TV, eh? interview: Flashpoint’s Sergio Di Zio on Spike and Salinger

By Diane Wild

Flashpoint’s Sergio Di Zio on Spike and Salinger

“I was about to say ‘it’s the one with the hostage,'” Sergio Di Zio laughed when recalling which Flashpoint episode airs when the show returns in its new Tuesday timeslot.

It is, in fact, the one with the bereaved father accused of murdering his baby … who takes hostages. It’s also a Spike-light episode, but Di Zio promises there’s more of his character in the next five episodes.

Sergio Di Zio of Flashpoint

“You’ll know a lot more about his personal life when he’s not in the truck and diffusing bombs, what helped make him the policeman he turned out to be,” he said, adding that Spike’s mentor makes an appearance.

“Spike is probably the best character to play. You can grow with him – he started off as one of the rookies on the show. He gets to be the comedic relief. He gets to go by his own drum, which on a team show doesn’t always happen.”

Dead babies and hostages aren’t exactly feel-good topics, but Di Zio says Flashpoint is “more affirming than depressing. You see the humanity behind the police stuff. It’s a compassionate team. And there’s no real bad guys. People under certain situations are able to do bad things and you’re able to realize why that happens: this is a good person doing a bad thing.”

He’s been busy during his Flashpoint hiatus filming a feature called Cold Blooded, which he calls “the opposite of Flashpoint. I’m a geek without combat skills.”

He also spent the holidays in New York, and when the conversation turned to his favourite authors, the avid reader called J.D. Salinger “the voice in my head when I’m there.”

“On set you have a lot of downtime,” he explained. “Having a book around is like having a companion.” Other favourites include John Updike, Robertson Davies, and Mordecai Richler.

In a trick he stole from an older actor he worked with once (and which I will now steal from him), Di Zio has turned his library into a snapshot of his life, writing in the last page of his books the date he read it and what was going on in his life at the time.

His life now includes starting production on season four of Flashpoint, and he’s enthusiastic about the season three episodes still to air starting tonight. “The last six episodes are even stronger than the first bunch. The writers got more exciting twists and turns in the episodes.”

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6 thoughts on “TV, eh? interview: Flashpoint’s Sergio Di Zio on Spike and Salinger”

  1. the border and intelligence rocked – flashpoint stinks – and so does insecurity.

    canadians are allowed to make great shows and movies when pretending to be americans – but we’re only rarely allowed to make great stuff being canadians.

    everything made being canadian is almost always crap – on purpose.

  2. Thanks for the interview! Spike is my favorite character on Flashpoint, so I look forward to seeing his character develop. (My wait will, unfortunately, be longer, as I’m in the US.) I also loved the idea at the end about the books. I’m totally stealing it too!

  3. Flashpoint is my new favorite show! Spike is my favorite character, and Sergio seems just as likable in real life as his character is on the show!

    Thanks a lot for this interview! I love to read more about both Sergio and Flashpoint/Spike! :)

  4. Spike is my favorite character on Flashpoint! I absolutely adore the geeks! He’s the one I find easiest to get attached to, and he’s also the cutest. Sergio seems just as funny and nice as his character on the show does!
    I can’t wait to see more of the show, but unfortunately all the episodes arnt aired in America yet.
    I’ve been asking around, trying to find Sergio Di Zio’s contact information, I’d like to send him some fan mail. If anyone know his fan mail address, it’d be highly appreciated to let me know. Thank you.

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