Before his Emmy-winning turn as Vic Mackey, Michael Chiklis was known for playing more cuddly, comedic characters — such as Tony Scali, the unimposing police officer in ABC's The Commish. The actor grew tired of being typecast, explaining to The OC Register that his wife was the one who inspired his career transformation. "I had been in a string of shows playing the affable guy, and after one show called Daddio, I was really frustrated. I never got a shot at playing the smart, nuanced, grown-up roles," Chiklis recalled. "It was my wife who said, 'It's incumbent on you to re-invent yourself. It's not incumbent upon the networks to re-invent you.'"
How did Chiklis transform himself to portray edgier roles like hard-boiled cop Vic Mackey? He relied on "healthy, portion-controlled meals ordered from a delivery service," according to Men's Journal. "Chiklis trained six days per week for six months to make the initial transformation. He also ran seven miles per day."
The work paid off. Once The Shield role surfaced on Chiklis' radar, he pursued the part. "We were so close to not even reading Michael Chiklis to play Vic Mackey," Shawn Ryan told Digital Spy, "and then he comes along and defines that role and wins an Emmy. I would argue that in the argument between fate and free will, there's something about the origins of The Shield that argues a little bit for fate."
