Bruce McGill and Sasha Alexander are regulars on the show. That shows that it's not just a typical procedural show. We have these actors because they can come in and actually act, and show the different colors of actual people. No person is just one color. No person is just who they are at their job, 24/7. That was really what I was excited about.
Nowadays, all the people who are major are just DJs. The lighting and all that makes the show - without all of that stuff, it's just a person behind a laptop. With me, though, it's an actual show.
I'm completely unlike a lot of other performers in the past who have been forgiven or come to terms with the real world because they tell everyone their performance is 'just a show.' And so, people say, 'Oh, it's OK then. We don't care. He's not really a bad person.' It's not just a show for me. It's my life.
I'm just really excited to promote the movie [I know The Chair ] and the show in a different way, and not just the typical Hollywood way, which I don't think I'll ever fit into.
The first two, three, four weeks are wasted. I just show up in front of the computer. Show up, show up, show up, and after a while the muse shows up, too. If she doesn't show up invited, eventually she just shows up.
I wrote a show - just as a joke, actually - and called it 'Bipolar, Bath, & Beyond,' just to bring some humor to it. I wasn't saying to myself that I'll 'come out' with it - I didn't think there was anything to 'come out' with - I was just writing another one-woman show about my life.
The way I try to explain it the best is that if Critic A from publication A hates our show, and Critic B from publication B loves our show, what are we supposed to do with that? We have to just respect everyone's opinions and go on making the show we want to make. I've never worked on a show that was altered by critical reception. You just can't afford to do that. So in that regard, it's actually no different that working in theater. It's just a lot more voices.
The truth is, people go to shows because they want a show. They want showbiz. When people talk about a show they saw it's not because they heard a song, it's because they were excited and geared up about the show.
I want to show people that I am that good friend and the person that a lot of people actually come to confide in or even, just, to be around that good energy, because that's what I'm all about.
A lot of times I think the cast members, the lead characters in a show really set the tone for the show. On some shows, the stars of the show will just be whining and complaining and spending the whole time texting their boyfriends on their Blackberries, and there's just no attention given to the work.
My show is not just a cop hosting a talk show - the two are completely different. My show is about helping people stand up to the bad guy.
I haven't worked on a lot of different shows, but from just watching different shows I've noticed that there isn't necessarily on every show that love of crafting an episode that has the three part act structure that comes around and actually tells a complete story.
Honestly I'm not a huge TV person. The only show that I've seen every episode of is 'Pretty Little Liars.' It's my favorite show. I wish I could get into other shows, but I just don't have time!
My favorite show of my father Aaron Spelling is probably a show that was his favorite and that was a show called Family. He was the most proud of that show because, you know, my dad kind of got a bad wrap, I think. A lot of times people would say oh he just makes jiggle TV and it's all for entertainment purposes. But he did some really amazing shows as well that he was really proud of, that people kind overlooked. And Family was one of them.
Television is a completely different industry now. It's just extraordinary. It's so wonderful, because there's more interesting product. It attracts the best writers and directors. And one thing that's really interesting about it is that it used to be, if you were on a big network show, like it or not, you were a household face and name. And believe it or not, not all actors like that. That's not their goal. They just like being actors. And there are so many actors that are on hit shows that I have never seen, I've never heard.
In a way, Instagram is a space where I edit and show what I want to show. But at some point, I thought, 'Am I really this person?' People like my shiny look, but to me, I'm a much different person than her.
I've had wonderful collaborators. They're very different, just as actors are. Working on a show with Nathan Lane is different from working on a show with Chita Rivera. It keeps you on your toes because it's different every time.