This season on Major Crimes has seen Buzz and Rusty team up to reopen the unsolved murder of Buzz’s father. Through both storylines in episodes, as well as Rusty’s web-excusive series Identity, the two have explored the circumstances surrounding the cold case, and seek to finally find some resolution for Buzz and his family. So it seemed only natural for us to sit down with both Graham Patrick Martin and Phillip Keene together, to discuss Buzz and Rusty’s new partnership in crime-solving, and what we can expect from both of their characters moving forward this season.

MCTV: This year has been a great year for both of you. Phillip, you’re having a great year with Buzz’s storyline, and Graham, Identity continues to be wonderful with Rusty as well as his storylines continuing. You’re about halfway through filming this season now – how has it been going for both of you?

Phillip Keene: We’re finishing up episode 9 and things have been going great. I mean, Graham has always been excellent at memorizing dialogue – and quite frankly I haven’t had that much dialogue to memorize in such a long time that it was a bit of a challenge for me. But the more that I do it with these episodes of Identity, the easier it becomes. And I just love the fact that you get to see more of my character’s background, so it gives me a lot to do, and I love working with Graham. He and I did a four-page scene a couple weeks ago and we were able to get it filmed in under an hour – it was great! The crew were happy, we loved it, it was just nice playing off of somebody who works as well as he does.

Graham Patrick Martin: Thank you Philip. I am a such a huge fan of the show, and I’ve always been a huge fan of the Buzz character, and so it’s been fun playing with that sort of brotherly relationship that Buzz and Rusty have always had. I’ve always been really anxious to dig deeper and to learn more about Buzz and what’s motivated him to be where he is. So that’s what this whole Identity Buzz and Rusty crossover has done for me. It’s really been an awesome platform to dive into the character of Buzz, who I feel like is one of the characters who we don’t know as much about as the others.

PK: And it’s really cool because in the beginning I was sort of Rusty’s mentor and in terms of bringing him into the fold, and now the roles are slightly reversed in that Rusty already has this Identity and journalism thing established and he’s bringing me out of my shell and exposing more of who I am.

MCTV: It’s been great to see that dynamic develop. In the beginning of Major Crimes, Buzz and Rusty’s relationship was very different from where it is at now –  do you feel like both characters are more on equal footing now than where they started?

GPM: Yes, I don’t know if you remember the first episode, we had that interaction where he comes in and then I say, ‘Well what kind of name is Buzz anyway?’ -

PK: [laughs] ‘Oh you mean like Rusty?’

GPM:[laughs] So we definitely started off on this weird footing and I guess now, it is sort of more of an equal relationship, but Buzz is still really good at keeping Rusty in check. Rusty tends to just go off based on his emotions and overstep his boundaries and Buzz is always there to tell him to pump the brakes little bit. So Rusty still has a lot to learn and Buzz is always there to give him some guidance, so there is still a little bit of that mentor aspect still around but they’re definitely sort of like coworkers now.

MCTV: Last year we saw Buzz try and help Rusty develop a sense of empathy for the people around him, and this year it seems that this sense of empathy has come back to Buzz because now he is the one requiring Rusty to be a little bit more self-aware.

PK: In the first episode, Buzz broke down when Rusty was asking very pointed questions about his relationship with his father and uncle and how they came to be killed. He trusts Rusty a lot, so much so that he’s able to let his guard down and show some real emotion and depend on him to be a sort of sounding board for what is going on in his life, while at the same time trying to maintain this facade of professionalism and non-reaction to things because it’s really just about the job. He wants to conclude, to open this cold case and find an answer, but he still has to keep everything else in check. But I think that Rusty is a great outlet for him to be able to express those emotions.

MCTV: We were  on set a few weeks ago during filming of one of the Identity features and what was striking was how much smaller the crew is, how much faster the filming goes. Is there anything else about the filming experience of Identity that differs from that of the rest of Major Crimes?

GPM: What I think is really great about the way that we shoot it is that we want it to be as realistic as possible. We want it to really feel like this is this 20-year old kid who has come up with this idea and is actually filming this thing to go on YouTube. I guess in my ideal world, I would like for someone to accidently come across it on YouTube and think it’s real, and watch the whole series thinking that it’s a real thing, and then come to realize that it’s from a TV show. You know we don’t have as much lighting, we don’t have as many effects, it’s really just the bare bones. We want it to feel like a real video blog and I think that they’ve been doing a pretty decent job of that.

PK: Yeah, I think it almost has the feelings of a behind-the-scenes aspect in that Rusty is doing this as a journalist and Buzz is doing this keeping his main job as the civilian tech guy for Major Crimes. That has to be his primary responsibility, but the skills that he’s gained from that, and then becoming a reserve officer, he’s now able to pursue this case which has been a lifelong goal for him.

MCTV: Last episode, we saw Rusty push away from his birth mother and the idea of a new baby, and at the same time we’re seeing Buzz trying to reconnect in a way with his father and the memories of him, which has created an interesting parallel for these two characters. Do you think that we’re going to see them find some common ground on which each of them can come to terms with their situations?

PK: I think that’s a good point that you bring up. Yes, I do think that there’s going to be some common ground and I think that they’re both – though I can only speak for my own character, but I am sure that the writers have devised this. The whole season this year is about balance and for Buzz it’s about finding a balance between his professional life and his personal life and in trying to bring justice to what he feels is a very unbalanced situation.

GPM: Yes, and I definitely think that they have a lot to learn from each other. I think that it’s a really sticky situation for Rusty with his mom and breaking up this family, their potential family, and then he looks at someone like Buzz who would probably give anything to have a family that was put together, so there are definitely some parallels there and I think that it is going to strongly affect the outcome.

PK: It’s a little like that saying, ‘the grass is always greener’ you know? Buzz is looking at Rusty and thinking how fortunate he is to have someone to have plucked him out of the situation that he was in. We’ll find out more about Buzz’s upbringing in the next few episodes of Identity, but it wasn’t all as rosy as many people may have thought it was. And for Buzz to have been taken out of that, or to choose who his family members would have been, would have been ideal. So he looks at Rusty in that way, and at the same time, maybe Rusty thinks, wow maybe it would have been better to have a family already that wasn’t as messed up as mine.

MCTV: Is working together on Identity at all straining on the relationship between Rusty and Buzz? Because it is so intensely personal for Buzz.

GPM: I think at times, yes. Rusty gets really anxious and into the idea of getting this story out there and often times I think that he oversteps the boundary and forgets that at the end of the day, Buzz can’t let this be a distraction from his actual job. And so, Buzz often has to step in and be like, ‘hey man, we need to relax for a second, don’t just jump to conclusions – you have to take this step by step and not rush into anything because it could get me into trouble and it could get you into trouble.’

PK: It’s about respect, and Rusty has a great deal of that for everybody that he works with, but again he is a little anxious and a little impetuous and he really wants to get this done, and I [Buzz] have to remind him that there are rules and regulations for very good reasons. And it’s not about trying to squash his dreams but it’s about trying to make this happen for the long term.

GPM: And I think that’s going to be good for the audience to see, because there are times where you think ‘why can’t we just go get the guy?’ And that’s how Rusty feels, the same way that the audience feels when watching Major Crimes, but Buzz has to step in and say no, and remind him that there is a process and if you were to just go get the guy, that could actually ruin everything.

MCTV: Phillip, we spoke a while ago about your amazing collection of Pan Am memorabilia – can you tell us about the new project you are involved with Pan Am?  

PK: I’m on the board of the Pan Am Museum Foundation, and we’re looking for a space currently on Long Island at the Cradle of Aviation Museum. They’re partnered with the communities in their area with a program that reaches out to youth in underserved communities and bring them into the space and teach them about aerospace, science, aviation, physics, and things like that. What they found is that when the kids get involved with this program they have a 90% graduation rate. These are kids who before probably had a 30% or 40% graduation rate. So it’s a great opportunity for them, it’s an existing structure for us, so we’re looking at a small space within the existing venue to try this out. Now it’s going to be a gathering of thousands of members of the Pan Am family, all of whom are welcome to attend. I’ve got a fundraiser going on here in Raleigh Studios in November and then we have a big gala in New York on December 3rd. And this is going to be a museum dedicated to the memory of Pan Am and its people, honoring all the firsts in aviation and its development of different products and bringing the world a little closer together through travel, and exporting American ideals and therefore also importing ideals from other countries into the United States.

MCTV: We will make sure to keep Major Crimes fans up to date as these events are taking place so that they can support it and all your efforts. Lastly, anything you can tell us about the next all-new Major Crimes?  

PK: We’re very excited about it! Buzz does some very un-Buzz-like things in this upcoming episode.

GPM: Yes, this next episode of Major Crimes is better than every single episode of Game of Thrones this season. It’s more exciting and has more cast members dying. (laughs)

PK: Yes, mayhem, murder on Mondays!

MCTV: Thank you Phillip and Graham for taking the time to talk to us!

Major Crimes is all-new tonight at 10pm/9c on TNT

Over the last four seasons, viewers have watched as Rusty Beck, played by Graham Patrick Martin, has gone from being an abandoned and mistrustful teen, to a young man with a stable support system of family and friends, and a burgeoning journalism career. We recently caught up with Graham on the set Major Crimes to talk about the evolution of his character’s growth, and  what he calls “The Year of Rusty” this season.

MCTV: This year has been especially action-packed for Rusty. We’ve seen him take on challenges that he has never had to face before, and we’ve seen him really start to mature and move away from adolescence into adulthood. How has it been filming all of this and processing all the shifts in Rusty’s life?

Graham Patrick Martin: It’s been really fun for me! I feel like this is really The Year of Rusty in terms of how much he has come into his own. He’s been in the process of coming into his own this whole time but I really feel like this season is the first time where he seems to be acting like more of an adult in the sense that he’s taking responsibility for his actions and he’s not as self-centered. For the first time, he’s able to think about and focus on other people and I think that this process really started out with Alice, then Slider, and then just in general with his interactions with everyone in his life. At the same time though, he is still learning and growing, as we saw when he was being flaky with Gus, and avoiding acknowledging his feelings. I feel like that’s really interesting, because now it’s like Rusty has finally broken through that threshold of being a child and now he’s officially a young adult. He’s now figuring out who he is rather than just growing up into who he is.

MCTV: One particular initiative that we’ve seen Rusty take this year is with his journalistic ambitions and his commitment to his video blogs. How has that experience been for you? And will we see the vlog continue for Rusty next season?

GPM: It’s been a really different experience for me, and one that I have enjoyed. Initially James had this idea of Rusty getting into journalism and it’s something that we planted in season one. Prior to filming Major Crimes and around the time that I found out that we got the green light for the series, I went to James and pitched this idea to him. I thought that Rusty should have this notebook with him that he writes in very frequently because I feel like on the streets Rusty didn’t make any friends, and he had no one to talk to, so I felt like he needed an outlet, and therefore why not make it this notebook? James liked the idea and let me run with it, so if you notice, during the first season Rusty was always writing in this notebook, so that seed was kind of planted very early on. Then this year, James decided that we were going to take it a step further and go this whole route of Rusty the journalist.

Exploring this through his video blogs is a good way to further explore the whole storyline, and also to get the audience more involved. Plus it’s so much fun because at the end of the day, this show is a police procedural, not really a show about a teenage journalist, these two hardly ever go hand in hand. But, having the vlogs let’s us have the show as it is, as a police procedural, but also let’s us have this bonus material where fans can be engaged further and gain extra insight into the story and what Rusty is doing, all of which also then informs the A storyline with the rest of the cast. It’s just been a really fun thing to do this season, and I’m happy to say that we will be continuing them next season as well. (Editors note: Catch up with all of Rusty’s vlogs here)

MCTV: Speaking of Rusty coming into his own and maturing, it seems like there has been a shift in his relationship with Sharon this season both in how they relate to one another, and also with regards to her relationship with Andy Flynn, and having him in their lives. How has all of that been for Rusty?

GPM: I’m glad that you picked up on that shift. Firstly I want to note that Sharon and Rusty’s dialogue is a lot more equal now that it has been in past seasons and I think that is due to the fact that Rusty has grown a lot; he’s really maturing and he’s really trying to be an adult and I think that in turn warrants a lot of respect from Sharon. I mean, Sharon has always respected Rusty, but now that Rusty is growing and really taken control of his own life and not acting like such a victim of his circumstances, Sharon is now able to speak with him as more of an adult. Their relationship has really blossomed and now they’re also in a way, friends. He goes to her for advice like a friend would, so in a way, she’s both his mom and his friend, which I think is fantastic.

With Flynn coming along into their lives, it gets complicated. This is a guy that Rusty knows, and we’ve had some nice moments together and shared a lot. He’s been there for Rusty since the beginning even back in season one when he takes Rusty to the bus stop to see his mother. But, when it comes to this situation, the situation of grown men entering Rusty’s life as partners to the mother figure in his life, it has never been good. So when Flynn comes into Rusty’s life in this way, Rusty’s not incredibly supportive of it. It’s subtle though, it’s never straight up. He’s not against it, and he likes them both individually and he’s happy for them, but he’s got this risk radar that’s going off like crazy. In his mind, he’s thinking, okay, here’s another male coming into my life in this way. If you recall, going back to Jack Raydor, and then even as far back as Sharon Beck’s boyfriend, who dropped Rusty off at the zoo, this whole situation has just never been a good thing for Rusty.

Rusty trusts Flynn, and he likes Flynn, and Flynn has been an important person in his life, but in this specific circumstance, it’s hard for Rusty. At the end of the day though, I think he’s supportive of it and he sees that Flynn has good intentions and that Sharon’s happy. Had this happened a few years ago, I think that Rusty would be more inclined to freak out, but at this point, again, he’s older now and he’s grown, so he is able to look past his inhibitions.

MCTV: Two people who have really characterized Rusty’s adolescence have been his biological mother, Sharon Beck, and Philip Stroh. Will these two characters continue to shape Rusty’s life and his sense of security he goes forward? Or will he finally leave them behind?

I mean, the risk of Phillip Stroh is always there. The last season ended with him driving off in an Uber, and you don’t know where he’s going. But I think Rusty’s constant feeling is that he isn’t going to let fear rule his life. He’s going to go out there into the world, and he’s learned these counter-surveillance measures from Cooper and Sykes, so he’s going to use them to the best of his ability. He’s not going to live in fear, he’s just going to live with a sense of awareness.

With respect to his mother, he loves her and he wants what is best for her, unfortunately he has the instinct to always want to be there for her. And that is still there within him. She is where she is, and he is not going to inhibit his life and feel guilty about this new opportunity that he has been given and how he’s going to take it and make the most out of it. He’s also not going to live in guilt.

Major Crimes continues its winter season this Monday at 9pm/8c on TNT

“Graham Patrick Martin’s Rusty was one of the most important characters bridging the The Closer finale to the Major Crimes premier. Since then he’s created one of the most complex, fleshed out, confusing, maddening, hopeful, and loving gay characters we’ve ever seen on cable TV. The upcoming episode on July 9 lets Martin showcase his acting chops as Rusty comes to terms with his mother, his past, his new family, and himself.

You’ve had a great storyline, going back to last year, on Major Crimes. Did you have any concerns about taking the role?
I think my concerns are the same as every actor. Can I find this character and make it come to life properly? And, at first, it was just a one-off guest- starring role on The Closer finale. I almost didn’t even audition! I was asleep when I got a the call saying I had a same-day audition in three hours, and I thought, “If I read this part, and it’s not good, I’m not going.” And I remember being irritated because I liked it. And I decided I really wanted to play it. So I got up and really worked on it and then, while we were shooting it, I began to like the character so much I didn’t want to leave him behind. So I was very happy when James Duff and Mike Robin asked me to stay around for Major Crimes.

Crime dramas aren’t usually known for portraying fully-fleshed out gay characters, but Major Crimes seems to be doing just that. What do you attribute as the reason the show has gotten it right with this character?
I think part of the reason my role is more authentic than a lot of other gay parts you see on television is that I’m not there just for laughs. Also the trauma of having been on the streets as a hustler because I was abandoned by my mother, gives me something of a unique journey in the basic cable-network television universe.

I know this is a story that was really important to executive producer James Duff. What has he told you about the role, the story arc?
Of course, you’d have to ask James this question, but I know he’s told me the part’s based a little on him, and that he wasn’t very popular in his late teens. He didn’t have a lot of friends his own age. And he ran away from home when he was 17 and finished high school on his own. I haven’t discussed this aspect of the role with him very much because I’m playing it how I see it and how I feel it. He can say it’s him, but it’s me.

You came on the scene as a homeless teen turning tricks to survive. Were you able to talk to other homeless LGBT teens before or during the role?
I did not talk to any homeless LGBT teens in preparation for this role. I didn’t think it would feel good to talk to a homeless teen for the benefit of my performance, then turn around and collect my series regular paycheck. Just didn’t seem right to me. I also played a character with a similar background in a film called Somewhere Slow. For both roles I instead decided to read as many blogs and testimonials as I could by people who had experienced this world and gotten out of it. Look, it’s pretty dark, really, when you sit down and think about it, Rusty’s life. I try to keep that darkness nearby without playing it. Because Rusty is, essentially, a hopeful character. But people need hope for a reason, don’t they?

There was a tough episode in which a 13-year-old trans girl named Michelle is murdered and her family are suspects. That’s every trans kids worst nightmare. How does filming a tough story like that affect the actors?
Everyone has there own process. A lot of times, Rusty doesn’t really have much to do with the crime; he’s more the personal side of things. And so the intense elements of the procedural in “Boys Will Be Boys” didn’t involve me. But the guy who was bullying the transgender kid is brought in and calls me a “faggot.” And that felt really horrible. There wasn’t much acting going on in that moment, because it was just so [pausing] well, rude does’t exactly cover it. I don’t understand the whole name-calling thing.

Your character’s storyline for me is resonant, not because of issues of identity or orientation, but because I’m the child of an addict. What part of Rusty’s life resonates with you the most?
I think the part of Rusty I find most interesting is that he doesn’t ever accept the role of victim. He is not always out there doing the right thing, either. He makes mistakes. And then he tries to rebound. And he actively wants to take responsibility for his own life. Sometimes he doesn’t succeed, but he tries. Which is why his mother and her addictions drive him crazy. His determination not to get dragged back into her madness is a sign of growth. But he doesn’t fully let go of her either. I think that’s how it works. You turn your back on the addiction, not the person. But it’s hard, because they look alike.

Do you hear from other people who connect with what you’re going through on the show?
All the time. It’s wild to be visiting New York and crossing the street and having someone yell out at me, “Hey, Rusty!” Or to be recognized when I go out as “the kid on Major Crimes.” And I think people relate to the journey he’s going on because finding out who you are is something every young person has to do. It’s part of becoming an adult. Plus, everyone has to come to terms with the role sex plays in their lives. Rusty dramatizes that. And, I think, the LGBT community relates because Rusty doesn’t really have many of the old cliches attached to gay characters on television. He doesn’t sing show tunes. He doesn’t get all excited about figure skating during the Olympics. I think he’s probably more interested in sex than he lets on. And that might be pushing his crisis a little.

I remember watching you on The Bill Engvall Show. Jennifer Lawrence was also unknown as your sister. Did you have any idea you two were destined to be where you are?
I loved doing that show and I loved working with Jennifer. I like to tell a story about when Engvall first premiered, I believe we scored 3.5 million viewers. Upon hearing the news, she sent me a text saying, “Oh my gosh we’re rock stars.” I love telling that story because of how excited she was at the modest viewership our show gained. Having no clue that she would be nominated for an Oscar three years later. Such a kind and humble girl, and she was great at comedy. Really great. You can say she’s gifted, because I think that’s true, but she has done remarkable things with her gift. As for me, I have a way to go before I catch up with Jennifer. And I don’t know where my future will take me. But we had fun with Bill. And I remember that early part of my professional career happily. I have no dirt. This is probably a terrible interview. I’ve been lucky not to have had bad experiences.

On the Engvall Show and Two and a Half Men, you’re comic relief, which is so different than Major Crimes. What have you learned the most in this role?
It’s hard to say what you learn acting a part. You find bits and pieces of yourself that are inside the character you play. You locate the relatable aspects of that character to your own life. So, in a way, every part you play forces you to discover things about yourself you might not have learned otherwise. I have never been a homeless gay kid on the streets of Los Angeles, but because of Rusty, I have thought a lot about what that must be like — and how important a home and a family were to me growing up. Sometimes I drive by these kids on the street and now I know what’s going on, and I didn’t before. It’s sad. For some reason, as a society, we don’t care about these children very much. They’re thrown away. We treat our pets better.

Your character gives Major Crimes a chance to deal with LGBT youth, sex work for survival (or surrogate parents), foster care systems, mentoring, fear of violence, cycles of neglect, and also, you know, solve a crime each week. What’s left for Rusty? Is happiness and stability in his future?
It’s great to be able to deal with adult issues, and the crisis of neglect and abuse in our culture, and to show a kid fighting to survive that, and make something of his life. He didn’t start out believing he had much of a future. In the second episode of Major Crimes, he tells Sharon, “People like me don’t go to college.” And I think that’s largely true. But I also think it’s great to see a character who’s reaching for something that others don’t believe he can grab — and to show him not giving up. When he’s cornered, Rusty finds a way to fight back. I’d like to see him do some of that when he’s not cornered. He has it in him.

At one point Sharon says, “Rusty, what you are is who I love. And all of you is coming home.” Can you imagine what the world would be like if every kid got to hear that?
Rusty handed Sharon his soul in that moment. And she just loved him. Period. She didn’t push him to explain himself. She didn’t demand explanations he didn’t know how to make. She just loved him. Is it obvious to say that most children do better when they’re loved? Do you get mad at a kid for being left-handed? Do you make someone explain to you why they have brown eyes? In that moment, Rusty is actually very ambiguous, because he still doesn’t know how to say the words out loud. And Sharon tells him, it doesn’t matter. Yes, I think it would be a much better world if more children were treated that way.

Last year the entire cast shot a PSA about bullying for GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network.
I was very proud to participate in the GLSEN PSA. Actually, every single member of our cast participated in it. It was just one of those no-brainers we decided to do while filming the story about the transgender kid. Don’t beat children. Again, it sounds like a pretty obvious thing to say. And not at all like a political statement. Don’t hit kids! Why do we have to be told this? But we do.

You can read the entire article here.

By M. Sharpe

Photo credit: Jason LaVeris/Getty Image

Before joining the cast of Major Crimes, Graham Patrick Martin admits to being a little nervous. “It was really scary at first, because all these actors had been on the show for so long, and they’ve been together and have this already established family. But fortunately everyone was really cool and really inviting, and it made me feel at home. It was great.”

Quite literally the new kid to Major Crimes both on screen and off, Martin also had concerns about how his character, Rusty Beck, would be accepted by audiences, especially in light of how he was introduced. “There was a brief moment where yes, I was concerned, because I knew right off the bat that Rusty butts heads with all of our heroes, all of the Major Crimes division. They’re nice to him, but Rusty is not kind to them, and I knew that people weren’t going to like to see that. But at the end of the day, all I can do is focus on my work, and trust that if I do the best job I can do, I trust that the writers are leading my character in a great direction, that ultimately will be successful.”

Tony Denison, Graham Patrick Martin and Mary McDonnell. Photo credit: TNT

Martin’s trust and intuition paid off, and for the past two seasons the storyline involving his character has become one of the most talked-about aspects, and series creator James Duff has described the relationship between Rusty and his guardian, played by Mary McDonnell, as “the heart of the show.”

But it almost didn’t happen at all. According to Martin, Rusty was never part of the original plan for Major Crimes, and he was brought on only as a guest star for the final episode of The Closer. “It was really kind of crazy, because it was really supposed to just be that one episode, and halfway through James Duff came up with this idea to spin off the character of Rusty, and he did, and that’s where I stand today, it just never stopped.”

Martin spoke to MajorCrimesTV.net a few days after wrapping filming on season two, and he teased that the last few episodes of the season were “absolutely crazy. The Rusty storyline really picked up, and once we wrapped I did a whole lot of sleeping and a whole lot of catching up.”

Born in Thibodaux, Louisiana, Martin’s first foray into acting came when he was eight years old, and he and his sister expressed an interest in acting. Supportive, his parents sent him and his sister to a performing arts camp in upstate New York every summer. When the family moved to Rochester, New York when he was twelve, Martin’s continuing interest in acting led him to begin traveling to New York City for auditions. A year later the family was planning to move back to Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina hit, and instead relocated to New York City. There he began auditioning in earnest, and getting jobs in commercials.

At fifteen, Martin says his agent encouraged him to move to Los Angeles to audition for bigger roles, but Martin was resistant. “I didn’t want to, but he’s like go on out there, check it out, go on a few auditions. So I came out to LA for the first time for two days, and the first audition I went on was for The Bill Engvall Show.” He got the part on that show and moved to LA. After three seasons there, he spent another three years working on Two and a Half Men, and just as his time on that show was coming to an end, he landed the guest-starring role of Rusty Beck on the final episode of The Closer.

Graham Patrick Martin and Mary McDonnell. Photo credit: TNT

Along with being pivotal to the prosecution of Phillip Stroh, a story arc from The Closer that still reverberates strongly in Major Crimes, Rusty also became vital in changing the way audiences adapted to Sharon Raydor taking charge. On-screen, it also gave the Major Crimes squad a way to warm up to her as well, says series creator James Duff. “I think, that (her interaction with Rusty) made her likeable to her team. They saw how far she was willing to go to help their witness, and it changed their attitude about her.”

The bond between Rusty and Sharon is something Martin relishes playing. “It’s a really interesting relationship, because Rusty starts off the show desperate to find his mother, and that’s his huge driving force. He doesn’t try to get emotionally connected to anyone in the beginning, because he’s trying too hard to find his mother and get her back. And ultimately, she didn’t. She bailed, and she didn’t come back, so he’s not going to see her again. But then ultimately he ends up finding, what I think, is a better mother, and someone who is going to be there for him, and cares for him and loves him.”

“I think as the show progresses it really growing to the rest of the cast mates, going to Provenza and everyone else, and you really see everyone’s relationship with Rusty.” Mary McDonnell, GW Bailey and Graham Patrick Martin. Photo credit: TNT

Martin points out that Rusty’s presence hasn’t just given viewers an opportunity to see a different side to Sharon Raydor, but has brought out changes in the dynamics of all the characters. “In terms of it being the heart of the show, I think that starts with Sharon and Rusty, but I think as the show progresses it really growing to the rest of the cast mates, going to Provenza and everyone else, and you really see everyone’s relationship with Rusty. It brings out this different side, because everyone is so used to these hard nose detectives who are so very, very good at their jobs, but I think Rusty really brings out the heart in everybody. Everyone really becomes a family, with the sense of protection over this kid who faced a very tough circumstance, and he winds up being there for them, as well as them being there for him.”

While up until now much of his scenes have been primarily with Mary McDonnell, Martin says that Rusty’s involvement with the action of the show itself is shifting. “If you look at the formula of Major Crimes, they always have the A-story which is the crime, and the B-story which is Rusty, and what’s going on with him. And I think the writers are really brilliant, and they do a great job of making the two stories compliment each other. So even though they might not always be intertwined, they still deal with similar themes and they complement each other, which I think is really great and makes for great television. In terms of down the line, I think that the two stories, between the crimes that go on each week and Rusty’s story line, become closer and closer until they actually merge.”

The focus of this season of Major Crimes has been identity, and one part of Rusty’s identity, his sexuality, has been explored as the season has progressed. “That’s something that’s really interesting to me. It’s something I really didn’t see coming at first, and then James and I had a lot of conversations about it. Rusty’s sexuality has been acknowledged, and it is acknowledged later in this season as well, kind of the same as it has been in the first half of this season. It’s really wild for me, because looking at someone like Rusty, in terms of romantic relationships, Rusty hasn’t had any. And what he has had- and these are James words that I’m stealing- he hasn’t experienced it as an act of love, what he’s experienced has been an act of violence. So his opinions towards his sexuality has been very tough, because he obviously has actual feelings, but at the same time they are all linked to this negativity.

Rusty finally agrees to talk to a therapist (Bill Brochtrup) in an upcoming episode. Photo credit: Doug Hyun for TNT.

So what I like to say is right now, Rusty is anti-sexual, because there is nothing that’s really appealing about that world to him right now. Now later in the season, maybe we’ll touch on it, and his identity definitely comes into the question, and it’s something he really tries to face, but none of it is positive, it’s all negative. It’s all a very tough thing for Rusty to face, or even acknowledge. And for me it’s really cool, because as a straight actor to try and explore this question, and this really hard thing that Rusty has to face, which is questioning who he is, is really amazing to have an opportunity to do.”

Martin is tight-lipped about who the threatening letters that Rusty has been receiving might be coming from, or how that part of the storyline might resolve. But, he teases that “everything ends up being very closely related towards the end of this next season.”

With Major Crimes returning tonight to TNT to finish its season two run, fans aren’t the only ones eager to see how it all plays out for Rusty. Says Martin, “It will be really fun for me to watch, I know, and I think the audience will find it interesting too, because it’s the two worlds colliding and merging, in very intense and high-risk circumstances.” As for speculation of what might ahead for Rusty in season three, Martin doesn’t know, but he’s confident that he won’t be led astray. “I know that none of it is in my control, and all I can do is represent Rusty as best as I can, and try to do the great writing justice.”

Additional reporting by C. Bullen

“When actor Graham Patrick Martin joined the cast of the TNT drama “Major Crimes” last year, he felt major pressure to succeed on the spinoff of “The Closer.”

“I was kind of nervous just because my character was going to be a pivot point between the shows,” he says about portraying Rusty Beck, a homeless hustler and witness in a homicide case who was first introduced in last summer’s series finale of “The Closer,” which starred Kyra Sedgwick.

“I was afraid if my character didn’t work and people didn’t buy into it, then the whole show would tank — and it would be my fault,” he says. “It was very terrifying, but kind of the reality of the situation.”

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