Major Crimes Facebook Chat with Michael Paul Chan and James Duff

Creator and writer of The Closer and Major Crimes, James Duff, returned to Facebook tonight with Michael Paul Chan (Lt. Tao from both shows) for a chat about Major Crimes and Chan's character. These chats are interesting because fans can ask quick questions and get answers. It's not a perfect format because things move fast and it's easy to miss both questions and answers, but the accessibility is great.  

This week's highlights were:

1) Duff told us that there is a real threat behind Rusty's letters and he'll have to deal with it by season end.

2) Michael Paul Chan is not a nerd like Lt. Tao.

3) If anyone gets promoted on Major Crimes, they would be transferred out of the division, so Duff won't promote anyone.

4) Next week's episode is about how "race lines blur our vision." It references the Trayvon Martin but isn't about him. Duff says, "I would not dishonor Trayvon's life by using him as a story mechanism."



Here are many of James Duff's answers ( I may have missed some). The abbreviation "MPC" = Michael Paul Chan, the character that plays Lt. Tao. 

James Duff @Deborah L. asks if anyone in his life has inspired MPC in his playing of Tao. He says every smart man or woman who is passionate about learning has inspired his character. So that leaves out me...

James Duff I like to learn. Maybe not so passionate about it!

James Duff @Todd H., I don't intend to ever walk on the set of the show. I have had plenty of opportunities, but those roles are mostly handled by our background artists, and I would hate to mess with someone else's job just for a flash of camera time!

James Duff @Danny K. Only Tony Denison is taken by surprise at the first read thru because everyone else reads the scripts beforehand. But sometimes MPC says he's surprised - almost always - by where the show goes. I don't believe him entirely, but I want to believe him because otherwise, I'm left thinking he only reads his own lines!

James Duff @Jaime L., MPC is nowhere near as nerdy as his character. They just sound alike, Michael says! Actually, MPC is very funny, smart and adult, plus he surfs when the weather warrants it (sometimes with Phillip Keene, who plays Buzz).

James Duff @Jaime D, yes we're going to take a stab at spreading out the diversity of the show to include everyone. Because this is Los Angeles! Los Angeles treats the diversity of our nation as a strength, and the LAPD represents that strength. It's a positive example of what America can be in the future. And Michael Paul says he would also like to see all possibilities explored.

James Duff @Denise W., I think Lt. Tao should be promoted, too. He things he should be called General Tao, which is an odd name for someone who surfs for fun. But if he got promoted, according to LAPD standards and procedures, he would have to leave Major Crimes. And that ain't happening.

James Duff @Pebby MPC loves you for loving him. And he wants your friends and family to love him, too! Thanks for watching!

James Duff Also MPC, Raymond Cruz and Phillip play golf together, including charity tournaments.

James Duff Michael Paul Chan says that in Lt. Tao's opinion he finds Provenza rougher to work with than Sharon because he's so dismissive of Tao's insights! Provenza always tells him to cut to the chase, and Tao always likes to explain things.

James Duff MPC says Brenda brought out the boyish side of Tao, and Raydor brings out his desire to do right.

James Duff @Todd H., I don't intend to ever walk on the set of the show. I have had plenty of opportunities, but those roles are mostly handled by our background artists, and I would hate to mess with someone else's job just for a flash of camera time!

James Duff @Danny K. Only Tony Denison is taken by surprise at the first read thru because everyone else reads the scripts beforehand. But sometimes MPC says he's surprised - almost always - by where the show goes. I don't believe him entirely, but I want to believe him because otherwise, I'm left thinking he only reads his own lines!

James Duff G.W. is like that! He will only flip through the script to find his part, and if the killer doesn't show up on those pages....too bad!

James Duff @Phil C. Re: doing a show about Trayvon Martin. We wrote and filmed a show in which Trayvon's name appears and it airs next week. A white home owner shoots a Latino kid who was breaking and entering. But, of course, it's more than that. The show is not about Trayvon, really, just about how race issues sometimes blur our vision. I would not dishonor Trayvon's life by using him as a story mechanism.

James Duff @January, MPC stays on top of his game by giving up things as he gets older. This year it was sugar. Next year he's thinking about giving up bread. He also spends a lot of time surfing and on motorcycles, because they get him out of his comfort zone.

James Duff @Renee H. In real life, I think of MPC as one of the serious adults in my life. He knows how to have fun, and he knows how to work, and he's always ready to do both.

James Duff Actually, MPC says the actors like to bounce off each other, so on a daily basis, he is inspired by GW, Tony, Kearran, Mary, Phillip and Ray!

James Duff @Leaslie H., I assume you're asking about Rusty's letters. I won't tell you when they'll be discovered, but the letters are serious. And in the finale of our summer season, Rusty will have to start dealing with them. Or, in other words, the threats are real.

James Duff @Katrina J., we will learn more about Buzz in the winter, but he has lots of scenes with MPC and they really like working together. Phillip and MPC make a great team.