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Valley native to appear on ‘Blindspot’
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
Youngstown native Victor Slezak will appear as a guest star on Monday’s episode of “Blindspot.”
The actor will play Gen. Mark Sheridan, a veteran of the Gulf war and a Southerner, on the NBC drama that airs at 10 p.m.
Slezak’s Southern accent and demeanor must have been very convincing, because it fooled the show’s star, Jaimie Alexander.
“At the initial table read, after it was all over, Jaimie came over to me and introduced herself and said, ‘It was so good to hear someone from back home. I miss it so much. I’m from Texas, where are you from?’” said Slezak.
“I know how hard it is on the set and being away from home, so it broke my heart to have to tell her that I was from Ohio and the dialect was for the role. But the actor part of me went ‘Yes!’”
“Blindspot,” which premiered in September, centers on a woman (played by Alexander) with no memories of her past who is found naked in New York’s Times Square with her body covered in intricate tattoos. The FBI begins to follow the clues in her tattoos, which reveal a conspiracy of crime and brings her closer to discovering her identity.
Slezak grew up on Youngstown’s South Side and moved to New York to pursue an acting career. He did stage work before landing a recurring role on the soap opera “The Guiding Light” in the ’80s. He would later take Broadway roles.
He has since appeared on many television series, including “Hell on Wheels,” “Bluebloods,” “The Americans” and “The Divide.”
In addition to his guest spot on “Blindspot,” Slezak can be seen in the film “The Mulberry Bush,” which is in contention at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. The film was written and directed by Neil LaBute and will premiere at Tribeca later this month.
Slezak also will appear on an upcoming episode of Showtime’s “Billions,” and recently signed on as a cast member with a new Netflix series to be called “The OA.” Filming will begin in May.