwork, they’re not paintings in the show. They’re less involved than the stuff for Season 1.
HP: Well they definitely have a different look, almost like they’ve been done with chalk pastels or something.
TS: Well, they’re supposed to look like guerilla graffiti created by stencils or something like that. Some of that is me, some of that is Dave [Stewart] working with Photoshop.
HP: But how do they get ‘em on the rocks?
TS: Well, I haven’t been to the location, but I’m assuming that’s greenscreen.
HP: Oh really! Interesting.
TS: I know that they’re gonna have... you know like those giant Nike Michael Jordan ads on the side of buildings? Like in Times Square or something like that?
HP: Like a wrap kind of thing?
TS: Yeah, but if you’re gonna try and cover the side of a building, that’s probably gonna be greenscreen. I don’t know what they’re doing on the rocks, but in the same way that that’s not really Africa. They fake it.
HP: Uh, yeah. (laughs) It’s TV.TS: But what they do, I don’t know.
HP: See, now I’m on a quest to find out how they do the rocks. But in the interest of time, let me jump over to being more Petrellicentric. And I have a double question here – Who is your favorite Petrelli on the show and why, and who is your favorite to draw and why?
TS: Well... I could say Sylar, right?
HP: (laughs) Assuming we’re not getting our collective chain yanked, which I’m actually kind of hoping, but y’know...
TS: You know, I love the old man too. Robert Forster. But I actually like... Mama Petrelli. She’s creepy. I’ve met her a few times and she’s terrific. I’m trying to think outside the box a little bit here. I think Nathan has been under-used.
HP: I agree completely.
TS: He’s one of the show’s... he’s a terrific actor, very charismatic, works very well with a number of other people – Masi, and Claire, and Ali. He’s the only who’s ever really figured out how to work with Ali, I think, and makes her better, and there’s a lot of chemistry and all that. So there’s that part of it. I happen to think Milo’s a terrific guy. You know I spent a little time with him yesterday [at the Golden Apple signing], but I’ve met him a number of times before. He’s very interesting and smart. So I guess a lot of the Petrellis are under-utilized. I wish Peter wouldn’t be so dumb all the time... I wish Nathan had more screen time...
HP: A man after my own heart – I agree with you 100% on both of those.
TS: Personally, I didn’t buy all the religious conversion. I’m not really sure what the thinking on any of that was. So I think I’m gonna stick with Mama Petrelli.
HP: As your favorite character. But to draw?
TS: By far, my favorite person on the show to draw is Zach. Is Sylar.
HP: Oh really. Okay.
TS: By far. He looks like a comic book character. He’s a terrific, charismatic actor.
HP: And there’s Sybrows!
TS: And those eyebrows, yes, absolutely.
HP: On the internet they’re “Sybrows.”
TS: (skeptical) “Sybrows?” Why “Sy...?”
HP: Because... Sylar... eyebrows... Sybrows.
TS: Oh, I see. Okay. (laughs)
HP: You gotta love the internet. (laughs)
TS: I did a TV Guide variant cover starring Sylar with three of the other characters. It was just so much fun. And I look forward to drawing him all the time. And I really like Zach too. I’ve only met him a few times but he’s very understated and elegant, actually.
HP: I can’t wait to see him in Star Trek. That’ll be... “fascinating.”
TS: Yeah, there you go.
HP: Real quick, about Rest. Now, I know you did the alternate cover, but I thought the interior art was by somebody else.
TS: It is. In fact, I’m not quite sure how this happened, but the Golden Apple cover? That’s not my artwork.
HP: Waitaminute now...!
TS: Well, no, it’s not. And I don’t know how it happened, but they spoke to me about it, and it’s not my drawing. I did draw completely the other one, the one they had the poster of in San Diego [at Comic-Con], and Dave colored it.
HP: So... this begs the question... why were you at Golden Apple yesterday? (laughs)
TS: Well they have like six versions of this book. And they had all the copies. I think Ryan Liebowitz just wanted to have something special for the signing so they printed one up. They had artwork that was mine, they had other copies that were mine.
HP: Oh, I see. Okay.
TS: I’m sure they just sort of figured that Milo wasn’t a big enough draw, they had to bring the people in and fill the seats... (laughs) tongue firmly in cheek.
HP: Aw, hey now.
TS: We asked people how long they were lined up, and it was a pretty long time. Brian was around at the old shop, in the Image days, and it was a tiny shop. And in the original Golden Apple, they’d have a thousand people for Jim Lee, waiting, in the heyday of Image. We had a few hundred. But that was really crazy.
HP: Yesterday was a madhouse?
TS: It was fun, it was nice. It was very well organized on the part of the Golden Apple people.
HP: Good!
TS: I think everybody had a really good time, and it was a lot of fun
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