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Meeting The Closer
Two years ago this coming August, I showed up for a late breakfast at a Hollywood restaurant and met someone who completely changed my life. Such experiences don’t come along very often — transformational first encounters let’s call them, or TFEs — and my memory seldom recollects them in the order of their importance. For example, I can tell you the day and the hour I was introduced to Fritz, the slightly manic German Shepherd who spent 10 years chasing squirrels from our backyard and joyously barking at our neighbors, but I can’t remember anything specific about the moment I first met my spouse, who has been barking at me even longer (I mostly deserve it). Such are the curious tricks memory plays on us, mainly because the most consequential people in our lives (outside children, siblings and in-laws) seldom arrive with a trumpet salute or a small firework display alerting us to their future significance. And even more rarely are we introduced to them at breakfast.
Certainly, when Kyra Sedgwick walked through the doors of Campenili that late Sunday morning to share the first of many meals with me, Mike Robin and Greer Shephard (my partners in developing The Closer), we had no idea we were about to share in a TFE of the very highest order. But I do remember that meeting with what, for me, is enormous detail.
Mike, Greer and I had arrived at the restaurant first with our casting director, Bruce Newberg, a long-time friend with a genius for matching the right role with the perfect actor. It was Bruce who first brought up the idea of Kyra playing Brenda Leigh Johnson, The Closer’s idiosyncratic protagonist. I responded to Bruce’s suggestion with wearied irritation. Kyra lived in New York, I told him. She was a movie star. She was on record saying she didn’t want to work in Los Angeles. She also didn’t want to do series television. We had a deadline to meet. Please, I begged, move on.
As he often does, Bruce ignored me (I don’t take it personally; he ignores everybody) and went about assiduously forcing managers and agents to read our script. Somehow or other, The Closer made it through the infuriating obstacle course erected between talent and producers to arrive, almost at the very last minute, in Kyra’s hands; to my utter amazement, she agreed to fly out to Los Angeles and meet with us.
One more little sidebar before Kyra comes through the door for our TFE. The Closer has a terrific ensemble, but it also required nothing less than a brilliant actor of uncommon strength and stamina at its heart. And fate has ordained that brilliant actors with uncommon strength and stamina are often so personally difficult that working with them on a daily basis can lead one to consider equally uncommon acts of criminal violence. Anyone who tells you differently is lying. Actors have the same fear of producers, writers and directors; anyone who tells you differently has just lied twice.
Greer, Mike and I knew Kyra was a world-class talent, but we were largely uninformed about what she was like to work with. And filming the first year of a television series is like diving in a submarine with an unfamiliar crew for six months; you don’t want to find yourselves stuck in the ocean depths with a bunch of lunatics struggling for the helm. No, you are seeking a stable, mature, talented, collaborative genius who can work the grueling schedule television demands without blowing up the ship.
Enter Kyra Sedgwick.
I’m afraid the first thing I noticed about Kyra was just how beautiful she was. Not that I’m excessively shallow, but I have lived in California for over 15 years, and I do work primarily in television.
Kyra sat. The four of us began talking, a little hesitantly at first, but warming to each other perhaps more quickly than we had intended. Before I knew it, Kyra was looking to see what everyone else had ordered, delightedly perusing the menu and chatting about the notion of living in Los Angeles traffic. Kyra had brazenly skipped through the knotty part of our TFE — the figuring-the-other-person-out part, the do-I-want-to-deal-with-this-person issue — because she wanted to enjoy the meeting. Realizing this, I relaxed.
Now that might sound odd. Why should the fact that Kyra wanted to enjoy herself ease my worries? Of course, you think, people want to have fun. Oddly, in Hollywood, the idea of loving what you do and whom you’re with isn’t always at the very tip-top of everyone’s list. Lots of folks seek fame, and the attention that goes with it. Still more want huge stacks of money. Or a reputation for genius.
Kyra wanted breakfast.
More specifically, Kyra wanted Greer’s breakfast, because it was composed of an enormous pile of French toast and an aromatic dose of fresh maple syrup. Fame was fleeting. Money was yet to be negotiated, and wasn’t discussed at all. The French toast was there in the moment, and Kyra stared at it longingly during our first meal together; when Greer failed to finish it, and the waiter started to take it away, I gently tugged the plate from his hands because, I, too, primarily wanted to enjoy myself. The studio was paying for breakfast, and, frankly, I don’t like giving up any part of a free meal. I finished where Greer left off and Kyra watched me, sighing slightly as the last bite disappeared.
We did not know that morning, as we finished our first meal together and tipped the waiter handsomely with corporate funds, that The Closer would have the sort of success it discovered last summer. In fact, we had no assurance that a series would be ordered at all. But we did know we had enjoyed breakfast with each other, that we had laughed a lot, that we had listened with a good deal of attention to each other’s concerns, and that we were ready to try the collaborative experiment of creating television on a weekly basis, if such an opportunity presented itself.
Our meeting with Kyra was a defining moment in my life, a TFE of epic proportions. Kyra’s performance as Brenda Leigh Johnson gave full-bodied life to a challenging part; it garnered her a nomination for a Golden Globe and a SAG Award and the applause of critics and audiences around the world. She allows me to do the very best I can; her ability inspires me to try harder; her truth-seeking temperament and native civility make going to work in the morning and falling exhausted onto my pillow at the end of a long day an absolute joy. I hear Kyra’s voice as Brenda’s dialogue appears on the page; I imagine Kyra’s face as Brenda peers over her reading glasses at a suspect seated opposite her steely-eyed stare.
As I grow older, it no longer surprises me to find out that my parents were mostly right about everything. As it turns out, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.
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May 31, 2006 1:43 PM
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Welcome James - I am a huge fan of The Closer and have been anxiously waiting for summer for the 2nd season!! I watched every episode of the 1st season twice and as an authority I want to thank you for your brilliant writing. I too cannot picture Brenda Leigh Johnson as anyone but Kyra - what a fit!!! How many episodes can we expect for this season?
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May 31, 2006 5:42 PM
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"Kyra Sedgwick's doing TV," my husband told me.
"Huh," I said.
"Summer TV," he added.
"Oh dear," I said. "She can't need the money that badly."
Well, we sat down and watched the premiere anyway, and I have to tell you, Mr. Duff, that was mighty tasty crow I had for dinner that night. I spent last summer totally hooked on The Closer, and I'm really excited to see what you do with these fantastic characters this season. Congratulations on shattering the mold of summer series, and keep up the good work!
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May 31, 2006 8:16 PM
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Thank you for that long, but amazing post about your first meeting with Kyra. It speaks volumes about the show's staff and why the show is such a success. And of course, how could I forget, thank you for putting The Closer on during the summer where it avoided getting lost and had its unique chance to shine! I cannot wait until June 12th!
Keep blogging away!
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Jun 1, 2006 9:03 AM
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I'll just copy Ranger99. It's exactly what I was thinking. I'd love a full season like the winter time but I will take as many as I can get.
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Jun 1, 2006 10:21 AM
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Thanks everyone for your kind words. I'll be posting again on Monday, but first some brief responses. We will be doing another thirteen episodes during our regular season plus a two-parter in December - almost like a little Closer movie. We'd love to do more, but since Kyra is in nearly every scene, it would probably kill her (and then where would we be???).
And if I had held off my initial posting for one day, I could have included the news that Kyra was nominated for a Television Critic's Association Award for Best Individual Achievement by an Actor on Wednesday afternoon, and was the only woman so honored. We're super proud of her this week.
I should end by saying, in response to the cute posting about "delicious crow," I dine on it so often that I often find I have a feather or two stuck between my teeth. Am glad, however, to have broken the summer curse for new series. Believe me when I say, Greer, Mike and I were staring at our original premiere date with more than a little nervousness, and were glad to find this ancient prohibition mostly myth.
Have a great weekend everyone and I'll be back with a report on the unsung members of The Closer writing staff next week.
James Duff
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Jun 2, 2006 11:11 AM
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To James Duff----THANK YOU, THANK YOU,THANK YOU----for the great scripts & for the insights derived from your experience as provided in the blog----yes, her greatness is truly something to behold & savor, somewhat revisited with the character's sweetstuff reward at the close of each episode
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Jun 2, 2006 2:45 PM
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Does this mean there will be a blog for The Closer in the Watercooler?
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Jun 2, 2006 3:33 PM
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Yes! We need a Watercooler Blog for The Closer!
Last summer The Closer blew me away! I have always enjoyed Kyra, but The Closer made me love her. Great material and great fit, guys! Nice to hear she is as engaging in "real life" as it seems like she would be.
I won't bother repeating what everyone else said (which I strongly agree with) but I will say that many, many times during the "regular" tv season I dreamed longingly for the return of The Closer - it's so much better than most shows on television any time of the year. As soon as I saw the preview for Season Two I put the date on my Outlook calender and programmed my TiVo so I won't miss it!
Looking forward to a great Season Two!
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Jun 3, 2006 1:56 PM
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Thanks for posting this info. It was very interesting!
I've been a fan of Kyra's for a while, so I was looking
forward to seeing the show. What a treat - great writing,
and fantastic ensemble cast. I'm a southern born woman.
Normally when someone "does" southern, it is over-done.
Not this time. Her character has nailed everything -
nice accent, not too much, smart, sassy and just enough steel to be interesting. Great job, y'all!!
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Jun 5, 2006 12:26 PM
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I usually reserve the summer to recuperate from the tv season, but I ran across this show when it was in season 1 repeats. Luckily, I caught it from the very beginning. I even wrote to the Ask Matt column to ask his opinion of the show (and he actually printed it!) I agree with everyone else that I couldn't see another person playing the character of Brenda. I'm from the South, and I think that Kyra hits Brenda's southern mannerisms perfectly! I'm excited for season 2 to start and know that things will only get bigger and better. Keep up the good work!
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Jun 5, 2006 12:27 PM
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I'm so happy to find out other people besides me use Outlook to remember TV shows. It's right up there next to all my financial reports and appointments.
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Jun 5, 2006 2:46 PM
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Thank you, James! It's always wonderful when I hear that one of my favorite stars is just as nice a person as I imagine them to be. Kyra Sedgwick is such a superb actress and now we know that she is a superb person as well! Thank you for sharing that with us!
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Jun 7, 2006 3:03 PM
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Until last summer, the only thing I knew about Kyra Sedgwick was that she doesn't like Los Angeles. As an Angeleno living in exile in the Bay Area, I am a bit sensitive to the haughty attitudes of New Yorkers and San Franciscans toward my hometown.
I was very surprised when I read last summer that Kyra was going to do a series based in Los Angeles. I watched the first episode mainly out of curiosity and because I love police procedurals. (And seeing some of my old haunts is always fun too.) Of course, I was hooked from the beginning and watched every episode. It's a great show and the writing and acting from the ensemble cast are surperb.
Thanks for this blog, James; it was interesting reading about the beginnings of the show and I can't wait until Monday. And, yes, we MUST have a blog in the Watercooler.
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Jun 7, 2006 4:28 PM
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The Closer, for me, is one of the best programs out there. Kyra is mesmerizing, and the cast is fantastic together.
I can lean more toward Sci-Fi, Supernatural, Horror programming, but have found The Closer to be an amazing show. One of those exceptional programs that don't come around too often. I'm glad It's around now.
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Jun 8, 2006 11:10 AM
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