BILL Paxton can cover a lot of ground in half-an-hour.

We meet at a suite in London's Dorchester Hotel for a conversation that ends up touching on a dizzying array of topics - from polygamy, to the frustrations of being a leading man.

And all this from a man who's suffering a serious bout of jet lag after flying into the UK as part of a European tour to promote his new series, Big Love, on Five from Monday June 12.

The show premiered in the US in March, where it's managed to bag a huge audience.

"It's been gangbusters,' says the 51-year-old, best known for appearances in films such as Twister, Weird Science and Thunderbirds.

"Every week we've watched the numbers go up. It was as if, exponentially, it just went out like a wave. It must be viewers telling their friends to watch it.'

That's despite the fact the drama tackles a particularly controversial topic. The show centres on the Henrickson family, and in particular, the patriarch, a character also called Bill (and played by Paxton).

He's a hard-working husband and father of seven who tries to find enough time for his clan while overseeing the expansion of his successful home- improvement business.

But there's a twist. The man is also a polygamist, and with three wives and three homes to maintain, his life is anything but ordinary.

"There was a lot of concern from the Mormon church about how this was going to go down,' says Paxton, reflecting on the series' response so far.

"They've been trying to extricate themselves from their polygamous roots for over 100 years now, so the last thing they want is some show to come along and say, 'Hey, polygamy!'.

"But we're not saying we're Mormons in the programme, although the family grew up with the tenets of that faith.

"For me it was absolutely paramount we play these characters dead earnestly as far as their spiritual convictions go, because I wasn't going to do a show that was making fun of any group. In other words, I don't look to court controversy.

"I found more of a common thread in this thing in terms of family. And I found a lot of things I admire about Bill Henrickson. I don't know how he does it. God bless him.'

Reflecting on his career, he goes on to say he's always enjoyed playing character roles, and that when he's taken the heroic lead in films, critics make him sound like "the stalwart, rugged good-looks kind of actor who's so damn boring'.

Nevertheless he accepts that: "When you're playing the lead, you're the tour guide for the audience.

"What's fun about Big Love is I have to be an anchor man, but it's also giving me the chance to do a little bit of physical comedy " and I'm getting to romance the gals. So it's not a bad situation.

"Maybe I'm just a late bloomer. I've been a professional actor for most of my life, but I feel like I'm finally gleaning some insight into my craft. Or some acceptance.

"Whatever it is, I feel like I'm ready to maybe do the best work I've ever done.'

(c) 2006 Belfast News Letter, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

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