Post by Naj on Jan 18, 2004 11:54:36 GMT -5
`Cold Case' lets Morris get her `man' in smart role
By Amy Amatangelo
Saturday, December 27, 2003
Sometimes Kathryn Morris, star of the CBS series ``Cold Case'' feels as if she's playing a man on TV.
``There are very few roles in film or TV of women of this type of character and caliber,'' Morris said in a recent phone interview from the set of her series (which airs on Thursday at 8 p.m. on WBZ, Ch. 4).
``They're usually written for a man. (My character) is like a really smart male detective with graceful qualities. It is really a very smart role. She uses her intellect and intuition to get the case solved as opposed to karate or a gun. Cops have told us that your best tool is your brain. The first place a cop goes for is not his gun.
``Females have a whole other arsenal of weapons to use, and I don't just mean her sexuality. One moment she can be the best friend, the next a really good sister, the next the tough girl in high school.''
Morris' Lilly Rush is a Philadelphia detective charged with solving old crimes.
``It's the most difficult thing for the detectives, these dead-end cases,'' she said. ``The main thing I learned from this show is that time really does change things. Time doesn't heal wounds but time does change the whole fallout. Someone who wasn't willing to speak about a gay neighbor 20 years ago will speak really freely about the gay neighbor who lived next door.''
The actress, perhaps best known for playing Tom Cruise's ex-wife in ``Minority Report,'' was surprised when she first read the script for the Jerry Bruckheimer series.
``The script was very powerful, very smart and emotionally charged,'' Morris said.
But Morris, who has been in the industry for 14 years and had 10 TV pilots in her wake, knew that a fantastic script does not always make a fantastic series.
``Sometimes you can have a great script, but it doesn't come out the same way on film,'' she said. ``It's like a blueprint for a really good car. You need a team to make it into a great sports car.''
As the star of the series, she's in charge of the team. ``It's really nice to be the leader. To be the cool quarterback with a good attitude,'' she said. ``It's been really fun and really enjoyable. It's a fantastic cast. We all get along famously. A lot of the guest cast and guest directors that come on the show say that we seem like a second-season show.''
Her team also includes mega-producer Bruckheimer (``CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,'' ``Without a Trace'').
``Jerry Bruckheimer is very involved. He watches the dailies, he reads all the scripts. He doesn't come down to the set, but he's way more involved than people would ever realize,'' she said. ``The show's very distinct look and style - that's all Jerry. It feels good to know that he's watching the dailies,'' Morris said.
``He's known for hiring people that he feels really confident in and letting them do their thing. He really lets creative people do what they do best. . . . We're lucky that he's the man.''
The feeling is mutual. During a recent interview, Bruckheimer referred to Morris as ``the next big TV star.'' He's probably right. ``Cold Case'' has been picked up for a full season, and the show consistently ranks among the top 20 shows. Entertainment Weekly recently singled out Morris as one of the breakout stars of 2003.
But Morris doesn't get caught up in the hype.
``Since I'm in every single scene, I just try to focus on what I'm working on,'' she said. ``All I think is I really love this. I would really love this to continue.''
theedge.bostonherald.com/tvNews/edgeTV.bg?articleid=331&format=
By Amy Amatangelo
Saturday, December 27, 2003
Sometimes Kathryn Morris, star of the CBS series ``Cold Case'' feels as if she's playing a man on TV.
``There are very few roles in film or TV of women of this type of character and caliber,'' Morris said in a recent phone interview from the set of her series (which airs on Thursday at 8 p.m. on WBZ, Ch. 4).
``They're usually written for a man. (My character) is like a really smart male detective with graceful qualities. It is really a very smart role. She uses her intellect and intuition to get the case solved as opposed to karate or a gun. Cops have told us that your best tool is your brain. The first place a cop goes for is not his gun.
``Females have a whole other arsenal of weapons to use, and I don't just mean her sexuality. One moment she can be the best friend, the next a really good sister, the next the tough girl in high school.''
Morris' Lilly Rush is a Philadelphia detective charged with solving old crimes.
``It's the most difficult thing for the detectives, these dead-end cases,'' she said. ``The main thing I learned from this show is that time really does change things. Time doesn't heal wounds but time does change the whole fallout. Someone who wasn't willing to speak about a gay neighbor 20 years ago will speak really freely about the gay neighbor who lived next door.''
The actress, perhaps best known for playing Tom Cruise's ex-wife in ``Minority Report,'' was surprised when she first read the script for the Jerry Bruckheimer series.
``The script was very powerful, very smart and emotionally charged,'' Morris said.
But Morris, who has been in the industry for 14 years and had 10 TV pilots in her wake, knew that a fantastic script does not always make a fantastic series.
``Sometimes you can have a great script, but it doesn't come out the same way on film,'' she said. ``It's like a blueprint for a really good car. You need a team to make it into a great sports car.''
As the star of the series, she's in charge of the team. ``It's really nice to be the leader. To be the cool quarterback with a good attitude,'' she said. ``It's been really fun and really enjoyable. It's a fantastic cast. We all get along famously. A lot of the guest cast and guest directors that come on the show say that we seem like a second-season show.''
Her team also includes mega-producer Bruckheimer (``CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,'' ``Without a Trace'').
``Jerry Bruckheimer is very involved. He watches the dailies, he reads all the scripts. He doesn't come down to the set, but he's way more involved than people would ever realize,'' she said. ``The show's very distinct look and style - that's all Jerry. It feels good to know that he's watching the dailies,'' Morris said.
``He's known for hiring people that he feels really confident in and letting them do their thing. He really lets creative people do what they do best. . . . We're lucky that he's the man.''
The feeling is mutual. During a recent interview, Bruckheimer referred to Morris as ``the next big TV star.'' He's probably right. ``Cold Case'' has been picked up for a full season, and the show consistently ranks among the top 20 shows. Entertainment Weekly recently singled out Morris as one of the breakout stars of 2003.
But Morris doesn't get caught up in the hype.
``Since I'm in every single scene, I just try to focus on what I'm working on,'' she said. ``All I think is I really love this. I would really love this to continue.''
theedge.bostonherald.com/tvNews/edgeTV.bg?articleid=331&format=
