A conversation with Billy Campbell from ‘The 4400’
Season two of the series “The 4400” premieres on Sunday, June 5, on the USA Network as a two-hour special. The series will resume as one-hour episodes on subsequent Sundays throughout the season, ending Aug. 28. Among the actors who will be reprising their first-season roles are Joel Gretsch as Tom Baldwin, Jacqueline McKenzie as Diana Skouris, Patrick Flueger as Shawn Farrell, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali as Richard Tyler, and Laura Allen as Lily Moore. Billy Campbell also returns as Jordan Collier, whose book about the 4,400 returnees contains information that sets in motion a series of consequences.
Billy Campbell, who reprises his role as Jordan Collier on “The 4400,” says what the audience should expect from season two is “some revelations, a lot of surprises … and (reminding us that the first season broke all viewership records for a cable series) another great entertainment experience.”
Campbell came to “The 4400” with a considerable credits list that included the feature film “The Rocketeer” and the PBS series “Tales of the City” and “More Tales of the City.” In 1999, he starred opposite Sela Ward in “Once and Again,” and in 2002, he played Jennifer Lopez’s abusive husband who has the tables turned on him in “Enough.”
Billy Campbell (who is sometimes credited as Bill Campbell or William Campbell) says he’s done a lot of interesting things in his career, but nothing has captured the imagination of the audience like “The 4400.”
“The (work) that comes closest … (is) ‘The Rocketeer,’” Campbell says. “People would tell me they loved the character; they loved his courage. … (Now) people talk to me about ‘The 4400.’ They love the show, and they’re fascinated by Jordan Collier and ask a lot of questions about him and where he really fits among the other returnees.”
And Campbell answers?
“I say, that’s part of his mystery.”
The concept of people being plucked off the face of the earth by alien intelligences precedes the space age. There are all sorts of ancient texts that talk about gods and demons kidnapping human beings. But with the publication of H.G. Welles’ “War of the Worlds” and the growing popularity of science fiction, the non-Earthly captors were turned into life forms from other planets who took human specimens to study or, in some cases, endow with special powers and send them back to Earth.
Campbell says that while he doesn’t think people who disappear without a trace were necessarily taken by aliens, “a show like ‘The 4400’ makes you think … well, why not? Maybe it did happen. And maybe it’s still happening.”
If Billy Campbell could meet Jordan Collier, what would he say to him?
“I’d ask him if he’s been telling us the truth,” Campbell says, noting that everything would flow from that.
In Focus
Kyra Sedgwick (“Cavedwellers”) stars as Brenda Jean Johnson in the new TNT series “The Closer,” premiering Monday, June 13.
The title refers to the character’s work as a member of a special unit of the Los Angeles Police Department. Jon Tenney (“You Can Count on Me”), one of the series stars, explains, “The ‘Closer’ is the person who takes on cases that are especially sensitive — often high profile — and using her or his skills is able to close them.”
Dial Tone
On Wednesday, June 8, the History’s Channel’s “Automaniac” series will air “Moonshine Cars,” which shows the roots of today’s NASCAR circuit dating back to the Prohibition era.
At that time, a variety of vehicles would be used to transport illegal bootleg liquor. And to make sure the drivers could get away from pursuing federal agents, they modified the best Detroit models they could find into hot wheels. When they weren’t on the road racing for their lives (and their livelihood), they raced against each other, creating a whole breed, as it were, of fast cars, as well as a new racing tradition.