The sheriff of television´s naughty hamlet

As Twin Peaks´ vigilant Harry S. Truman, Michael Ontkean is "the bridge between the audience and the town"

by BILL BRIOUX

Michael Ontkean is as refreshing as the cool air that blows through those beautiful Douglas firs in Twin Peaks (at press time, the finale is scheduled to air May 23 on ABC and Global).

In an industry where the right press agent is as essential as a schmooz-savvy manager, Ontkean has neither. Also lacking the supposedly indispensable Hollywood ego: As Twin Peaks´ soft-spoken but all-seeing small-town sheriff, Harry S. Truman, Ontkean has one of the busiest roles in a large and talented ensemble cast. Yet he never counts his lines or pages, he says, being more family than career oriented. "I´m always happy with one or two good scenes. As far as I´m concerned, I´d rather be home with my kids."

In fact, Ontkean, who once walked away from a hit ABC series (The Rookies in 1974), put his career on hold prior to the birth of his second child (he and his artist wife have two daughters, ages 10 and 1 1/2). "I avoided work for six months so I wouldn´t miss the delivery. A lot depends on an actor during a production, and I didn´t want to put a director in the position of not wanting to tell me my wife was in labor for fear I would leave and hold up the film."

Trim and wiry-athletic at age 40 (he played college hockey at the University of New Hampshire), Ontkean was in Toronto recently to attend the Genie Awards (as a Best Supporting Actor nominee for "Bye Bye Blues") and to promote Peaks.

Between sips of the downtown hotel´s pricey orange juice ("This was really $28 a pitcher?"), Ontkean explain that the chance to work with director David Lynch ("Eraserhead", "Blue Velvet") was what really piqued his interest in the series. "I had seen 'Blue Velvet' at a theatre when it came out and was fascinated - weird stuff," he says of the riveting and disturbing 1986 film.

"What makes David Lynch, or any great director, unique is his way of telling a story. For me, the fun part about being an actor is simply being an element of their story. I have nothing to say on my own; I don´t have any words of wisdom or profound thoughts. The fun thing for me as an actor is just to serve the vision of these people. It´s their painting, and it´s easy to just trust their vision, because you know that´s the reason they cast you in the first place.

Ontkean came to understand that vision at his first meeting with Lynch. "It was pretty amazing," says Ontkean. "David and Mark [Frost, Peaks´ executive producer] could see this whole town - they had maps, diagrams, everything. I could go to either one with a specific question about any of the characters, and they knew all about them, right down to the tiniest details. They knew these people as if they´d lived with them. It was scary!"

Ontkean immediately saw the humor in the Peaks script. "The name Harry S. Truman alone makes me laugh," he says. "It´s like much of the script - you read it, and it tickles you." But before it debuted, neither Ontkean nor the producers was sure how TV viewers would react to Peaks´ quirky point of view. Was it straight drama, a spoof, or something inbetween? Ontkean had a chance to screen the two-hour première episode when the Museum of Broadcasting held a sneak peek at Peaks last March in L.A. "It hadn´t even been on the air yet," says Ontkean. "It was very interesting to see what happens with a big audience - around 600 people. After a minute or two, someone begins to titter. That lets other people, who may have suppressed the impulse, know it´s OK to laugh. It´s a chain reaction. But seeing the same scene in your living room, I dunno..."

For viewers having a hard time following Peaks´ twisted story, Ontkean´s solution is to keep an eye on Harry. "He´s the bridge between the audience and the town," says Ontkean. "Just watch how Lynch cuts to Harry for his reactions." The biggest reactions are usually saved for Agent Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan); "Truman thinks Cooper´s a hoot," says Ontkean. "Cooper is such a bizarre guy." As for Truman, "It´s fun to play a character who enjoys life and enjoys people so much, ´cause although he doesn´t say very much, he´s tremendously aware of everything that´s going on."

Pause. "I guess it´s like what goes on between me and my kids," says Ontkean, gazing out the hotel window. "We play a lot together, and I really appreciate being around them - just watching."