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By Suzanne

Interview with Jesse Metcalfe of "Dallas" on TNT 1/24/13

TURNER ENTERTAINMENT
Moderator: Lindsey Jones
January 24, 2013 2:40 pm CT

Operator: Please stand by everyone. We're about to begin. Good day ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Turner Jesse Metcalfe Dallas Season 2 conference call. Today's conference is being recorded.

Now for opening remarks and introductions, I'll turn the conference over to Lindsey Jones. Lindsey, go ahead.

Lindsey Jones: Good afternoon everybody. Thank you so much for joining the Jesse Metcalfe Dallas conference call. Season 2 of Dallas returns Monday, January 28 with back-to-back episodes beginning at 9:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

The conference call is now open for questions. Please press star 1 to ask a question. Thank you.

Operator: Again, ladies and gentlemen, it is star 1 if you have a question. And we please ask that you limit yourself to one question. You may re-queue but one initial question. Go first to (Jim Alterman), tvfanatic.com.

Jim Halterman: Hey Jesse. Thanks for you time today. How are you?

Jesse Metcalfe: Absolutely. I'm great. Thanks.

Jim Halterman: Hey. So, you know, so much about the show is with the strife between Christopher and John Ross. I'm curious in the second season if we're going to see any complications with Christopher and Bobby because they always seem to be on the same side. I'd be curious where their relationship is going.

Jesse Metcalfe: Well, you know, their relationship - they were a bit at odds in the first season a little bit. But I think they're pretty much on the same side here in the second season at least thus far.

You know, it becomes a very tricky situation with the running of Ewing Energies because, you know, some other players become involved and also Sue Ellen becomes more involved with Ewing Energies. And we also end up, you know, bringing Jordana - bring Elena on in a bigger capacity.

So, you know, I think we need to - we need to stay on the same page and stay, you know, stay a tight knit group more than ever.

Operator: We'll go next to Jamie Steinberg with Starry Constellation Magazine.

Jamie Steinberg: Hi. It's such a pleasure to speak with you.

Jesse Metcalfe: You too.

Jamie Steinberg: How important is it for you to live tweet during the episodes and sort of interact with fans based on this new season?

Jesse Metcalfe: Well I think we've all made a very concerted effort to be part of social networking, you know, and supporting this show. You know, I wasn't even on Twitter before the first season or maybe I had one established but I had never used it.

And, you know, I really love it. I really getting - I really love getting that instant feedback, you know, from the fans letting them know what the like and what they didn't like - letting us know what they like and what they didn't like.

So I - it really plays a large part, you know, in the publicity of our show - the publicity strategy for our show. And, you know, I think a lot of tweeting during episodes has been great. I think the fans really enjoy it.

Operator: Well go next to Karen Moul with SciFi Vision.

Karen Moul: Hi Jesse. Thanks so much for making time for us today.

Jesse Metcalfe: Not a problem. ((inaudible)).

Karen Moul: As the - oh, thanks. Excuse me. We talked to some of your co-stars earlier today. And I know the season opens only about a month after last season ended. How dangerous is Rebecca right now? And, you know, is Christopher still vulnerable to her being that she's a motherless child?

Jesse Metcalfe: Well she's dangerous. She's dangerous because, you know, she has the backing of her family and of her father. You know, and they - and her, you know, Barnes Global certainly has a lot of money and a lot of power.

And he's also, you know, still emotionally vulnerable to her. You know, I mean, you know, after all she is the mother of his children. And, you know, they're stuck in this, you know, bitter custody battle over his - over the unborn twins. And, you know, it gets pretty ugly.

Operator: We'll go next to Earl Dittman with Digital Journal and Wireless Magazines.

Earl Dittman: Hey Jesse. How are you today man?

Jesse Metcalfe: I'm good man. How are you?

Earl Dittman: Doing great. Doing great. I was going to ask you, you know, the great thing about Dallas this new (incarnate) or the next generation as we so lovingly call it is that you basically as actors get to create your own character. You're creating your own character for, you know, posterity.

What are some of the things that - you know, of course you have to follow script but, you know, you kind of turn him into who he's going to be from now on. So what kind of challenge is that for you as an actor?

I mean you started off with Desperate Housewife and now you're over here doing this fantastic job on this show and really we're seeing layers of your acting we've never seen before. Do you feel that way and what drives you to do those things? And what do you draw on?

Jesse Metcalfe: Yeah. And of course I do. I do feel that way. This is an incredible opportunity for me to get on my first ever lead part on a series where I really feel a responsibility to make sure that, you know, every episode is everything it can be.

You know, it's interesting. I bring a lot of myself to the characters I play. But I think that playing any character serve a cathartic experience too. And it's almost like you learn things from your character or you become more like you character the longer that you play him.

And, you know, Christopher's a very noble character. You know, he's really at the moral center of the show. He's, you know, incredibly ethical and oftentimes heroic, you know, and he's really the guy that selflessly tries to serve and protect his family.

So, you know, and it's been a great acting turn for me, you know, because it's really - it's really stretched - it's really stretched me as an actor because there's a lot of high drama, a lot of really emotional scenes.

Operator: We'll go next to Dan Deevy, the cinemasouce.com.

Dan Deevy: Hi Jesse. First of all congratulations on the show. I think you guys are doing a great job keeping the Dallas legacy alive and well.

Jesse Metcalfe: Thank you so much. Appreciate that.

Dan Deevy: And so now playing your character I mean Christopher seems, you know, he's the really good guy with the strong moral compass like Bobby. But you can't be a character on Dallas without having skeletons in your closet. And when they appear they can kind of come out of left field. So I'm curious if it were up to you, what kind of skeletons would you put in Christopher's closet?

Jesse Metcalfe: You know, I think it's obvious from, you know, the character that we've established in the first season what he's grappling with. You know, an I still get into the character in the same way. You know, I think Christopher is really defined by his need to prove himself as a Ewing. And, you know, the baggage of being abandoned by the only mother that he's ever known.

I think that's the fuel for his ambition. That's the source to his ambition. So, you know, anything can really come out of that, you know. I'm, you know, he could have a substance problem. He could fly off the handle. I mean he's already proven himself in the first season to be, you know, pretty temperamental at times and, you know, very, you know, very emotionally raw at times.

So, you know, I mean I don't really know exactly what skeletons are going to come out of Christopher's closet. I can't imagine they'd be that earth shattering. But, you know, he definitely has some edge to his personality and certainly there's the propensity to go to the dark side.

Operator: We'll go next to Jay Jacobs with popentertainment.com.

Jay Jacobs: Hi Jesse. Nice to talk to you again. We spoke last year when this series was starting. Now of course everyone was so saddened to hear about Larry Hagman's passing away. With Larry playing such a huge part in the Dallas legacy, how important is it to continue the show and continue on his work and make sure that his work is...

(Crosstalk)

Jesse Metcalfe: It's incredibly important. I think the best way to honor Larry would be to make this show a huge success and to keep this show going for at least a few more years to come.

Anything less than that I think Larry would see as a failure. You know, I mean it's - this tragedy, you know, has really kind of set up another monumental, you know, television event. And I think, you know, our writers, our producers and obviously us has actors have all come together to try to honor Larry and honor the character of JR Ewing in the best way that we know how.

And it's going to make for some very compelling television. There's no doubt about that. I mean Episode 8 is really, you know, the episode where JR's death - the mystery of JR's death begins to unravel. And it's entitled JR's Masterpiece. And a lot of very intriguing storylines have set in motion because of his death. And I think they're really going to fuel the second half of the season and possibly seasons to come.

Operator: We'll go next to (Jillian Beau) with Celebuzz.

Jillian Beau: Hi Jesse. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today.

Jesse Metcalfe: No problem.

Jillian Beau: Last season Christopher tried his best to be on the side of right in order to get ahead in business. This season will Christopher start to become a little cut throat when he goes up against his Uncle Cliff and Pamela and JR and John Ross?

Jesse Metcalfe: He definitely starts to consider compromising his ethics. And he certainly ultimately does dance on the dark side a little bit. He's really forced to in order to compete with everyone around him being so, yeah, manipulative. So yes, you know, you're definitely going to see a darker side of Christopher come mid season.

Operator: We'll go next to Debra Wallace with Pop Culture Madness.

Debra Wallace: Hi Jesse. We all know about your film success and your Desperate Housewives success. Can you talk about how your professional - the personal life and the - has changed since Dallas became, you know, an immediate smash?

Jesse Metcalfe: Honestly life hasn't changed that much. You know, it's just nice to be on a show that people are watching and to be working with such an exceptional group of people. I feel very lucky. You know, this is my first opportunity to be a true lead on a series and, you know, and in part carry a series.

So, you know, I take this job very seriously. I consider it one of, you know, the biggest jobs I've ever had. And I've been enjoying every minute of it. But there - not a whole lots changed for me personally.

Operator: We'll go next to Pamela Harland, Assignment X.

Pamela Harland: Hi Jesse.

Jesse Metcalfe: Hi.

Pamela Harland: I was wondering what part of your character has changed because of the passing of Larry Hagman? Have all the characters had to make a shift or an alter in terms of what their - where their paths are going to be headed?

Jesse Metcalfe: Well our writers had to kind of urgently get together over the Christmas hiatus and basically rewrite the entire second half of the season. So definitely some changes certainly transpired. And I think in a lot of ways for the better. You know, the passing of JR within the story really sets in motion some, you know, very exciting storylines. That sets a lot of different characters and bring a lot of different characters from the past and present together.

But it - and I don't think it's really - I don't think it's really - you know, it might have even changed the trajectory of my character of Christopher a little bit as well in that he even had - he has to step up ever more and assume the Bobby role and really selflessly serve his family and protect his family because, you know, his father's grieving and John Ross is also grieving as well and acting increasingly more erratic.

So, you know, I mean Christopher has to assume that role even more so. So, you know, it's been a - it's been a really wild right, you know. An unexpected tragedy for all of us and it's been an unexpected turn in that - with the storyline on Dallas.

Operator: And we'll take our next question from Karen Moul with SciFi Vision.

Karen Moul: Hi again Jesse. You alluded briefly to Christopher feeling abandoned by his mother. Will we learn any more this season about what happened with Pam in the last 20 years, where she's been and, you know, what happened with her and Christopher?

Jesse Metcalfe: Yes. Yes we will. Unfortunately I can't tell you much more than that. I'm sorry.

Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our question and answer session. I'll turn it back to Lindsey for closing remarks.

Lindsey Jones: Thank you so much for joining today's call. As a reminder, Dallas returns on Monday, January 28 at 9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on TNT. A transcript of this call will be available within 24 hours. Please check with you respective TNT publicist. Thank you Jesse and thank you all for participating.

Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your participation. This does conclude today's conference. Have a great rest of your day.

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