The interview: Delaware's 'Shooter' star Ryan Phillippe talks Eagles and more

Delaware's Ryan Phillippe has played soldiers before, but no one quite like Bob Lee Swagger, the ex-Marine sniper who becomes the target of a deadly conspiracy in USA's new thriller, Shooter, which premieres at 10 p.m. Tuesday.

The New Castle native - whose last name is pronounced FIL-lip-ee - launched his acting career more than 20 years ago in the groundbreaking role of a gay teenager on One Life to Live and has worked steadily since, starring in projects ranging from Robert Altman's Gosford Park and Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers to the ABC anthology series Secrets and Lies.

He spoke with me about Shooter's emphasis on some of the challenges facing military veterans, why the timing was right for him to play an action hero, and the lifelong love for the Eagles that's been passed from father to son.

One of the things that makes "Shooter" stand out is the way it depicts veterans - is this something you've been interested in?

It 100 percent is. Both my grandfathers fought in World War II, my dad was in Vietnam, my uncles were in Vietnam. And I've done quite a few military-themed projects. I did Stop-Loss. It was about the policy of forcing soldiers back into combat after they had fulfilled their contracts. I did Flags of Our Fathers, with Clint Eastwood, about Iwo Jima. And because of those projects and others, I've spent so much time with enlisted men and women, either in training or preparation or research.

You're known as a major fan of the Eagles. Where did that begin?

Growing up in Delaware, we don't have pro sports teams. It's such a small state and we're so connected [to Philadelphia]. My parents right now live 20 minutes from Lincoln Financial. My father's an Eagles fan and I think that's kind of how it is for most boys - they go with the team that their father loves.

That's how it is with me and my son, Deacon, who is an L.A. kid. He lives and breathes the Eagles. [Deacon and his sister, Ava, are Phillippe's children with his former wife, actress Reese Witherspoon. He also has a daughter, Kailani, from a former relationship with actress Alexis Knapp.]

In 1980, I was 6 years old, so I could start to get a grasp of the fact that they had made it to the Super Bowl and Ron Jaworski kind of looked like my dad at the time, so I got really connected to Jaworski. But [after that] it was really the Randall Cunningham era. He was my hero, my absolute hero. And that team meant so much to me. The fact that we had this running quarterback who could make these dynamic plays - that just cemented it for me and I've been obsessed, and disappointed, ever since.

Does Doug Pederson remind you at all of Andy Reid?

I think he does in terms of his composure and the way he seems to be kind of running the team, but especially in the first three games this season, I thought he was making some really unorthodox play calls, in a good way, some really kind of exciting and surprising choices. I think the first three games this year gave us a little too much false hope, but hang on to that, because you're seeing where this team can go with these new elements.

Is there anywhere in Los Angeles you go to watch games with other Eagles fans?

There are a couple Eagles bars out here, but I tend to like to watch at my house. There's so many distractions [elsewhere]. If it's other teams playing, I'm fine to be at a sports bar, but if it's the Eagles, I like to really focus.

You recently posted on your Twitter feed: " 'The senator will be calling you at noon.' Something that was just said to me." So what was that about?

I did a PSA for Elizabeth Dole's Hidden Heroes [campaign], and she and her husband were so touched by that they wanted to call and thank me personally and invite me to come visit them in D.C. So I was talking to [former U.S. senators] Elizabeth Dole and Mr. Dole for a bit. Kind of cool.

What made you want to play Bob Lee Swagger? Were you a fan of the Stephen Hunter books?

I didn't even know about the books. I knew about the [2007] Mark Wahlberg movie and I'd seen that, but I didn't know that there was this series of books that were hugely popular within the Marine Corps. What I loved was the idea of doing a full-on action series before I get too old. I just turned 42.

Ha. You think that's old?

It's the wear and tear of doing your own stunts. It takes us longer to recover as we get older. By the end of the season, it felt like a football season to me. When the season ended, I rented a beach house for my family - my parents, my sisters - in Delaware and spent like a month there recuperating.

Was it frustrating to have the premiere of "Shooter" postponed this summer after the shootings of police in Dallas and Baton Rouge were linked to veterans?

I think I would have to say initially there was some disappointment because you get so geared up. In retrospect, I 100 percent believe it to be the right idea. I think we've been able to reframe and make it more clear what our show is about. I am looking for the shooter - I am not necessarily the shooter. It's going to be very clear that the show isn't about the glorification of guns or gun violence.

graye@phillynews.com

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