Pittsburgh is a nice place to visit when you're not stuck in a hotel room hiding from screaming girls. Donnie Wahlberg, the original boy-band star from the New Kids on the Block and now a serious actor who co-stars in Spike TV's "The Kill Point," should know.

Premiering Sunday, "The Kill Point" was shot exclusively in Pittsburgh, primarily in Market Square and on a Lawrenceville sound stage, with additional footage from Mount Washington.

The eight-hour drama pits a Pittsburgh Police hostage negotiator (Wahlberg) in a battle-of-wits with a former Desert Storm sergeant (John Leguizamo), who is leading a gang of ex-Marines in a bank heist. The robbers take hostages, including the socialite daughter of a wealthy businessman, a sort of Pittsburgh-ized Paris Hilton.

Launching with a two-hour episode, "The Kill Point" will be spread out over six straight Sundays. A Spike spokeswoman said if ratings are strong, the show could be turned into a regular, full-length program.

Wahlberg, 37, said he hopes that happens. Here's what else the Boston native had to say in a recent phone interview:

The Times: You get a lot of scripts thrown your way, so what appealed to you about "The Kill Point"?

Wahlberg: I've played a cop before, but this character just had a personality and idiosyncratic behavior that was very appealing. The fact he negotiates to save lives, as opposed to using a weapon. He's on the front lines using his brains. I thought that would be a different role for me.

The character has to appeal to me, but the next thing you look at is who are you going to be working with? Who's on your team? And in the case of John Leguizamo and (director) Steve Shill, that's a very good thing."

Times: "The Kill Point" starts out like a standard bank robbery story, but then settles down into a fascinating psychological drama pitting you against the John Leguizamo character. Did the competitive natures of you and John come into play during filming?

Wahlberg: I don't think it was competitive at all. John is very quick on his feet. He'll throw stuff at you, and at a moment's notice you have to react. I tried to be ready for that. It was encouraged. We enjoyed it. We both really came to play, and when you do that, egos don't come into play. When you're not prepared, it's easy to be insecure. That's when problems are created, when you're worried about being upstaged. But that was never the case for us.

Times: You mentioned the importance of preparation. Did you prepare for your role by meeting with a real hostage negotiator?

Wahlberg: Yes. I worked with one of the top hostage negotiators for the New York police. He trains people around the world and is one of the most respected hostage negotiators around. I'd have really, really, really done a disservice to people who do what he does for a living if I had not worked with him. There are times where he advised me that something I might have done definitely would have gone against what a negotiator would do.

Times: What are the most important skills for a hostage negotiator?

Wahlberg: The most important thing is to keep a cool head. Keep things calm, and be willing to be flexible. Trust the person you're dealing with. I'm sure people skills are important, too, along with being intelligent and intuitive.

Times: You spent a month in Pittsburgh filming, and I'm sure people here wonder what you think about the city.
Wahlberg: I love the city and had a great time there. If the show is going to go on another run, I certainly hope it stays in Pittsburgh. I've been to Pittsburgh many times, but I never got to enjoy it before because I was always stuck in a hotel room with 20,000 screaming girls outside.

Times: Oh, I hate when that happens.

Wahlberg: (laughs) Yeah. I had a great time there, other than all that relentless black-and-gold Pittsburgh Steelers stuff everywhere.

Times: Is it true that while in town you managed to sneak into a concert starring (New Kid on the Block alum) Joey McIntire?

Wahlberg: Yes. That was fun.

Times: Did you join Joey on stage?

Wahlberg: No, I stayed comfortably with the people in the crowd. I don't want to go back up there.

Times: This is one of the first original movies made for Spike. Is that an advantage or disadvantage for "The Kill Point"?

Wahlberg: I'm confident Spike is behind the show 100 percent. I've worked with networks that were, quote unquote, "behind the show" but that didn't prove to be the case. The advantage with Spike is that it's small enough to do a really focused job.

Times: So your show won't get lost in the shuffle.

Wahlberg: Exactly. If people hang in there beyond that first episode, I think they're going to be pleasantly surprised, because like you said, it starts off as standard cops-and-robbers stuff, but then settles down into a fascinating psychological drama; a real chess match that goes to other levels. These chess figures become almost human and then go to war.

Times: Let's talk about one of your previous roles. You played one of the creepiest characters in one of the biggest-grossing horror movies of all time, "The Sixth Sense." What are your memories of being on that set?

Wahlberg: That role took a real level of commitment, and at first I didn't know if that commitment would be rewarded, transforming myself into another person. The real lesson I took from that was that when you do make that commitment you are rewarded. I gave it my all, and that's all I can control.
Some people might say with "The Kill Point" he's taking a risk, doing a movie for a new network, but maybe that's a good thing. All I can control is my preparation. For "The Sixth Sense" I felt great giving it all that commitment. I try to bring that to everything I do.