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The Cast of NBC's BLUFF CITY LAW Opens Up About Stage Vs. Screen
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Oct 30, 2022
While we await the series premiere (tomorrow, September 23 at 10pm/9c), take some time to get to know the cast! BroadwayWorld recently headed to Memphis, where the series is filmed, to chat with the stars about why their stage veteran castmates are so easy to work with. Catch up with Jimmy Smits, Caitlin McGee, Jayne Atkinson and more below!
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Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World. We're in the beautiful city of Memphis, which is the backdrop to NBC's exciting new series called Bluff City Law, which kicks off on Monday evening, September 23rd
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And we're here at the landmark restaurant Itabina to catch up with the show's stellar cast, led by Jimmy Smits and Caitlin McGee
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I am so ecstatic that this very versatile group of actors has come together to work on this particular thing
0:28
and that everybody has a really strong theater background. I think that the success of the pilot has a lot to do with that
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We were afforded the opportunity to rehearse prior to the pilot, which doesn't happen a lot in television
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And the fact that we were on location together, it just focused us in a way as if we were a repertory group
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And I can't wait for audiences to see this very deep bench of versatility that we have with this ensemble
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It's pretty amazing to be in a cast of theater actors, most of them based in New York
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We've all seen each other's shows. It's nice to work with theater peeps
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It makes it a lot easier, doesn't it? Because you're in the trenches together doing eight shows a week and everything else
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It's a whole different dynamic, right? It's like a rite of passage
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And we all have that in common So it just made us all bond that much quicker I love working with stage actors because they are always I don want to say overprepared
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but they're always ready for anything. And they're ready to work, they know what they're doing
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They also don't, I don't know, they haven't rested on their laurels
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like knowing too much about editing. I've worked with some actors that are great actors, but they're like
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ah, we don't need to give it all now. We don't need to give it. They're down to act
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I mean, that's why I got into this business. I'm sure being a stage actor makes you a better actor on television and film
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I think it gives you a perspective. I think you, you know, especially in the U.K., if you've been doing it for a long time
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you're not doing it because you've made a ton of money. You're doing it because you love it or you're pretty good at it, I assume
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And New York Theatre has that feel for me too. That culture, that shared community that comes from being
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I'm fortunate enough to have been part of Broadway for a while. It's such a lovely family feeling
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Someone like Michael, who's freshly just been there, it's nice to have spoken with him
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What's it like being a part of this beautiful ensemble? They're great
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I mean, we spend time, days that we're not working, And we just go to set and we just sit in Video Village and just watch each other work
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Because it's... We're blessed to be able to work with the people that we work with
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Or at least I know that I am. You see somebody and you see the rehearsals that we doing And it just like that was just the rehearsal Why didn you catch that You know what I mean No I enjoying myself immensely just to be able to watch the likes of Jimmy Smith to be seeing Caitlin McGee work to be seeing Jane Atkinson Barry Sloan Stoney
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the man, Rafa. It's just like everybody's doing such great work. And, yeah
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So special, too. A lot of us come from theater. I mean, Barry did a bunch of theater in the U.K
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In Jerusalem on Broadway, he made his Broadway debut. Yeah, I mean, we have a really special, fantastic group of actors
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and we really treat it like an ensemble. You know, a lot of it surrounds me and Jimmy, which is amazing
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but we both are from the theater, and we love the ensemble of actors
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We want everyone to have their moment because there's such talented people in this cast
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I mean, Jane Flippin' Atkinson. Are you kidding me? Like, she's amazing
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The Rainmaker. All my sons. Free Willy, just kidding. Enchanted April. I do really, really, really feel that this show is this beautiful combination for me of theater and television
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Because I think Della has a theatrical part to her. And the show itself is theatrical
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And they're wise to hire and to give these roles to people who have been in the theater
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I love the theater. Everyone likes to talk about how this kind of work is rewarding
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but if you lose, it destroys you. How much did AmeriPharm pay you to study? Objection
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Sustained Do you have any relevant questions Just one Your Honor How much is Amerifarm paying you That girl grew up with a hero for a father
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I want you to come back to the farm, Sid. I want you fighting for what's right
5:06
We need to see files on the case. Cowboy still loves you. That's how you saw that
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Did you break his heart? You broke his heart. You work for these companies
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You know how they think. How would you win this case? Do we want to settle or do we want to win
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She's been here two hours and already she's up into two years worth of work. We're total opposite. You're conservative. I wage war
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Our differences could be our strength. You can't just silence the truth. There won't be more
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This is required for review. That goes brilliance in there. I hold a family's future in my hands
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How do you handle the pressure when winning or losing means everything
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I can teach you how to channel all this passion that you have
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Get back in the fight, Sydney. Because in case you haven't noticed, the world's running out of heroes
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Out there, the fight may be fixed. But in here, we get to say what kind of world we want this to be
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To new beginnings. And to family. Family
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