Mark Tallman Brings His Athletic Edge to ‘Your Mates & Neighbors’

Mark Tallman is understood for showing in in style exhibits like Damages, State of Affairs, and First Wives Membership, however his newest function as Nick Brandes in Your Mates & Neighbors sees him parlay a formidable sporting background with the intention to carry authenticity to a charismatic character.

M&F sat down with the athlete-turned-actor to learn how the person from El Paso, TX, likes to coach, and we couldn’t resist getting the main points behind “that” severely memorable basketball scene too.

Dwelling as much as his identify, the 6’3” Tallman towers over most Hollywood stars. In Your Mates & Neighbors, his character, Nick, is a former NBA standout who’s now retired and residing in an prosperous neighborhood—juggling his “Sturdy Ass Health club” with different hilarious entrepreneurial efforts, like a space-age bathroom that he hopes will take off identical to the George Foreman Grill.

“The sensible bathroom is one thing else,” says Tallman of the viewers’s response. “Individuals find it irresistible.”

However together with the comedy comes some severe rivalry. Within the present, Tallman’s character has just lately damaged a friendship code and brought the spouse of his buddy, leaving John Hamm’s character, Andrew Cooper, out within the chilly.

Casting the function would show troublesome as a result of Tallman’s character needed to be plausible as a assured former athlete whereas nonetheless being likeable regardless of hooking up together with his pal’s associate, performed by Amanda Peet. With only a month to organize, Tallman quickly realized that the backstory to his character would require real health photoshoots for mock journal covers, together with scenes displaying him within the throes of swimming, basketball, and tennis.

Whereas the tennis approach required some teaching, the actor tells M&F that he was all-in when it got here to that memorable basketball scene in episode 3 which resulted in a pleasant (however intoxicated) sport going south — after his opponent bought a gnarly damaged leg for his efforts.

Mark Tallman Breaks Down His Memorable Basketball Scene in “Your Mates & Neighbors”

Following the graphic leg break, the scene known as for Tallman to proceed play whereas being interviewed by the police.

“Effectively, it did take a very long time to shoot” he shares. “Notably due to the stunt concerned, for somebody’s leg to interrupt. However the basketball half, hey man, I’m gonna toot my very own horn,” beams Tallman. “I’m being interviewed by the detective and taking pictures whereas performing. Initially of the scene, I believe I say one thing like ‘I hope you don’t thoughts if I maintain getting my pictures in.’ I needed to shoot all through that whole scene and typically with TV or movie, they’ll superimpose reduce pictures the place the actor’s taking pictures, after which they only present a ball stepping into.”

However there was extra to the shot than meets the attention. “However should you look carefully, they have been intentional about placing some full, vast pictures in there as a result of I used to be making them pictures. Me and (Jonathan) Tropper, our creator, have been going forwards and backwards, and he mentioned he was going to place some cash on my proportion of taking pictures.”

With Tropper taunting Tallman and telling him to not “choke,” the athlete-turned-actor rose to the problem. In fact, the massive man wasn’t about to overlook an opportunity to compete. Tallman’s sporting pedigree consists of being a former Division I soccer participant who earned All-Star honors in highschool in three sports activities: soccer, basketball, and baseball.

Mark Tallman Nonetheless Loves To Prepare

“I attempt to maintain it easy,” explains the actor of his angle to staying in form. “I imply, I really feel just like the extra difficult you get, the much less motivated you might be to do the work.”

To keep away from harm as he matures, Tallman says he works on his mobility in addition to his muscle. The star says that a number of of his associates who retired as athletes have suffered with torn Achilles up to now, so he makes certain to strengthen that space with strikes like bent knee calf Raises. By way of pumping iron, the actor nonetheless likes to sweat it out within the health club, nevertheless. “I attempt to incorporate two push actions and two pull actions,” he explains. “Say a bench press and an overhead shoulder press (for push day) after which on the flip facet both pullups or lat pulldowns, and a few kind of row, whether or not it’s an upright row or bent (over) row.”

Tallman tells M&F that he typically opts for 3 units of 10 reps per train, however when he’s attempting to get lean for a particular process, he’ll improve the amount to 4 units of 15-16 reps, “The place it’s simply burnout kind of stuff,” he notes.

With Your Mates & Neighbors proving to be a large hit, Tallman has already been picked for Season 2, which means that he’s discovered comradery in a strong performing staff, identical to the bonds he loved on the planet of sports activities. Whereas Tallman as soon as seemed to his athletic coaches to enhance his sport, he now has some extremely skilled performing mentors, just like the present’s govt producer, John Hamm.

“I imply, he’s an exceptional actor,” says Tallman.” Everyone knows that, so I already seemed as much as him from a piece standpoint, however it’s been actually, actually cool to look at the way in which he carries himself not solely as an actor, (however) as a result of he’s simply what you’d hope he’d be. He’s a execs professional.”

Your Mates & Neighbors is streaming now on Apple TV+.

To comply with Mark Tallman on Instagram, click on right here.