One fan asked why Baldwin was so awesome and how one could aspire to be more like him, and Adam jokingly asked the spelling of his name, pretending to start signing his autograph on a
Chuck DVD. But seriously, he said, "The trick to being awesome is just be kind, if you can, and say a kind word." He says he doesn't always live up to that, but he tries and the older he gets, the harder he tries. His wife has a mantra that she recites to the kids that says it's better to be kind than to be right - of course, he says he finds a way to be both.
As for playing all bad ass roles, he was asked if he wanted to keep doing that or do some plain guy roles. He said that'd just be boring, but he'll see what comes because you never know what's next.
Someone else asked if he would rather work with Spielberg or Scorcese if given the opportunity, and he said he had worked with Spielberg, but his character was removed from the film, How to Make an American Quilt. On the upside, his character's picture remained on the mantel during filming, so he still got the residuals, so that was cool. As for Scorcese, if he said "jump," Adam would say, "how high?"
Baldwin was asked if there were any particular rituals he would do to get into character when playing John Casey or Jayne Cobb and he said he would always find the prop guy, his buddy, David "Kentucky" Coleman, and they would chat about what weapons he would be using or what other props they'd load the scene with. He'd try to be as organized as he could when doing scenes, like when he is going into the armory to load up with several guns and knives, it takes a little choreography for you to get it right every time. Since there's really no time to rehearse that, they tried to decide it all beforehand. That was it as far as rituals, except that the makeup lady was very sweet and she would always make him a nice cup of coffee in the morning. He said it was good coffee, even better coffee than his wife (who is not a coffee drinker).
Someone asked Baldwin that considering Chuck, Firefly, Serenity and The Patriot, which parts were the most fun and did you enjoy your fellow cast mates. His role in The Patriot was great because he was on a horse and everyone else was trudging through the mud. When lunch rolled around, everyone else had to get cleaned up and he just sat down to eat, rubbing it in. Baldwin said that when you look at a cast like Chuck or Firefly and they seem to be having fun on camera, they are generally having fun off camera as well. He felt that he was blessed with the casts he's worked with. He said he tries to get a lay of the land when he approaches a new role, staying back and seeing what's what. He likens it to a sniper, trying to figure out who he can target for friendship... or destruction, but if the casting has been done right, everything will mesh.
Adam was questioned about his role in Next of Kin, where he played a not-so-nice guy, and what it was like to work with Ben Stiller so early in his career. Adam replied, "I torched him, didn't I?" He's not sure he was appropriately cast in that role, since he wasn't quite as Italian as they wanted, but it was fun to work in Chicago.
Someone asked what it was like to work with Bill Maher and Mr. T in D.C. Cab. Baldwin said, "Mr. T was and remains one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He is a man of God and a force to be reckoned with. He's a kind and gentle soul." He likened Mr. T to a pro wrestler or professional fighter, saying that they have nothing to prove and are typically very gentle in real life, unless they are in kill mode. At the time, Mr. T was huge since The A Team was in its second season. They also had Gary Busey and these two huge body builders, the Barbarian Brothers, plus cranky Bill Maher, (who remains cranky, according to Adam). He says he'll never forget Gary Busey standing on top of a cab saying that he will never work on Elvis's birthday, January 8th, and then he started dancing.
He was asked which character was his favorite and which one is most like himself. Adam shared that Jayne is his inner kid coming out from the shoot-em-ups that his dad used to take him to see. He was able to channel actors Eli Wallach from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Warren Oates from The Wild Bunch. He always gravitated towards scruffy bad guys because they were fun to watch, even though they were doing evil things. Adam feels like Casey thinks a lot like he does and he figures he'll have to play "a lib" next.
He was asked what it was like to learn Chinese swear words and whether he remembered any of them. He doesn't remember the Chinese so much as the English translations, like "the exploding diarrhea of an elephant," which was one Alan Tudyck had to remember. Alan was very angsty about it, muttering the words over and over and insisting he would never get them right and Baldwin did a hysterical imitation of him, which the crowd loved.
One fan asked if Jayne had a chance to captain the Firefly, what kind of jobs would he make the crew do, and he replied, "Inara, Captain's feet hurt. Rub 'em!" and "Hey Wash, them heads (toilets) clean yet?"
When asked who can shoot better - Jayne, Casey or you, he laughed and said, "Well Casey, but Casey's me." Adam has some friends who are former Marines and he gets to train and go out to the range with them. He takes his kids out to train because it is important to know what you are doing, all except for his oldest daughter, who is nervous around guns. Adam quipped, "And you call yourself a Baldwin!"
Adam was asked about the open way that Firefly ended and whether they were told about what was to happen and he said no, because they wanted to flesh things out with the comics, although he doesn't keep up with the comics.
It was really fantastic to get to see Adam Baldwin in person and he's just as awesome in person as he is on TV, even more so. Here's hoping he returns to Louisiana for another appearance next year!
