Tuning In

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen
• Videos

By

Platt's Golden turn

Oliver Platt starred in two television series that never made it past the first season.

Now, as the lecherous Russell in Showtime's "Huff," the portly actor can sit back and work on his scenes.

"Huff," which stars Hank Azaria as psychitarist Craig Huffstodt, has already been guaranteed a two-season commitment.

Mr. Platt, just nominated for a Golden Globe as best supporting actor in a television drama for his work as Mr. Azaria's confidant, says the playing field for broadcast programs is "almost inhuman."

"Shows that work on network TV are hard to do, and I have oodles of respect for them," Mr. Platt says. "Even if you have a great idea, the speed with which you need to get it done, it's almost inhuman."

Now he gets to dig his heels into Russell, a character whose oversize spirit is matched by his carnal appetites.

"I've never played a character who is, how shall I put it, such an unvarnished look at compulsive behavior," says Mr. Platt, who researched similar compulsives before taking the role.

The trouble with such people, he says, is that often they're very good at what they do.

Consider Russell a high-functioning compulsive: His lawyerly acrobatics in an early episode spared Huff a messy legal complication after the suicide of a patient.