Resident plays Adlai Stevenson in ‘Thirteen Days’

Katherine Tolford

GLENDALE -- Michael Fairman knows what it’s like to roll up his

sleeves and work side by side with the Kennedys.

In “Thirteen Days,” Fairman, along with actors such as Bruce Greenwood

(John F. Kennedy), Kevin Costner (Kenneth O’Donnell, a Kennedy aide) and

Steven Culp (Robert F. Kennedy) turn back time to portray the United

States’ cast of characters involved in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

Fairman, who plays Adlai Stevenson, the U.S. ambassador to the United

Nations, said the “Thirteen Days” team spent hours together in one room

discussing the same issues as the real Kennedy team.

“I felt like we were actually going through the crisis,” said Fairman,

who is a Glendale resident. “We’d talk about the same issues and then go

to Kennedy (Greenwood) for a decision. We could feel the tension.”

The decision at hand during those pivotal 13 days was how to respond

to a Soviet offensive missile buildup in Cuba. Stevenson proposed a

peaceful alternative.

“He made a quid pro quo offer to give up our Guantanamo base and our

Turkish missiles -- and everyone looked at him like he was insane,”

Fairman said. “They thought he didn’t have the guts to go in and confront

the Russian ambassador.”

Ultimately, President Kennedy believed in Stevenson and sent him to

deal with the Russians. Fairman believes it’s this scene that enables his

character to hold his own among the bigger players.

“You see a beginning, middle and end to his situation, which enables

you to understand him,” Fairman said.

“He’s the most substantial and meaningful character I’ve ever played.

I’m still in awe,” said the 67-year-old, who’s played a slew of character

roles on television shows such as “Hill Street Blues,” “Seinfeld,” “L.A.

Law,” “Cagney & Lacey” and “Cheers.”

Fairman read twice for the part of the CIA director before the movie’s

producer and director thought he’d be better suited to play the part of

Stevenson. After he auditioned for the role, they told Fairman he got the

part because he had the soul of Stevenson.

“I searched myself for the essence of him. I didn’t try to imitate him

-- just to find who the man was, essentially. I think I got a semblance

of that on screen,” Fairman said.

Fairman spent hours researching Stevenson. He studied the video of

Stevenson’s actual United Nations meeting with the Russian ambassador,

listened to recordings of his speeches and read two Stevenson biographies

and a book of his witticisms and sayings.

Fairman didn’t have to spend any time orienting himself to a strange

set. He said many of the scenes were filmed at Barwick Studios in

Glendale, including the Oval Office, United Nations and conference

scenes, and portions of the White House exteriors.

Although he only had to travel down the street from his home for this

high-profile role, Fairman is hoping the buzz he’s been receiving for his

performance will take him a lot farther than Glendale.

“I think big things are looming in the wings,” Fairman said.

THE FAIRMAN FILE

NAME: Michael Fairman, actor, Glendale resident for the last eight

years.

AGE: 67.

FAMILY: Wife, Joy; daughter, Sky, 7.

ON ADLAI STEVENSON: “I voted for him in the 1956 election. I was

impressed with his intelligence. He seemed to say what he felt.”

ON LIVING THROUGH THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS: “It was pretty scary. I

remember walking through the streets of Manhattan and seeing people

looking at the TVs in the store windows to find out what was happening.”

UPCOMING ROLE: Reprising his “Boston Public” role as the head of the

Boston school board in an upcoming episode of “The Practice.”

WHAT HE LEARNED ABOUT HISTORY FROM ’13 DAYS’: “How bloody close we

came to war. The guts of JFK and the determination of the men involved to

do the best they could.”

FAVORITE PRESIDENTS: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln. “For

their ability to lead us through great crises.”

HOBBIES: Body building three to four days a week. He won sixth place

in his age range in a Body For Life contest.