The Storyteller
by Thomas Birchfield
slidecage.com
January 15, 2025
After the departure of Jerry O’Connell, actor Rob Floyd took over the reigns as Mallory in the fifth season of Sliders. In simple words, he portrayed Quinn’s fraternal double instead of all outright recasting the character Quinn. His role in Sliders was a highlight of his career and now he delves into the world of hospitality. Since his role in the series he’s went on to work in the TV series Bar Rescue and create the Cocktail theater, “where entertainment meets exceptional cocktail craftsmanship”. You can discover more of his work at https://robfloydent.com/. I was able to ask him some questions about his role in Sliders, as well as his current love of being a mixologist and bartending.
How did you get into acting?
“I got into acting because of my incredible father. He would entertain us at dinner time with incredible stories. As a brilliant doctor, his passion growing up was theatre and directing. He was a natural storyteller that would leave us kids spellbound. I was one of 9 kids and dad never wanted gifts, instead he had us memorize poetry or shakespeare. Then we had to recite it in front of him and the rest of the siblings – not an easy task! My first theatre job was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. My first real job was opposite Brad Pitt in a Mountain Dew commercial where we were water skiing behind race horses.”
What are some of your favorite episodes of Sliders and those you enjoyed working on?
“My first episode was the most exciting because I was on the show and so excited to be there. I loved the concept and team so much that it was really a dream come true. My favorite by far was “New Gods for Old.” Taking the journey of faith was brilliant and then getting a nod to the future of nanotechnology just really showed how far advanced the show could be. Sometimes Sliders really seemed to have a knack for telling the future.”
It’s kind of ironic that you were often seen at the Chandler hotel’s bar in Sliders. You created a Sliders cocktail (https://slidecage.com/sliders-cocktail/) after my frequent pleas. I appreciate it and so do the fans. What steered you in the direction of being a mixologist, and what makes it different from bartending?
“I was working with James Cameron and Jessica Alba on “Dark Angel” when I really became a single parent. I stopped acting to be with my two young boys and I had no idea what to do. So I went back to bartending because diapers don’t pay for themselves. I then started working with world famous chefs and started writing all the time. I created a new entertainment called “Cocktail Theatre.” This is like the history channel meets Rocky Horror Picture Show. A super interactive way of entertainment and engagement. I now have a version of it that runs about 50 times a day all over the world with Princess Cruises called “Good Spirits.” In 2015 I returned to TV with the show “Bar Rescue” and have been on for almost 10 years doing 50 episodes.”
Cleavant Derricks and Kari Wuhrer were seasoned in Sliders so to speak. What was it like working with them?
“Cleavant was beyond brilliant and such a pleasure to work with, he was always there with advice and help whenever we needed it. He was the rock for the show at that time. Kari and I didn’t work or interact that often. I really thought she would be a fantastic director since she was so smart and understood the TV world so well.”
When someone mentions your work on Sliders, are there any memorable moments on set that stick out?
“Ok true story. I was in Germany last year working on a new automatic cocktail machine and the tech crew I was with were huge and I mean huge fans of sliders! They wanted pictures and had so many great questions about the show. It made me realize the global impact of this show and how lucky and blessed I was to be a part of it.”
As the old saying goes, I’d like to hear it from the horse’s mouth. Can you give me a basic rundown of how an actor’s daily job is? How much time do they give you to memorize a script? Are there 19 hours of work a day? Is there always lunch food catering instead of going to a restaurant?
“It all depends on the show and what you are doing in it. Normally I like to get to the gym around 4:30 am and the set call time is 6 or 6:30? I go to hair and makeup and then block scenes. Then we get ready to film and the day turns into a blur. We usually wrap by 7 or 8 pm and then home.”
There’s always pros and cons to a job. But what are those for a mixologist like yourself?
“I love my job because I am still a storyteller. The drink itself is like an exclamation point. I am not a big drinker which is a plus since everyone sends me bottles of alcohol or tries to buy me drinks. I love the hospitality industry and working with brilliant chef’s. There are so many inspiring parts to the career.”
You’ve created a lot of drinks. If you could only keep making one for the world, which one would it be?
“I would rely on something like the Old Fashioned, but I would remove the sugar and use a fibrous sweetener like an agave. Sugar is a really tough one to work with and I believe we rely too much on it.”
You’ve been all over the world, and even working with big names like Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri, Cardi B, and have even been a frequent guest on Bar Rescue. Is there someone out there that you’d like to say hey, I wish I could work with that person or event?
“I just finished working with Matthew McConaughey and Liev Schreiber as well. I have some super fun celebrities that I am working with in 2025. I would love to just keep working hard and let the universe surprise me.”
No one could ever fill the shoes of Jerry O’Connell. Sliders fans gave Mallory quite the beating. I think the concept of introducing a fraternal double worked much better than having you portray the original Quinn. Is the backlash from fans something that you struggled to deal with or was it easy to brush off?
“It was easy to brush off. Jerry left the show. He no longer wanted to do the show and they cast me. I definitely would have written Mallory differently, like you said, I think it would have been easier for fans to accept the new character. I didn’t push him out in any way at all. If we didn’t film another season, Sliders would not have been able to go into syndication so no one would have ever been able to see it again. That would have been tragic in my opinion. Sliders would have died in 1999 and not been able to be shown without that deal.”
Wasn’t there going to be a season six of Sliders? If so, did you have any hint as to the outcome of the premiere plot?
“It was awful what they did to Sliders. They took all the money and gave it to FarScape. They canceled us in the dark and it was just so sad. We had brilliant writers and teams that would have come up with an incredible season 6 in my opinion. Our numbers were really good even without any real PR push. I wasn’t privy to any of the ideas for the premiere plot unfortunately.”
Would you like to come back to Sliders if it returns?
“At some level I’d love to be a part of the show. It has been a highlight in my career. I also love meeting fans from all over the world and great people that are so passionate about the show.”
You’ve got a lot of things going with your craft. What lies ahead and where can we find more about you?
“I have a book coming out this April called “Sip at Sea.” I am really proud of it and so excited to get it out there. I have been directing and producing more – just finished directing 4 episodes in Italy for global culinary. I also signed for another 5 episodes on Bar Rescue in the 2025 season which is very exciting. But the book is what I am most excited about right now.”