Jimmy Smits Interview (Sons of Anarchy, NYPD Blue, Dexter)

 

You’d be hard-pressed to find an actor with such an impressive television resume as Jimmy Smits. L.A. Law, NYPD Blue, The West Wing, Dexter and, now, for the past two seasons, FX’s hit drama Sons of Anarchy, created by showrunner Kurt Sutter. (I’m also still mourning the loss of Smits’ unfortunately canceled drama Cane from 2007.)

I believe that the dark, gritty, male-protagonist dramas that have been so popular in recent years, from The Sopranos to Breaking Bad, belong to a lineage that can be traced back to the early 90s and the debut of NYPD Blue, created by Steven Bochco and David Milch. Smits joined the cast in the second season as Detective Bobby Simone, the replacement for David Caruso’s Det. John Kelly, and he stayed on the show for five seasons, wisely leaving before it started to show its age. Bobby Simone may not have been the darkest character — that distinction goes to Dennis Franz’ Det. Andy Sipowicz — but he had a sense of integrity and honor that Smits has carried with him through many roles, even the morally-conflicted ones like that of high-end pimp Nero Padilla on Sons. I particularly like how Smits plays Padilla as a “softer” guy around all of the hard-asses from the biker gang. He’s the one guy who learns from his mistakes and actually understands human nature, and his sense of compassion, rather than mere self-preservation, comes out in the worst of times.

Warning: Sons of Anarchy Season Six Spoilers Below

Q:        It’s been evident for a few episodes now that Nero is feeling a lot of confusion over his relationship with Jax and his affiliation with the MC.  I had the chance to preview tonight’s episode (episode 612: “You Are My Sunshine”), and he gets a pretty attractive offer from Alvarez.  Well, it wasn’t attractive at first, but maybe after what he discovers from Juice it becomes a little bit more attractive.  So where is Nero’s head at by the end of this episode?

SMITS:            Just where Kurt Sutter likes to keep all of his characters—off kilter.  He’s navigating between what the character started out with was with this kind of goal to have some kind of exit strategy, and that’s not working at all, and now it’s combined with this pull between his past and what the characters are each calling the streets and these new affiliations that he has with the sons, and specifically with Gemma and Jax.  So there’s a real kind of pull there.  And as in Kurt Sutter style, all of the characters are left kind of off kilter after this particular episode.

Q:        Now, too, I feel like by the end of the episode that the moment where Nero goes to embrace Jax there’s a moment where I feel like he wants to embrace him over what he’s going through, but he wants to choke him at the same time.  So if he does decide to break away from that partnership do you think that it will be enough for him to break away or will he want to teach Jax a lesson?

SMITS:            You mean if he decides to go for choke?  Yes.  Well, one thing that I’ve noticed just in watching the shows previous, being in fan mode of the show, is that Kurt’s been really good about people getting their comeuppance and things that you do tend to come back and bite you.  That’s been this recurring kind of shade that he’s had going through all of the six seasons I think, and you’re seeing with the loss of different characters that that is a big thematic force with regards to the show.  So also the whole, I mean Gemma touches on it in this episode but I do think it’s another kind of deep resonant chord that goes through the show, is that this sense of family and betrayal and what betrayal means when you’ve “sacrificed” something and the person transgresses in a way.

So I don’t know where it’s going.  It’s going to materialize in some heavy-duty fashion.  But he’s definitely torn right there because, as Gemma has said in the previous episodes to the Nero character, there’s an affinity that Jax has for him.  He has many kind of consiglieres in this show that offer advice or that he gets wisdom from in different ways, and I think that Nero realizes that, and with the relationship that has developed with Gemma’s character it’s become even more kind of solidified.  But, having said that, his past and where he came from and what all that means is very, very strong as well.  So there you have it.

Q:        I was wondering is there anything about Nero that you added to this character that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

SMITS:            When Kurt writes these characters that have some grit to them, that are on the wrong side of the law, and when you’re doing somebody like that, even when I was involved in Dexter a couple years ago, I’m always trying to find people just don’t do bad things because they want to just do bad things, there’s some kind of reason behind it that they feel justified in doing what they do so that’s always trying to find their kind of justification that makes them feel in their minds morally right.  So that’s been a constant with me in terms of Nero in trying to find out what makes him tick.

So I don’t know if because of that there’s a certain vulnerability that came out that I don’t think that they expected, and they’ve kind of been writing to that.  My job is just to keep the edge going with him at the same time, because you want the character as much as possible to be fleshed out.  So that’s the whole thing about a television show is that there’s a fluidity to it, and then the writers they’ll write something and they’ll see a spark there, whether it’s, “Hey, I didn’t know that there could be a comedic aspect to this particular character,” and they will start writing towards that.  And so then it’s your job to keep things in moderation, too, because you want the character to be as fleshed out as possible within the scope of the show, because everybody they’re like cogs in a wheel, all the characters serve different functions.

Q:        What have been some of your favorite scenes to film this season?

SMITS:            The little physicality that Jax and I had a couple of episodes ago, although I haven’t actually seen that particular episode, I missed that particular episode but I saw pieces of it when they were putting it together, was great for me, because I literally and figuratively got to exercise a different kind of muscle.  So that was fun to do.  And they had some great stunt people there that did a lot of work, and they wound up using not a lot of that; they might have used a frame of it.  So we really, Charlie [Hunnam] and I that day, that was a long night, and fun, fun to do.

Charlie’s work has been really superb, and I really give the guy a lot of props as an actor.  He’s the lead on this particular show and the way he comports himself really kind of funnels down.  And he’s a very bright guy and loves to talk acting, so there was a kind of good rapport that we’ve had.  But when you get involved in some kind of physical thing like that it manifests itself in 30 second of a fight scene or whatever, but there’s something that transpires between the two people that are involved that brings the relationship literally to another kind of level.  That’s the only way that I can explain it.  So I really feel much closer to him as an actor and as a supporter.

Q:        I’m curious to know, as you continue to delve into this character is there anything that you’ve found that you’ve been surprised to learn about yourself? Anything on a personal level that you kind of found that you learned about yourself as an actor.

SMITS:            Not really.  I mean I didn’t know that I was going— Kurt kind of like casually mentioned the aspect of the son, and I didn’t realize where that was going to—you haven’t really seen the kid a lot—but I didn’t realize how important that was going to be, that element was going to be.  I thought, because the first time that he appeared it was just kind of it felt like it was not–perfunctory is not the right word, because he wasn’t there very much–but I just started to realize that that particular his essence and what he represents, because of his disabilities, plays so much into where that character and where Nero kind of lives and breathes and the choices that he makes.  So it was kind of like serendipity that the make-up artist chose to put the kids’ name so prominent on the guy’s neck and just little things like that that you kind of go, “Oh, this makes sense on another kind of level.”  So Kurt makes references to him, but I guess it’s been a surprise to me how much I happen to the kid, even though you don’t see him.  Does that make sense?

So that’s the whole thing about a television show is that there’s a fluidity to it, and then the writers they’ll write something and they’ll see a spark there, whether it’s, “Hey, I didn’t know that there could be a comedic aspect to this particular character,” and they will start writing towards that.  And so then it’s your job to keep things in moderation, too, because you want the character to be as fleshed out as possible within the scope of the show, because everybody they’re like cogs in a wheel, all the characters serve different functions.

Q:        Fans of the series are notorious for being very vocal about what they like and what they don’t like — how happy are you with how the fan reaction has been to your character, because they seem to have really embraced him?

SMITS:            I hear from others about how vociferous the fans are.  I’m not really a social media person, so I’m not on Twitter and I don’t have a Facebook page and everything like that.  But I’ve been told that I understand that they are very vociferous, they really are engaged in the show, and I think that that core audience that we have that is like that is so great for the show.  And I’m amazed that they’ve kind of like embraced him the way they have, and we’ll see what happens when things turn.

Q:        I was thinking to myself as I was watching the episode that’s going to air tonight back to those lovely suits you got to wear and everything on LA Law, and now you’re wearing this crappy cardigan and you have a guy literally puking on you.  Have you ever thought to yourself, “How the heck did I get here from where I started?”

SMITS:            I’ve gone from suits to sweaters.  Those cardigans might look crappy.  As Kelly, our wardrobe person who kind of came up with this idea of this guy, like she says, “I want Nero to rock those cardigans.”  Those cardigans are very expensive I’ll have you know. No, but they’re meant to look the way they do, because he’s a guy who decides to put his money in different places.  He wants to be part of the streets, well, he is part of the streets, but he wants to try to give a business kind of look to himself.  So she came up with the cardigan idea, and we all make fun of it — it’s not Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, it’s “Mr. Padilla’s Hood.”

Q:        If 2013 Jimmy Smits could talk to mid 1980s Jimmy Smits about the stuff that’s available on TV today…any general thoughts on the type of TV you’re doing now that maybe wasn’t available obviously years ago?

SMITS:            It’s a great point and a great question, because I have kind of like traversed a lot of genres and I’ve gotten to do that in the television arena.  Certainly like Bochco will say that for him to pitch NYPD Blue now on network television he would be hard pressed to get that particular show on the air.  But now, with the advent of cable and such, you guys are calling it the golden age of TV in terms of the writing and stuff, but it’s kind of naturally found; it’s like different branches of a big tree TV’s become.  And they’ve found these great outlets for writers to be able to paint these very broad canvases, and, as Kurt has done here, give insight so it’s not just doctor, lawyer, politician kind of things.  You’re getting an insight to a particular culture thing with regards to this motorcycle “club” that people haven’t seen before.  So they’re learning about all of that, but they’re getting engaged in this whole thing about family and this kind of like Shakespearean undertones that Kurt has put in there.  It’s just great to see that we’ve been able to find these kinds of different outlets.

And now it seems like, to me, with all of the binge watching that’s happening, it’s morphing itself into something else, and I’m going to be fascinated to see what happens with the different platforms like Netflix and all of these other arenas that are happening where people will be able to see television in different ways.

Q:        You mentioned earlier in one of the other answers that you were a fan of the show before you came on board.  Over the course of the show we’ve seen Jax struggle to find a good father figure, and even though he and Nero started off as sort of wary of each other and maybe a bit untrustworthy they very much developed a sort of father/son relationship.  With the information that gets revealed in tonight’s episode it seems like the crux of that relationship could be threatened.  How has that been for you as a fan of the show to kind of develop that relationship during your time on there and where do you see it going after tonight’s episode?

SMITS:            Well, it definitely, as I mentioned before, this whole thing about Jax having these different voices that have been—  If he’s the Hamlet character he’s had his Horatio it hasn’t been just one person, that there have been many kind of Horatio’s that he’s had, and they all kind of serve different purposes.  Yes, with this Nero character coming on board there is this kind of brother relationship, and because of the differences in age I guess it floods over into a father/son kind of thing.

But again, as I mentioned in one of the previous questions, this whole aspect that Kurt deals with in terms of what betrayal is when you’ve formed a relationship, a familial relationship, the whole thing about betrayal and family and what that means is a deep chord, and in this episode you see it again.  Everybody’s kind of Jax is betrayed, Nero feels betrayed, Gemma feels betrayed; there’s all that going on, and you know, again I mentioned this before when we first started, that this trademark is like “shit that you do it comes back to bite you.”  So everybody’s kind of left off kilter and find their own way to exact revenge or not. We’ll see what happens.

…with all of the binge watching that’s happening, [TV is] morphing itself into something else, and I’m going to be fascinated to see what happens with the different platforms like Netflix and all of these other arenas that are happening where people will be able to see television in different ways.

Q:        It’s obvious how much Nero cares about Gemma, but do you think that’s important enough to sort of stay his hand if push comes to shove?  Is Gemma enough to kind of keep him in place and keep him from doing something he may wind up regretting?

SMITS:            I think you hit the nail on the head right there.  What has developed over these past two seasons between these two characters they’ve really developed a—you’ve watched them kind of do this awkward different kind of courtship that’s happened.  I mean they’re saying “I love you” to each other now, and who would have thought that would have come out of Gemma’s mouth?  Not just to her son and stuff, but to another guy.  So it’s very interesting.  We’ll see how that all plays out.  There’s a definite pull there.

Q:        When the season started did Kurt say to you Nero will become the moral center this season?  Do you feel like Nero is the moral center?

SMITS:            Kurt never said that and I’ve never really thought about that in terms of the season arc.  So if that has come up in conversations in the writer’s room that wasn’t expressed to me.  I’m just trying to follow that little guide path that I get every episode when I get a script.

Q:        Nero is so very romantic, some might say he’s too good for Gemma.  What do you think of your character and do you think Nero is savvy enough to realize that you know what, I am really too good for this chick?

SMITS:            That’s so funny.  He’s a companionator; that was what Kurt put in his mouth the first time you saw him, “I’m a companionator.”  So I guess his way of dealing with the opposite sex is definitely very different from what you might normally think of when you think of the P word, the pimp word.  So I think that that kind of like floods over in terms of the way he deals with everybody, and that includes Gemma as well.  But there’s a kindred spirit there; it’s no accident that they both have these cuts where their heart is, and they’re trying to keep that repaired.

Q:       Two seasons into Nero now, and you’ve been on shows for short stints and shows that have longer runs, I was just wondering how your Sons of Anarchy experience stacks up so far with all your TV experience?

SMITS:            I’m having a great time on the show.  Each of those experiences are different, in and of themselves.  David Milch used to say that every television show becomes like this organism because of all the different parties that are involved.

These guys are really tight knit.  They are a real family in a lot of ways, not only because they spend so much time together. They have this added thing, that they do something that other people don’t get to do with regards to the motorcycles, and that kind of bonds them in a really special way and you see that on set.  I’m having a great time.  It’s a different experience, but really good.  I’m having a good time.

Q:        When you signed on was it with the understanding that it could be a multiple season thing or did it grow once you got into it?

SMITS:            No, when I signed on I really thought we were going to do like Dexter, which was like 10 episodes and we’re out.  So I don’t know.  I was surprised that it kind of morphed into what it has, and I had to kind of change gears in the middle of the–  Last season there was a point where I did kind of have to shift gears a little bit, because we started having these conversations about the possibility of staying on and Kurt seeing things, all of those things that happened, and because of that I did feel like I shifted gears a little bit and we’ll see how it manifests itself.  I just need to keep on point with them.  We’ve had many conversations about this in terms of keeping the character’s edge going.  I mean that’s very important to me, because of what the world is and the way you saw him start out.  So it’s important for me not to become just this functional character [for this one specific episode or season.]

Q:        Because the show has been compared to Hamlet so often, and you’ve already said you see yourself sort of in a Horatio role, do you think you could also be seen as Fortinbras?

SMITS:            Oh.  I don’t know.  No, I don’t think so. I don’t think that’s going to happen like that.

Q:        How far in advance do you actually get the script, and do you have a sense really of where you’re going when you start the season?

SMITS:            [Kurt Sutter and I have] talked, but I’ve kind of been more on autopilot in terms of my trust in him and that group of writers, as my trust factor with them is solid so I feel like on firm ground.  And what I’ve mentioned before about the only thing that I’m really adamant about is making sure that [Nero] gets to show different sides and there’s not just one, that you just don’t see just one functional aspect of a character, that I want him to be as three dimensional as possible.  So it’s important that that edge that he has keeps on going, and they’ve written towards that, they’ve facilitated that, they’ve shown a little lighter humorous side with little things that we had this season that I thought they were great that they were able to kind of like get that in there, too, and write towards that.  So I’m good with the fact that we didn’t check in as much.

Now we’re going to have serious conversations in the next month or so to determine what happens.

…when I signed on I really thought we were going to do like Dexter, which was like 10 episodes and we’re out…it’s important for me not to become just this functional character.

Q:        I wanted to ask you about the legacy of NYPD Blue of the dark, gritty, anti-hero drama in the 90s to today’s landscape where we have a lot of those dark, gritty shows.  And then specifically working with David Milch, who was known as a big wild man in his days as far as a show runner, for good reason, to working with Kurt Sutter, who is also kind of known as a wild man, but he’s more of a wild man of Twitter, if you will.  Can you talk about the difference working with those two show runners?

SMITS:          As I mentioned, I’m not really into social media, but I have seen a couple of [Kurt’s] Twitter rants and some of the video online things.  He’s much more in check with that right now, though, I think.

Q:        So how about David Milch back in the day?  I just heard stories of him like rewriting the script on the set and I know Dennis Franz complained about him publicly that he was on coke and things were getting out of hand.  So how do you compare these?

SMITS:          I don’t know about all that, but all I can say is that David [Milch] has a certain way of working that is kind of unorthodox when it comes to–it might seem unorthodox because of the pace of television–but that man is a genius with regards to what he puts down for characters to do.  And whatever his process is, or was with regards to NYPD Blue specifically, and I’m trying to address your question as honestly as possible, after whatever it was that it took to get to where we got to it was always better.  So if it was late or whatever, last minute or on set changes or like that, there’s not a day that I can walk away and say, “Well, damn, we went through all of that shit and look at this.”  It was always better.  It was always gold, actually.  So we had to go through what we had to go through to get to where we got to, but it was always better.  And I’m quite sure that Dennis would—I mean I was out after five, Dennis stayed on for twelve years—so I’m sure he attests to that as well.  But I don’t have enough superlatives for the way Milch has his characters voice their inner thoughts.

And with regards to Kurt, Kurt is very much, although the shows might be long, and I don’t mind that, and whatever kind of madness he has you can’t ever say the working relationship on set that doesn’t affect at all; the scripts are always on time, and it’s a different kind of way, it’s more traditional, kind of like what you would expect in a television show.  Now the other kind of stuff that happens when they’re in the writer’s room I can’t speak on.  But Kurt’s madness is controlled madness, which I like; it’s cool.

Q:        From the beginning Nero has always said that he’s looking for the end game, and here you are a couple seasons later.  How do you see that end game now?

SMITS:           The end game has morphed into other things.  I don’t know, I think I’ve alluded to this with regards to other questions, is that Kurt really likes to keep his characters kind of off kilter.  This world that they’re in… there are no easy answers.  So that light at the end of the tunnel that he thought he saw there’s a realization that he has this relationship now that it’s very kind of real, he has this business partnership with the club and the relationship with Jax and that’s very real, and this tug with his past, where he came from, what the streets mean to him, and that is very, very real.  So I think in one of the episodes he alludes to something in a kind of jovial way about how it’s the Godfather syndrome–I keep getting pulled back in– and I think that’s very much the case with a lot of the characters on the show.

…after whatever it was that it took [David Milch] to get to where we got to it was always better.  So if it was late or whatever, last minute or on set changes or like that, there’s not a day that I can walk away and say, “Well, damn, we went through all of that shit and look at this.”  It was always better.  It was always gold, actually.

Q:        Do you see for Nero that every decision now maybe there’s still that spark that there can be an end game for him?

SMITS:          Oh, yes.  Definitely.  No, no, no, he has to desperately keep reaching for that no matter what these ties do, because I think that’s his engine, that’s what keeps him in forward motion.  And we’ll see how the tugs that he has on either side what direction that takes him to, because it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a straightforward path towards the end game; there’s going to be a lot of curves that he’s going to have to take.  And certainly this transgression that he’s found out that happened with the death of that young woman and what that meant to him and what he feels about that transgression with Jax and what that means is going to take a lot of different turns.

Q:        We were talking earlier about it being a golden age of TV, and clearly Sons of Anarchy is rather on the dark side.  And I’m wondering for you personally do you watch TV, and if so what shows do you like to watch?

SMITS:          Well, since I work in television I check in a lot on a lot of different shows just to see what’s going on in the landscape.  So there are not a lot of shows that I binge watch or watch a lot, every single episode, but I’ll check in on a lot of the shows.  So I like Black List on network television and Scandal has become something that I’ve kind of gotten into because my family is really into it.  I saw the first couple of episodes and I went, “Okay, this show is good,” but I’ve not gotten back into it.  And then on cable there’s just good stuff happening all over the place, so I’m a big Boardwalk Empire fan and into Breaking Bad and love Ray Donovan this year and stuff like that.  And then I’m a news junkie, so I’m watching my boys on CNN and MSNBC.

The next move [for Latinos] has to be to jump on the other side, and what I mean by that is to be much more in control of the product with regards to writers, directors, producers, studio people.  And once we make that kind of achievement and jump on the other side we’ll be much more in control of the product and be able to really tell stories that are much more relevant.

Q:        I wanted to ask about Nero’s tough choices… killing his cousin, his pull between Gemma, Jax, and you talked about how the characters always seem to be off base, off kilter; they have this good intention, but you know the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  How does it make it more interesting for you as an actor to have this person who has this past that he’s trying to get away from, and also the moral ambiguity; as an actor, do you enjoy that kind of role?

SMITS:          Well, I mean I like that he writes for his characters in such a way where they’re kind of like they think they’re on, “Oh, I finally made it to kind of like terra firma,” and there’s just some more quicksand so that they’re all kind of like always off kilter.  I actually like that.  And I understand I mean I don’t know anything about motorcycle gangs and pimping and stuff like that.  You have to substitute; that’s what we do as actors.  So I do, in a kind of deep way, and just kind of what I do is magnify it, but I do understand what the tug is from your past.  [For example], Brooklyn, it’s very much a part of me, where I grew up and how I grew up.  I carry that in a special place, and it fuels a lot of the choices that I make.

So I understand when I’m faced with a character like this who has this kind of tug.  I just magnify it to a much higher degree, because he’s going through something that is, because of his involvement, the way that it went down, it’s much more intensified.  So I understand it and then there’s a special place in it for me.  And I think the writers have kind of got that in a way so they’ve written towards that also.  So it’s very important.  Glad you picked up on that.

Q:        I really appreciate the work that you do with non-profits, with AIDS,etc.  You founded the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, and with the advancement of Latinos in the media entertainment where do you see since your career began how things have come, and how far do you think things need to go in that regard?

SMITS:          I think we’ve made great strides, but it’s nothing for nothing, because it all relates to the fact that our population numbers have increased so much.  And with regards to the entertainment industry the bottom line is it’s a business, so the fact that when you look at opening numbers of grosses for weekends in terms of like big tent pole movies and the Latinos are very involved in that first weekend, businesswise it just makes good sense that more opportunities are there.  And because the population numbers have increased there has been, in terms of the landscape of actors since I was around, since I started out I mean that has increased exponentially.  Because there were always four or five different actors for every decade or generation that you could rattle off names, Ricardo Montalban or Raul Julia, Andy Garcia, there were always four or five, but now it’s exponentially grown in all of the different genres, all of the different arenas of the entertainment industry.

The next move has to be to jump on the other side, and what I mean by that is to be much more in control of the product with regards to writers, directors, producers, studio people.  And once we make that kind of achievement and jump on the other side we’ll be much more in control of the product and be able to really tell stories that are much more relevant.

Q:       A lot of the Latino shows are now on Latino channels.  You look at major television and cable and there’s not a big Latino show out there.  And I don’t fault anybody, but I think you’re very right in that we need to make that next step to have people produce a Latino show.  I mean when you see stuff like Best Man Holiday making a great amount for the black filmmakers, why are we not doing that?

SMITS:          Well, I think it has to do with what I just referenced, and that will change.  Those things happen slowly, and that’s why I’m really involved.  I try as much as possible to be involved in this kind of like the next wave with the young’uns, when I get to talk to the young’uns about being more conscious of that and accessing those muscles; that everything doesn’t have to be in front of the camera, you can make an impact in a great way doing other things.

Q:        Kurt has said many times that when he chooses an actor to play on the show, they kind of pull upon your personality to develop the character, which they have done with Nero.  I guess the obvious question is how much is Nero like you?

SMITS:          Well, that really happened on just about every show; it’s the dynamic of television.  And it’s very fluid, because it continues and you can’t but help personality traits or qualities that a person has, because of the length of it, the length of what happens, start kind of like bleeding through.  And I think I’ve kind of alluded to this, and I’ll repeat it again, I very much have to keep in check that this guy is different from me.  So there are always conversations that we have about keeping the edge happening with him and just keeping the character kind of like fully fleshed out.  He’s going to take a turn, and it ain’t going to be pretty when that happens.  So I’m looking forward to that myself, because it will be another kind of muscle kind of exercise.

So it’s nice to kind of like start out in a way with a big bang like he did when the character first came on, and find his way in terms of relationships with Gemma’s character, with Jax’s character, with the club, and what that all means and his past, and it will be fun now to kind of like—because you get to take the audience for a ride then—and it will be fun when the other thing happens.  And it looks like, because of the transgression that I alluded to before, that this underlying chord that Kurt has in his writing about betrayal and people getting their comeuppance and all of that stuff biting you back, that the turn, when it happens, it’s not going to be pretty as far as Nero is concerned.

Q:        Final question, what has Sons of Anarchy done for you as an actor?  What do you see in the future beside Sons?

SMITS:          Certainly, I’m touching a different audience than I did when I was involved on Law or Blue.  I definitely feel that, and that’s a good thing.  I like the fact that this world is dark and gritty in a lot of ways, so that’s accessing something different for the performer.  When I signed on to do Dexter a couple of years back it was with that kind of conscious intention to take [my] perceived television image and flip it on its head, and I felt like in a lot of ways we were able to do that and walk away from that experience like having done what I set out to do.  And this is kind of like I initially went into this with that expectation, and it’s morphed into something else because I’ve stayed on, but I’m happy that it’s worked out the way it has.

Thank you to Mr. Smits and all the fine people at the FX Network.

Good luck and happy writing,
Dan Calvisi

“Dan has created a book that is straightforward and full of valuable insight and guidance for screenwriters at different experience levels.”
-Laurie Lamson, Editor, Now Write! Screenwriting