Plausible Political Plot

When Tom Skerritt was approached to play the lead in HBO’s “Red King, White Knight,” he was intrigued “because the script smacked of newsworthiness.”

That assessment of the glasnost- era spy thriller proved increasingly true, Skerritt notes, as the project moved through production in politically-tense Hungary last spring and toward its debut date tonight. With the destabilizing Eastern Bloc as a background, “Red King” centers on a hypothetical plot to assassinate Mikhail Gorbachev by anti-reformists--a concept, Skerritt says, that the film team thought of as all-too-plausible.

“We talked about that, but not with any great concern about giving anyone ideas, because it’s already within the realm of possibility anyway,” says the actor.

Skerritt says with a laugh that he did no research for his role as a burned-out ex-CIA man destined to meet his ex-KGB adversary (Max von Sydow).

“I don’t do any of that kind of stuff,” says the veteran actor, whose rough-hewn features have long been familiar to the public via such films as “MASH,” “The Turning Point,” “Alien” and “Top Gun” in addition to numerous TV roles.

A type-B presence in a type-A profession, the Detroit native frequently comes up with such statements as “There’s no big secret to movie acting” and “When I’m not working, I really don’t think about the business.” He prefers to stay out of Hollywood, in the quiet surroundings of the Seattle home he shares with his wife, Susan, and their 11-year-old foster son.

Skerritt’s easygoing attitude extends to his other current role as Sally Field’s husband in “Steel Magnolias.” Working with five leading ladies successfully is just a matter of “knowing when to keep your mouth shut,” he says with a soft chuckle.

Just what does that mean?

“Oh, well, I was the man, you know,” he replies. “They tried to include me, but they had a lot to say to each other.”

* TV REVIEW: F13