Interview: Josh Henderson Is Having the Time of His Life
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| Josh Henderson, photo by Mark Seliger |
Celebrity Extra: Season one of “Dallas” premiered in summer 2012, so I was worried I’d have to wait until this summer for season two. I am so happy that you guys started back up at the end of January. You all must have been excited to be getting back to work so soon.
Josh Henderson: It’s a nice turnaround. Some of those cable shows, you have to wait for a year or more, and people don’t think it’s even on the air anymore, so it’s nice that we got to come back sooner. It’s been a crazy season so far, and we’re only halfway through shooting, and the excitement is definitely there, even worldwide. I see it through social networks — whether it’s the U.K. or now in the Asian markets and Central and Latin America — it’s like everyone all around the world is so excited, so it makes me feel pretty darn good.
CE: What did you think when you first heard they were doing this remake/continuation of “Dallas,” and what made you decide to go after the role of John Ross?
JH: I remember the show because I am from Dallas originally, so I knew of it, but I was young. It was a big deal in my family back in the day. So, when I heard it was coming back and I read the script, and I realized that not only Linda, Larry (Hagman) and Patrick (Duffy) were a part of this — which, if you were going to redo “Dallas,” you had to have them — but then I also read the script and realized that it was perfect. You’ve got the two kids (John Ross and Christopher) who are now grown up, and they’re trying to come into manhood, come into their own, and really impress their fathers and everything else. But they also have completely separate beliefs about where the Ewing family should go — whether it’s green energy or, obviously, sticking with oil. And it’s just the perfect time for the conflict and to pick up with the Ewings 20 years later.
When I heard about the show coming back, I just felt like I was supposed to be a part of it. It was one of those things where I was like, “I feel like this is supposed to be my role.” And I think I took that confidence in with me on my first audition, and it worked. Cynthia Cidre — our head writer and executive producer — said by the second line out of my mouth, she knew that I was John Ross. It was an amazing day for me. And here we are now in season two, and I’m just having the time of my life.
CE: Were you nervous at all, coming onto such a legendary, groundbreaking show?
JH: That was exactly it. It’s essentially the biggest TV show in history, and now I’m a part of it. Realizing that as I was shooting the pilot episode was the biggest moment of clarity I’ve ever had in my life, but also the most real moment. I kept thanking God and thinking, “How did this happen?” I’ve been in the business for 11 years, but this was the most comfortable and the most right I’ve ever felt in anything. So, I’m just so appreciative and just really enjoying it.
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| Josh, photo by Skip Bolen |
JH: We go to work every day, and everyone knows everyone’s name, and it is completely like a family. When Larry (Hagman) passed, it was a big blow — not just to Linda (Gray) or Patrick (Duffy) or to me or to the rest of the cast, but to everyone. Everyone goes to work on this show and just enjoys being together. I can’t think of one person out of our entire crew who sticks to himself. We really are family. I’ve been on a lot of sets and a lot of different shows and films, and it’s always different, but this just makes sense, and it feels right. I don’t think that happens too often. I also think that translates into a better show, because we trust each other as a cast, and we can take all of the walls down, and just really get deep into our characters.
CE: There are a lot of expectations for John Ross, being J.R. Ewing’s son. How will he handle that this season?
JH: Yeah, I knew there was going to be a lot of expectation on who is this, who’s going to be J.R.’s son, and what are they going to be like. He’s a very complex person; he’s got a lot of issues, and he grew up with not the best relationship with his parents. He has a lot of chips on his shoulders, and now, obviously, with what he’s gone through of trying to prove his worth, prove that he can make his father proud and be like his father in business and blackmail, and do all those things that J.R. was so good at. He’s going through so much emotionally in season two that we’re going to see many more colors to him. As an actor, this is just an amazing opportunity.
CE: John Ross definitely ended season one with a bang! What can we expect from him this season?
JH: He was on fire, wasn’t he? Season two picked up a month later, and he had cooled off a little bit. He knows that if he actually wants to achieve what he wants, then he’s going to have to fly under the radar. He has to keep his emotions and anger and everything else buried. But, he’s definitely on a mission, and he definitely wants to take down Christopher and Elena. And he also wants to take over Ewing Energies, which is a main goal of his. But he knows he’s going to have to be a little smarter about it and not just come in guns a’blazing.
CE: And he and his new ally/lover, Pamela Barnes, are certainly going to be a force to be reckoned with.
JH: The fun thing about that is the audience now knows that Pamela is Cliff’s daughter. And for them to work together … they are two people who know they are never supposed to be together. Their fathers are enemies, but they don’t care. They’re both after something, and they will try to help each other. It’s such a fun thing on and off camera. Julie (Gonzalo) and I get along so well. We have a ton of fun together. I really think it plays on screen, and it’s going to be a fun thing for people to watch throughout season two.
CE: Can you give me any clues about the rest of season two?
JH: Right now we’re only about halfway through shooting this season, so I don’t know what the second half brings. None of us do. With Larry passing, they’ve had to rewrite the second half of season two completely. I can tell you that season two is like season one on steroids. It’s everything that people re-fell in love with “Dallas” for. I really do think it’s going to take people, not only entertainment-wise, but on an emotional journey, because there are all kinds of things happening. I don’t think anyone will be disappointed.
Celeb Q and A: Week of Feb. 11
A: I spoke with series veteran Linda Gray recently, and while she is, of course, in mourning for her best friend, she shared some fond memories she had with Larry.
“From day one, it was magic to work with him, and it never stopped being magic,” Gray said. “He was a joy to watch, and looking into those baby-blue eyes and go, ‘You little rat, what are you doing now?’
“When Larry and I worked together, it was really like a ping-pong game. It wasn’t a tennis game; it was faster, like ping-pong. It was like, ‘I’m going to throw you something, and I don’t know what you are going to do, but you’re going to give it back to me, and it’s going to be fast and it’s going to be intense, but I’m going to hit it right back to you, so be careful.’
“It was just extraordinary to work with him. And he was a great, generous actor. I remember in 1978, I was coming at him (in a scene between Sue Ellen and J.R.) and just yelling at him or something, and he gently took my shoulders and moved me; I didn’t realize it, but I had gotten out of my light. Now another actor would have thought, ‘Let her bury herself. She’ll be in the dark; I’ll be in the light. Perfect.’ But he wasn’t like that. He was gentle like that. He was gentle with me. It was absolutely an unspoken chemistry that happens so rarely in life, and I was blessed.”
Q: When will “Army Wives” be back? — Bea W., Fort Worth, Texas
A: It’s almost time! The seventh season of Lifetime’s hit drama will return with 13 all-new episodes, beginning Sunday, March 10, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. This season brings new challenges, including a heartfelt and final goodbye to one of the wives in what is being billed as “one of the series’ most dramatic and pivotal moments.”
Q: I need my Don Draper fix! When will “Mad Men” return? — Diana W. in Tennessee
A: AMC has confirmed that the sixth season of “Mad Men” will premiere April 7 with a two-hour episode, which has been written by series creator Matthew Weiner. Series stars Jon Hamm, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, John Slattery and Christina Hendricks are all set to return.
Q: Is “Grimm” returning to TV? Most of the other shows have returned from winter hiatus, but “Grimm” has not. I hope it did not get canceled. — Don R., via e-mail
A: Never fear, Don. “Grimm” is just taking a slightly longer break, and will return with all-new episodes on Friday, March 8.
Interview: Linda Gray, "It's a Joy to Play Sue Ellen"
The second season of TNT’s reboot of “Dallas” (which airs Monday nights at 9/8c) has started with a bang. While the new season will be bittersweet — with the recent death of series star and legendary actor Larry Hagman — the cast is eager for fans to see what the Ewings are up to now. I recently spoke with longtime “Dallas” star Linda Gray, and she can’t wait for viewers to experience the new season. Celebrity Extra: First and foremost, I must tell you how sorry I am about the passing of your dear friend and castmate Larry Hagman. What will you remember most about him, and about working with him?
Linda Gray: Thank you very much. From day one, he was magic to work with, and it never stopped being magic. He was a joy to watch, and looking into those baby-blue eyes and going, “You little rat, what are you doing now?” When Larry and I worked together, it was really like a Ping-Pong game. It wasn’t a tennis game; it was faster, like Ping-Pong.
He was a great, generous actor. I remember in 1978, I was coming at him (in a scene between Sue Ellen and J.R.) and just yelling at him or something, and he gently took my shoulders and moved me; I didn’t realize it, but I had gotten out of my light. Another actor would have thought: “Let her bury herself. She’ll be in the dark; I’ll be in the light. Perfect.” But he wasn’t like that. He was gentle like that. It was an unspoken chemistry that happens so rarely in life, and I was blessed to know him.
CE: When TNT first approached you about the resurrection of “Dallas,” what did you think about coming back to the show, and to the character of Sue Ellen Ewing?
LG: That was just beyond fabulous. It was a big surprise for Patrick (Duffy, who plays Bobby Ewing), Larry and I. We called each other immediately, shouting: “Oh my God! We get to work together in the same characters that we love.” And that wouldn’t have happened before, because we are too recognizable. We never, ever get to work together in anything (other than “Dallas”), so this was a win-win situation. I am loving every second of it.
CE: How has Sue Ellen changed in the 20-year interim between the series?
LG: I really did some wonderful homework for this. That’s the fun part of being an actor. She was born and raised in Texas. She was Miss Texas. She knew everybody in Texas. She knew all the oil deals that J.R. had done — good, bad or indifferent. She knew all those politicians; she knew all the oil men; she knew everything and everybody.
It’s 20 years later, and she’s now sober. Lots of things went on in her life prior to coming back. She’s no longer the victim; she’s a survivor. Life is different for her. I didn’t want her to be the same. She couldn’t have been the same. Bobby could still be the good guy, J.R. could still be the bad guy — but adored by fans with that cute little smile — but Sue Ellen had to be different.
CE: I am bummed that she lost the election to become Texas’ new governor.
LG: This is a little tidbit that I like to tell people: The governor lives in Austin, so if she had won, she would have had to live in Austin. The show’s called “Dallas,” so we didn’t need that. (Laughs.) We need her in Dallas. It’s OK she lost. She can move on to what’s next. This is the fun part, the absolute joy. You don’t ever know where Sue Ellen is going. That’s why I love this character.
CE: Can you give me any clues as to what the rest of the season has in store for us?
LG: Not a clue. You have to stay tuned. I can’t tell you anything, and I won’t, because I don’t want to spoil the surprise for you. It’s a surprise for us each week when we get our scripts, so for me to take away that surprise for you would be very bad for me to do.
Q and A: Week of Feb. 4
A: I agree with you, Trudy. Scott Foley is one of those underrated, underutilized actors who we need to see much more of. So, you can imagine my happiness upon discovering that he is set to guest-star on one of my favorite shows, ABC’s “Scandal.” His character is said to be a part of a major story arc that will play out toward the end of the current season. Creator and head writer Shonda Rhimes was eager to work with Scott again after his run on “Grey’s,” so one show’s loss is another’s gain!
Q: I’ve always really liked Anthony Michael Hall, especially his recent sci-fi series, “Warehouse 13.” However, I do miss seeing him in comedies: His guest-starring turn on “Community” a few seasons back was hilarious. Can you tell me if he’ll be on a comedy soon? — Audrey W., via e-mail
A: When “Awkward” returns to MTV this summer for its super-size third season, Anthony Michael Hall will join the hit series as a teacher at Jenna’s high school. According to those in the know, Anthony will play a sadistic creative-writing teacher who insists on pushing his students beyond their academic limits. Anthony also co-stars in the feature-film comedy, “Sexy Evil Genius,” along with Michelle Trachtenberg, Seth Green and William Baldwin.
Q: A while back you wrote that “Unforgettable” had belatedly been renewed for a second season; however, I’ve seen neither hide nor hair of it yet. Please tell me that the suits didn’t change their minds again! — Hilary S., Portland, Maine
A: Don’t worry, Hilary, the Poppy Montgomery-starring police procedural will indeed have its second season on CBS. And we now have a premiere date, which is Sunday, July 28 at 9/8c. As I reported previously, season two will comprise 13 episodes, with Dylan Walsh, Jane Curtin and most other cast members returning.
Also, a few months ago, I was disheartened to report that AMC had decided not to renew “The Killing” for a third season. In another rare reversal — along the lines of CBS’s renewal of “Unforgettable” — AMC recently announced that the crime drama WILL be back for a third season.
Season three takes place a year after the Rosie Larson case was solved, as Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman) searches for a runaway girl and uncovers a string of murders connected to Sarah Linden’s (Mireille Enos) previous murder investigation. Linden, no longer a detective, must return to both a career and a case she had put behind her.
All this renewal reversal has given me new hope for ABC’s “GCB” to return, whether with ABC or another network. Let’s make this happen —TNT, I’m lookin’ at you!
Q: I remember a few months back you wrote that Shooter Jennings would be releasing an album in the new year. I’ve been looking for it but haven’t been able to find it. — Jesse W., Nashville
A: You’ll have to wait just a little longer to get your hands on Shooter’s latest album, which is a quick follow-up to “Family Man.” I spoke with Shooter about “The Other Life,” which drops on March 12, and he can’t wait for his fans to hear it. Shooter told me: “We cut 17 songs and scrapped two of them. And 10 of them ended up on ‘Family Man’ and five ended up on ‘The Other Life.’ And then over the past year, we recorded the rest of the songs.
“I’m really excited about ‘The Other Life’ because it’s a darker kind of country record, but then there’s a taste of like all the other (stuff) that I’ve done. Like a little bit of ‘Black Ribbon,’ a little bit of this and that sprinkled on the record. Like where ‘Family Man’ was a pretty traditional country record for the most part, this one definitely branches out into some really out-there territory. It’s cool — some of the songs that were on this record that we held from ‘Family Man’ are my favorite songs from the session. It was just kind of clear which songs fit on which album.”
Interview: Luke Perry's Gamble Pays Off
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| L to R: Ricky Schroder, Luke Perry, Katharine Isabelle |
For fans of the Hallmark Movie Channel’s “Goodnight for Justice” films who are anxiously awaiting the next installment, your wait is over. Luke Perry returns as Justice John Goodnight in the third film of the series, “Goodnight for Justice: Queen of Hearts,” which premieres Jan. 26 at 8/9c. This time, John rescues a beautiful woman from a stagecoach gunfight, never realizing she is actually an outlaw on the run. As a romance develops between them, he helps her escape the corrupt man (Cyril Knox, played by Ricky Schroder) who is after her, until finding out she might not be as innocent as she seems. I spoke with Luke recently about this latest “Goodnight” film.
Daytime Dial: So tell us what John Goodnight has been up to since we last saw him in “Measure of a Man” until we see him come face to face with a bear in the opening scene of “Queen of Hearts.”
Luke Perry: Between “Measure of a Man” and “Queen of Hearts,” I never wanted to see another woman again, especially if she is going to spring on me, “Oh yeah, and that’s your kid.” I rode out of that (at the end of “Measure”) and was thinking: “Man, I’m not even going to stop and talk to a girl again. Are you kidding me?” But I come up on this situation that required some dealing with. And when I open the door, who should be there? A pretty girl. Isn’t that always the way?
DD: So in that opening scene, were you really face to face with that huge bear, or was there a protective barrier there between you?
LP: I did that face to face. That bear touched my face. That was an “oh sh*t” moment for everybody. It got real muddy, and the bear was slipping and I was slipping, and we were really close to each other. But they were sweet bears, and their breath smelled good. They’d been eating cookies, and their breath smelled like Oreos.
DD: Speaking of doing your own stunts, there is a really cool scene at the end of the movie, which I won’t mention to give anything away, and it really looked like you doing that stunt. Was that you?
LP: Yep, that was me. I’d been wanting to do stunt ever since I was 6 years old. And that’s a hard thing to pull off, because for insurance reasons, in America they won’t let you do it. But up in Canada, where we shot, as the producer of the movie, I was able to get it figured out. I think that’s a really neat thing for the audience. That’s why you do it.
DD: Did you let your stuntman do anything?
LP: Not to not take anything away from the lovely and talented Eli Zagoudakis. Eli jumped off the cliff before I did, because as a producer, I had to make sure that we got the shot in the can, so the responsible thing to do was to let Eli go first. When Eli got done, I looked at the assistant director and asked, “How much time do we have?” and he said, “Eighteen minutes.” I said, “Load ’em up again, boys.” And I climbed up there and got to do my take at jumping off the cliff.
DD: I got a laugh out of that scene in the beginning, where John shows he is not infallible, as he inadvertently lets off a young Butch Cassidy … LP: There are two things I always wanted to do with this character: I liked the idea of him bumping up against history — Butch Cassidy, for instance. If you’re somebody who likes history, it puts you in the mind of what period they’re in. I’ve always liked stuff like that. And the other thing I’ve always said is judges are not perfect people. They’re just people who have to have this job of judging. That’s always interested me — the dispensation of justice by people who clearly are imperfect, because mistakes will be made.
DD: I finally saw “Lonesome Dove” for the first time a few months back...
LP: That was great, wasn't it?
DD: I absolutely loved it, especially Ricky Schroder. Aside from being a very good actor, was knowing that he could handle a horse and that he knows his way around a Western a big reason you decided to cast him as Cyril Knox?
LP: My hope was that all those people who saw “Lonesome Dove” would think, “Oh yeah, I saw him in ‘Lonesome Dove.’” And then they would turn up and watch this movie. Yes, absolutely, I wouldn’t try to hide that from you. But he was a good choice, and clearly he identifies with this type of material. We have seen him before and have seen him do it very well. And, of course, I wanted a good actor in the role.
DD: I also like that you cast him against type as Cyril Knox; we are used to seeing Ricky as the good guy.
LP: For me as an actor, I oftentimes wish producers would take a chance and cast me against type, and they often don’t, so when you get a chance, you do it. At least I do. I got a chance to say, “No, no, it’s not the guy that they would expect, so let’s do that.”
DD: How was Ricky to work with? Or is it Rick? I go back and forth …
LP: Rick, Ricky — I don’t think he cares, to tell you the truth. As long as you call him for lunchtime, he’s happy. I think he had a pretty good time on the shoot. And it was good for me to know that when we send him out on a horse and tell him to come riding in the shot, he would most probably stay on the horse. A lot of the time, actors can’t do that, but we knew with Rick that he would be really good.
DD: Your female foil in this movie, Katharine Isabelle, was really great in the part. What was she like to work with?
LP: Katie was great. She was a trouper. We had a real good time, and she didn’t fall either. Seriously — because a lot of times, people say they can ride a horse when you’re in casting but they can’t. Katie really could ride. That’s always Katie you see riding, and she does a great job with it. But not just with that stuff. She also did the scenes really well. She’s sweet, she’s really pretty and she’s sassy — all good qualities onscreen.
DD: And you reteamed with your “Jeremiah” director, Martin Wood. I’ll assume it was a good experience on “Jeremiah” for you to hire him for “Queen of Hearts.”
LP: Yes, it was. Martin is one of the best directors I’ve ever worked with. And people get the idea because he’s done a lot of sci-fi that he can only do sci-fi. I always knew that if I put him in another situation, he would be able to deliver for me. I think this is our best (“Goodnight for Justice” film) yet. Martin really had great command of all the elements, and we had a good pre-existing rapport with each other and a lot of trust. And he was great with all the actors. It’s always great when you get a chance to give someone an opportunity to step outside his envelope and show people that he can do it.
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