Checking in with STEVE ZAHN

Steve Zahn usually represents the everyman, but in his new series, he stands in for every baffled man ... and woman.

Premiering Monday, April 2, the ABC suspense-drama “The Crossing” casts the veteran of such movies as “That Thing You Do!” and “War for the Planet of the Apes” as a small-town sheriff whose quiet existence is interrupted big-time by the sudden appearance of many people who have washed up on his locale’s beach ... and not only that, they’re from the future. Homeland Security investigators and genetic engineering eventually come into play as the lawman struggles to grasp what’s happening.

“I thought it was a unique role that I had not played before,” says the good-humored Zahn, who’s often cast in parts with comedic slants. “I usually wouldn’t be on the list for a character like that, especially in a (broadcast-)network show. But once I read the script and I talked to these guys (the series’ producers, who include ”Crossing“creators Dan Dworkin and Jay Beattie), I realized they were a little different, and I dug that.”

Despite the supernatural overtones of “The Crossing,” Zahn notes, “I’m not a sci-fi-minded guy, to be honest. I never watched a ‘Star Trek.’ That’s the truth. I watched ‘The Rat Patrol’ and ‘Hogan’s Heroes.’ I needed something real – that’s who I am – so when I read a script, I’m attracted to a war picture or a Western. I’m not attracted to a kind of high-concept sci-fi, so when I read this. I read it as a small town that just happened to have this crazy thing happen. That was very interesting to me.”

With that, Zahn adds of his “Crossing” alter ego, “It takes him a while to kind of figure it out. It’s this gradual understanding and trusting of other people. He’s got some tough stuff that he’s working through, but he’s a good guy.”

Birthdate: Nov. 13, 1967

Birthplace: Marshall, Minn.

Current residence: Kentucky

Marital status: Married; has two children

Other television work includes: “Mad Dogs,” “Modern Family,” “Mind Games,” “Treme,” “Phineas and Ferb” (voice only), “Monk,” “Comanche Moon,” “Wolf Lake,” “From the Earth to the Moon,” “Friends,” “South Beach,” “All My Children”

Movie work includes: “Blaze,” “Lean on Pete,” “War for the Planet of the Apes,” “Captain Fantastic,” “The Good Dinosaur” (voice only), “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Escape From Planet Earth” (voice only), “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” “Calvin Marshall,” “A Perfect Getaway,” “Management,” “Strange Wilderness,” “Sunshine Cleaning,” “The Great Buck Howard,” “Rescue Dawn,” “Bandidas,” “Chicken Little” (voice only), “Sahara,” “Employee of the Month,” “Shattered Glass,” “Daddy Day Care,” “National Security,” “Stuart Little 2,” “Riding in Cars With Boys,” “Chelsea Walls,” “Joy Ride,” “Dr. Dolittle 2” (voice only), “Saving Silverman,” “Hamlet,” “Stuart Little” (voice only), “Forces of Nature,” “Happy, Texas,” “You’ve Got Mail,” “Safe Men,” “Out of Sight,” “The Object of My Affection,” “That Thing You Do!,” “Crimson Tide,” “Reality Bites”

Favorite movie: “It would have to be ‘Once Upon A Time In The West.’ ”

Favorite television series you’re not on: “‘The Wire’ is definitely my favorite TV show.”

Favorite singer: “I have to go with Steve Earle.”