Category Archives: Cast Interviews

Mary McDonnell on Major Crimes and Battlestar Galactica

Posted on by

In a newly released interview with BuzzyMag.com, Mary McDonnell discusses the evolution of Sharon Raydor from antagonist to protagonist, the similarities and differences between Raydor and her beloved Battlestar Galactica character Laura Roslin, and her continuing drive to bring strong female leaders to the screen.

Can McDonnell compare Raydor with Roslin? “I can,” the actress answers cheerfully. “I would say that playing President Roslin helped me get ready for Captain Raydor to a certain extent, in that [what Roslin goes through is] sort of what happens to a woman in power who is a bit of the outsider. They’re both suddenly put in jobs that they didn’t aspire to. So in those two areas, there’s a similar leap made, internally as well. And then I think that things change. Captain Raydor has a very different life than President Roslin. And she’s not the President. They’re both incredibly strong women, and there’s a wonderful thing in being able to continue that journey, because I think we’re living in a time where women who may have been retiring are now taking on even bigger jobs, if we look at Hillary Clinton, one of our biggest examples of that. So the idea of how women begin to expand their professional capability and bring their wisdom to the male paradigm is really a wonderful thing to keep going with, and there are so many women out there who want to keep seeing it [on television]. So I feel very lucky to keep [playing those characters], you know what I mean?”

One of the aspects of the character that most appeals to McDonnell is Raydor continually having to stand up for herself as a woman in a position of power. “Not only is there some of it [sexism] inside the actual squad, which will always ebb and flow, and we handle it in different ways, but in fact, what I’m hoping for is we explore more, knock on wood, in the years to come, the resistance to women in power still is enormous. And that woman [in power] has to have the ability to see through so many situations, anticipate disaster, be both friendly and tough as nails. You have to have elephant hide. So I’m really excited about being able to explore more of that in this.

Read the whole interview here.

 

Interview: Tony Denison Talks About Major Crimes and The Closer

Posted on by

In a new interview with Asssignment X Magazine, Tony Denison reminisces on the end of The Closer, the differences in Major Crimes, and his role on the 80′s drama Crime Story.

ASSIGNMENT X: Has Andy Flynn changed in going from THE CLOSER TO MAJOR CRIMES?

TONY DENISON: No, he’s still the lieutenant and we have more to do on the new show, which is great. It’s great what we were doing on the old show. G.W. and I had an opportunity to have these comic episodes that we would break off and do. We had those opportunities to do those sort of off-kilter [scenes and episodes]. In this show, we really haven’t had a chance to do that much. But we do still have our repartee with one another, looks, rolled eyes and stuff. We also are doing much more procedural work now with Mary. We’re on crime scenes coming up with stuff to do as detectives would.

Read the whole interview here.

GW Bailey talks about Major Crimes and his work with the Sunshine Kids Foundation

Posted on by

In a new interview with Assignment X, GW Bailey talks about the transition to Major Crimes and the changes that has meant for Provenza and his work as Executive Director of the childrens cancer charity The Sunshine Kids.

ASSIGNMENT X: Is MAJOR CRIMES more of an ensemble now that it’s not THE CLOSER and no longer titled after a single lead character?

G.W. BAILEY: Oh, I think so. We still have a lead character and her story is still the catalyst, the glue that holds us together, but there certainly is more of a sense of ensemble. With Brenda Leigh Johnson – we’re supposed to be the crème de la crème of the LAPD, but of course, we couldn’t find a clue [laughs]. Only the lead could find clues.

AX: So you now get to look like better detectives?

BAILEY: Yeah. We’re marginally smarter than we were.

Read the whole interview here.

Mary McDonnell on Major Crimes, and the Evolution of Sharon Raydor

Posted on by

In a newly posted interview from May, Mary McDonnell talks to craveonline.com about taking over the lead of Major Crimes, and the evolution of Sharon Raydor from antagonist to protagonist on Major Crimes.

“I think that that’s happening to more and more women in my generation where at this point, we are being offered even bigger jobs at a point in time where the generation before us was retiring. We’re going deeper into it and I think she’s going to have to also, because she’s been Internal Affairs for so long, the original detective in her has had to be put aside for quite a while because she had to view the detectives.

She had to view their way. That was her job. So suddenly, whoever the detective is inside of Raydor that was her original impulse is going to need to resurface. I’m excited to see who that is because I don’t know yet.”

Read the whole interview here.

G.W. Bailey Talks About His Involvement With ‘The Sunshine Kids’ and Major Crimes

Posted on by

In a great new interview with GiveMeMyRemote.com, G.W. Bailey talks about his involvement with the children’s cancer charity “The Sunshine Kids” and discusses Major Crimes and the chances of a second season.

As for Bailey’s day job, he said he was pleased by the reaction he’s been getting to MAJOR CRIMES.

“Great feedback,” he said. “I’m not even on set now, so I don’t have to talk positive. When they pay me, I have to talk nice, but I’m not being paid so I can say what I want. I just came back from a trip…and the reaction is tremendous. I think, obviously, that can be proven or shown by the ratings. The ratings not only started strong as anticipated because we were immediately after THE CLOSER on the same night, but then they stayed strong and they increased. Everybody expected a good, strong falloff from the cushion-y debut when you’re right behind the number one show on cable. And it turned out to be the number one finale in the history of cable. And lo and behold it turned out to be the number one launch and just grew from there.”

Read the whole interview here.

TV Guide Talks to Mary McDonnell About “Major Crimes”

Posted on by

In a new interview with TVGuide.com, Mary McDonnell talks about the unlikely path that took her from guest-star to series lead, and Captain Raydor’s transition from foe to friend of the squad.

“I’ve never had something grow this way,” McDonnell tells TVGuide.com. “This was just a delightful three-episode romp, and I was very excited to be able to fully embrace the antagonist. Then it just grew and grew. And I was standing by going, ‘Well, this is interesting. Let’s take another step.’ I don’t think it was really until we [premiered] a few of weeks ago that it truly occurred to me what had happened.”

Read the whole interview here.

Interview: Tony Denison Talks about Major Crimes with Working Author Magazine

Posted on by

In a new interview with Working Author, Tony Denison discusses the transition between The Closer and Major Crimes, his friendship with G.W. Bailey and more.

“It’s like when they say your life exceeds your dreams,” Denison says, “that’s what’s going on right now for me.” He went on to discuss his character and what Kyra Sedgwick’s leaving means for the show. “You know, I love playing this character. I’ve been fortunate enough to play it for seven years, worked with really good actors and had a really good female lead on the show, Kyra. And now Kyra leaves and we go to a really good female lead in Mary McDonnell. And lest people forget, Mary McDonnell was nominated for Academy Awards twice. And that didn’t happen because people felt sorry for her. They did it because she’s really, really good.”

Read the whole interview here.