‘SEAL Team’ tv series, interview with actor Judd Lormand

SEAL Team is a military drama television series on CBS.  

Q. In “SEAL Team” you play Lt. Commander Eric Blackburn. Can you tell us about your character, please?

A. I like to refer to Blackburn as the strategist of the group. More specifically he’s the big picture strategist. While Jason Hayes, Bravo’s Team Leader played by David Boreanaz’, is a strategist on the ground during a mission, Blackburn is tasked with looking at the bigger picture. He often has a Birdseye view of what the team is going through so he sees the obstacles that Jason and his team can’t always see.  

Additionally, while Bravo Team is dealing with the obvious obstacles of combat (dodging bullets, RPG’s, etc), Blackburn is constantly forced to deal with the various agendas during the mission... the brass in Washington have their own agenda, the foreign leaders we’re  working with on a particular mission often have theirs, there’s the agenda of the CIA... all of these issues, along with the goal of getting Bravo Team through their mission effectively and back home safely. So he’s juggling a whole lot, and he has to remain focused and level-headed while doing so.

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Q. Where does filming take place? Were there any difficult times during filming?

A. We shot our pilot episode down in New Orleans and most of the other episodes have been filmed in or around the Los Angeles area. Sure, there have been challenging days of shooting, but they’re the typical challenges that you face on any project; time constraints, location issues, those types of challenges.  However, I honestly can’t say I’ve ever had a bad day at work. 

We also did a little bit of shooting in Puerto Rico earlier this season. That presented its own set of challenges; different weather, different crew members, etc, but I thought the footage shot down there looked incredible. So despite any challenges, I think the entire crew did an awesome job. 

Q. Is it true that as a child you spent a number of years Saudi Arabia? 

A. I did. I spent a little over 3 years there during my grade school years. The Saudi government needed assistance with a pipeline project so they brought in my dad and the company he worked for to help complete the job. I had a great time over there. We lived in an actual Saudi neighborhood in Al Khobar, as opposed to living on an American compound, so we got the FULL cultural experience. As an adult, I look back on that time so fondly. I’m so grateful that I got to witness and experience a completely different culture at such a young age. 

SEAL Team

Q. You starred in LBJ as Robert McNamara. Do you like the historical genre?

A. You know I’ve specifically mentioned that job during past interviews because, as an actor, that one was so different for me, in a good way. For most roles, I combine the character with a little bit of Judd, in order to help me connect to the character and to keep the performance as natural as possible. But LBJ was the first time I had the chance to play an actual historical figure. The preparation process was completely different.  I had to teach myself to walk, talk and think like McNamara. Super challenging, but super fun also. I hope to do more work like that in the future.  

Q. You worked on Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. How was it working with Tom Cruise?

A. That’s another project that I look back on and consider to be one of my absolute favorites, mainly due to my experience working directly with Tom.  I learned so much from that guy. He’s amazing. I think Tom may be the most energetic and enthusiastic professional I’ve ever been around in this industry, or anywhere for that matter. It’s hard to explain, but he’s like this massive creative force that comes swooping in, but rather than being the kind of force that knocks down anyone in its path, Tom swoops in and lifts everyone up with him, taking everyone on the ride with him. 

Q. You are a supporter of veterans and the USO.  Why is this important to you? 

A. You know I’ve always been a supporter of our troops in our military, but working on seal team has brought me so much closer to these men and women and what they do. I have such an immense respect for all of them and yes, I do try to support organizations like the USO and various others.  It’s important to me because I think our country has such a strong military and we’re  great at recruiting, training, deploying... but I think we drop the ball when it comes to taking care of our Vets when they come home. So yes, I’m always up for working with the USO and the groups that support (or bring awareness to) our troops, our veterans, and/or their families. 

Q. What are you working on next in 2019?

A. Right now, I’m pretty busy with SEAL Team, we’re shooting season two through the beginning of April. After that we’ve got a break for a few months, which will allow me to catch up on family time and possibly shoot another project or two... so we’ll just have to see what happens this Spring! 

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