Fred Thompson

By Douglas Waller; Fred Thompson Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2002
    • ALEX WONG/NBC/AP

    Senator Fred Thompson, Republican of Tennessee, made his debut earlier this month as the crusty D.A. on the TV series Law & Order. Thompson, who has acted in many movies, is not seeking a third term in next month's election. TIME's Douglas Waller talked to him about the differences between Hollywood and Washington.

    What's harder, being an actor or being a Senator?

    There's nothing hard about acting except the long hours. I had the luxury of having it as an avocation, so I looked at it as totally enjoyable.

    How much acting is there in politics?

    Probably no more than at your typical dinner party. But a little technique here and there doesn't hurt. Ronald Reagan was successful not because he was a great actor but because he was able to communicate his deeply held beliefs.


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    How much politics is there in acting?

    There's politics in everything, but in the movies, politics is usually tempered by the profit motive.

    What don't you like about politics in Washington?

    Serving in Congress, we spend an awful lot of time on matters that are not very important, that have to do more with tactics than anything else. Both parties spend an awful lot of time maneuvering for the next election and placing the other side in untenable positions. That's part of democracy, but you have to ask yourself, How much of your life do you want to devote to that?

    Why leave the Senate now?

    It seems to me the question is almost, Why stay? I've always looked at public service as more an interruption to a career than a career itself. George Washington served eight years and left town, and I think his example ought to be more the rule than the exception.

    Why did you take the part of the D.A. on Law & Order?

    The legal theme is something that has always been interesting to me. It's a show with a lot of class and a great tradition.

    You supported Senator John Mccain's campaign-finance-reform bill when most of your Republican colleagues shunned it. Why?

    I have always looked at this process as a citizen and as an outsider, not as a politician. It never made sense to me to have a system where huge amounts of money were allowed to be given to politicians and then to have those very same donors come up and lobby politicians on issues.

    You're on the intelligence panel investigating Sept. 11. Did we suffer an intelligence failure?

    Sept. 11 was evidence of a decline that we had in our ability to collect, analyze and disseminate intelligence information. Would Sept. 11 have happened if we had done everything perfectly and we had not seen that decline? Perhaps. From here on out, there's never going to be a fail-safe system. We're never going to achieve total perfection in our ability to predict precise acts. But we can do much better.

    You play a lot of authority figures in your movies, such as the Hunt for Red October. Is that typecasting?

    I have no control over what I'm offered, but I guess I have some control over what I've accepted. I try to stay with things that I feel a little bit of comfort with or grew up with. I guess I will never be offered a part as a ballet teacher, and if I am, I hope I have the good sense not to take it.

    Is there any job in politics that would make you get back in the game?

    I can't think of one. (Laughs.)