Set in the near future, Colony follows a family in an occupied Los Angeles. Will (Josh Holloway) agrees to collaborate with the occupational government to help protect their family and hopefully get their son back, who they were separated from during the invasion. Meanwhile, his wife, Katie (Sarah Wayne Callies), secretly works for the Resistance and fights for their freedom.

Peter Jacobson, who is probably best known for his role as Dr. Taub on the series House, plays the character of Proxy Snyder, the leader of the Green Zone in occupied Los Angeles, who may be able to help them get their son back. In tonight's all new episode, he is trapped with Will and Katie during a chase threatening his life.

Yesterday Jacobson talked to the media about his work on the series.

The actor talked to SciFi Vision about how he first got the role, "I was given the script to look at and asked if I wanted to audition, and I had never met Carlton [Cuse] or Ryan [Condal] before. I think the casting director, April Webster, knew my work and thought “Well, this could be an interesting fit.” And when I read the script, right away I thought, “Well, this is really a terrific pilot and an even more terrific character.” And...so then I had the audition and then wound up getting the part."

Jacobson told the site that most of building the character came from the script. "Nobody particular inspired me. I was inspired certainly by the script itself, and by the way the character was described in the script, and also how he plays out in the script. So, you know, what was one of the things that I liked most about the script when I read it, was that Proxy Snyder sort of jumped off the page to me as - at me, really - as somebody who is obviously in a very unique situation and is sort of a unique character, in that we don’t necessarily see him right away as the typical villain. He’s somebody who has a lot of mystery to him, and he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would necessarily be in the position of power that he’s in. And I thought that was very interesting."

NBC Conference Call
Colony star Peter Jacobson
February 17, 2016
3:56 pm CT

SCIFI VISION: Can you talk a bit about developing your character? Did you take it all from the script? Was there any person or character maybe that you took inspiration from or anything like that?

PETER JACOBSON: Right. Nobody particular inspired me. I was inspired certainly by the script itself, and by the way the character was described in the script, and also how he plays out in the script. So, you know, what was one of the things that I liked most about the script when I read it, was that Proxy Snyder sort of jumped off the page to me as - at me, really - as somebody who is obviously in a very unique situation and is sort of a unique character, in that we don’t necessarily see him right away as the typical villain. He’s somebody who has a lot of mystery to him, and he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would necessarily be in the position of power that he’s in. And I thought that was very interesting.

SCIFI VISION: And can you talk about how you got the role?

PETER JACOBSON: Yes. I was given the script to look at and asked if I wanted to audition, and I had never met Carlton or Ryan before. I think the casting director, April Webster, knew my work and thought “Well, this could be an interesting fit.” And when I read the script, right away I thought, “Well, this is really a terrific pilot and an even more terrific character.” And so I was able, you know - so then I had the audition and then wound up getting the part.

QUESTION: I was wondering if you have any interesting or fun stories about filming the show or getting the part.

PETER JACOBSON: There was nothing interesting or fun about - well, it’s always interesting and fun to audition for a character that is himself interesting and fun. But it wasn’t unique in - or anything particularly interesting about getting the role. In fact, it’s pretty un-fun to wait until you hear that you actually got it. But that’s what every actor goes through with just about every audition.

And in terms of interesting or fun on the set – while we’re shooting, it is an interestingly fun group of people. Only that I, you know - it’s just every person who’s on the show has been so great and fun and nice to work with. Josh and I have gotten along really, really well. He’s just always fun to work with. Sarah is great. The two of them are great together.

I always find it fun to work with Josh, especially just because he and I are such different physical - everything. We’re just so different and I always feel this strange little homunculus next to that guy. It’s just always so fun. I think the contrast between the two of us as human beings and as characters brings a lot of spirit and an interesting take to the relationship and it’s always really fun to work with him.

QUESTION: Can you give us a little bit of insight of how much you know about your character? There’s a lot of mystery around him. How much did you know going in and how much do you know of his future?

PETER JACOBSON: I only knew going in what was in the pilot. And, as I said, one of the things that fascinated me about him is that you don’t know all that much about him. It’s just, you know, interestingly, he was just sort of [an] atypical person very much in charge. And that intrigued me, but what I liked again with it, I didn’t really know why he was there and how long he was going to be there. And that’s part of being in a show with Carlton Cuse. You don’t always know what’s coming down the line.

So I just knew from the pilot what was there. I never really knew much more than an episode or two ahead while we were shooting the first 10 episodes, which served me fine. Some actors like to know, have a much better idea what’s coming down the pike, at - way down the line. And that can certainly be helpful but I knew I wasn’t going to get a lot of real specifics on this. And so I was real happy to just go along knowing an episode or two ahead what was coming. And as of now I certainly know what happens all the way through the season because we shot it a while ago. But I have no idea what’s coming or what’s going in Season 2.

QUESTION: We don’t have a lot of background information on Snyder yet. But what can we expect to learn about Snyder’s motivations and maybe the reasons behind why he’s joined the Transitional Authority?

PETER JACOBSON: Real good question and I’ve had many of those questions as the season - as we shot. And it was always interesting to talk talk about why he’s there. This episode coming up tomorrow, “Yoknapatawpha”, will be the moment in the season when you really do begin to really get some more detail and some specifics as to why Snyder is where he is and how he got there. That being said, I can’t guarantee that the explanations he gives are necessarily the truth. I don’t mean to make it more confusing than it is, but to me, it’s my favorite episode of the season really for that reason -- that we begin to see much more about who Snyder is and why he is who he is.

And, again, even if some of that he might be hedging or might be fibbing or might be not being completely direct, that in and of itself tells you even more about who he is. And again, it’s a very exciting episode. It’s the three of us. It’s Will, Katie and Proxy Snyder stuck together in a very tight space for a very long time and it’s not necessarily a threesome that is enjoying each other.

QUESTION: I’m looking forward to seeing that episode. Also there’s this big mystery around the invasion. Are we ever really going to learn any more about that in this season possibly?

PETER JACOBSON: Yes. You will learn more. I’m not at liberty to say how much. There will be, you will learn more but it’s a very Carlton Cuse - in a very Carlton Cuse-ine way. The information will be doled out sparingly and the second season you’ll be learning a lot more.

QUESTION: How do you like the Twitter end reaction and is this new to you?

PETER JACOBSON: Oh my God. It couldn’t be newer. I’m not of this - of the - I’d like to say of this generation, which is silly because I know many people my age and older who are very much involved in Twitter. But I just came really late to it. And it’s - what’s really neat is the immediacy of it. That there are so many people out there who are loving the show and are - you’re hearing it right away. In terms of the live tweeting, I still always feel like I’m about three minutes behind, which is very frustrating.

But, as I get better and get - am able to sort of really fly with it as it goes, again, it’s always just exciting to be in the direct feedback and to hear what people are thinking and to be able to respond to them directly. And it’s been great because there are so many people out there who are really loving the show. And how exciting is that for any actor to have that much contact and to be, hearing great stuff? I mean, if it was a kind of thing where everybody was telling me how much they hated it I probably would be a little depressed. But that’s not the case. It’s really been a great, wonderful, positive reaction.

It was just really, for me, mostly getting to learn how to do it. I’m a real moron when it comes to anything technological. So I’m still learning.

QUESTION: Well, we’re really glad that you are tweeting with us. It’s a lot of fun. And how do you like the feedback that you’re getting about the character? You know, you get people kind of like me, because I’m on the Resistance side I guess - if we’re going to…

PETER JACOBSON: That’s great. USA has done so much wonderful work in terms of supporting us and giving different outlets for people who are into the show to have fun and engage. And then, when I engage with them I’m aware of the energy that has been generated around this and around, questions like that -- like, “Are you - do you want to be - would you be part of the Resistance or would you collaborate?”

And within that there’s a whole group of people that are very, very much seem to be fans of Proxy Snyder and are real engaged in what would he do? Why is he doing this? Who is he? Love him, hate him. And it’s really fun to bat that stuff back and forth within - with those people because more than most I happen to be a little bit more intimate with the character and I’m able to really have a good time. And that kind of energy and that kind of interest is just wonderful. It’s really fun.

QUESTION: Your character is currently presented as the worst kind of collaborator operating almost purely out of self-interests. Is there more than him? And does he believe his own altruistic claims that he’s doing it for the betterment of everyone in the colony?

PETER JACOBSON: Great question. There is certainly much more to him -- much more to him than that. But, yes. And he absolutely believes that the way he’s going about it is the right way. I’m sure that Snyder is like anybody would be, confused about whether or not it’s always, you know - whether or not things are going to work out in the way that he hopes that they will and has moments of doubt about whether or not he’s doing the right thing. But ultimately the passion that he expresses about “This is the way it should be done” is absolutely real and I think he believes it to his core.

QUESTION: I look at the character of Snyder as he’s just like Will. Will is collaborating for the best of himself and his family. We don’t know if Snyder has a family but that’s how I look at him. And I’m curious. How is it to play such a villain as opposed to playing a good guy?

PETER JACOBSON: Absolutely. Snyder does have a family and he absolutely is doing what he thinks is the right thing. I think -- interestingly -- anybody in the situation like this with this kind of occupation would ultimately do what is best for them and their family. And Snyder believes that that’s what’s going on. So everybody is a collaborator in that regard. Playing a villain like that I absolutely love. I’m very used to playing a lot of doctors and lawyers and they’re often terrific roles. But rarely do I get to play somebody who’s, you know - has this much power and is this capable of some pretty bad behavior. I’ve played obnoxious people before. I’ve played bad guys before. But this is the baddest that I’ve ever gotten to play and I just love it.

QUESTION: Well, the one true evil thing was him putting Geronimo to death last week. I mean, that was...

PETER JACOBSON: Yes.

QUESTION: Yes. That was absolutely evil. But one other very quick question, how long did it take you to learn how to pronounce The Yonk’s proper name?

PETER JACOBSON: I’m not going to answer until I hear you say it.

QUESTION: I can’t do it. I can’t. I’ve tried.

PETER JACOBSON: I got it relatively quickly. I had five years on the show House in which I was tackling even more difficult words every week with some disease that I couldn’t pronounce. And I got pretty adept at that kind of thing and I’ve built it into my muscle memory pretty quickly. So The Yonk was actually no problem for me.

QUESTION:  So, when you’re not busy working -- just to change subject a bit -- do you like to watch TV? And if so, what do you like to watch?

PETER JACOBSON: I love to watch TV. I at times feel overwhelmed because there’s so much good TV out there. I mean, there’s just - sometimes it’s like there are too many things to watch and I just shut down. I don’t even know where to go. My interests tend more towards the political. So shows like The Americans and House of Cards -- even though they’re very different kinds of shows -- I like stuff that has a political edge to them. I love It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which I got to do an episode of a few years back. I just love something like that that’s just raw and very, you know, holds no - pulls no punches and is just, you know - it’s pretty brutal.

So I’m trying to think if there’s anything else. I haven’t seen Breaking Bad, which, I feel like I’m the only person on the planet who hasn’t and I almost feel ashamed that I haven’t. That’s next on my list. And I wish I had more time to watch because there’s - again, it’s almost paralyzing. I just - there’s too much to watch. It’s like a kid in a candy store.

QUESTION: You previously mentioned that Snyder has a daughter. I was wondering if you could tell us if she’ll fold into the story at some point or if having a child will color his perception of helping Will find his son.

PETER JACOBSON: Well, I think what we’ll learn tomorrow is that having the child definitely has colored how he’s dealing with Will. Again, to what extent you believe the depths of Snyder’s feelings about it -- that’s always up for question, which is what I love about the character. My daughter does not play an active role plot-wise until the very end of the season.

There’s a little bit more of - she has a little bit more of a presence. But right now, from this point of the season through until the end it’s more just the sense of who is she in Snyder’s life and how is she impacting his decisions and what he’s doing. And it’s more of an emotional question. And hopefully -- as an actor -- I’m letting that stuff come through and indicating - not actually indicating but emotionally indicating where my daughter is at play in my mind and in my feelings. But she’s, at this point she’s not front and center. But she’s definitely there.

QUESTION: You’re well known for your role in House, which lasted for several seasons. How hard is it as an actor to transition - is there a transition to go from a show like that to a show like this? Do you approach things differently?

PETER JACOBSON: I don’t approach it - as an actor there’s no difference for me. It’s all about the character and the relationships and the life of the show. And Dr. Taub in House was just - that was that world and I had the great luck of being able to be in that world for five years. And that was a good three years ago and I’ve played some other things in the interim. But this is the first opportunity to dive into a -- again -- a long arc of a character where I knew I had at least, I had 10 episodes to really flesh it out.

But in terms of my approach it’s just, “Oh. Well, here’s a new person.” And this guy is nothing like Dr. Taub. At the same time, it’s me. So I’m going to bring the qualities that I brought to Taub, I’m going to bring them to Snyder. But they’re going to obviously be manifested in very different ways. And I - certainly nothing is more fun for an actor than to have really a wildly different character to play. And I see that the jump from Taub to Snyder is a pretty big one. And that’s been really fun.

QUESTION: You’re the guy from House. Anytime your name is mentioned it’s the guy from House, and now for Colony as it grows. Who do you see yourself as? Who are you to you? You know. You’re a father. You’re a parent. Who is (unintelligible) you?

PETER JACOBSON: In terms of characters that I play or just me in my life?

QUESTION: Because we associate you with your characters, my question is who are you? I mean...yourself?

PETER JACOBSON: Right. Interestingly, I have -- for the last seven or eight years, starting with House -- been playing mostly people who were there - not bad guys, but there’s a certain negative quality that our -- I’ll put it this way -- negative qualities are in the forefront. And I don’t think that’s somebody that I am in real life. I think that I’m generally a more, sort of a positive and friendly and nice person and I’m not playing a lot of those guys. And I’m not quite sure why. I think it’s been funny and fun and interesting but definitely Peter Jacobson is not a power-hungry, philandering asshole lawyer. I’m just - I’m a nice guy and I love being with people. And I think people who know me and love me think of me as a pretty friendly, fun person. And strangely that’s not who I’m playing.

QUESTION: Last week, we saw the first major death on the series, which was (Phyllis).

PETER JACOBSON: Yes.

QUESTION: How is that going affect the Transitional Authority and how will that affect Snyder going forward?

PETER JACOBSON: Well there will be certainly ripples in terms of who’s in what position of authority. I will act to fill that vacuum. I already did. I put Will in her position. So already we begin the ripple effects to her death. It’s certainly the death that motivates Snyder in a big way because the shocking nature of somebody of that status being killed in the Green Zone, the place where we’re all supposed to be protected, just shows how potentially more dangerous the Resistance is and can be.

So Snyder’s got that very much on his mind and it really does propel him forward in terms of the actions that he takes and also the fears and concerns that he has that fuel those actions. So it was a very pivotal moment. And again we’ll see that in the more intense, personal, human level - the ways in which it’s playing out for Snyder in this episode tomorrow night when three people stuck in the same spot under these intense circumstances. There’s going to be a lot of sparks flying and a lot of - frankly, a lot more honesty than what we’ve seen so far.

QUESTION: You’ve done a lot of stage and some feature film work. What do you prefer, TV, film, or stage, and why?

PETER JACOBSON: TV and film are more similar. Stage is a completely different animal. I started out doing nothing but stage and it was my first love as an actor. And it’s been a long time since I’ve been doing it. And I miss it, but I love, love, love doing film and television - much more television than film for me - in the last few years. I just love the intimacy of it. I like the schedule better. I like the money better.

But mostly it’s just a much more internal process and it’s quieter and it feels more real. And that’s just something that as I’ve gotten older and stayed in TV I’ve just really begun to love and appreciate even, more and more as I go. It’s just  feels very, very intimate and I like that. Just some of the more - the artifice of the theater, of making sure that you’re out there projecting every night, and hitting your mark, and doing it for a paying audience, is thrilling.

But for some reason that’s not been as exciting to me as again, the immediacy of TV as in you always get the chance to do it over again in the moment, which is nice. The bummer is that once you’re done, you’re done. That scene is over forever. And in theater you get to try again the next night and make it better.

QUESTION: You said that you wrapped filming for this season. Can you give us some insight on some future projects that you’re working on?

PETER JACOBSON: I am currently playing a recurring role on The Americans, as I mentioned as a show that I like. And I like it even more now that I’m on it. And my character comes on the end of the fourth season, and so I’ve been doing that for the last few weeks and I’ve got a few more weeks on that. And just, you know, poking around looking for other stuff to fill the gaps until we get revved up again for Colony.

QUESTION: Characters such as Snyder eventually get their comeuppance. Out of whose hands would you like to see him go?

PETER JACOBSON: That’s a good question. I’m so lost in the righteousness of what Snyder’s doing that it’s hard for me to break outside enough and see him going in any way, shape, or form. He feels immortal to me at the moment. But in terms of the characters, I really do think that Katie is so - all these characters are beautifully drawn but I just, again, her conviction and the intensity with which she pursues what she wants and what she thinks is right in the face of everything she’s up against just as a fellow person who is that committed. I would find it honorable to go at the hands of Katie.

QUESTION: What do you think you, Peter, would do if you were in this kind of a situation? All of us like to think we know ourselves one way or another.

PETER JACOBSON: Right. Yes. I like to think that I’d do something heroic. I know first and foremost I would be doing whatever I could do to make sure my family was okay. And my sense is that the [Green] Zone in the situation like this is what’s more dominant, that people are doing what they can to protect themselves and their loved ones, but that most people would not be heroes or villains. That they would live in that mid-range where you do what you have to do to get by and what I think is beautiful about the show is that it’s not - there’s [a] certain mundane quality to life under this occupation.

Obviously the terror is always there. But on a daily basis, I would guess most people are just trying to function. And certainly in the show, the extremities are who we’re dealing with - from Will and Katie and Snyder and all the others - the Resistance and those who are collaborating. But in the middle there is where most people, I think, in real life would live. Where I would just be, save my family, try to get by. Don’t be a hero.

QUESTION: One of the things that intrigues me about this show is the way morality seems to slip past some people at this point.

PETER JACOBSON: Right.

QUESTION: With the government basically saying “It’s okay to be a jerk. It’s okay to hurt your fellow man.”

PETER JACOBSON: Right. And how would you respond to that? How would, with those shifting social mores, what would you do?

QUESTION: I think it’s an interesting question that the producers have begun to ask.

PETER JACOBSON: One of many. Yes. I agree with you.

QUESTION: If you were going to put Snyder’s motivations into a chart, where would you put, like, a fear of the house? Your self-serving belief that you’re the best choice to help people, like somebody else would be worth and your enjoyment of being in that kind of a high position. Where do you think those three and maybe others - where do they fall?

PETER JACOBSON: I think enjoyment is number one. Even though he’s smart and he’s terrified of what could be around the corner and who’s up there. That’s the neat part about Snyder, is that all three of those things are very there. You sort of hit it on the head. What he’s made up of. But my feeling is that what’s cool about him is that you really have this sense that he just loves being in this situation. And I love playing that. That’s fun.

QUESTION: You’ve been on many different shows. You’ve guest-starred on many different shows. Is there a particular genre that you find yourself drawn to? And is there any guest stars that you would love to have visit Colony or that you’d love to work with?

PETER JACOBSON: That’s a good question. I don’t think I have a particular genre that I’m always itching for. I mean, I think that if I ever had a chance to do something like be a cowboy or ride off into the sunset or something like that, omething that I would never do, that’s always fun. All of the sudden you getting that chance to do something that is so outside your wheelhouse. Not that there are that many cowboy shows out there.

But I just mean something like, even like Game of Thrones where it’s just not what people would normally think of me as and when I don’t normally think of myself in that world. That’s the world I want to try to be in, which was what [was] kind of neat about Colony was - here’s a guy with a lot of power who can be a real asshole. He’s in charge. Why is this guy in charge? That was what’s exciting. I didn’t anticipate that that would be the kind of role that I would be drawn to or that others would be drawn to me in terms of playing it. That was a long-winded answer to the first part. What was the second part of your question?

QUESTION: Anyone that you would love to work with.

PETER JACOBSON: Oh. God.

QUESTION: You know, a good reputation as a great actor. Is there anyone that you kind of like, “Ooh. I’d love to work with”?

PETER JACOBSON: Oh. So many. I literally can’t even begin to - being on Colony is like “Oh. it’s Kathy Baker this week. And well, there’s Carl Weathers and Paul Guilfoyle. People who I had known and respected and love their work and was fascinated by for a long time. And here I am working with them. I’ve been around for long enough now that I’ve seen and met so many great actors and it’s just hard to pinpoint one. It’s, you know, (Dee Moore) is like a superstar. I would love to have Robert Duvall or Al Pacino show up. But I don’t think they’re going to be playing guest on a TV show anytime soon.