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I went from US President to death row for Torchwood

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It's a programme that keeps viewers hooked season after season, and a spin off of one the biggest shows the BBC ever produced.

Now, the man who played President in Hollywood blockbuster Independence Day, and star of American drama Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Bill Pullman has spoken of his role in sci-fi epic Torchwood.

The fourth series of the BBC Cymru co-production with an American network Starz is released on DVD in time for Christmas.

Bill joins regular cast members John Barrowman and Eve Myles for this gripping 10-part series Miracle Day that imagines what would happen if the global death rate dropped to zero.

Overnight, there is a population boom, stretching resources to the limit. As the team races against time to find an explanation, they are led to an old British institute, where the characters uncover a threat that could change what it means to be human, forever.

Pullman plays Oswald Danes, a man executed at a Kentucky prison for raping and murdering a young girl. However, this being 'Miracle Day' he can't die.

Pullman says: "Oswald Danes is an extraordinary character. He is a convicted child killer. He has been sentenced to death.

"But he survives when everyone wants him dead, and he is transformed.

All of a sudden, he sees the world with a crystal clarity and becomes a prophet.

He added: "He is very clever and, as the world begins to fall apart, he knows what people want to hear.

"Suddenly, the world has cast him as a saviour, and he is keen to see if he can live in that skin."

Speaking about how he copes with his character's transformation, he says: "In this topsy-turvy world where everyone is suddenly immortal, Oswald goes through a lot of trial and error as he attempts to go from monster to human."

Pullman also reveals his admiration for Russel T Davies, the creator of the series, and his use of sci-fi to look at everyday issues, comparing Oswald's sudden fame to the growth of celebrity culture.

He adds: "Never in the history of mankind do we have more celebrities created overnight than we do now. It"s all thanks to Reality TV. Suddenly, these nobodies are being debated everywhere."

Asked why he thinks he was approached to play the role he responds: "Halfway through the shoot, I asked the producer, 'wait a minute, why did you want me for this role?' With a smile, she replied that, 'we thought it would be fun. You have played the President, you're America"s sweetheart!' So clearly something very naughty made them do it!" ? Torchwood: Miracle Day (BBC Worldwide) out now, price: £29.35

GRAPHIC: Bill Pullman in his role as child killer-cumprophet Oswald Danes in the new 10-part series of Torchwood

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  • APA 6th ed.: Stuart, Andrew (2011-12-13). I went from US President to death row for Torchwood. Daily Post p. 14.
  • MLA 7th ed.: Stuart, Andrew. "I went from US President to death row for Torchwood." Daily Post [add city] 2011-12-13, 14. Print.
  • Chicago 15th ed.: Stuart, Andrew. "I went from US President to death row for Torchwood." Daily Post, edition, sec., 2011-12-13
  • Turabian: Stuart, Andrew. "I went from US President to death row for Torchwood." Daily Post, 2011-12-13, section, 14 edition.
  • Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=I went from US President to death row for Torchwood | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/I_went_from_US_President_to_death_row_for_Torchwood | work=Daily Post | pages=14 | date=2011-12-13 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=28 March 2024 }}</ref>
  • Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=I went from US President to death row for Torchwood | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/I_went_from_US_President_to_death_row_for_Torchwood | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=28 March 2024}}</ref>