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I thought [the script] was really funny, but who executes it is important as well. I met with the director, Breck Eisner and then I met with the executive producer, the guy who wrote it, Matt Greenburg, and they were really cool and goofy and I thought they were really into trying to make a great show.

The thing that Matt and Breck and I all had in common was that we’re still young -- we want to prove ourselves. When you’re in that state, there’s a certain insanity that I think helps create a better project. And, that’s what happened here.

We knew we had a really good script. Breck had never directed a movie; all he had done is commercials. I’d certainly never been asked to like be the lead in a two-hour pilot. So we were bold. We just had a blast.

They told me later that I was the first guy to read for it. And, I thought it went great and I called my agent, I said "call ‘em, see what they thought." And, my feedback was, I was "the first guy that read and we’ll see if it goes any further." Which usually means it’s not gonna go any further.

Then they looked around for a while. It was hard for them to accept that the first guy they read was the guy that was gonna get the job. They just didn’t think it would be that easy. It’s a pretty grueling process, I think I had to read for it about three or four times.

SPACE.com: Wasthe character changed to suit your personality?

VV: Well, initially there was a lot more humor. I’m not a comedian. I mean, I’m not altogether not funny but I think originally the guy was conceived of being a little more like Bruce Willis. They originally wanted [someone] a little more clearly sarcastic and quick-witted.

SPACE.com: But you played Fun Bobby (a wisecracking repeating guest character on Friends)?

VV: Yeah, but if you watch Fun Bobby I don’t do anything funny. What’s funny is the writing and that there’s like a proper name with an adjective in front of it. There are comedians who can make something funny and then there are actors who can say funny things. I think I’m an actor who can do funny stuff but I’m not someone who can take something and make it funny. If you really look at Fun Bobby there’s nothing funny about it, approaching it as a character.

SPACE.com: So, you’ve completed your first year.

VV: We’re working on Episode 17 now in the first order. They ordered 24 episodes. [Sci-Fi Channel will] only air the first 14 and then that’s considered our first year, but then they’re going to start airing new episodes in January which is almost the second half of the first season. I guess [what the SCI FI Channel is calling the second season starts] in January, which means we’re starting to shoot our [actual] second season then.

Next page: why the invisible man still has to show up on set

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SPACE.com: When you first thought of becoming The Invisible Man, did you think, oh, wow, lots of days off for me?

VV: Yes. Oh, what a fool I was. When I saw the script, everyone said that to me, "oh, do they still pay you on the days you’re not there?" As soon as I got the job my answering machine was full of nifty, goofy invisibility jokes and a lot of them had to do with days off.

But, in the pilot there was a problem. In a couple of scenes they used my stunt double to be me [in long shots]. I watched [the episode] and I thought the guy didn’t run like me. So I from then on I wanted to make sure I was the guy doing that.

[To do the invisible shots] you have to put on a green suit sometimes and it’s a pain. Because of the time [involved] they didn’t want to inconvenience me. But I tried to do all the invisibility stuff myself, so I’m there doing it even when I’m invisible. And even when the camera’s doing the quicksilver point of view, I want to be there because, essentially, the cameraman’s being me and he’s not me. So sometimes I’ll like get in his ear and say, "This is what I’d do and then I’d look here and then I’d do that," just to try to keep it a little more honest.

SPACE.com: With all that input, you’re making yourself more visible in the Invisible Man.

VV: Right, well the show isn’t really about invisibility so much. It certainly is an element, but what sustains the show is a group of people who are dedicated to kicking some terrorist ass. Obviously their secret weapon is invisibility. But I like to watch shows that are about people.

SPACE.com: Your character has evolved over the last few episodes. Where do you see the character going?

VV: Well, I think we’re seeing him deal with a lot of emotional stuff lately. But, I think I’m a little scared that we’re losing track of who he really is, which originally was this two-bit punk thief.

We’ve seen Darien save the day a lot when he keeps doing the right thing. [But] I’m not sure Darien’s always gonna make the right decision and I think we need to see the character make the wrong decision and then deal with the ramifications of that. This is a morality tale about a guy who has a gift and he can do a lot of good and he can do a lot of bad.

SPACE.com: The original Invisible Man and Hollow Man started with highly moral characters who because of invisibility lose their morality. But, with your Invisible Man, you start with someone who’s amoral at best. He’s a slimy crook. When he gets invisibility, he’s forced to become more moral.

VV: That’s a really good point and I like that we didn’t do what they did. But I DO think we should explore the question: Can you really take the thief out of the guy and turn him into Mr. Good Guy Super Hero? Well, I think he needs to be tempted by who he once was a little bit more.

Next page: Kevin Bacon and other tests of the science fiction limits

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SPACE.com: [For Hollow Man, Kevin Bacon] was covered in green and black slime and he did all the stunts. Like where he’s in the pool, he’s running here, he’s running there. And they cover him in this awful stuff on his face.

VV: Yeah, I don’t feel sorry for him at all. They did it to me all the time.

SPACE.com: Could you describe what that process is like?

VV: I have no complaints. It’s hysterical. They have green suits, they have black suits, they have red suits and I’m still trying to figure out what the difference is.

Our show obviously doesn’t have the same kind of budget so we have to do the poor man’s Hollow Man. It’s just hysterical to be around a crew of 60 people and I have red paint all over my face and I’m in red leotards and I’m dancing around.

There’s a certain freedom to it, ‘cause you feel like no one’s watching you. It’s a kind of a pain in the butt, but luckily I found some killer make up removal. The worst part is we didn’t know how to take the make up off. You have to use these really thick oil paints and I scrubbed it off basically the first few times and then finally found this other kind that takes it off much gentler. But, there’s episodes where my face is kind of red and it’s because literally my skin is raw from scrubbing the paint off my face.

SPACE.com: What do you think science fiction allows the Invisible Man to do as far as the series goes? Are there stories that you’d like to see done?

VV: I don’t know if anyone else has the same vision as I do of the show, but I’ll tell you what my vision is. I want the show to really test the limits of science fiction.

This is the second science fiction show I’ve done [the first was the short-lived Prey]. What’s so great about our show is the comic-book quality it has. I think it needs to play up even a little bit more. When I read a comic book, I was on the page, I was in the story with those people. It was very real to me.

I think, because we have good actors and we have good writers, we can keep the reality of the show. The advantage of science fiction is you can tell a greater truth than just boring old reality stuff, whether [you] believe in invisibility or not. I guess there is some sort of invisibility program right now that the government is [doing], have you heard about this?

SPACE.com: No.

VV: Evidently there’s some invisibility suit that’s a top-secret thing but it’s been worked on for years. It’s a suit that some guy can wear and he can become invisible. So, the reality of our show is not too far from being potentially true.

I think our show could become fairly avant-garde. I think we can really risk doing things that other shows can’t do because of the invisibility. And, I don’t mean that we’re gonna succeed all the time. I think we really need to risk failing on the show for the show to really be as good as it can be. But, I think the reward for that would be a really good payoff with an audience. I think audiences really respond to risk.

SPACE.com: What sort of risk would you--?

VV: Storylines, frankly. I’m not a really good writer but one of the things I talk about every week is there’s got to be something in every episode that I’ve never seen on TV before. Whether it’s a sight gag or a story line, I think we need to keep pushing the limits of what people have seen on TV before. And, obviously you have the advantage because at the core of the show, we’ve got a guy who can become invisible.

SPACE.com: Would you like to see Darien leave his family and be hunted by them, or do you think that it works with him being in the government rather than a fugitive investigating the government?

VV: Well, I hope the show’s around long enough that we see both. ‘Cause I think he might get fed up. Doesn’t everyone love their job sometimes and then sometimes just wants to quit, buy a motorcycle and go to Europe? I think we should see Darien do both.

Next page: love and labor disputes

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SPACE.com: Are we gonna see romance?

VV: I hope so. Yeah, they don’t tell me too much, but, yeah, I don’t think he can avoid that. I mean, damn, Darien's got to be getting lonely.

SPACE.com: Yeah, well, he had the blind supermodel. It would be interesting if the Invisible Man hooks up with a blind woman so that she’s the only one who always knows where he is.

VV: Well, you know what hit me as I was watching the show the other day?

SPACE.com: What?

VV: This is what I’d like to see happen. I don’t know whether he’s in love with her or not, but I think he certainly liked her. I don’t understand why Darien didn’t let her see. He could have quicksilvered her eyes and let her see for a few minutes. Wouldn’t that be awesome?

SPACE.com: A little Miracle Worker action.

VV: I’m gonna pitch that.

SPACE.com: Speaking of pitching, it looks like the looming Writers and Actors strikes are gonna hit right in the middle of your second season.