Q: Which character you most enjoyed playing? Why?

DB: I think it's a tie between Boggett and Shoeless Joe Jackson in Memphis Belle and Eight Men Out respectively. To be able to play a cowboy and a legendary baseball player are the best experiences I've ever had .. until now, with Mike Pinocchio.

Q: Hi, I was curious, about how many hours a day do you work on a episode? Do you ever get really really stressed?

DB: The average .... 13-16 hours a day! And, 5 days a week ... and yes, I get very .. well you can get stressed cause even though that sounds like a lot of time, we make an episode in 8 working days ... each episode of TV is 45 minutes long.

Q: Hi, I was wondering, for the part in Harsh Realm, did Chris Carter find discover you, or did you find Chris and auditioned for the part?

DB: You want to do it well and if you made a movie that was 90 minutes long, you'd have 50 working days. Chris was looking for someone cute and cuddly. I met Chris when I was doing "Strange Luck" in Vancouver ... we played basketball on the odd Saturday ... and we met generally. I guess that gave me a bit of recognition when he decided to do "Harsh Realm." And he needed Mike Pinocchio.

Q: I have watched so many of your movies. I think you are such a down-to-earth actor. How do you stay grounded?

DB: Thank you :) I just try and focus on the things that are concrete in my life .. the people in my life that I care about .. the actual things I've accomplished as opposed to people's perceptions. People get surrounded by publicists and agents and I think you have to take all that with a grain of salt and take it all easy ... take it slow. Like my dad used to say. With a beautiful camera.

Q: Hi DB! I'm Beatriz from Brazil, you send me your autograph a few months ago... thank you so much!!! It made me really happy! I'm a huge fan of yours! I know you like hockey and baseball, but what about basketball? Do you watch the NBA games? Which team do you prefer? I'm a Jazz fan.

DB: I remember your letter, you spell your name with a "z." I like some of the players on the Jazz .. John Stockton .. but I think that the NBA is getting less interesting cause the players are too much interested in self promoting. The league needs to look at rule changes which will encourage more passing and interplay. I like to watch college basketball more. I think college bball gives you more of those things.

Q: What does D.B. stand for?

DB: It stands for Daniel Bernard. I guess with the net, there's not that many secrets anymore ;)

Q: What attracted you to the role of Cpl. Mike Pinocchio?

DB: I was really interested in working with a strong writer, whether it be feature or TV. And, I think Chris Carter is one of the best writers in either medium out there, so when I heard it was a new TV show with a contemporary theme, like Harsh Realm, I thought it'd be a great opportunity.

Q: What do you remember most about doing Lonesome Dove, and working with Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones?

DB: Tommy Lee Jones was very passionate and it was a great opportunity to create indelible characters. And, since I was cast in the outfit, they were concerned that I'd be a believable cowboy. Tommy invited me to his house outside of Texas and we all had a cattle round up for a few days ... Robert Duvall and Tommy and I ... and it was a great great experience! That was the greatest .. riding around for two full days with those two guys .. playing cowboy on Tommy 's ranch .. couldn't replace that experience.
Q: What inspired you to be an actor?

DB: Well, when I initially got into acting, I wanted to be a baseball player, but hurt my knee. I was looking for something to kill time, so I got into acting the way most people go to Europe, seems like a good thing to do to kill time. My knee didn't get any better and I was on my way.

Q: Isn't it true that you learned to play ice hockey for The Cutting Edge? Do you still play the game?

DB: That is true. I didn't know how to skate before that film and they gave me three months to learn. I can play a little bit of hockey now, but I didn't figure skate much ... they had some doubles in the film. Triple axel and camel .. I could do singles, but that qualifies you as a nine year old skater in the competitive sense. I love hockey and play as often as I can .. we have a Harsh Realm hockey team. Up in Vancouver.

Q: Did you enjoy filming the Cutting Edge?

DB: The Cutting Edge was a very difficult film to produce cause when you watch figure skating on TV the camera is interested in the whole body and doesn't get into a tight close up. When you're in a movie, you need to know what's going on inside that person and when you're going to spend 90 minutes with a character, you need to get inside their eyes. So, the technical challenge of getting the camera close enough during the skating was daunting. But, it paid off.

Q: Did Moira do her own skating?

DB: Moira broke her leg ... in the scene in the bar, she has her leg in a cast and she's being steered around in a camera dolly and she out dances me! So, I was outdanced by a girl with a broken leg! She was very disappointed ... But Sharon Carz ... was Moira's double and she looks so much like her so they were able to use her for a great deal of the film. They couldn't find a guy like me that much (who looked like me that much) so they had a few of them.

Q: What do you do to relax?

DB: I like to cook. I play golf. I play hockey. And, I just ... you know, love to hang around on the beach, surfing, football .. anything like that, I love it. California would be my base, but I live in Vancouver now.

Q: Do you have any techniques that you use to get into a character?

DB: Well, I think every character is different, I try to immerse myself in different ways. For Eight Men out I spent a few months learning to hit left-handed. The legend is that he learned .. that Babe Ruth copied his swing. So, I thought if someone like Ruth thought he had a great swing ... so I concentrated on that. Then Lonesome Dove, I concentrated on roping .. then sometimes you need to focus on an intellectual skill or something ... more detached from the physical. Immersion is the key word .. you need to immerse yourself in some aspect of that character. Not that people call you by that name when you're having your soup at home. But, having some aspect of that character and then building from there.

Q: What is the biggest myth about being a celeb.?

DB: I think I have successfully avoided being a celebrity, which is a plus and a minus. When you don't have instant recognition, you're not the first choice for a project, but you can slip from role to role and not get so identified with a part. And, some times people just know me .. not as D.B. Sweeney, but I look familiar. That makes it makes it easy to be different people in different stories.

Q: Are there any actors or directors you would like to work with on a future project?

DB: I think there's lots of really talented directors out there .. the usual suspects. James Cameron .. even though he won the Oscar, I think the guy's still underrated ... I think they don't give him his due. I think "The Abyss" is incredible and the Terminator movies. Some of the movie people make today to top them aren't getting close. I'd love to work with Martin Scorsese, who wouldn't? Sydney Pollack. As far as actors go, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Stanley Tucci is another one of my favs. There are others .... I don't mean to slight anybody. I've always liked Jessica Lange, Meg Ryan, really like Julia Roberts. But, who wouldn't wanna work with them? All those people I mentioned ... sorry that I wasn't able to shed any light. ;)

Q: Hi D. B.! Have you had the opportunity to do any script writing (or are you interested in writing?) If so, what have you done and has it been produced? By the way, I have enjoyed everything I've seen you in!

DB: Oh, well thanks for that. I have done some writing. I've been in situations where as an actor, I've been compelled to rewrite dialogue or such and when you do that, you know the project is in trouble. Harsh Realm, that's really not a problem .. so this is a comfortable situation for me. I've written one screen play called "Flesheaters from Jersey." So, who knows? If "Harsh Realm" goes well, maybe I'll get to write something on there.

Q: Well enough cutting edge..what did you like about being in the movie Spawn?

DB: The director of Spawn Mark Dippe is a special EFX wiz .. he and Spas Williams worked on The Abyss and made the water finger effect and I think they're geniuses and New Line Cinema thought the same thing, so they handed them the reins to Spawn. And, they asked me if I wanted to work with them, and so to me, to work with friends ... was a great opportunity. Also, John Leguizamo ... was a treat .. I only wish we had more scenes together. He's such a talented guy.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

DB: I have a favorite ... two tiered answer ... My fav all time movie, it's a bit .. well, it's really a tie between the African Queen and Casablanca ... and my fav junk movie is Dead Zone .... it's harder to make a junk movie than a great movie. I don't mean to denigrate anyone. David Cronenberg is a great director! What I'm trying to say is it's a popcorn movie, it's a drive-in movie. Those are the differences between them. I've seen "The Dead Zone" more than any other movie, more than 40 times. The best Christopher Walken movie ever .. and Martin Sheen. And, Tom Skerrit. The best movie made out of a Stephen King novel. Stanley Kubrick film. I say that without having seen Eyes Wide Shut.

Q: What are your feelings about filming in Vancouver?

DB: Vancouver's a great city. Anyone who's ever visited there knows that it's a pretty city. One of the things that's great about it is that there's a real enthusiasm for TV and film there. L.A.'s great, too, but because it's a younger industry in Vancouver, there's a lot more enthusiasm per square inch.

Q: Will Mike ever have a love interest?

DB: Oh yeah! Stay tuned ...within the next four episodes, there's a kind of neat relationship between Mike and a woman who is similar to Florence, a woman is my sidekick.

Q: Hi D.B. nice to chat with you. Tell me what your plans for this next year?

DB: Well, I'm going to try to work as hard as I can on "Harsh Realm" to make it hopefully the best show on TV someday. I think you need to aim as high as you can. I think we have the writers and the actors to do some damage in that direction. And, hopefully make HR as good as it can be.

Q: Are you married?

DB: I am single. I have a girlfriend. No kids. Never been married.

Q: Would you give advice to someone who wants to be an actress?

DB: It's a tough business to get into ... don't believe anybody who says they'll give you a part in exchange for sex. That doesn't happen. The sex happens. But, you won't get a role. You get a roll in the hay. The best thing to do is study and try to learn what it means to be an actor which is more than getting a headshot and an agent and moving to an apartment in studio city. Don't take classes about audition technique, take classes about playwrights and Shakespeare and such.

Q: Did you go acting for school or college to study acting or did you automatically start out in movies?

DB: No. I was at NYU and I never got a part there in 3 years. So, by the second year I decided to be a director .. cause you can give yourself a part. So, I really loved doing plays from either side of the footlights. Eventually I got a part in a Broadway play with one line and was getting a paycheck and thought, this is a great life. Then I got a small part on Spenser for Hire and all of a sudden started getting work. Then I started acting more. And, then in 1986 I got a part in a film by Francis Ford Coppola and it went from there.

Q: Where would you like to see yourself professionally ten years from now?

DB: I think that I would love to be able to say that I've worked with those people that I mentioned earlier and was in some interesting projects. The difficult thing about every thing that you're in is it's not necessarily going to be "Saving Private Ryan" and you have to hope that some of things that you're in turn out to be something you want to watch 10 years from now. So, with that thought in mind, I'd like to have 2 or 3 videocassette boxes or DVD's .. maybe 5 things that were special that I'd want to watch when I was 70 years old and that others would like to watch, 10, 20, 30 years from now.

Q: who is your favorite music group?

DB: Well, I just saw Bruce Springsteen last night and it's pretty tough to beat him! But, I have a lot of favs ... Joe Ely. He's just unbelievable ... a Texas rock-n-roller .. Bruce actually sung back up for him. He's sort of in that John Cougar .. not as mainstream as that, but if you like that gritty, Americana rock-n-roll. He's great. And, the Radiators .. a band from New Orleans. Pearl Jam is one of my favorites .. Eddy Vedder is a terrific singer. Del Amitri is one of my all time favs. I think they're one of the most underrated bands on the planet. You've gotta have Del Amitri "Hat Full Of Rain" .. I have 3 copies of that .. one for my house, car and one that travels.

Q: How was the Staples center?

DB: It was a great concert. If you've never seen Bruce Springsteen. I've heard people paying $1,000 to see Barbra Streisand on New Year's Eve .. whatever you have to pay to see Bruce, just do it!

Q: What qualities do you look for in scripts? Are there any in particular you wish you could have done?

DB: Oh yeah, there' s whole pile of those ... 2-3 movies a year that come out of Hollywood, you want to be in them. Saving Private Ryan, I would have love to have been in. Max Martini .. he was in it. He's on our show. That was a great movie. I would have love to have been in Titanic .. a great Hollywood special EFX movie. There was a movie called "Birdy" a few years ago that Matthew Modine was in ... I read that script. A movie version of "A Catcher in the Rye" that I think I'm too old for now. But, now I don't think it should be a movie. There was a movie this summer called "A Walk on the Moon." Underrated. And, any movie that Diane Lane is in .. ever since I worked with her on Lonesome Dove, I want to be in all her movies. And, "Crash" ... I thought James Spader was great in that. "Armageddon" I thought that would have been fun.

Q: DB who was your inspiration when you were aspiring to get into the acting biz? Who did you really look up to and why?

DB: Well, when I was starting, one of the movies that made the biggest impression on me was "Raging Bull" a seminal film .. not that DeNiro lost and gained the weight, but it was a perfect movie on every level. It would be an honor to be in a movie like that ...it ennobles what actors do ... I think Scorsese makes acting seem like a noble profession. Another film was "Raiders of the Lost Ark," but also "Casablanca" and "High Noon," "The Third Man," movies where the performances are so essential to the movie.

Q: If you were not an actor what do you think you would be doing right now as a profession?

DB: I don't know? In my 20's, I thought maybe I'd be a chef, I started cooking in restaurants at 14, then drove a taxi. But, I never met a chef that wasn't fat, and I didn't want to be a big fat guy in a white shirt. Golf pro seems like a good life. You work at some resort and teach 60 year old millionaires how to putt. As long as you can sneak in some free golf on the side.

Q: In Gardens Of Stone, you were a member of The Old Guard. What in the way of training did you go through to make it look authentic?

DB: Well, the army was very interested in making that film cause in their view the movies that come out about the military are so negative. So, they were involved in helping us make that and I was given access to the guys in the unit at that time, and I was given hidden secrets from the guys ... I couldn't have asked for more help. It was the president's guard .. the oldest military unit in history .. been together just after the revolutionary war .. a great unit, great history. Helped us a lot.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your background? Where are you from?, etc. ThanX :)

DB: I'm from Long Island, NY ... went to school there. Kind of a normal upbringing .. my dad was a teacher and became a guidance counselor. My mom was a mom and the village clerk. I have two sisters and a brother .. I played sports and skinned my knees and didn't plan on being an actor.

Q: Do you think that there could ever be a harsh realm?

DB: Wow. Good question. I'm really intrigued by the digital possibilities being presented now by writers and futurists. Spaz Williams is one of the smartest people I know and he's explaining these things to me and I asked him if it was possible to have a transporter the way they have on Star Trek. And, in his opinion, it was possible, but not likely. So, if you can transfer the data, you can regenerate it in another place. So, he said, if you can do that, you can transfer the data from this plane into a digital plane. It's possible. One of the great things about HR is it's exploring all that stuff .. what would it mean if all those things were possible? Everyone has a cell phone now? You're freed from this hard line of communication .. when you think about it, it doesn't seem so impossible. HR provides a forum for addressing some of these issues that are going to come up with the new technology.

Q: Do you like being the bad guy or the good guy?

DB: I usually have to play the good guy, so it's a relief to play ... the complicated guy on HR. Which is more fun than playing the straight man. Historically, villains have been the more colorful roles.

Q: What are your favorite TV shows to watch?

DB: The best show on TV, I think is "NYPD Blue." I think it's a shame that they're screwing around with it ... Dennis, Rick, Gordon, Jimmy .. David is a great writer. For them to jerk around with the writing is a travesty. The X Files is a good show, Sports Night is a good show of the new shows. I don't like sports shows all that much cause I think all the guys are trying to be cute. But, West Wing is good. Frasier is a great comedy. Kelsey and David are great actors. I gotta go! They're calling me for my photo shoot! It was great chatting with you all, hey! Thanks everyone! :)