Tag Archives: mctv exclusive

MCTV Exclusive: Tony Denison Previews What’s Next For Flynn, “Shandy” and More

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By A. Cascone and M. Sharpe



MAJOR CRIMES (TNT)

Photo credit: Justin Stephens. Courtesy TNT, used with permission

Since TNT’s hit drama Major Crimes debuted, audiences have been delighted to see a whole other side of resident tough-guy Lt. Andy Flynn revealed as Flynn has confronted both family and personal health conflicts, adjusted to new additions to the Major Crimes squad, and, most excitingly, has begun to step toward a potential new romance. Recently, we caught up with Tony Denison on the set of Hollywood Today Live, where he took the time out of his hiatus schedule to update us on Flynn’s journey so far, as well as speculate with us as to what might be next for the smart-alec Lieutenant.

MCTV: Firstly, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us again. You are halfway through your third season right now, what’s your experience been like so far and what can we look forward to in the second half?

Tony Denison: This season has been so great that somebody said to me one day, ‘How much longer do you think you can play this character?’ And I am telling you, without exaggeration, that I could go ten more years; I am having so much fun. And it’s ten years into it [playing Lt. Flynn] and I am not even remotely bored. I love every episode and whatever I get to do and I love to work with G.W. Bailey; he’s a friend and he’s a wonderful actor. I also love all of the stuff that I get to do with Mary McDonnell, as well as the other guys in the cast too, like Kearran Giovanni and Raymond Cruz and Michael Paul Chan; they’re all just great.

MCTV: Congratulations on rising to TNT’s “BOOM” rebranding challenge! Major Crimes has been delivering consistent, record-breaking ratings this season. You and the rest of the cast and crew must be incredibly proud of that accomplishment.

TD: We are poised again to be TNT’s number one show. I joked with James Duff one day and I said, ‘if you write it, they will watch.’ And I was right!

MCTV: Last season audiences got to see glimpses of how Flynn’s family life has affected him, but we didn’t actually get the chance to meet any of his family members. If we do get the pleasure of meeting his children this season, what do you think Flynn’s relationship with them will be like?

TD: Well, I know through dealing with a lot of cops that I’ve spoken with over the year that it’s probably a very tough relationship. When you work a profession where when you go out the door in the morning and your family doesn’t know if you’re going to return alive that night, where you’re carrying a gun, it’s got to be a strain on everybody in the family. Whether people openly admit it or not, there’s got to be some kind of like stress and I am sure that it affects everybody in the family to some degree; maybe a lot, maybe a little, but it’s got to be there. So I would guess that Flynn’s character has experienced what a lot of detectives go through when it comes to their families. Continue reading →

MCTV Exclusive- The Doctor Is In: Bill Brochtrup Talks LA Theatre, Dr. Joe, and Major Crimes

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By A. Cascone & M. Sharpe


Brochtrup_Bill_190Bill Brochtrup has had a successful film, stage, and television career spanning over 20 years. For the past two seasons he has graced our screens on Major Crimes as Rusty’s witty, intelligent, and unorthodox therapist, Dr. Joe, and his character has fast become a fan favorite.  Recently Bill took time out of his busy schedule to chat with MajorCrimesTV.net about his television career, his love for the theatre, and his role as Major Crimes’ Dr. Joe.

MajorCrimesTV: The Doctor is in! Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. Dr. Joe struck a chord with fans as soon as he was introduced, how exactly did this role come about for you?

Bill Brochtrup: I’ve known James Duff for years, he’s an old friend of mine. I was in a play he wrote and he’s an outstanding writer. I totally knew the show, I had watched like every episode of The Closer and knew every episode of Major Crimes up until I started filming.

I think James was, for a long time, looking for something that might work for me on The Closer but we never really found anything that worked schedule wise or that was the right fit so when he had this idea, I was thrilled and I just jumped at it. I think this part is so good, I love Dr. Joe. Plus I love working with Graham Patrick Martin [Rusty Beck].

MCTV: So you were very familiar with the world of Major Crimes?

BB: Oh, very much so. Hollywood can be kind of a small town. I’ve known Tony Denison [Andy Flynn] for many years.  I’ve known Phillip P. Keene [Buzz Watson] as long as I’ve known James, he’s a very good friend. Jonathan Del Arco [Dr. Morales] and I did a play together in the 90s, and I did a play with Kathe Mazur’s [Andrea Hobbs] husband back in 2004.

Coming into Major Crimes, on my first day I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is old home week!’ Also that first episode I did, Esai Morales was a guest star, and we worked together on NYPD Blue for many years, so it really was almost surreal. It was like, ‘Wow, I know everybody here’ and there’s just such a warm feeling in the room.

And that is really created by James. At the table read each week he introduces everybody, he kind of runs the whole thing. The table read is where the cast comes together to read the script before we start filming. And James sets a tone that is unlike any place that I’ve ever worked before; it’s like you’re at a party at his house and when they say “guest” star you really are like a guest in their place. You’re treated like a true guest would be, as if you’re spending the weekend at their house or something. It’s an unusual and very, very nice feeling.’

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MCTV Exclusive- Michael Paul Chan: Still Tao After All These Years

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By M. Sharpe


Michael Paul Chan takes a break from filming the season finale of Major Crimes on location in Downtown Los Angeles to capture the moment. Photo credit: Michael Paul Chan

Michael Paul Chan takes a break from filming the season finale of Major Crimes on location in Downtown Los Angeles to capture the moment. Photo credit: Michael Paul Chan, used with permission.

In 2005, after 30 years of great success as an actor in TV and film, Michael Paul Chan auditioned for a supporting role as a detective in a new show. Coming off the cancellation the previous year of another show he worked on, Chan was initially wary of reentering the series television world, but fate had other plans. “I’ll always remember the audition experience for The Closer; I got the material and the writing just popped. I instantly knew how I’d go with it, and my instincts were correct as the audition went great. And now it’s ten years later!”

MajorCrimesTV.net spoke with Chan as filming on Major Crimes’ second season was just winding down, and he told us that he is grateful for the opportunity to still be inhabiting Tao ten years later, especially as much of his early career was spent as a guest-star, with appearances on over 300 episodes of television, many of those as the villain of the week. Now he relishes the chance to play a smart detective with a good heart, and to have that role to come back to every season.

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Crafting Her Own Story- Stacey K. Black on Directing, Styling, and Major Crimes

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By M. Sharpe



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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.

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Graham Patrick Martin: Navigating His Path with Trust and Intuition

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By M. Sharpe

gpmtnt

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.”

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Q & A with Kearran Giovanni- Part Two

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Photo courtesy TNT

Despite the daunting task of being the newcomer in an otherwise well-established cast, Kearran Giovanni and her character, Amy Sykes, quickly became a vital part of the first season of Major Crimes. In part two of our exclusive interview, she talks about her hopes for Amy next season, the changing dynamics between the characters, and navigating the world of twitter.

by M. Sharpe and C. Bullen
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Read Part One

MCtv: You mentioned that hopefully we’ll get some backstory for all the characters next season, but do you already have more of an idea about Amy’s story? Anything specific you’d like to see from next season about her?

KG: Hmm. Well, I don’t know what’s in James’ head. I do know that he has, in his mind, written all of next season, I think, because he’s a genius. But Amy, I don’t know, I don’t know what he has in store for her. I would like to see her parents. I think it would be really nice to see where she comes from. I kind of feel like she maybe came from a military family, which is why she’s a little straight-laced when it comes to following procedure. I’d love to see where she’s from. I kinda feel like she’s got a little New York in her. So, I’m not sure. Maybe she’ll have a relationship. I know James loves to have one relationship going on in the show, so, I don’t know. I don’t know! Continue reading →

Q & A with Major Crimes’ Kearran Giovanni- Part One

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Photo courtesy TNT

Photo courtesy TNT

With a successful Broadway career under her belt, actress Kearran Giovanni next set her sights on TV, and won the role of newcomer Amy Sykes on Major Crimes. In this exclusive interview, Kearran graciously took time to talk to MajorCrimesTV.net about the transition from the New York stage to Los Angeles, being the “new kid” in Major Crimes and her favorite parts of season one. 

by M. Sharpe and C. Bullen

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MajorCrimesTV.net: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us.

Kearran Giovanni: Oh, you’re so welcome. Thanks for talking with me.

MCtv: How did you get started with the theater and stage, and how did that lead you to Broadway, and then from Broadway to Los Angeles and television?

KG: Well, it all started … no, I’m kidding. I danced growing up. I was a gymnast for many years, and I did it for fun. I never really thought I was going to have this as a career. I actually was planning to be an OB-GYN for a very long time. I wanted to be a doctor and deliver babies. And in my senior year, my dad actually went out of the country for six months and he said the only way I’ll allow you to stay there is if you get into a performing arts high school, and I’ll let you and your mom get an apartment and I’ll come back and forth. So I said fine, and I auditioned and I got into the performing arts high school in Houston, and that’s where I figured that you could actually have a career doing this, it wasn’t just for fun. Continue reading →

Q & A With Ransford Doherty of Major Crimes

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Photo courtesy TNT

By M.L. Sharpe

Since Season Five of The Closer, Ransford Doherty has been showcasing his talents in the role of Kendall the coroner, in which he is often first on-scene to examine bodies and deal with the grisly after-effects of murder.  In this exclusive interview with MajorCrimesTV.net, the charming actor took some time to talk to us about the evolution of his character from The Closer to Major Crimes, share some stories from production, and tell us a little about his other projects, including his role on the award-winning webseries Caribe Road.

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