Will & Grace star Eric McCormack remembers Carl Weathers on little-known cop show shot in Vancouver

Actor and former football player Carl Weathers wore many hats, but to Eric McCormack he was a generous friend and partner on one of his first-ever TV shows.

Before McCormack went on to achieve stardom in shows like Will & Grace, the Canadian-American actor had a recurring role in a little-known syndicated TV crime drama called Street Justice, which was shot in Vancouver in the early 1990s. The show, which starred Weathers and Bryan Genesse, ran for two seasons before it was cancelled.

At that time, Weathers was already an established actor, having starred in the Rocky films. He wasn't new to Vancouver either, as he had played for the B.C. Lions in the Canadian Football League from 1971 to 1973.

Weathers died in his sleep on Thursday at the age of 76, according to friends and family.

McCormack spoke to CBC Radio's On The Coast guest host Amy Bell about Street Justice, his memories of Weathers, and the legacy the athlete-turned-actor left behind.

On The Coast7:30Eric McCormack remembers actor Carl Weathers

Carl Weathers — the iconic actor known for playing Apollo Creed in Rocky, Colonel Al Dillon in Predator, and Greef Karga on The Mandalorian — has died at the age of 76. Actor Eric McCormack shares what it was like working with him on Street Justice, a TV show starring Weathers, and shot in Vancouver in the Nineties.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What went through your mind when you heard that that Carl had passed away?

I love Carl a lot and it's too young for a guy that healthy and known for being so, so fit. It's a bit of a shock.

Like everybody, I loved him. I was 13 when I saw Rocky. I think it was the first film I ever saw without my parents and the first Academy Awards I ever watched.

So I'd known him as a fan since I was a kid. When I flew to Vancouver for the first time in '92 and started auditioning, one of the first things I got was the series Street Justice, in which I was Carl's new partner.

What was that like? That moment when you met him not as a teenage fan, but as a peer?

He was incredibly generous to me.

I was already 30. I was not new to the business, but I was new to TV because I'd been doing a lot of theatre. And Carl was the first [to] stop me after one take and go, 'You're talking too loud. The camera's right there. What are you doing?'

My character was not supposed to be a real cop, he'd sort of infiltrated the police for revenge. I decided on this one take that I would bash against the wall and my gun would fall out of my hand and I thought that would be a good bit.

After the take Carl said, 'The hell was that?'

So I just thought, you know, [it's] because I'm not really trained. And he said, 'A cop would never let his gun come out of his hand.' He was so determined to kind of 'sergeant' me into being an action hero.

I so appreciated that. He saw what I was bringing and I could see that he ... wanted more from a show that was otherwise just a lot of cops and robbers.

What do you think people will remember most about Carl?

What you bring to a job and particularly a television job that lasts a while... is 50 per cent your talent and 50 per cent being a decent human being ... And I got to see that first hand working with Carl.

That was the first time I was ever on a TV show where I was very aware of what we call number 1 on the call sheet. It was his show, and how he treated people below him mattered to everyone. Those that knew him, knew that side of him, [and] knew he's a great guy. 

Even when we think of Rocky ... he was the tough guy, he seemed to have to be almost heartless as a character. But at the end of that thing, you saw in his eyes that he respected Rocky Balboa and that's kind of my feeling all over ... what he gave me is respect.

Carl also had another connection to Vancouver, he played with the B.C. Lions in the 1970s. Did that ever come up when you were filming?

Not only did I know nothing about football in the '70s, I knew nothing about football in Canada, ever. So no, it didn't come up [laughs]. You're not the only one to ask.

But I was aware that he was an athlete. I come from a very theatre-heavy background, so that was part of the fun of the two of us on screen, was that he brought all of that athleticism and sort of weight with him when I was positively weightless.