Interview with Christian Kane and preview of Leverage

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TV preview and actor video interview: Christian Kane of Leverage

By Mike Bullock , John P. Meyer

Any actor who offers the film guy a pre-interview brewski is O.K. in my book. And into this category I can now place Christian Kane, who stars (along with Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Aldis Hodge and Beth Riesgraf) in TNT's original caper series Leverage - which premieres this Sunday, Dec. 7 at 9 p.m. Central.

(By the way, in order to keep my interviewing wits about me I turned down the brewski. Just for the record...)

Before speaking with Christian in his Ritz-y Dallas hotel room (he was in town to promote the show), I had a chance to preview the hour-long pilot and the first regular episode - which falls into TNT's regular Tuesday lineup at 9 p.m. Central. It's a surprisingly fun watch, with veteran actor Hutton rounding up a stable of independent operators (a slinky thief, a hunky tough guy, a frustrated stage actress and a hip computer whiz) to get back at powerful and corrupt individuals and institutions who've done folks wrong. Think Mission: Impossible meets Oceans with Robin Hood sensibilities, done with wry good humor.


Delivering a good deal of the humor is Mr. Kane himself, who (though he doesn't particularly care for the designation) serves as the "muscle" of the (surreptitious) team. But instead of seeing him in dazzlingly-choreographed spin-kicking action, we get more of the "before and after" segues in which - in one frame - he's facing a room full of toughs, while in the next he's standing alone amongst the writhing, moaning bodies.

Furthermore, as we discuss during the interview, Christian and the rest of the ensemble cast routinely assume alternate personas (complete with costuming) as part of doing their bad-guy takedown con job thang. Which adds a dose of broad comedy and - in the case of Ms. Bellman, at least - alluring sexiness to the proceedings.

What I appreciated most about the two episodes I previewed was the genuineness of character interaction. It's like this cast has been working together for a while already, with no one seeming out of place or uncomfortable in their roles. Quite unusual for a pilot, or even a first season.

TNT definitely has a winner with this show if they can find their audience. If you want to take a crack at becoming a part of it, tune in.

In the meantime, have a listen to my 18-minute conversation with Christian Kane, who plays Elliot Spencer on the show.
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For the video interview, see the source: TV preview and actor video interview: Christian Kane of Leverage | pegasusnews.com | Dallas / Fort Worth

Courtesy of Whedonesque.com
 
Well one of our own members got to see a special preview of Leverage - why hasn't she written a review of it!
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It's a surprisingly fun watch, with veteran actor Hutton rounding up a stable of independent operators (a slinky thief, a hunky tough guy, a frustrated stage actress and a hip computer whiz) to get back at powerful and corrupt individuals and institutions who've done folks wrong. Think Mission: Impossible meets Oceans with Robin Hood sensibilities, done with wry good humor.
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Actually that sounds more like The A-Team
 
R
randiann
I did, you just aren't cool enough to be in Merrick where you can see it!
That interview was actually really good, I only had time to watch it now. He really does seem to be a nice guy, although it was so obvious that the studio had told him that he had to dodge the girlfriend question at the end!
 
R
randiann
I'm pretty sure he had his girlfriend with him when I saw him.
Here's what I wrote in Merrick already, I'm not giving away more than this! Except maybe to Lindsey, because I want to keep my (recently reattached) head...

The show was pretty good. The blonde girl in it is a little annoying at times, but there's alot of great acting and pretty darn good script

Here's the synopsis: Spoiler - Highlight to view: These thieves band together to pull off a heist. They break into an airline company and steal all their airplane designs, only to be double crossed by the person who was supposed to pay them for the job. They then come up with this elaborate plan to get back at him and wackiness ensues! At the end, they decide they should start doing this on a regular basis and should help out people who get screwed over by rich companies and get back at the companies for them

It's kinda like A-team/Ocean's 11 minus about 7 guys/Robin Hood
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L
Lindsey McDonald
*quickly stashes the broadsword* I'd NEVER think of severing that pretty little head of yours!
randiann said:
Here's what I wrote in Merrick already, I'm not giving away more than this! Except maybe to Lindsey, because I want to keep my (recently reattached) head...
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Thats good enough, don't wanna know what happens, just what you thought, though I asked for a review not a synopsis.

Why should we listen to the critics who don't really speak for us when we have someone in our midst who could give us her actual opinion with a bit of detail.
 
Well you got a synopsis anyway! I really enjoyed it beyond belief, but my views may have been SLIGHTLY skewed by me looking one row down and three seats to the right of me about every 30 seconds. Overall, it's a show I could see myself getting into and watching on a weekly basis. There's very few shows I can say that about. If you wanna know more, PM me, I gotta go to class!
 
Christian Kane did make a cute little nerd though.. that actually made me laugh out loud.
 
R
randiann
OH I forgot it was on last night huh? I LOVED that part when he was flirting with the receptionist!
CK had the best line in the episode: "I'm gonna beat him so bad, people that look like him are gonna bleed."

This was about what I would expect from a pilot episode in a show that will (eventually) depend upon character definition and chemistry... but since none of those things are in place yet... lots of action and people doing cool things.

The scenes meant to illustrate Elliot's (CK's) badassery were maybe a little overdone. And the Funny Funky Black Guy(tm) needs to dial it down a few notches. Geez, that same character has been in every team heist show made in the last 30 years. Can we have a black team member who's not the comic relief? Please?

I actually liked the Parker (crazy blonde cat burglar) character best. The actress seemed to have a good handle on her character right off the bat. And she moves pretty. 🙂
 
AndrewCrossett said:
The scenes meant to illustrate Elliot's (CK's) badassery were maybe a little overdone. And the Funny Funky Black Guy(tm) needs to dial it down a few notches. Geez, that same character has been in every team heist show made in the last 30 years. Can we have a black team member who's not the comic relief? Please?
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I take it you didn't see Hustle then?
 
AndrewCrossett said:
BBC America just ain't cutting it.
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Said in the Leverage thread for the program only going out in America? :silly: It's very true though. We need to share more and stop re-making things instead. There are so many great shows that lots of people are missing.

If you like this kind of comedic heist drama, I'd definately reccommend Hustle if you can get your hands on it. It's very funny, not at all predictable, nice and twisty, and not always about the long con. Plus, it's got a weird 4th wall breaking dynamic where the characters will occasionally talk through the camera and explain the classic cons in the context of the show. It's great.


And the black guy is the serious leader. 😉
 
From John Rogers' blog:

"-- Episodes of Leverage will stream on TNT eventually, and be available for download on both Amazon (which means Tivo purchasing!) and iTunes within days. I believe the premiere's already up on Amazon. No word on Hulu or XBox."
 
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