I love Andre Braugher. He was fantastic on "Homicide:
Life on the Street" (one of the best shows ever). I was a bit
tongue-tied when speaking with him here. It's not often that you get to
speak to such a renowned actor (he was also nominated this year for an
Emmy for this show). Also, this is a great show, which I've loved from
the very first episode. It was very clear from the interview below
that Braugher is very passionate about acting and really into this
character. He has been in tons of TV shows and movies, but he really
knows this character well and has definite opinions about him!
I do have to say that I hope they do re-visit the
diabetes storyline with Owen. Type II diabetes is usually a life-long
struggle. Those of us who get it usually have a lifetime of bad habits
to overcome, and it's not so easy as just taking medication and
promising your kids that you'll keep it up. It is more like the
character Joe's gambling addiction. Temptation is everywhere.
Unlike other addictions, you can't just give up food. Even if you stay
away from junk food and candy, you still have to watch every carb. And
also I have to say that first time Type II patients don't usually just
take insulin. They usually take oral medication and then control it with
diet and exercise. So this is TV, I know, not reality. But otherwise
this show is very realistic, a lot like real life, which is what makes
it so great. Clearly Braugher does not agree with me here, so we
shall see what happens :)
TURNER ENTERTAINMENT
Moderator: Kristina Stafford
November 2, 2010 11:50 am CT
Operator: Good day and welcome to the Turner Entertainment’s Men of a
Certain Age conference call with Andre Braugher. Today’s conference is
recorded.
At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Ms. Kristina
Stafford. Please go ahead.
Kristina Stafford: Good afternoon. Thank you so much for joining the
Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age conference call. Men of a Certain
Age returns for its second season on Monday, December 6 at 10:00, 9:00
Central on TNT.
The conference call is now open for questions. Please press star 1 to
ask a question. Thank you.
Operator: And in the interest of time, we would like you to limit your
questions to one per participant and then reenter the queue if you have
additional questions. That is star 1 to ask a question today.
And our first question comes from Nancy McAlister with Print Marketing
Concepts.
Nancy McAlister: Hi Andre; how are you?
Andre Braugher: I’m doing great; how are you?
Nancy McAlister: Good, thank you. I guess I like just like to start by
asking what appeals to you about playing Owen?
Andre Braugher: About playing Owen? Well when I read the script back in
- the pilot script back in I guess the spring of 2008, you know, I was
just impressed about - I was impressed by the struggle of one man to,
you know, I guess to find validation, you know, in his work and among
his family.
And what was appealing to me was that this character was not an
authority figure and that he was immersed in this rich stew of
relationships, you know, with being a husband and a father and a son and
a pal and a coworker and a boss. And all of these different
relationships seemed to be fascinating because not often do we get a
chance to see men in this demographic, you know, in their natural
element, you know.
Quite often -- and I’ve played many of these roles -- they’re authority
figures or they’re, you know, functionaries or something to that effect.
And I felt as though Owen was a special kind of guy, you know, and more
appealing because he wasn’t exactly sharp or competent. You know, the
struggle appealed to me.
Nancy McAlister: Okay thank you.
Andre Braugher: Sure.
Operator: And our next question comes from Jamie Steinberg with Starry
Constellation Magazine.
Jamie Steinberg: Hi, it’s a pleasure to get to speak with you again.
Andre Braugher: Sure, how are you?
Jamie Steinberg: Good. My mother sends her regards. She is still
obsessed with Homicide and she wants to know when they will be redoing
it with you.
Andre Braugher: I don’t think it will ever happen but please give her my
regards.
Jamie Steinberg: I wanted to ask you, what keeps challenging you about
playing Owen?
Andre Braugher: What keeps - I’m sorry I missed it. What keeps?
Jamie Steinberg: What keeps challenging you about the role?
Andre Braugher: Well like life, you know, nothing ever goes right and
that’s a beautiful thing, you know, because, you know, as I mentioned
before, the struggle is fascinating. I mean, you know, quite often I’ve
played very assured characters, very competent characters, and this was
a departure from that and I think a welcome one, you know, just in terms
of broadening, you know, my ability to express myself in this dimension,
you know.
These relationships are really the most appealing part about it, you
know, for - to play a character who has been married for 20 years and
still is crazy about his wife, you know, and with three kids, you know,
and struggling to make a living selling cars. It’s a challenge, you
know. And the evolution, the maturation of the Owen character is just
appealing to me.
Quite often the characters I’ve played are ready-made (atoms) in their
own way. They don’t have a lot of context and they don’t have a lot of
history. But here is a character who is all context and all history and
it’s a welcome departure.
Operator: And as a reminder, it’s star 1 to ask a question today; star
1. We’ll pause for a moment to give everyone an opportunity to signal.
Our next question comes from Jay Jacobs with popentertainment.com.
Jay Jacobs: Hi, nice to talk to you, Andre.
Andre Braugher: Good morning, Jay.
Jay Jacobs: Homicide was one of my favorite shows too. Now all three of
you guys have sort of played very iconic TV roles previously and they
were all very different as well. How quickly did you - once you got
together with the guys did you feel that you were really meshing and
were able to get into these characters without sort of the baggage of
your former parts?
Andre Braugher: You know, I don’t feel as though I carried over any
baggage from my former parts and I will say that beginning with the
first read through as well as the first rehearsal, I mean, we were all
really concentrated and focused on really telling the story to the best
of our ability.
And, you know, the beauty of this story resides in the fact that all of
these guys are really fumbling, you know, fumbling their way through
their lives, you know, and that they are not, you know, blessed with,
you know, competence in every arena, you know. Some are married, some
are not, some are successful, some are not.
And we meshed pretty quickly because I think we all realize the tone of
this show is, you know, the ridiculousness of the struggle but also, you
know, its poignancy. I mean, we’re all in our own way in the same place,
you know. We’re struggling for that happiness and that satisfaction in
life. We want to do a good job, we want to honor these relationships
and, you know, in its own way it’s all of us looking for our own
happiness but of course it’s elusive, it’s an elusive goal.
Jay Jacobs: Sure.
Operator: And our next question comes from Suzanne Lanoue with the TV
MegaSite.
Suzanne Lanoue: Hi Owen, thank you for taking our calls today.
Andre Braugher: Sure.
Suzanne Lanoue: I love Homicide too. I didn’t watch it back when it was
on, I don’t know why, I saw it a couple of years ago.
Andre Braugher: Right, you might have been 8 years old when it was on.
Suzanne Lanoue: No no, I’m actually your age.
Andre Braugher: Oh okay.
Suzanne Lanoue: I saw it on the Sleuth Channel a couple of years ago.
They started running it like 4:00 in the morning and I started taping
it. Oh I love that show.
Andre Braugher: Oh glad to hear it.
Suzanne Lanoue: And I love this show actually. I started watching it
because you and Scott Bakula were on it but it’s such an amazing, well
written show and has such great characters and probably because of my
age I guess I can relate. It’s not just men of a certain age, it’s
people of a certain age.
I was going to ask you because I’m also Type 2 diabetic, I was going to
ask you if you think Owen will be having more issues, more problems with
that in the upcoming episodes.
Andre Braugher: I don’t think so. I mean, we had a whole episode about
the whole, you know, intense sort of concentration on Owen and Owen’s,
you know, the eating disorder, you know, the emotional side to it.
So, you know, and he made a vow to his kids, you know, about eating
healthy and so, you know, the character has been eating healthy, you
know, and so it looks as though there will be an improvement. I mean,
literally an improvement, you know, in his health and his outlook. So I
don’t think it will become - I don’t think his diabetes will become, you
know, showcased as a part of his character.
Suzanne Lanoue: All right, thank you.
Andre Braugher: Sure.
Operator: And our next question comes from Nancy McAlister with Print
Marketing Concepts.
Nancy McAlister: Hi again. I was just wondering what was your reaction
to the Emmy nomination?
Andre Braugher: I was pleased without a doubt. But, you know, like
everybody else, you know, when you’re handicapping, you know, Aaron Paul
was going to win it. So, you know, I was prepared, you know, and sure
enough Aaron Paul won it so there we have it. But I was pleased, you
know.
It’s nice that people recognize the show. It’s nice to be recognized for
telling the kind of stories that are pleasing to us and then amazingly
are also pleasing to the audience. So, you know, awards aside, the
nomination is really, you know, a testament to the fact that I think
we’re on the right track.
Nancy McAlister: Right. And I guess this is another way of asking this
too. Reaction to the show from fans, have you gotten a lot just in your
being out in the world?
Andre Braugher: Yes, people recognize me. You know, it’s a self selected
audience of course, you know, people who hate the show don’t come up to
me at all. But people who like the show come up and they just say, you
know, they express an appreciation for the fact that we’re telling a
story about older people who are typically invisible on shows or
functionaries, you know, like the Chief of Police, you know, or the
doctor who delivered the bad news or something to that effect, that
they’re pleased that someone is telling a story that reveals people of a
certain age in all their dimensions.
Operator: Our next question comes from Earl Dittman with Wireless
Magazines and Digital Journal.
Earl Dittman: Hi Andre, good morning; how are you?
Andre Braugher: I’m doing great; how are you?
Earl Dittman: Doing great. I have to say I’ve loved the show from the
moment it came on and you were just dynamic in it. And so you - the part
is for you, perfect. Did you feel - and I guess my main question is do
you share any of his, I mean, how much can you relate to him?
Andre Braugher: I relate to everything.
Earl Dittman: Really?
Andre Braugher: I mean, I’m a father and a son and a coworker, you know
what I mean, and a pal. I mean, there’s nothing here that’s not true,
you know what I mean, for me too, you know what I mean.
I don’t have his - I don’t have Owen’s health problems but, you know,
but just in terms of having, you know, a sharp strong-willed wife, I’ve
got one of those, you know, and the rambunctious, three rambunctious
boys, I’ve got those, you know what I mean. And I’ve got the whole stew,
you know, of relationships, you know, in terms of father, coworker, you
know, pal, you know, husband, father, you know. I’ve got it all.
Earl Dittman: You didn’t have to do a heck of a lot of research then?
Andre Braugher: No not really, I mean, because this is right up my
alley. But, you know, the hardest part of the job really is being honest
about what these situations are, you know, and not shying away from the
uncomfortableness of them, you know what I mean? They are uncomfortable
and I think we do our best service when we acknowledge them and deal
with these uncomfortable moments.
And so I think that’s one of the things that people like about the show
is that we don’t, you know, have a wise crack you know, that’s an act
out and didn’t shy away from the uncomfortableness of being who we are.
Earl Dittman: Well you’re absolutely fabulous in it and I’m looking
forward to this next season. And we’ll do our best to get people to
watch it.
Andre Braugher: Oh well thank you.
Earl Dittman: Thank you so much, you have a great day.
Andre Braugher: Sure, my pleasure.
Operator: And our next question comes from Jamie Steinberg with Starry
Constellation Magazine please.
Jamie Steinberg: Hello again. I was just wondering why you think people
continue to tune in and watch Men of a Certain Age.
Andre Braugher: Only because I think we’re telling stories that they
find appealing in this way. You know, truth telling is, you know, a very
compelling and watchable experience, you know.
And I think when you find stories that tell the truth about your life
you find them fascinating because it just - it’s an affirmation in a
certain way that instead of being a faceless drone or, you know, the
stupid dad on television that you’re really dealing with people with
dimension. And so consequently I think that’s one of the reasons people
enjoy tuning in.
Jamie Steinberg: Wonderful, thank you again.
Andre Braugher: Sure.
Operator: And our next question comes from Jay Jacobs with
popentertainment.com.
Jay Jacobs: I love the fact that the guys are lifelong friends. They’ve
been together for all these years even though they are sort of very
different types. Did you guys sort of get together and discuss the
characters’ back story, how they met and stayed together after all these
years? And also do you have any friends from childhood that you still
see regularly?
Andre Braugher: I do have friends from childhood that I see regularly
and, you know, I don’t think we had formal conversations about exactly
what the back story is, you know. We all went to Syracuse, we all
according to the opening credits, we all got in the car and drove to
sunny California together, you know. And my character is from California
because, you know, my father is, you know, a former Laker star and an
auto dealer. So in that way I am returning home.
But I don’t know exactly where Terry’s character is from. He’s from the
Midwest, you know what I mean, that much we know. And that, you know,
his little brother is out here that essentially grew up without his
father. These are certain little facts that we know about these
characters. But we’ve never really sat down and said, you know, this is
what happened in 1984 and this is what happened in 1994. We didn’t do
that.
Jay Jacobs: Okay well thank you.
Andre Braugher: Sure.
Operator: And our next question comes from Suzanne Lanoue with the TV
MegaSite.
Suzanne Lanoue: Hi, it’s me again. I love the scene in the upcoming
episode where your character is in the car with Marcus and does that
thing with the cars. It was so cool and the way he won Marcus over.
Marcus was like “you the man.”
Do you think there is going to be - that obviously didn’t totally settle
the problems that he has with Marcus. Is there anything you can tell us
without spoiling too much about the - what’s going to happen this season
with him and Marcus and how you’re going to deal with having him around?
Andre Braugher: Well, you know, I don’t deal with Marcus in the same
dimension because being, you know, the general manager of the
dealership, you know, instead of being down on the floor with the
salesmen.
I’m really sort of, you know, exploring the whole, you know, idea of
running the place, you know what I mean, and promoting the place and,
you know, finding out, you know, what’s going to be happening in the
future, you know. So it’s not so much interpersonal, you know, but
that’s something that Marcus...
Suzanne Lanoue: Right but the inadequacy is there about how his father
feels about Marcus and couldn’t survive without him, had to hire him
back or had to swallow his pride and all that.
Andre Braugher: Right, exactly. Well part of it yes, is swallowing my
pride. But the other thing is, you know, in the ongoing, you know, story
of Owen’s maturation, you know, putting the business first is important
also.
So yes, you have to swallow your pride if you want - if I want to play
at this level, you know. And if I want to be, you know, a salesman and
hold petty grudges, you know, I could step back on the floor. But, you
know, I think my father is asking me to step up, you know, and it’s
hard.
But, you know, it’s a different aspect of being, you know, a leader, a
general manger, you know, which has its complications and of course, you
know, this being a well written show, nothing goes right. But you know,
it is an attempt on Owen’s part to, you know, what I’m saying, to grow
up here.
Suzanne Lanoue: So is it like an important step in his maturing?
Andre Braugher: It is, it is an important step.
Suzanne Lanoue: Thank you very much.
Andre Braugher: Sure, my pleasure.
Operator: And our next question comes from Jay Jacobs with
popentertainment.com.
Andre Braugher: Hey dude.
Jay Jacobs: Hey. It’s sort of tough for an actor to get a role in a
single multi season series and obviously you had Homicide and I was also
a big fan of Hack. How gratifying is it that you’re now able to do it
yet again?
Andre Braugher: It’s good, it’s good, it helps put my kids through
college, you know what I’m saying. But the other thing about it is it’s
sort of a role that I’ve been waiting for, you know.
So often in my career I have played, you know, brilliant, authoritative,
hyper competent characters, you know. Benjamin Gideon is a brilliant
oncologist and researcher, you know what I’m saying, and Frank Pembleton
is a brilliant detective, you know, in a small town in Baltimore, you
know what I mean.
You know, and but when I look up with this role, you know, I just found
it really satisfying to not be hyper competent and not be brilliant and
in a certain way explore the joy of Owen’s ordinariness.
So I’m happy about getting this job and I’m looking for the next
challenge after the series ends, you know, three, four, five years, I
don’t know what it will be. You know, it’s really dependent on how the
audiences feel about it. But, you know, there will be another challenge
somewhere along the line and really looking forward to grabbing
something new, you know.
I have learned a lot by watching both Ray and Scott in terms of, you
know, how to bring out the human comedy, you know. I’ve learned a lot
about the art of storytelling by watching these guys really craft and
hone these shows sometimes on their feet, you know, while we’re doing
them. You know, a lot about, you know, the honesty and the truthfulness
and the bravery necessary to play comedy, you know.
So this has been a really satisfying experience. I don’t know how long
it will last, how long it will be a joy ride - but here’s Scott Bakula
razzing me in the hallway. So he’s being annoying. He’s being a pest
right now.
So anyway, we - it’s a lot that I have learned as an actor in terms of -
from Scott by being on the show. And, you know, as long as it lasts I’m
going to try to really glean all of the good stuff from it I possibly
can.
Jay Jacobs: Okay great.
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