Eddie Cibrian on NBC's The Playboy Club: "There Was More of a Swagger Back Then"

On September 7, 2011, Eddie Cibrian joined a press call ahead of the premiere of NBC's The Playboy Club, debuting Monday, September 19 at 10 p.m. He plays Nick Dalton, a Chicago mob lawyer with a complicated past who becomes entangled with Maureen (Amber Heard) on her first night as a Bunny. Cibrian spoke about the production's ambition, the appeal of the era, and the one thing he genuinely dislikes about his character.

Shooting a music video every episode

Cibrian was candid about the scale of the production: "It's a very ambitious series to shoot because of the time period — it's a period piece. But not only that, there are a lot of musical elements to the show. We basically almost shoot a complete music video every episode along with a one-hour drama, which in itself is very time consuming." He described the effect of stepping onto the set: "You see all the extras dressed up in 60s attire and the Playboy Bunnies, everyone has a cigarette in their hand and a cocktail, and then you have these performance pieces. You forget about time and you get transformed into this world." Location work added another layer: "Every time we go out on location we've got to bring in the old cars, all this stuff that's period-specific. It's a little different than just a normal procedural cop show."

Nick Dalton: a good heart and a suspicious past

On what he likes — and doesn't like — about his character: "This guy has a good heart. He actually wants to be good. He's got a suspicious past; he's done some very bad things and he kind of wants to make right and help people do the right thing from now on. I could relate to that." The one drawback: "Unfortunately because I don't smoke, he smokes all the time. He loves it. So it sucks for me. But my character really enjoys it so I've got to do it."

"There was more of a swagger back then"

Asked how men of today differ from those of the 1960s, Cibrian's answer was immediate: "In the 60s there was more of a swagger. Gentlemen were gentlemen. They took pride in what they wore. They had a lot more accessories, which I think is pretty cool." He connected the style to the social moment: "You were coming off the 50s and coming into this kind of social revolution, a new expression for people. They showed it in the way they carried themselves and what they wore." He extended the observation beyond clothing: "I particularly loved the 60s in general because of the style — not only the style of clothing but the style of architecture, the style of how the cars were being designed. I don't think we're going to look back on 2011 in 20 years and say: wasn't that a great period for style? We were actually living the cool period. And there's something to be said about that." The Playboy Club premieres Monday, September 19 at 10 p.m. on NBC.

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