Before becoming yet another reason to watch ABC's political drama “Scandal,” Joe Morton -- who plays the nefarious Rowan "Eli" Pope of the show -- had already made a name for himself as a kind of actor’s actor, as comfortable playing a socially aware space alien in John Sayles’ “The Brother from Another Planet” as he was playing the multi-talented scientist Dr. Henry Deacon in Syfy’s series “Eureka.”

Last year Morton, 67, won an Emmy for his work on “Scandal,” and he has just started playing a hospital administrator named Dr. Charles Richmond on TNT’s new supernatural themed series “Proof,” a show which seeks to answer questions about the afterlife in a nighttime soap manner.

TV critic Brian Tallerico, having only just seen the "Proof" premiere, takes issue with what he sees as an uncomfortable fit of seriousness packaged in the form of a regular TV series.

“The problem with ‘Proof’ is that its creators have chosen to tackle the biggest mystery in the world, but have done so with all the energy and personality of a traditional medical drama,” he wrote on RogerEbert.com.

This pressure tied to this kind of challenge might be something Morton is ready for. Talking about the effect that success has on performance, the actor, as quoted in Deadline, likens his situation to that of famous sports performers who are in the spotlight.

“I’m a real tennis fan, so I’ve been watching people like Serena and Federer and even Nadal, and especially for Nadal this year, the pressure is enormous on him," Morton said. "He’s won it ten years. Out of ten years I think he’s only lost it one time, and so, every time he plays, the pressure gets higher and higher and higher.”

“I think it’s true for all of us, if you find yourself doing really well at something, then the pressure is on you to try to improve,” observes the actor who got his start playing a clerk on the 1970s TV show “Mission: Impossible," he continued. 

Speaking about getting to work with "Scandal" showrunner Shonda Rhimes, Morton calls the director-producer an amazing writer that he is honored to be associated with. He added that she's been able to accomplish a lot in her career, and she currently "owns" Thursday nights from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on ABC. 

The last season of "Scandal" ended with Morton’s character behind bars.

When asked how his character might get out of that situation, Morton said, “I haven’t the faintest idea.”

“Proof” airs Tuesdays on TNT. “Scandal” returns to ABC for Season 5 in the Fall.