There's no doubt that you've seen Paul Ben-Victor on several popular shows over the years. From his early days in the acting world with appearances on China Beach and Hunter (just to name a few) to recurring and regular roles on NYPD Blue, The Practice, and SCI FI's The Invisible Man, plus other roles on Entourage, John From Cincinnati, and HBO's recent hit The Wire, Paul Ben-Victor knows a thing or two about playing characters connected to both sides of the law. Fresh off The Wire as the Greek's buffer Spiros Vondopoulos, Paul Ben-Victor hops the tracks to the other side of the law in USA Network's In Plain Sight, airing June 1 at 10pm, as Stan McQueen, chief inspector of the Witness Protection Program's South West region. In the series, Ben-Victor plays the light hearted boss of Marshal Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack), who's attached to the Federal Witness Protection Program with her partner, Marshall (Fred Weller).

On a recent conference call, The Deadbolt was lucky enough to get some airtime with the cool, casual, and gritty TV vet to talk about bending the rules in law enforcement to get the job done, his approach to playing characters, In Plain Sight, and more.

THE DEADBOLT: So, Bobby Hobbes' older brother?

PAUL BEN-VICTOR: So you all hear this stuff. Do you remember Bobby Hobbes?

THE DEADBOLT: Absolutely, that show [The Invisible Man] was awesome. How about your character in In Plain Sight?

BEN-VICTOR: Alright. You’ll have to see for yourself, but it rings true a little bit of Bobby Hobbes, a little bit of he’s not completely grounded all the time. But he’s definitely a good cop, he’s a good marshal, he’s a good boss.

THE DEADBOLT: Do you think a job like being a federal marshal for the Witness Protection Program can be done without bending the rules a little bit?

BEN-VICTOR: No, you have to bend the rules. He’s definitely bending the rules and breaking them wherever he has to. He’s a straight up guy, but he has to take care of his people, and that comes first. Just to make it exciting, I think you have to take some theatrical, poetic license and do what you’ve got to do.

THE DEADBOLT: As you get older, how is your approach to playing cops or law enforcement different than when you started?

BEN-VICTOR: Well, that’s interesting because that relates to your first question a little bit because they just flow through you as the years go by. People say, "Well, how did you prepare for this character?" And I say, "Well, I’ve been preparing for it for 20 years," because I have done so many detectives and cops. Obviously it’s make believe but, in some ways, I feel like a seasoned veteran cop because I’ve shot more guns, I think, than anybody, and I’ve handcuffed more people, and gotten in more fights, and been killed more than anybody else. So, you just show up and it begins to be another suit that you put on and you don’t think about it as much. You just do your work and it just becomes easier over the years. It’s less work and more of just bringing your instincts to it more and more as the years go on, I think.

"Bending the Rules with In Plain Sight's Paul Ben-Victor Page 2