By Christina Radish
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Anthony Anderson at Entertainment Weekly's 5th Annual Emmy Celebration held at Opera/Crimson in Hollywood, Calif. on September 15, 2007. |
The Fox television series K-Ville is a gritty police drama set, and filmed, in New Orleans at a time when, even two years after Katrina, parts of the city are still in chaos. Battling an upsurge of violence, under-staffing of police forces and a lack of crime labs and other facilities, the cops who remain in the New Orleans Police Department have courage to burn and a passion to reclaim and rebuild their city.
Marlin Boulet (Anthony Anderson) is a brash, wry, in-your-face veteran of the NOPD’s Felony Action Squad that targets the most-wanted criminals. Even when his partner deserted him during the storm, Boulet held his post, spending days in the water saving lives and keeping order. Now, two years later, he’s unapologetic about bending the rules when it comes to collaring bad guys. The stakes are too high, and the city too fragile, for him to do things by the book.
Boulet’s new partner, Trevor Cobb (Cole Hauser), was a soldier in Afghanistan before joining the NOPD. He’s tough and committed, but if he’s less than comfortable with Boulet’s methods, it’s because he’s harboring a dark secret -- the fact that he escaped from Orleans Parish Prison, during the flooding, vowing to change his life. Cobb has come to New Orleans seeking redemption, but redemption can be dangerous.
The show’s star, Anthony Anderson, talks to MediaBlvd Magazine about finally making the transition from funny guy to serious, dramatic actor.
MediaBlvd Magazine> How did you come to this project? Were you looking for a TV show, or did they come to you with this?
Anthony Anderson> I had a deal with Fox, where I had created a sitcom, and pitched them an idea for another half-hour. They bought one of them, and we were developing it, but once we turned in the script, they decided that they didn’t want to go any further with it. I said, “Okay, fine, it’s your money.” But, in the same breath, Peter Ligori (President of Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company) was like, “I have this script here, and we think you’re the guy.” So, I read it and fell in love with it, for the complexity of the character of Marlin Boulet, for the story that it’s telling about New Orleans, and the light that we’ll be shining on the city and the situation down there. I jumped at the chance to do it. I said, “You’ve got me. Let’s make it happen.”
MediaBlvd> So, you didn’t need any convincing for what could be a long-term commitment then?
Anthony> Not at all, mainly for the simple fact that it was a one-hour drama. I would have loved to have been on the air with something that I created and had control over, but to get the opportunity to be a lead in a drama series on television is nothing to sneeze at. I needed no convincing, whatsoever.
MediaBlvd> Do you think this role would have come to you, had it not been for your work on The Shield? Is that what allowed people to see you as a serious, dramatic actor?
Anthony> Yeah. Ligori was instrumental in bringing me onto The Shield, when he was running FX, so he knew what I was capable of. So, no, I don’t think a role like Marlin Boulet would have come to me, had I not made that turn on The Shield, in The Departed or in Hustle and Flow, and things like that. I’m convinced it wouldn’t have been possible because people wouldn’t have known that side of me, like they did once I completed those projects. Everyone’s always asking me if I find it difficult to keep a straight face in between takes, and they ask how I keep from making jokes, but it’s not hard at all. I’m trained to do that. I’m an actor. The most difficult part was getting the opportunity to portray a character like that. And, now those days are behind me, so I’m just looking towards the future now.
MediaBlvd> How would you describe Marlin Boulet?
Anthony> He’s complex. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s passionate about what he does. He’s not a by-the-book police officer, at all. I’ve learned what goes on in New Orleans, as a police officer, and how they conduct their business and go about their day-to-day activities, with regard to keeping law and order in their city. That may not work in Los Angeles, Chicago or New York, but it works for them in New Orleans. We’re not going to say it’s a true depiction of what these officers go through, but that’s what Marlin Boulet does. He does whatever needs to be done to get the results that he needs, so that he can make the city a better place for the law-abiding citizens. That’s what most of the officers down in New Orleans, since Katrina, have had to do. That’s who Boulet is, and that’s what he’s about.
MediaBlvd> Do you like that aspect of him?
Anthony> I do. That’s what makes it interesting, and really gives this character life. As opposed to trying to fabricate something, I have something to draw on, and pull from, especially dealing with the police officers that we deal with, on a daily basis. We go on ride alongs with our technical advisor, who’s running one of the SWAT units down there, and he’s there with us, every day. He’s like a big brother to Cole and I.
MediaBlvd> What is it like to work with Cole Hauser? What is the dynamic between the two?
Anthony> Cole is great. It’s a great dynamic. There’s a great dichotomy between the two of us. He brings out the best in me and, hopefully, I bring out the best in him. Anytime you get two people together, they’re going to feel each other out, and that’s what we did for most of the pilot. And, it worked for both of us. It also worked for the characters because we weren’t trying to be buddies. Our director, Darren, was really trying to keep us apart to keep that fueled. I was like, “We’re professionals. We know how to separate the two, as artists, when the cameras roll.” Now, it’s as if Cole and I have been best friends for the last 8, 9, 10 years. Hopefully, that bleeds into the show. He’s a tremendous talent, on and off the camera. He’s a great guy, and a pleasure to be with. We’re having a ball. And, hopefully, he feels the same way.
MediaBlvd> What would you say is the best part of doing this show?
Anthony> Just being in New Orleans and filming this show on location, and sharing it with the community there. That’s the best part, for me.
MediaBlvd> With K-Ville, the story of a city rebuilding itself is something that we’ve never really seen on American television before, is it?
Anthony> Right, and it’s a timely story that needs to be told. I personally believe that there’s nothing on television, right now, that remotely comes close to what we’re doing, aesthetically, visually and theme wise. So, hopefully, we’re breaking new ground, or just taking it back to what television once was -- a slice of life. That’s what All in the Family, and shows like that, did. It was real. You understand the bigot that Archie Bunker was, but it was reality. You would think, “Wow, that’s what’s happening in the world today. I know guys like that. That’s my neighbor.” Hopefully, that’s what we’re doing with this show, in staying true to the people of New Orleans, and giving them a true and accurate depiction of themselves. Those are the critics that we’re really worried about. We want to stay true to who they really are. If we do that, everything else will fall into place.
MediaBlvd> What were your first impressions of New Orleans? Had you been there before you started K-Ville, and was it better or worse than you expected it to be?
Anthony> I never really spent any time in New Orleans, pre-Katrina. My first time there was during the pilot, back in March. So, to arrive in the city, it was very disheartening to see the state that it was, in the Lower Ninth Ward, Jefferson Parish and places like that, that were hard-hit, with devastated and decimated communities. And, this is two years later, so for it to be that way now was quite a shock, and a surprise, to me. We’re there lending a helping hand to do what little it is that we are doing, but at least we’re doing something.
MediaBlvd> What are your impressions of the people in those wards?
Anthony> The spirit of the people in New Orleans is unlike any other spirit that I’ve seen before. Even with what they’ve gone through, they still walk tall, with a sense of pride, courage and humor. They’ve welcomed us, who are strangers to them, into their home, as family.
MediaBlvd> Is this show helping rebuild the entertainment industry in New Orleans?
Anthony> I believe it is. I applaud Fox for putting a show like K-Ville on the air and having us shoot it in New Orleans, to bring back a sense of hope to the community, bring back jobs and revenue, and help in the rebuilding process.
MediaBlvd> What has been the reaction of the community, when they see you?
Anthony> We’re living in New Orleans now. We’ve moved there. We have a pick-up of 13 episodes, and we’re shooting through the end of November. My family stayed in Los Angeles. But, we’ve been welcomed with open arms in the community. I’m happy and glad to be a part of New Orleans.
MediaBlvd> How important was it for you to actually shoot this show in New Orleans?
Anthony> It was very important. We’d be doing a disservice to the show itself, and to the people of New Orleans, if we didn’t shoot there. New Orleans isn’t just a backdrop in our show. It’s a character that’s just as important as Marlin Boulet and Trevor Cobb, and the stories that we’re telling. We couldn’t cheat this on a soundstage, or in a studio in Los Angeles on a backlot. What would be the poignancy of the stories that we’re telling, if we’re going to tell them in Burbank?
MediaBlvd> What is it like to actually be there, at this point in the history of the city?
Anthony> I’m not going to say that the experience is overwhelming, but it’s close to it. To be there, in the midst of everything that has gone on, and everything that’s going on now, with the rebuilding of the city, and the lack of what’s going on there, all we can do is what we can do. That’s why I’ve signed up with Habitat for Humanity, and I’m in the cities and neighborhoods, helping rebuild those communities myself, along with Cole and the rest of our cast. On our days off, which is only Saturday and Sunday, that’s what we’re doing because it’s our community and our neighborhood now. It’s where we plan on living for the next five years, or so. It feels good to be a part of that grassroots movement, in bringing the city back to its feet again.
MediaBlvd> Having seen the damage firsthand, what do you think the misconceptions are of what’s happening there? What is not being shown?
Anthony> It’s not that they are not showing anything because they are showing it. It’s what they’re not doing, and the lack of support. I’m not in government. I’m not a city official. But, to be in New Orleans, and to see communities wiped out, two years later, and see that nothing has been replanted, as in homes, schools, stores or restaurants, and what not. It’s disheartening to see. You really can’t fathom waking up one morning and all of Beverly Hills being gone and, two years later, Beverly Hills not being rebuilt.
MediaBlvd> Does that make you angry?
Anthony> It makes me sad. I don’t know who I would direct my anger at. It makes me want to work, and do what I can, to help this situation and make it better. That’s all I can do.
MediaBlvd> What is the number one problem the New Orleans police department has, in dealing with criminals? Have they given you any sense as to what they need to move forward and get a little stronger?
Anthony> The SWAT division that we ride along with has 50 SWAT members, and they are operating out of what are, basically, oversized FEMA trailers, with no bathrooms and no running water in their offices. They literally have to leave their facility and go across the street to a restaurant or to a hotel and use restrooms there. That’s how their office is operating. The police station that they used was under water and hasn’t been rebuilt or refurbished yet, along with numerous amounts of vehicles. But, they’re doing the best that they can. To ride along with SWAT at two o’clock in the morning, while they are serving high risk warrants in one of the worst projects in our nation, is pretty hairy. It’s scary, at times. But, Cole and I did that, and we saw it. You have to understand and realize that they’re dealing with people who have no place to go and no place to call home, so it’s survival of the fittest. That’s why I say, with my character Boulet, he can’t operate by the books down there because he is dealing with individuals like that. You have to do what you can to make it work for you, and that’s what they’re doing, all within the law.
MediaBlvd> Are you guys using actual New Orleans accents on the show?
Anthony> We want what we do on screen to be a true depiction of the people of New Orleans. We’ve all seen movies and TV shows where they depict the New Orleans accent as Southern, which is not right. The first thing that the residents of New Orleans came to us and said was, “I hope you’re not going to use those bullshit accents for us in this television show.” And, I hope that we’re not. I know I do my work, as an actor, and I sit down and talk with the people and try to get it, as best I can. That’s all I can do. I’m only human. But, we’re part of that fabric now, and the people of New Orleans have been receptive and responsive to what we’ve done, all in the positive. Hopefully, we’ll just give a true depiction of what the people are. That way, they can be proud of what we’re showing on television.
MediaBlvd> Is it fun to play a bad-ass on television?
Anthony> It is fun. When I was on The Shield, opposite Glenn Close and Michael Chiklis, for a year, that was some of the most fun that I’ve had working, in my career. It was a departure from the comedic side of me. Peter Ligori stepped up and gave me the opportunity to do that role. I had a lot of things to prove, not only to myself, but to the viewing public, to let them know, “Hold on, wait a minute, there’s so much more I can do as an actor, other than make you laugh,” and that’s what I enjoyed about it most.
MediaBlvd> You’re a bad-ass character that viewers also want to sympathize with. How do you balance that?
Anthony> You show the humanity, and you be vulnerable. It’s not about just being a bad-ass. You have to have true human emotions that people can identify with and understand. That way, they’ll ride with you, wherever you want to take them, be it good or bad. That’s what I try to do, and I think that’s what we’re doing.
MediaBlvd> Have you met anyone in New Orleans whose story you want to tell on the show?
Anthony> Every person that you come in contact with, down in New Orleans, you want to tell their story. One of our teamsters, his name is Trigger, spent four and a half days in the water. He swam up with boats, all because he’s a 46-year- old man, and an only child, doing this for his mother. His story was that he got two boats and went and broke into one of the stores to got rubbing alcohol, food and clothing, and filled one of the boats up. He documented all of it. He had his own production company, so he had nine days worth of batteries and numerous video tapes to record everything. I was watching the footage of him, walking and swimming through this infested water, with gas, oil, dead animals and dead people, just to get to his mother, so he could take care of her. And then, once he got to her, he commandeered a city bus and drove from New Orleans to Texas, and picked up people along the way, all for his mother. Now, if that’s not a story you want to tell, you tell me what is. And, that’s only one of a thousand.
MediaBlvd> Do you feel that, with the show, you can bring some nationwide attention to what’s still going on there?
Anthony> That’s what I hope. I hope the show shines a light on something that’s needed a light to be shone on it, for quite some time. I hope we bring awareness back to New Orleans. With all that’s going on in the world, we quickly forget, bu there is still unfinished business and unfinished work that needs to be finished, in the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.
MediaBlvd> You have such an eclectic body of work. How do you choose the projects that you do?
Anthony> I choose them because of that. I never one to be one-note, and I felt that it was becoming that, with the comedies that I had been doing, earlier in my career. I made a conscious choice, and decision, that I was just going to sit back and wait for the right script to come along, be it television or film, and show a completely different side than what the audience was used to seeing. Hustle and Flow was the first thing that came my way, but the first thing that audiences were able to see was The Shield. That came right on the heels of Hustle and Flow. And, from that came The Departed, and other things. And, now there’s K-Ville. It was always a plan of mine to do what I’m doing now, but the opportunity had just never really presented itself before.
MediaBlvd> Did you do have to do the comedies to crack the drama market then?
Anthony> No, I didn’t have to do it to crack the drama market. It just so happens that I happen to be a funny individual. It’s my genetic make-up. I come by it honestly. If you ever meet my mother, you’ll be like, “Hell, she’s the one who should be in show business.” Comedy is just what happened first, for me. Fortunately for me, the studios and the audiences responded to it, so that’s what kept coming my way. But, I wasn’t getting anything else. People would say, “Okay, you’re the funny guy.” And, I would say, “No, I’m not just the funny guy. There’s much more to me than this.” When Hustle and Flow happened, and it took awhile for us to get that project off the ground. And then, The Shield happened. It’s not that I had to ride one horse until it gave out, and then hop on another one. It’s just that there wasn’t another horse to jump onto.
MediaBlvd> Do you now feel like you have to mix things up and do a comedy to break up all the drama?
Anthony> No, I don’t feel like that. The people out there feel that I’ve forsaken comedy, and that’s not it at all. I had a nice role in Transformers that was comedic. I was the comic relief. I just haven’t had the time to do a film lately, with everything that I’ve been doing in television. The schedules have now started to conflict. And, the one-hour drama world is the world that I’m dancing in now. I’m fine with doing this, for now. Hopefully, my first hiatus, I’ll have that big comedy to do, so that I can remind people that I’m not just a killer and a cop now. I’m just waiting for the right thing to come around.
MediaBlvd> Do you enjoy going back and forth?
Anthony> I love being able to go back and forth. I love being able to have those choices and that opportunity to do it. I play both ends of the spectrum, and everything in between. I have the best of both worlds, right now, with drama and comedy, in television. We’re looking for the big drama in film now, and the next big comedic piece in film, as well. Hopefully, a couple things we have will pan out, in both genres, but we’ll see what happens.
MediaBlvd> Do you have one overriding goal for your career?
Anthony> Just more of this. This was the goal, and I’ve attained it. Now that I’m here, it’s time to set a new one, but I haven’t really figured that out yet because I just got here. This ride is just beginning. I want to enjoy this ride for a little bit, and see where it takes me. By then, I’ll have formulated a new game plan, as to what the next juncture in my career will be.
MediaBlvd> What are you looking to develop through your production company -- comedy, drama, or a little bit of both?
Anthony> I’m looking at everything. In terms of television, we were developing a half-hour comedy for myself. My company is A-Squared Productions, along with my partner, Adam Glass. You know what you’re going to get with Anthony Anderson, so it’s about building a brand. Having the brand out there, within every aspect and genre of this industry, be it film, television or whatever. My partner and I just want to build a brand, in every world and every genre. We secure the rights to newspaper and magazine articles in places such as Details, GQ, Vanity Fair and things like that. We have four different scripts that we have in four stages of development around town, from things we’ve secured out of magazines. So, it’s not only about me being in front of the camera in television and film, but it’s about the company building things that I’m attached to in name only, and not necessarily as the talent. That’s what we’re moving towards, outside of me doing things like K-Ville.
