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By Suzanne

Interview with Kyra Sedgewick of "The Closer" on TNT 6/17/10

TURNER ENTERTAINMENT

Moderator: Carmen Davenporte-McNeal
June 17, 2010
12:30 pm. CT

Operator: Good day everyone and welcome to the conference call with Kyra Sedgwick. Today's conference is being recorded.

At this time, I'd like to turn the conference over to Carmen Davenporte-McNeal. Please go ahead, ma'am.

Carmen Davenporte-McNeal: Thank you. Good afternoon, thank you for joining TNT's conference call with Kyra Sedgwick. "The Closer" season six will premiere Monday, July 12, at 9:00 pm. Please enter your questions for the queue.

Operator: If you would like to ask a question, please do so by pressing the star key followed by the digit 1 on your touchtone telephone. We ask that you please limit yourself to one question and please re-queue for a follow-up to allow everyone an opportunity for questions. Again, please press star 1 on your touchtone telephone to ask a question at this time.

Our first question today comes from Paulette Cohn of "ET Online."

Paulette Cohn: Good morning.

Kyra Sedgwick: Hi.

Paulette Cohn: So I was watching the new – the first episode of the new season last night, and I just really got a chuckle out of it because it was so art imitating life with the whole thing with the new building.

Kyra Sedgwick: Yes.

Paulette Cohn: In L.A., do you guys really have access, do you know if the new police building is really having those problems or anything? Can you ...

Kyra Sedgwick: Oh, absolutely. It's exactly what's happening in the new police building. At least what the – what the cops are telling us. I don't know if the you know higher-ups would say that, but the cops are saying that you know they're having difficulty, that they're you know running into obstacles. And so we feel like you know – we felt like we wanted to – you know art imitate life.

And it's – and sometimes you know life is so great that you know it's so perfect, you know so you know you can't beat it, so you just copy it. And I think that you know there are all those interview rooms that used to be very much like the interview room that we had on the show. And now it's the two-way mirror and of course you know anybody walks into a two-way mirror. I mean, they – you know they'll know that they're being watched.

So, it's great. I think it was – it was fun for the writers to go in there and talk to the real cops and get a sense of what they're struggling with.

Operator: And our next question comes from Earl Dittman of "Wireless Magazine."

Earl Dittman: Hi, good morning, how are you?

Kyra Sedgwick: I'm great. How are you?

Earl Dittman: Doing great. Well, and it must be quite an adjustment for you, I imagine, too – the new digs, as they call it, new high-tech digs.

Kyra Sedgwick: Yes.

Earl Dittman: I guess – I guess the biggest question is, after – now, you're in your sixth year. Did you ever imagine that you would be playing Brenda for six years? And how has she evolved for you? And what has she taught you as an actress?

Kyra Sedgwick: Well, honestly, I really feel that the great thing about doing a character for this long is that – is that you know you – at this point, she's sort of taken over. And I never really know what she's going to do. And I kind of learn the lines and just go out there, and you know Brenda kind of takes over. Sort of a strange "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" kind of a thing.

I never could imagine what it's like to do a role for this long, because I think it's a completely unique situation. I don't think that you know anything other than television could ever sustain this kind of you know – this kind of work as an actor. I mean, even if you're doing a play for six years, you're still doing the same play. So it's always a new script.

And I think one of the great things about Brenda is that she actually doesn't change. I think that things change around her. You know characters come in that bring out something in her that we've not seen before. And you know bring out – you know like you see in the first episode, you know bring out things in her that you know we enjoy seeing.

But I think that you know seeing – for someone who's so utterly you know self-aware about what makes other people tick, she's completely not a self-aware person. So I don't think she has any interest in growing as a – as a person. And I kind of – that's what I kind of like about here is that she doesn't really change all that much.

Operator: And again, that's star 1 to signal for a question. And we'll go next to Erik Meers of UInterview.com.

Erik Meers:: Hi, Kyra; thanks for taking time to talk to us. My first question for you is, you have such great chemistry with Jon Tenney on the show, and I was wondering if you have a – any experiences that really stand out for you as being the famous – as being the most memorable of working with him on the show.

Kyra Sedgwick: Gosh. I think one of – some of our best moments – well, I mean, I love that scene after we got married, you know where she says to him, you know, you know, "I love you with all my heart, but sometimes I feel like my heart is only this big," and she you know points – like she spreads her finger apart like just a little bit. Because I think that she feels like you know so much of her life has been you know consumed in darkness, that she doesn't have a very big heart, even though, of course, we know better.

And then he actually says to her, you know, "I see all of you. I know who you are. Do you think I don't – I don't know who I married?" And I think that that was a beautiful moment for – you know for Fritz as well as for Brenda. And that was sort of a moment of connection for them that they don't always have.

Also, I think one of the very best scenes that they had, the two of them – although we had a really great one coming up this season in like, I think, episode three or something where they have an argument that goes into every room in the house. And it's like a one-shot kind of thing that's really going to be cool.

But there's that moment where he says to her, you know – there was just this pinnacle moment, I think it was season four, maybe it was five, where she does something really underhanded in her work that actually undermines his work. And it's so clearly clear that you know she'll do anything to close a case, even sacrifice relationships with the people that she loves.

And I love that side of her personality, even though it's not always you know the most likeable side of her personality. But he really – he just says to her you know, "You have really just gone you know to the bottom you know of you know of your character, and I'm really disappointed in you." And he talks about you know getting to a meeting, "I have to get to a meeting."

And it's just this moment of just you know – you know just the height of, I think, their difficulties. I think it was season four, because it was before they got married, and you know – but that is who she is. And there must be something he loves about her.

But I love working with Jon. I think he's an extraordinary actor.

Operator: And we'll take a follow-up from Earl Dittman of "Wireless Magazine."

Earl Dittman: Oh, great, thanks, I'm glad I get to talk you again. A quick question, in the new season, you're in the new digs of course. So are we going to be I guess going through the different parts of the new building? Will it be, like Brenda, finding the new parts of the – of the building and exploring and ...

Kyra Sedgwick: Yes.

Earl Dittman: ... Be surprised by the whole thing?

Kyra Sedgwick: Yes, yes, I mean I think that what the writers' intentions were, when they knew that they you know were faced with this new building idea, was that – was that she is, again, you know sort of harkening back to season one, where she's a fish out of water on some level, and that she's struggling against a very big obstacle, which is the building.

Yes, and you know you'll learn stuff that you know – stuff like you know what a pain in the ass it is to be – have to park you know three blocks from where you work, and you know different rooms in the building that she makes her own, because she can't stand the interview room, so she makes you know all sorts of different rooms her interview rooms. And I think that'll be fun to see, yes.

Operator: And we'll go next to Jim Halterman of JimHalterman.com.

Jim Halterman: Hi, Kyra; thanks for your time today.

Kyra Sedgwick: Thank you.

Jim Halterman: Is it important to you to have that kind of balance of comedy and drama in the show, just as an actor? Because it gives you a little bit more range to play?

Kyra Sedgwick: Very much so. I mean, I don't think I would have taken it if it was you know all drama all the time. I – you know I think that it's really important to have a sense of humor. And cops have a great sense of humor, most of them. You know they just – they have to. They have to have some levity in the darkens of what they do.

And also, you know I really wanted to show – I mean I really felt very strongly that, if I were to do TV, that it had to be – you know that the characters had to be accessible. And in order for someone to be accessible, you have to you know have a certain sense of humor about yourself. And also, you just don't want to see all – you know I wouldn't want to play it, I wouldn't want to watch something that's all dark all the time.

You know I had been – I had opportunities to do other you know dramas that – you know and it always was very important to me to you know – to have levity and both. And I love the fact that we can have you know the darkest, most disturbing episode right up against you know an absolute you know slapstick you know hands-down farcical slapstick, funny you know physical comedy kind of you know episode. I just love that we – that we – that we're facile enough to do that, that our audience is facile enough to want to ride that roller coaster with us. I mean, I just love that.

Operator: Next we'll go to Erik Meers: of UInterview.com.

Erik Meers:: Thanks. My next question is about your preparation for different shows. Do you – you know I know you have an arc coming up with a sniper. Do you – when these types of episodes come up, do you do any particular type of research on those types of crimes, or those types of criminals? Or do you try to talk to people to – what's your method with (those episodes).

Kyra Sedgwick: Yes, absolutely. I mean we have – we have a 25-year vet of the LAPD who's on set with us all the time and who's always available to talk about episodes. Because usually, the episodes are – they – usually the genesis of them are from a crime or a story that he's told in the writers' room or something that he's dealt with or he's – you know a friend has dealt with on the job.

So it's always really helpful to go to them for background information. I mean, whenever we deal with gang stuff, we always talk to him about that. Whenever I deal with you know some of the – we had a couple of Mexican you know coyote episodes about people you know entering the country illegally and people that house them and then take them across the – across state lines and you know what those people you know are capable of doing and what's legal and what's illegal about what they do.

And you know I mean, I always can get really you know wonderful very specific details about you know background stuff, research stuff, from the horse's mouth, so to speak. And that's really, really helpful in you know making something rich in detail and making smart choices as an actor. It's just really helpful to be able to do research on the fly like that.

Operator: And again, that's star 1 to signal. And we'll go next to Paulette Cohn of "ET Online."

Paulette Cohn: I'm back. I wanted to find out, Kevin has directed a previous season – episodes in previous seasons. Will he be back for this season? And what is it like to work with him?

Kyra Sedgwick: He is not coming back this season. He's just too busy with other things. But it's great to work with him. It's very easy. You know his – I think his first episode in season two, you know I think I was really nervous the first time he came on set, because I just wanted everyone to know – to love him as much as I do in terms of a director you know.

I just – you know I've worked with him several times as a director in you know films that we've done together, and he's just really great with actors, which is sort of a given. But he's also really great with story and really great moving the camera around.

And I think that you know whenever a new director comes on set, there's always this moment of like, OK, is this guy going to be cool, or is this girl going to be – you know woman going to be good to work with? Am I safe? And you know – and I really you know so wanted everyone to enjoy the experience, as I knew they would. And of course they did.

And I think it's always great for people when he comes onto the set as a director. You know, you know you're in really good hands. And for me, it's very easy. It feels very natural. He's you know just really good at it, and he's really kind and loving in his direction. And you know you would think that it would be a sort of a difficult thing for us to navigate, but it's always very, very simple and very right. It just feels really right.

Operator: And next, we'll go back to Earl Dittman of "Wireless Magazine."

Earl Dittman: Hi, Kyra. If – my information – I don't know if I got this right, but the girl who plays your niece, was that your daughter?

Kyra Sedgwick: Yes.

Earl Dittman: What was it like working with your daughter? And how did you feel about your daughter going into show – the family business, I guess it is now? And will we see her again this season? Because she was wonderful.

Kyra Sedgwick: Oh, thank you so much. She's not coming back this season. She – you know she just graduated from college, and I think that – I mean, sorry, from high school, and I think that she you know wants to you know enjoy the summer and not work.

You know I feel like kind of hypocritical, because you know on the one hand, I've always said to my kids, you know, "I really don't want you to go into this business, and I think it's really hard, and it's emotionally – you know can be really devastating, and you know it's sort of a, on some levels, a kind of a you know self-centered business. And you know I think you should do something else."

And the on the other hand, you know when it suits me, when – you know when it feels good for me, or when – you know when I know someone – you know when it serves me, I've you know said, "Oh, you know, Sosie, it'd be really great for you to do this part."

But as far as "The Closer" is concerned, that was a different situation. Because James Duff had seen her in a film that I produced, that Kevin directed, that I starred in, called "Loverboy" in – I guess when she was about 12, or maybe even 11. And she was really great in the film. And he said to me you know, "I really want her to be on the show." And I said, "Well, you know that's something you have to talk to her about. I'm not her manager."

And you know, and so you know 6 years – 5 years later, he said – he you know said to me, "I really would like to write her a part on the show." And again, I said you know, "You need to talk to her about it." And so he did. And actually, he talked to her about it very, very early on. And it took her several months to you know sort of decide that, yes, she would in fact do it.

It was great to work with her. I think she's really talented. I don't know that it's something that she wants to do, and on many levels, you know I want my kids – I want my kids to be happy, and I don't know if happy means being an actor. I think it's just a really hard life. So – and I don't ever want them to get their feelings hurt. So really not great things to – you know to expect if you're – if you're going into this business. So we'll see. But it was really very satisfying working with her.

Operator: And we'll go back to Paulette Cohn of "ET Online."

Paulette Cohn: Earlier, you said that Brenda was a character who doesn't have any interest in growing as a person. But for – as a viewer watching it, and watching her relationship with Fritz, which is one of my favorite parts of it, he – I think he totally pushes her beyond her boundaries, and she does make changes.

Kyra Sedgwick: Well, that's great – that's great. I mean I think that sometimes I'm so in the character that I really can't be objective about her. So I think that that's great that you see that as a – you know as a viewer. I think what you see is certainly you know much more valid than what I have to say about the character, honestly, because, as I said, it's just really hard for me to be objective, I'm so – I'm so in her that it's hard.

And I don't know that she would even think that – you know that she's – that she's grown at all. But I certainly think that he pushes her out of her comfort zone. I think that's for sure. I think simply by having any kind of relationship at all is out of her comfort zone.

Carmen Davenporte-McNeal: Kyra, we appreciate your time. Thank you, everyone, for participating in today's call, and don't forget to tune in to season six premiere on Monday, July 12, at 9:00 pm. Thank you.

Kyra Sedgwick: Thanks so much, you guys. Take care.

Operator: And that does conclude today's conference with Kyra Sedgwick. We appreciate everyone's participation today.

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