Interview: CCH Pounder of NCIS: New Orleans Lets the Good Times Roll in the Big Easy
Veteran actress CCH Pounder has starred or co-starred in practically every great American TV series since the 1980s, including “Cagney and Lacey,” “Hill Street Blues,” “Miami Vice,” “The X-Files,” “E.R.” “Sons of Anarchy” and many more. Not to mention the fact that she’s starred on the big screen in feature films like “Avatar,” “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” and “End of Days,” to name a few. Next up for this talented and versatile actress is playing Dr. Loretta Wade on “NCIS: New Orleans,” which has its series premiere tonight at 9/8c on CBS. The show also brings her back to co-starring with former “Quantum Leap” star Scott Bakula, who stars in the new “NCIS” spinoff. Celebrity Extra: You have such a prolific acting resume that you’re bound to work with some of the same people more than once — back in 1990, you co-starred on an episode of “Quantum Leap,” and now you and Scott are both on “NCIS: New Orleans.”
CCH Pounder: Oh, we were babies back then! How fabulous. It was ironic that we remembered each other so very well over the years, so it’s really great.
CE: What’s also great is the fact that your series premieres right after the season premiere of the original “NCIS.”
CCH: We’ve got a very sweet time slot. Quite honestly, if it fails you’d probably just have to go in the bathroom and shoot yourself. Everybody loves “NCIS.” People want to see more of it. Ignoring all of that, the point is that you get to be an actor, and you are reading scripts all the time, and hopefully your talent will find the sweet spot for it. I’m working on my third episode, and so far I’m feeling pretty damn confident.
CE: One of the things that works so well for the original “NCIS” is the chemistry between everyone. How’s your cast coming together so far?
CCH: My and Scott’s chemistry from working together has fallen into place very, very quickly. And I am really tickled with Rob Kerkovich, who just joined the cast. He’s very funny; he’s like a big geek god for everybody. We’ve had really good chemistry as well — those are basically the two main people who I work with.
CE: Tell me about filming on location in the Big Easy.
CCH: I think it’s becoming sort of like the next big place to film, besides Toronto. I saw at least five or six other location guides scouting areas. Are we all playing up in the swamp this year?
CE: I haven’t visited New Orleans since before Hurricane Katrina. How is the city coming along?
CCH: Where I am is a slightly touristy area, so everything is exceedingly optimistic. There is construction everywhere; it’s like Beijing. They are building like crazy; they are knocking down like crazy; they are repurposing. I am in the Art District, and every warehouse is being turned into living spaces — it’s just surreal.
There are areas where you still see the houses with the quadrants and the marks on them. There are places where the houses have giant holes in the roof, and they are abandoned. And there are also neighborhoods where people just didn’t come back. There might be two or three people living on that block.
CE: While the show does follow the “NCIS” format, it is indeed its own show, with a different feel and attitude compared with its predecessor.
CCH: Yes, absolutely. First of all, the place has its own character. It is a different kind of temperature, certainly, and atmosphere, absolutely, but also the pace of it is not as uptight as it would be in, say, Washington. It covers a wide swath of the Southern Belt, from New Orleans all the way up to Alabama. It deals with Navy Criminal Investigation — the framework is the same — but the people and the contents and the pacing are quite different.
CE: Tell me about your character, Dr. Wade.
CCH: Originally, the medical examiner was described as a British, intellectual, well-read personality, but I really wanted to go completely the opposite and be a much more emotional personality, one who has a lot of concern about the families of the deceased. And I really tried to make her kind of a sassy gal. Also, I wanted her brightness to be intuitive. She’s got the medical chops, but I didn’t want her to give medical legalese to the people who are not in that profession. She speaks to them in a plain and simple way about what happened. When speaking with other medical people, then she can be versatile within her medical language. I think we found a really nice balance.
CE: What about character/actor crossovers from “NCIS” to “NCIS: New Orleans”?
CCH: Everyone wants to come to New Orleans. Joe Spano was here last week; Meredith Eaton was here; Michael Weatherly is here now. So the food and the laissez les bons temps rouler (“let the good times roll”) attitude have enticed a lot of them to come on down.
CE: Last time we spoke, there was talk of an “Avatar” sequel. Is that still in the works?
CCH: Every time I begin to doubt, thinking, “Oh gosh, I guess it’s not happening,” they call and check in with: “Hey, how you doing? How’s your availability?” Well, it’s here. So, I guess whatever time is needed to finish writing or whatever preproduction is needed — whatever the new machinery is, the new cameras, the new technology. The technology was racing so quickly when we were doing the first “Avatar” that by now I am pretty sure that they have come up with a whole other set of things to be worked out. So, I will say that it is somewhere on the back burner.
CE: And knowing how brilliant the first one was, I’d venture to guess it’ll be worth the wait.
CCH: Oh yes, it’s always worth the wait. It really doesn’t matter how you look, as long as you still have the acting voice, because the Avatar will do the visual part for you.
Q and A: Week of Sept. 18
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| CCH Pounder (photo by Geneva Morgan) |
A: “NCIS: New Orleans” is definitely happening. In fact, it premieres on CBS Sept. 23 at 9/8c, right after the season 12 premiere of “NCIS.” The crime-procedural drama stars Scott Bakula, CCH Pounder, Lucas Black, Zoe McLellan, Rob Kerkovich and Paige Turco.
As the title would suggest, the series is set and filmed in the Big Easy, and while it follows the “NCIS” formula, the show definitely has a feel all its own. Series star CCH Pounder told me recently: “The pacing is definitely different. It’s a different kind of temperature and atmosphere, certainly, but also, the pace of it is not as uptight as it would be in, say, Washington. It covers a wide swath of the Southern belt from New Orleans up through Alabama. The framework is the same, but the people and the content will be quite different.”
But just because the people are different, it doesn’t mean that familiar faces won’t be showing up now and again. CCH explained: “Everyone wants to come to New Orleans. Joe Spano was here last week; Meredith Eaton was here; Michael Weatherly is here now. So the food and the ’laissez les bons temps rouler’ (’let the good times roll’) attitude have enticed a lot of them to come on down.”
Q: Now that Jennifer Esposito has reappeared on “Taxi Brooklyn,” why did she ever leave “Blue Bloods”? I thought that it was reported she was ill? — Tony via email
A: Back in 2012, Jennifer collapsed on the “Blue Bloods” set due to complications from celiac disease and missed a week of work. Her doctor advised her that she needed to cut back her work schedule. Rather than work around her schedule, CBS put her on an unpaid leave of absence (and even implied that her collapse was a stunt to get a raise), and refused to let her obtain limited work in the meantime. When her contract with the show expired, she was able to look for work elsewhere.
Jennifer currently is co-starring in the action-drama “Taxi Brooklyn,” which is based on Luc Besson’s feature film called “Taxi.” Luc is best known for “Leon: The Professional,” the “Taken” films, the “Transporter” series, “The Fifth Element” and much, much more. “Taxi Brooklyn” wrapped its first season on NBC Sept. 10; there is no word as of this writing of a second season.
Q: I love Bill Cosby’s comedy. Does he have plans to return to TV? — Robert M., via email
A: NBC announced at the Television Critics Association tour this summer that it was developing a comedy for Bill Cosby, which could premiere as early as summer 2015. The series is described as a “multi-camera, classic extended-family sitcom,” with Bill as the patriarch.
A: Breeana’s new book, which is slated to be released in late September or early October, is called “Rumplestiltskin’s Daughter.” As of now, it is planned to be a stand-alone book, not a series, but as Breeana told me, you never know.
“So far as I know it’s a single story. You know, my brain does strange things. I thought ‘Dusk Gate’ was done after ‘Blooms of Consequence,’ so I don’t know for sure. But probably if it did turn into a series, it would branch off from a few different characters. Like maybe a same world and same storyline, but focus on different people.”
So, what is her new book about? Breeana summed it up for me: “The story is basically a what-if retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin tale. The idea behind it is that tales are told by the most powerful, so the stories that get passed down are from one point of view. And so ‘Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter’ is, what if Rumpelstiltskin isn’t a bad guy after all? In the real story, the heroes are not nice people. A king and queen get married because he forces her to spin gold for him, and yet Rumpelstiltskin is portrayed as the bad guy. So, my story is more an examination of that.”
Q: When will “Gone Girl” be released at the theater? Seems like I’ve been waiting forever! — Deanna R., via email
A: The long-awaited Ben Affleck-starring thriller — which is based on the best-selling novel by Gillian Flynn, who also wrote the movie’s screenplay — will be in theaters on Oct. 3. Save me a seat and some popcorn, because you can bet I’ll be there!
A: Alexander Ludwig, who played newbie Navy SEAL Shane Patton, is perhaps best known for playing Cato, the career tribute from District 2 in “The Hunger Games.” He’ll also play Bjorn (Ironside) Lothbrok — Ragnar and Lagertha’s now-grown son — in the upcoming season of the History channel’s “Vikings,” which likely will air in spring 2015.
Q: I can’t get enough “Outlander”! Please tell me it will be back for another season. — Eleanor W., The Villages, Fla.
A: I am thrilled to tell you that after its record-shattering opening weekend, Starz did indeed renew the time-traveling/fantasy/historical-drama/romance series for a second season. Early reports say that the second season will be at least 13 episodes (but I'm thinking it'll end up being at least 16, like this season), and it will be based on Diana Gabaldon’s second book in the “Outlander” series, “Dragonfly in Amber.”
Q: Like the rest of the world, I was shocked and heartbroken to hear about Robin Williams’ suicide. I know he was working on some movies before his death. Will any be released posthumously? — Kelli F., via email
A: The consummate funnyman with a heart as big as his funny bone left this world way too soon, as I’m sure we all can agree. He did leave behind four movies that have yet to be released: “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” “Merry Friggin’ Christmas,” “Boulevard” and “Absolutely Anything.”
Interview: Everything's Zen with Satisfaction's Tzi Ma
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| Tzi Ma as Satisfaction's Zen Master |
Celebrity Extra: You were working on “24: Live Another Day” when you got the call to come in to work for “Satisfaction.” How did you work that out?
Tzi Ma: It truly was a logistical nightmare. But thank goodness it all worked out, because I tell you, “Satisfaction” was on the brink of replacing me. I was supposed to be in Atlanta by the middle of May, and I was still in England (for “24”). I flew straight from London to Atlanta, and I was still on hold for “24,” just in case we needed to reshoot anything.
I had shot the first episode of “Satisfaction,” but by the time I was done with “24,” they were on the fifth episode. I went and did four episodes in a row. They waited for me. Sean Jablonski, the creator of the show, is so nice. He’s just so generous and so supportive and trusting. It worked out good. I’m so thankful that they waited.
CE: Tell me about the Zen Master.
TM: The one thing I liked about what Sean was, when we talked about the character, we didn’t want this guy to be your stereotypical Zen master who just sits quietly. We’re playing him as a pretty normal guy. And that’s what I appreciate. It’s hard to do these things. Once they say you are the Zen master, you can get stuck. It’s hard to break out of that controlled, stately idea of the character.
You’re supposed to be wise, and you’re supposed to be able to talk in metaphors, and everybody will just say, “Oh my God, this is so crazy and so wonderful.” That’s not how we approached this guy. We approached him as a true practitioner of Zen in that everything’s in the moment. He has no premeditated thoughts about why this guy is coming to him. That’s how we approached the relationship between Neil and the Zen Master. If it were just a regular Zen master, I may not have wanted to play the role.
CE: When you prepared for the role, how did you approach it?
TM: The one thing I asked from our directors was, “If there’s any time that you feel that I’m just reading a line, please let me know, because that’s what I don’t want.” We have wonderful writers on the show, so you don’t want to mess that up. They get paid the big bucks for a reason.
CE: We don’t get to see a lot of the Zen Master, but when we do, his scenes are always important. Will we get to see more of him?
TM: No, I’m never featured heavily. It wouldn’t work that way. It has to be that he’s the guy who comes in and transitions himself out. But there are some little twists in an upcoming episode where it comes out that he is not really using the “Zen” philosophy to talk to Neil about certain things.
TM: I was excited. (Writers) Evan (Katz) and Manny (Coto) called, and they talked to me about it. They said, “We’re thinking about doing this, but it’s going to be really intense. And we don’t want to tell you too much. We really want everyone to be surprised.” We didn’t know what the ending was going to be. But given what they told me, I really felt that this character was almost like a new character. The stakes were much higher because he had nobody to answer to, just like Jack Bauer. That parallel is very exciting.
CE: What was the reaction from “24” viewers concerning your return?
TM: The reaction has been great. The one thing about the fans that’s so cool is that they don’t come up to me and spit in my face, like: “Oh, I hate you! You’re against Jack Bauer!” It’s a love/hate relationship. It’s like: “I hate you. Can I take a picture?” I’m a character actor. I try not to be so visible out in public. To be recognized that way in such a consistent manner because of this show, it’s scary for a character actor. But the fans have been great. They’re writing stuff online like: “Oh my God, I can’t believe it! He’s back! Cheng is back!” I’m really enjoying it.
CE: What are your thoughts on Freddie Prinze Jr.’s statement that during his time on “24,” Kiefer Sutherland was unprofessional and difficult to work with?
TM: Look at what Kiefer’s done for “24.” He’s been in practically every scene, from beginning to end, for nine seasons. That should tell you something about this guy’s work ethic. I don’t know any actor who comes to the set more prepared than him. You can’t carry a show like this being an asshole. Everyone has his moments, even me. The fact is, he doesn’t compromise because he is trying to achieve excellence.
CE: Tell me about your new movie, “Million Dollar Arm.”
TM: It’s a simple movie about an American sports agent (played by Jon Hamm) who’s trying to revive his career because it’s going down the toilet. He wants to create a game show; it’s like “American Idol” but with baseball. He travels to India to find his athletes.
CE: You did a few episodes of “Nash Bridges” back in the day, with one of my favorite actors, Don Johnson. What was that experience like?
TM: I shot the 99th and 100th episodes of the show, so it was a big deal. Don is so generous. He took the entire cast and crew to Vegas for the shoot. We shot at the Mirage, the Bellagio — it was a ball. Don came straight up and said, “Brother, I’m so glad you’re on the show.” He’s another guy who’s really intense. Some people think he’s a diva, but he’s not. The guy is serious about what he’s doing. It’s a bum rap that guys like Don and Kiefer get in terms of being divas or being difficult. They’re not; they’re passionate and professional.
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