Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, July 21, 1990                   TAG: 9007210323
SECTION: SPECTATOR                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: SUSAN KING LOS ANGELES TIMES
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

GOSSETT HAS SOME FUN AS BAD GUY

Those words best describe Oscar- and Emmy Award-winning Louis Gossett Jr.'s screen persona. That is until "El Diablo," HBO's comedic Western adventure, which premieres Sunday night.

Gossett plays an aging gunslinger named Thomas Van Leek who helps a young schoolteacher (Anthony Edwards) rescue a beautiful young pupil from the clutches of the evil outlaw El Diablo. Van Leek chews tobacco and carries an arsenal of guns.

Van Leek is a definite 180-degree turn from Gossett's Oscar-winning role as the tough drill instructor in "An Officer and a Gentleman." He's not above shooting his enemies in the back to save his own skin. He puts cotton in the sensitive ears of his old horse every time he becomes embroiled in a gunfight.

"I had a ball doing stuff like that," Gossett said gleefully while relaxing on the leather sofa in the living room of his Malibu home. "For me it's a chance to be funny. It's not like `Officer and a Gentleman' or `Iron Eagle.' I got a chance to put tobacco in my mouth and get cantankerous and have fun."

"Very, very good actors come out of the woodwork to do comedy," said Peter Markle, who directed "El Diablo." "We always knew Tony (Edwards) was funny, but not Lou. I think he aged himself about 15 years and adopted this gravely voice as this gunslinger in his waning years. It's an excellent part and Lou is a real pro. He reminded me of Gene Hackman (whom Markle directed in `Bat 21'). He has a great sense of humor."

Before production began, Gossett created a history for Van Leek. "The history came with putting the wardrobe together," he said, petting one of his two cats. The actor opted for an old buffalo soldier cap, a makeshift military jacket and worn boots.

"He's upwards of 60 and he's a gunfighter that's still alive. How do you do that? You don't give him a chance to face anybody. You shoot them in the back. That's how you survive. I got a gun for every occasion and three on my horse. You show your enemies that and most of the time they back off. He is weather-beaten and cantankerous. All of a sudden, he becomes fleshed out."

Gossett has been searching for roles that will get him away from his stern image. "I am going against `Officer and a Gentleman,"' he said. "When I go around the world, people want me to look and act like that all the time."

Actors, Gossett maintains, are divided into two groups. "There are people who get discovered at 21 and they look young and wonderful," he said. "Then 20 years later they are still trying to play the same part. It's terrible for your system. Then there are the Henry Fondas, the Jimmy Cagneys and Sean Connerys. They are the ones that grow gracefully in front of the camera. That is much healthier."

At 54, Gossett is happy and healthy and wants his roles to reflect that. "I want to stay as versatile as possible," he said. "Versatility is synonymous with longevity."