Actor Ben McKenzie returns to Texas for ‘Southland’ screening
“Lady, with that attitude, you’re just asking for trouble,” Ben McKenzie joked after a woman at Wednesday night’s Southland screening at the W Hotel began her question to him by saying, “I know I’m not anywhere near your age group…”
McKenzie, born in Austin, is 31, but going off of my interview with him and his Q-and-A session at the screening, he’s very wise while still young at heart. He’s someone who starred in a primetime soap opera yet graduated college with a degree in foreign affairs and economics.
Which would explain his in-depth answer to a fan who compared Southland to another gritty, critically-praised cop drama, The Wire. McKenzie had lots of good food for thought, and said Los Angeles, where the show is based, is a prime example of 21st Century America, where “the richest zip codes are 10 miles away from third world-like areas.”
McKenzie didn’t stay for the screening, saying he was on his way back to California to see Texas and Alabama face off in the BCS national championship game. But those in attendance were privileged to see a brand new episode of the show about two months before it airs.
TNT, having picked up Southland after NBC canceled it, is re-airing the first episodes already aired before completely new ones are shown. But McKenzie did say fans should expect some extras/differences to episodes they’ve already seen, including six additional minutes to the pilot airing at 9 p.m. Tuesday.
You can hear more from McKenzie in our interview here. McKenzie’s Ben Sherman will still be dealing with his father issues, and we may find out more about his privileged yet problematic past. Regina King’s character may or may not be without a partner, seeing as Tom Everett Scott’s character was shot in NBC’s series season finale in May.
He also gave a tidbit about his character’s partner, John Cooper, played by Michael Cudlitz. Cooper’s divorced, and his most obvious demons are his alcoholism and pill popping, but keen fans have caught on by now that Cooper is gay but very closeted. McKenzie said Cooper thinks being out on the force would hinder him in some way, and Sherman is still unaware. But something tells me that with Sherman dogging Cooper over his partner’s “back pain,” he’ll soon learn about the drug addiction and even more.
I’ll have more from our interview up on Tuesday, when Southland returns to TV.
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