Post by Forever Xena on Dec 12, 2005 10:20:55 GMT -6
Donald Sutherland enjoys 'Chief's' success
Saturday, December 10, 2005
By Susan King, Los Angeles Times
Donald Sutherland is intimidating. Perhaps it is his stature -- he's 6-foot-4 -- or the shock of white hair or the piercing blue eyes. Maybe it's that voice, filled with gravitas.
"What are we talking about?" he asks in a businesslike manner at the outset of a recent interview.
A little bit of everything.
Sutherland, a fit, handsome 70, is everywhere these days. He's stealing scenes as Geena Davis' nemesis, House Speaker Nathan Templeton, in ABC's "Commander in Chief."
The Canadian-born actor also gives a winsome performance as the father of five daughters in the new feature version of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice."
Initial impressions of Sutherland are deceiving. Funny, articulate, passionate about his craft and the proud father of five children, including "24" star Kiefer Sutherland, the actor turns out to be less a lion than a charming pussycat.
Question: With your film career thriving, what prompted you to do a series?
Answer: I made a decision to do a pilot. Rod Lurie came to me a couple of years ago about doing a film called "West Point." He came back and said we have this character (in "Commander"). It was a wonderful script and a wonderful idea, and I admire Geena immensely. And so I said sure. The idea was that if it were to be picked up, that was fine because my wife and I decided we would be here with the three boys in Los Angeles. To be frank, I didn't think it would be picked up because it was so good. . . .
I was in a quandary when we started to work because I am so used to a beginning, a middle and the end [for a character], and this has no middle or no end. Then about three weeks into it, I discovered I was a Dickens character in the author's head, and I was creating my own life. My relationship with Rod was really fantastic in terms of creativity. We were bound by osmosis. It was just wonderful.
Q: You've said in the past that you didn't like working with the same director twice. But in television, you frequently work with the same director.
A: That has kind of gone by the board. Rod directed a couple at the beginning, and then we had some other guys come in. I transferred all my affection for a director, which has been tradition in my life, to the producer and creator. Now, given the change that's taken place, I am going to transfer that affection to Steven Bochco (who replaced Lurie on Oct. 7).
Q: It must have been difficult to lose Lurie.
A: It was like a death in the family. It is very painful. But I am really looking forward to the particular kind of discipline I know Steven will bring to it. It was inherent in all of the talks that we had. There is a particular kind of security an actor can find in that.
Q: You have always been politically active on the liberal side, especially during the Vietnam War. So what is it like for you playing a conservative?
A: I have played guys who have killed people, and I have played guys who made love with their daughters.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
By Susan King, Los Angeles Times
Donald Sutherland is intimidating. Perhaps it is his stature -- he's 6-foot-4 -- or the shock of white hair or the piercing blue eyes. Maybe it's that voice, filled with gravitas.
"What are we talking about?" he asks in a businesslike manner at the outset of a recent interview.
A little bit of everything.
Sutherland, a fit, handsome 70, is everywhere these days. He's stealing scenes as Geena Davis' nemesis, House Speaker Nathan Templeton, in ABC's "Commander in Chief."
The Canadian-born actor also gives a winsome performance as the father of five daughters in the new feature version of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice."
Initial impressions of Sutherland are deceiving. Funny, articulate, passionate about his craft and the proud father of five children, including "24" star Kiefer Sutherland, the actor turns out to be less a lion than a charming pussycat.
Question: With your film career thriving, what prompted you to do a series?
Answer: I made a decision to do a pilot. Rod Lurie came to me a couple of years ago about doing a film called "West Point." He came back and said we have this character (in "Commander"). It was a wonderful script and a wonderful idea, and I admire Geena immensely. And so I said sure. The idea was that if it were to be picked up, that was fine because my wife and I decided we would be here with the three boys in Los Angeles. To be frank, I didn't think it would be picked up because it was so good. . . .
I was in a quandary when we started to work because I am so used to a beginning, a middle and the end [for a character], and this has no middle or no end. Then about three weeks into it, I discovered I was a Dickens character in the author's head, and I was creating my own life. My relationship with Rod was really fantastic in terms of creativity. We were bound by osmosis. It was just wonderful.
Q: You've said in the past that you didn't like working with the same director twice. But in television, you frequently work with the same director.
A: That has kind of gone by the board. Rod directed a couple at the beginning, and then we had some other guys come in. I transferred all my affection for a director, which has been tradition in my life, to the producer and creator. Now, given the change that's taken place, I am going to transfer that affection to Steven Bochco (who replaced Lurie on Oct. 7).
Q: It must have been difficult to lose Lurie.
A: It was like a death in the family. It is very painful. But I am really looking forward to the particular kind of discipline I know Steven will bring to it. It was inherent in all of the talks that we had. There is a particular kind of security an actor can find in that.
Q: You have always been politically active on the liberal side, especially during the Vietnam War. So what is it like for you playing a conservative?
A: I have played guys who have killed people, and I have played guys who made love with their daughters.