Monday, July 8, 2013

Major Crimes Facebook Chat with James Duff and Graham Patrick Martin



Tom Beringer, Graham Patrick Martin and Mary McDonnell

James Duff, creator and executive producer of Major Crimes and The Closer did another Facebook chat with fans this week. Once again it was fast and furious with hundreds of questions and comments for Duff and Graham Patrick Martin (the actor who plays Rusty on the show).  Their answers are below. The volume of comments made ferreting out the original questions impossible. Here's a brief summary of what we learned:
  • Despite the King & Maxwell gig, Jon Tenney's Fritz character will return this season
  • The Major Crimes cast likes to play jokes on set
  • TNT changed the name from The Closer to Major Crimes to signal how different it would be without Brenda Leigh Johnson
  • Insights into the characters of Sharon, Rusty and Phillip Stroh's impact





James Duff @Michele B., I did not change the name for the spinoff, the network did that. But I agreed with some of the reasons, one of which was we should not act as if the Brenda character was going to be easy to replace.

James Duff @Kate D., I am inspired to write strong female roles by my mother and my sister, both of whom are amazing people.

James Duff @Leigh Ann, there are episodes that turn out to be harder than others. For example, Graham says that if he doesn't have enough to do! I think some are harder because you have to make the story work for all the characters and try and find each one of them while solving a murder. Every now and then, the murder overwhelms the characters and vice versa. Hard to find a balance.

James Duff @Evelyn, Tom only gets better as he starts to play poker with Graham!

James Duff @Patty, Sharon sleeps heavy and you would, too, if you were her age and working so hard

James Duff @Phillip, Sharon does cry sometimes with Rusty, but usually not in front of him!

James Duff @Phillip, She cried in front of Provenza. Almost!

James Duff @Stephanie, Sharon would say the tea was not quite the same as twinkies or chocolate, she just likes a little tea now and then. But an actor of Mary's stature might tell you that sometimes the objects one holds allows emphasis to the heart.

James Duff @Nancy Wells, Philip Stroh is the reason Rusty is around. And we are using that story to depict the story of witnesses in the justice system. Criminals have lots of constitutional rights. Witnesses have none. And Rusty needs to say his piece one day in a courtroom!


James Duff @Ashlee, Graham says his favorite quote was probably the first episode of Major Crimes when he said to Sharon, "Look, I don't know you really. But I don't like you." He thinks it was a great way to start off their relationship.

James Duff @Laurie, we came up with a diversity by looking for it! If you don't write Latino characters and Asian-American characters and African-American characters your show will look like it's filmed at the South Pole! America is no longer monolithically white. And I don't think shows that depict it the US that way are authentic.

James Duff @Rebecca G., Fritz will come back this winter. We're looking forward to seeing him!

James Duff @Veronica M., I think Sharon saw a need and moved to take care of it. Mothers are almost natural care givers. And the child was so needy and didn't know it! I think she was an excellent mother, and that her children love her. Though they probably wonder if living with a material witness is a good idea.

James Duff @Kim A, we have about eight full time writers on the show. And they're all really, really good.

James Duff @Andrea, it takes about six days to break the story for a script of Major Crimes (although it takes maybe three weeks to find those six days!) and then another three weeks to write the outline, and then another week to write the script. And then another week to rewrite it!

James Duff @Tamara D, yes, Rusty gives a different perspective to Sharon's side, but also to Provenza's. But they give a different perspective to him, as does Buzz. They are an interesting little ad hoc family unit.

James Duff @Abby, Jim L, one of the writers would say that he has never met a teenage boy who was not the star of his own traveling opera. And Rusty is no different, except his opera is more serious.

James Duff @Abby N, Rusty struggles with identity issues and assimilating into a more ordinary world than that which he has known before.

James Duff @Patty M., Graham says the cast does play jokes on each other behind the scene, but also to each other's faces!
                                                
James Duff @Amy, Sanchez does seem to have a love interest on the show right now, and he would probably be the only member of the Division who truly likes her.





1 comment:

  1. How cool that they did this. How different things are with social media.

    ReplyDelete