Fringe - LA Show Tracker: Seth Gabel Interview

Source: LA Show Tracker [follow link for complete interview]



FRINGE - LA SHOW TRACKER: Seth Gabel talks Lincoln Lee, Season 4

September 19, 2011
by Andrew Hanson

"Fringe" returns Friday night after a summer of hanging questions. Has Peter Bishop been erased from history? How will the two universes’ Fringe teams interact? Whatever happened to Amy Jessup, that new FBI agent they introduced awhile back? If any show is good at keeping its secrets, it’s "Fringe." Though one welcome spoiler did slip out over the summer months: Seth Gabel is moving from guest star to cast member in time for Season 4. That means we’ll be seeing more of Gabel’s character, Lincoln Lee.

When I chatted with Gabel about the promotion, I asked if it came with any hazing. Did John Noble make him do key stands? Clean his trainer? “It’s actually the opposite.” Gabel laughed. “John is a very protective person. He realized I was stepping into a new situation; he took a parental approach. Actually, I had to show him after a while that I was OK. When we went to Comic-Con he was introducing me to people saying, ‘This is Seth. He plays Lincoln Lee.’ I had to let him know I could handle it...”



Lance Reddick, Seth Gabel and Anna Torv

.... Gabel’s new status on the show means we’ll spend more time with each universe's Lincoln Lee. “We see a lot more of our Lincoln. The glasses-wearing Lincoln.” So does either Lincoln have a nickname? Like Walternate? “There’s Olivia and Bolivia. I don’t have one. I just have Glasses-Wearing Lincoln and Earring Lincoln.”

The world of "Fringe" must be an actor’s funland. Does getting to play two versions of the same person keep one from getting bored? “It’s not that you get bored playing a character, but it’s fun to switch it up and experience a different side of yourself through the alternate characters,” Gabel explained. “It’s that nature vs. nurture conversation. They share the same nature but have different timelines. Their nurture is very different. It’s fun to create that and imagine what might have happened differently. What did the Lincoln Lee from our side experience in high school that made him less confident than the Lincoln Lee in the alternate universe?”