Category Archives: Cast Interviews
Crafting Her Own Story- Stacey K. Black on Directing, Styling, and Major Crimes
By M. Sharpe
Stacey K. Black on location directing her second episode of Major Crimes, Risk Assessment, which airs tonight. Photo Credit: Stacey K. Black.
When Major Crimes head hairstylist Stacey K. Black first decided she wanted a career in the entertainment industry, she came up with what she thought would be a fool-proof plan for reaching her goal. “I thought, I’ll do hair and then I’ll get close to the people I need to get close to, and they’ll be my shortcut to directing and producing and writing and all that. And of course it’s not a shortcut to any of that–there’s a ceiling on hairdressers, of how far you can climb which is department head and I’ve been department head for 17 years.”
It may not have been a shortcut, but with time, perseverance, and the support of the people she works with, Black managed to make the unprecedented jump from hairstylist to director. MajorCrimesTV.net spoke to Black just as she finished putting together the director’s cut of her latest episode of Major Crimes, airing tonight on TNT, and she talked to us about how storytelling–through everything from directing, writing, and producing to hair-styling and song-writing–is the common thread amongst all her passions.
Video: Mary McDonnell Talks Major Crimes and More on Hallmark Home and Family Show
Mary McDonnell Explains How She Wards off Aging
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Mary McDonnell discusses how she wards off aging in a new interview with the Chicago Sun-Times.
“She stars on TNT’s “Major Crimes,” but often Mary McDonnell is Officer Needs Assistance. “I stay healthy by swimming every single day,” says McDonnell, who lives in sunny California. “The thing is I run my lines out loud when I’m in the pool. There are times I’m afraid that my neighbors think I’m a little bit crazy.”
“I’m in the pool talking about homicides from the show,” she says with a laugh.
At age 62, the big screen beauty from “Dances With Wolves” and “Independence Day” stays healthy with a combination of easy-to-do daily routines and a workable eating plan. Her biggest trick is to reduce stress through “really listening to my body.”
Aging? Who cares! “If I had some big trade secret on aging, I’d say it’s your outlook. Focus on what’s beautiful about you rather than what you don’t like about yourself.”
The power of mediation. “I love to meditate. It’s about opening up and broadening your life. It’s easy to say, ‘stop’ and then go into a quiet place and just breathe for a few minutes while you clear your mind. It’s not only good for your health, but it’s a great way to erase a bad day. Try to get in a little meditation every single day. ”
Eating well, with a side of supplements. “The key is to know your body. I understand how to eat and know when I need some protein or fruits and veggies. Listen to what your body is craving in order to have the energy you need. I also love supplements. Ask your doctor or go to your health food store to find out what supplements are right for you.”
Listen to your body. “I’m always surprised when my body tells me that I’m not 25 anymore. I think simple things like yoga and stretching really help. You want to work on listening to your body. Both yoga and stretching help you get in tune.”
Don’t stress. “After 40, it’s all about getting clear with yourself. You deserve to live a great life and should focus on how to get that for yourself.”
Read the original article here.
Jon Tenney on Returning to Major Crimes Behind the Camera
Jon Tenney talks about returning to Major Crimes to direct in a new interview with TV Guide. “I don’t kid myself: I initially got the shot because I’ve been working for many, many years with these people and they were being very supportive,” Tenney says in the behind-the-scenes video below. “I felt really good when they let me do it again because it was like, ‘OK, I didn’t completely screw it up.’”
Check out the video below for Jon and his Major Crimes costars discussing what it’s like working with an actor’s director.
Mary McDonnell on Acting, Ego and Fame
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In a new interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Mary McDonnell discusses the beginning of her career, the effect of ego and fame on the working actor, and more.
Listen to the audio of the interview here: MM-Pittsburgpost
Tell me what was it like the first time you heard applause?
Oh, what an interesting question. The first time I heard applause I think on the level that you mean, I actually was crowned Miss Teenage Ithaca [laughing]. It was back in probably, 1968. I found it very reassuring. It’s interesting what applause is for a performer. Really and truly it means a connection has been made. A lot of times, people think performers are sort of showoffs and live for the applause, but in fact, many performers are very shy. When the applause comes it means they connected in places where they otherwise might not be able to connect in a kind of generally social way.
The fame thing has kind of tainted the craft.
I do understand what you mean in that, at this point in our culture, there is much more self-consciousness, and it’s sort of the era of “I” and “me.” The iPhone, the iPad [laughing] you know what I mean? So there is a lot of putting oneself into a position of fame that we didn’t used to have access to, and that has kind of skewed the way we think about things for sure.
That said, was there ever a time you questioned the value of what you do?
I’ve never really questioned the value of it, but I have questioned some of the difficulties that one runs into having a career as an actor. There is sometimes such deep, deep insecurity and times of complete unknown that can really be very hurtful. You have to have such a strong core and self-esteem to navigate it. Not everybody who is given a talent is also given the tools by which to build that faith. You know, you’ve gotta have faith to know that it’s going to keep going because there are moments when you have nothing ahead of you.
As an adult and when you’re a parent and an actor, it can be truly devastating to approach the abyss. There is a void ahead of you, and you don’t have a job and you don’t know when the next one will come.
You have talked about focusing on positive energy. At what point in your life did you start doing that?
It was pretty early on. When I was an actress on stage in New York, my early years were really, really tough. I didn’t really have a path, and I wasn’t quite sure of how to go there. I was always living on the brink of poverty, really [laughs]. Not to sound dramatic, but everybody was in those days. I lived in an apartment that was $90 a month, and the bathroom was in the hallway and there was a bathtub in the kitchen, so it was a kind of New York lifestyle.
I think somewhere in there I realized I had a positive energy in my upbringing. We were raised to compete and we were raised to win, and we were raised as a family of sisters and then finally a brother. My parents instilled in us that we could attempt to do anything that we wanted. So I didn’t grow up with a limited sense of myself as a woman. I realized I was going to have to develop in myself a way to sustain better images on a daily basis. It took me a long, long time to figure out what that really meant. At this point in my life, I am feeling positive more than negative [laughing], which I really love!
Read the rest of the interview here.
MCTV Exclusive: Notes from the Writers Room- Duppy Demetrius
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By M. Sharpe
Major Crimes staff writer and co-executive producer Duppy Demetrius preparing to “break” Major Crimes episode 203 “Under the Influence”. Photo used with permission.
Navigating the path of changing a character from an antagonist that audiences loved to hate, to a protagonist that people would root for in the course of a few short seasons was no easy task. But according to writer and co-executive producer Duppy Demetrius, the key to Sharon Raydor’s transition to the center of Major Crimes had a lot to do with family. “The whole Rusty thing was a big boon for that. Just seeing her compassion with Rusty, and her being motherly, and getting the backstory with her husband and her kids helped the audience see her in a different light. I think we’ve done a good job, and the reaction has been spectacular.”
Off-screen, Demetrius credits another family with making the transition from The Closer to Major Crimes such a triumph- the team of writers who have worked together for over seven years. “Luckily our writing staff hasn’t had any changes since season three of The Closer. That’s when several of us hopped on. There really hasn’t been any turnaround since- the only reason people have left is because they’ve gone off to do their own show. Everybody going in (to Major Crimes) knew how to write for Sharon. When I first started on The Closer, it was a question of how polite was too polite to write Brenda- but there weren’t any of those issues with Sharon because we all had lived with her for three years. There was no learning curve on how to do her voice, or how she would handle a situation with these adversities against her. It wasn’t an issue.” Continue reading
Video: Tony Denison Talks ‘Major Crimes’ on KTLA Morning Show
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Video under the cut: Continue reading