Shea Whigham (Eli Thompson) Boardwalk Empire Season 3 Interview James Schumacher, September 26, 2012 HBO interviews Shea Whigham the actor that plays Eli Thompson on Boardwalk Empire. Whigham talks about the big difference in the character from the previous season. We left him as the Sherrif, who tooks sides with Jimmy Dormandy and the Commodor to go against his own brother, Nucky. This led to him heading to prison for an extended stay, which amounts to 18 months of hard time. When we first see Eli emerge we get the sense that he has undergone a transformation, not just in the heaviness of his gaze but he looks physically different. Whigman comments on that in the interview: “I physically transformed for the role; that was important.” He is slimmer and his face seems hollowed. We can assume his stay was not a pleasant one. Read the full interview on HBO’s site through the link above and stay tuned for more boardwalk empire episode recaps throughout the season. Cable HDTV Premium Cable Television TV Drama boardwalk empirecableHBOinterviewtelevisionTV