'I Didn't Realize My Interest In It Would Climb': Bill Pullman On 'The Sinner,' 'Independence Day' & 'A League Of Their Own'

(CBS Local)-- Bill Pullman has been in plenty of movies and done several TV shows, but he had never been the lead of a TV series.

Pullman, who made a name for himself in movies like "Independence Day," "Spaceballs," and "A League Of Their Own," stars in the USA Network thriller "The Sinner" that examines why ordinary people commit terrible crimes.

"I'm so glad the way that this has worked out," said Pullman in an interview with CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith. "It's unbelievable at my stage of the game that I get to work with so many good actors. It rotates every year to a different cast and different circumstances. It's not an easy thing. So far, I've really enjoyed it. I didn't realize my interest in it would climb. I was afraid that my interest would decrease."

FULL INTERVIEW:

"The Sinner" is executive produced by Jessica Biel and is back for its third season. While Pullman is enjoying his time on television, he still likes to think back on his big roles like President Thomas Whitmore in "Independence Day" with Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Judd Hirsch.

"It was really a surprise and it was a thing that meant a lot to people," said Pullman. "There's something about the message of it. It's hard to remember the context of when it came out, but at that time there had never really been a heroic lead character that was a President of The United States. At that point science fiction didn't mean as much to popular culture and now it's a dominant genre. At that point, we were a wild card and didn't expect to have that success. Fortunately, people like seeing the White House blown up."

Another movie with low expectations that hit big was "A League Of Their Own." Pullman loved working with the late Penny Marshall and Tom Hanks.

"It had a lot of legs and people really followed it," said Pullman. "Penny Marshall was a really great person. There's any interesting wisdom that comes from the movie and it had Madonna in it and Geena Davis and Rosie O'Donnell. It was a good group. I never thought for women that play softball or baseball that this movie would be the flag for them."