AIDAN QUINN

The Elementary and Practical Magic star, 62, reunites with Liam Neeson for a sixth film, the action thriller Blacklight (in theaters Feb. 11). Quinn plays agent Gabriel Robinson, the head of the FBI and the boss of Neeson’s character, in this tense drama about a deadly conspiracy within the agency.

What attracted you to Blacklight? It was a particularly delicious role as the head of the FBI, who was close friends with Liam’s character. Liam plays someone who goes undercover and retrieves agents that have gotten themselves in trouble. Nobody really knows that much about him because of the nature of the job. Then things start to go a little bit awry, and we go to battle.

What else can you tell us about your character? He was in the Army and came up through the intelligence services. At some point, he took a turn. He lost his wife, so the job became his only thing. He thinks the country is going to hell in a handbasket and it needs some straightening out.

What was it like to play Teddy Roosevelt in HBO Max’s The American Guest? When I first read [the script], I thought, Is this possible? Can I do this? I had to gain 25 pounds, do a lot of homework and do a completely different voice and dialect.

You played Paul McCartney in VH1’s Beatles flick Two of Us in 2000, and you met him. What did he think of your performance? By all accounts he really enjoyed it, and we got to know each other afterwards. We used to hang out—my wife, me, Paul and a couple of his friends. He’s an absolute delight. I had five weeks to learn about his whole life. It could have taken five years!

What surprising things did he learn when he played Roosevelt? Go to Parade.com/quinn to find out.