For Scott Wolf, who plays an ethically challenged TV newsman in ABC’s <em>V</em>, it’s exciting to do a TV show that’s chock-full of provocative ideas. This is a program that has taken a premise as old as H.G. Wells and The War of the Worlds and woven into it contemporary observations about terrorism, about religious faith when it’s challenged by new science and about the broadcast news media and how easily it can be manipulated. “It’s pretty amazing to be able to address so many big ideas,” the former <em>Party of Five</em> star says. “Within the framework of science fiction, you can ask some interesting questions and talk about things on a deeper level and get people thinking.” Yet Wolf — who plays Chad Decker, the ambitious news anchor chosen by extraterrestrial “Visitors” to serve as their official liaison to the world — hasn’t lost sight of what counts most when making sci-fi: The thing has got to be fun. “It’s like doctors who have this oath of ‘First, do no harm.’ For all of us making television, I think, the rule has got to be ‘First, entertain.’” So far, so good. <em>V</em>, which premiered earlier this month, tackles a lot of topical stuff without tasting like medicine. Two more episodes air at 7 p.m. CT Tuesdays on ABC. Then it will take a break before returning in March.</p><p><strong>What would you say if I told you that, before I was allowed to speak to you, your publicist made demands that I ask no questions that would portray you in a negative light, the same way that Decker is told not to ask Anna, the leader of the Visitors, negative questions?</strong> “I’m happy to say that I’ve steered clear of enough real trouble in my life that I haven’t had to have someone make any ‘Don’t ask about that’ demands. I really am open to discussing any and all subjects without hesitation.”</p><p> <strong>So there is no ugly lizard alien creature, real or metaphorical, hiding underneath the surface of whom you appear to be?</strong> “As far as I know, no beast within.”</p><p><strong>Glad to hear it. How did you become involved in this show?</strong> “It was a fairly standard process, beginning with me reading the script. The thing that was not standard was that I’ve never had such an instantaneous response to a script. I mean, I put it down and called the folks I work with and said, ‘I know you sent me seven or eight different things to read, but please get me in a room with the folks making V.’ It’s a huge story, but it’s rooted so beautifully in characters and relationships. It just felt exhilarating and fun and interesting, because it was also attempting to talk about our society and lots of different parts of it in a way that was intelligent but also in pretty straightforward. It just seemed exactly right. I found all of the male characters pretty compelling, so I was willing to get in the room with them and let them tell me which guy I should play. But Chad was the guy who excited me the most.”</p><p><strong>What is it about the TV news anchor that appealed to you?</strong> “There is such an interesting ambiguity about him. It’s fun to play characters you can’t quite pin down. And in this case, you’ve got a guy who probably can’t pin himself down. There are people within our story who are vigorously searching and digging for the truth, whereas with Chad you have someone who is vigorously searching and digging for the opportunity to get ahead and that opportunity doesn’t necessarily include the truth. So you’ve got a guy who is wanting to see things a certain way in order to accomplish the things he wants to accomplish. The only problem with that is there are a lot of people who are dependant on his perspective. And it makes him a potentially really dangerous person.”</p><p> <strong>Do you see Chad Decker as a bad guy? Or is the jury still out?</strong> “Actually, what they’ve created with him is interesting: He’s not just a guy who is so blatantly in an ugly way ambitious and cutthroat. He’s a little more of a sympathetic figure. He just wants to get the opportunity that he believes he has always deserved. I think it puts the audience in a challenging spot where you can’t just write him off and decide to hate him, because hopefully there is something you understand about what he’s up to. And in the end, you can still hope that he makes the right choices. He’s far from gone. He lost round one, but he’s still fighting, still battling his conscience. Maybe he’ll pull through. Maybe he’ll actually choose his better self and choose integrity over ambition. I for one don’t know yet which part of him will win out.”</p><p> <strong>It must be the easiest acting challenge ever to pretend to be thoroughly captivated by Anna, who is played by Morena Baccarin, right?</strong> “That is true. And the ridiculous thing is that I get paid to do it. She is exquisite. I hope we get years of squaring off with one another.”</p><p> <strong>Did you study any broadcast news anchors and reporters for this role?</strong> “I did. First of all, it was a career I thought I might move into when I was first in college. I studied broadcast journalism for a year before switching majors and switching gears and becoming an actor. So it’s something I’ve always been interested in. I’m somewhat of a cable news junkie, especially during election cycles. I just can’t get enough of it. So I’ve had my fill of watching other people do it. But I also took advantage of an opportunity to follow a news anchor for a day. There was a guy up in Vancouver where we’re shooting, a guy named Chris Gailus, who actually was in Dallas for a long time [anchoring morning newscasts for Channel 8/WFAA from 2000 to 2003]. He was gracious enough to let me tag along all day up at Global BC, where he is now, and it was fascinating to watch all of the elements of a newscast come together. He is not ethically challenged like my character, of course, but it was useful to pick up little details that fill in blanks for an actor. Because I want to be sitting in that news chair and believe myself as Chad Decker. If I can do that, then people watching have a chance to believe me as that character too.”</p><p><strong>And what do you think of V’s premise? Would you be surprised if, one day, we were visited by alien beings?</strong> “Let’s put it this way: I think the only thing that makes this science fiction is that it hasn’t actually happened yet.”