Everett McGill's most recent television experience came when he co-starred with murderers, murder victims, a dancing dwarf and an evil spirit named BOB.
But he's left the strangeness of "Twin Peaks" far behind as the host of NBC's new reality series, "Against All Odds.""Over the past decade, I noticed this growing concentration and fixation on self. And I could see, from my own perspective, what damage this was doing to our society," he said.
"We need to emphasize the more positive aspects of our species. And I thought, `This is just the thing.'"
"Against All Odds," which premieres by airing a pair of half hour episodes Sunday at 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Ch. 2, is the latest in the reality programming trend. This show - with videotape and recreations - aims to glorify sensational rescues, amazing feats and overcoming handicaps.
On Sunday, you'll see a midair sky-diving rescue, a dog saving a young girl during an earthquake, a mother helping police crack a drug ring and even a two-legged dog recovering from a farm accident.
(It's actually pretty schlocky, but at times the stories really are sort of amazing.)
McGill makes his home near the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona, far from the Hollywood scene, which he "didn't like at all." But he spent several years living in New York, where he played in an R&B band, before studying acting in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Then it was back to New York, where he starred both off-Broadway and on, including starring roles in "Equus" and "Whose Life Is It, Anyway?"
He starred in more than a dozen movies, both in the United States and Europe, and numerous television movies and series. It was when he was cast in "Dune" that he first met director David Lynch, which led to his appearance as Big Ed in "Twin Peaks."
"The continuing influence is amazing. I still get a lot of mail about it," McGill said. "I've done soap operas in New York, playing a continuing character who goes through changes and develops, but none of that has created the enduring interest that `Twin Peaks' has.
"There's a familiarity in the fan mail. Lots of people want to know whether I'm going to be doing a character like Big Ed in the future."
Of course, McGill will be seen as Big Ed later this year when the "Twin Peaks" theatrical movie is released. He said he was originally quite skeptical about Lynch's plan to make the movie both a prequel and a sequel to the television series.
"I didn't see how (Lynch) could develop a story with some of it taking place before and some after the series," he said. "I though, `Well, how is he going to pull that off.' But he has managed to do that, which surprised me."
He can't reveal what twests and turns the plot will take. But unlike the series, McGill said, "I think you'll find some significant closure" at the end of the movie.