Carl Weathers

- Douglas Tseng

8 DAYS: For some viewers of a certain age, you’re best known as Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s comrade-in-arms in Predator, and Adam Sandler’s golf master in Happy Gilmore. So to see you as the State’s Attorney on Chicago Justice, the latest spin-off of Chicago Fire, is kinda new…

CARL WEATHERS: That’s exactly what I want. I want different characters to play and I want the challenges, and I want you, as a result, to be sucked into what I’m doing — because you came in maybe expecting one thing, but what I deliver is something beyond your expectations.

Did you feel underrated as an actor back in the day when you were synonymous with the action genre?

I don’t know if I was underrated, but I do think there’s much more in the toolbox than many people have had a chance to witness. I wouldn’t want to play the same type of characters I did when I was 20, 30, or 40 years old. To come to Chicago Justice, where my character doesn’t box or shoot machine guns, but uses his mind, is a very nice departure for me, and hopefully for the fans, it’s also an enjoyable experience.

How did you get involved with Chicago Justice? Were you a fan of creator Dick Wolf’s other show, Law & Order?

Of course. When I read the script for Chicago Justice, it was so well-written and the character I play, State’s Attorney Mark Jefferies, is really interesting. He’s both a politician and a lawyer. So that was the impetus for wanting to be part of it.

Did you watch Law & Order