Ben McKenzie is where show business clichés go to die. No son of Hollywood, he grew up in Austin, Texas and came from a literary family: His mother is a poet and his uncle won the Pulitzer Prize for drama.

Smart, laid-back, introspective, and sure, I suppose, rather handsome, McKenzie is firing on all cylinders—having survived his overnight success and Teen Choice-style notoriety as Ryan Atwood on The O.C. and seamlessly moved onto meatier roles without losing fans along the way. Now on Southland, he plays rookie cop Ben Sherman, a boy from the right side of the tracks who’s crossed over to work the mean streets of L.A.

With Southland’s unseen Season 2 episodes premiering tonight on TNT, we caught up with McKenzie for a one-on-one about the show.

TV.com: You’re from a literary family. Why did you choose acting instead of writing?

Ben McKenzie: Ego and laziness. Those were the main two reasons. I don’t know. I was attending the University of Virginia, majoring in economics and foreign affairs, and midway through I was pretty bored with my studies and searching for something else to do—to give me some enjoyment, some thrill. I stumbled over to the theater department, and started doing plays. And I kind of fell in love with it. Why I ended up there as opposed to writing, I couldn’t tell you. But I knew pretty quickly that I needed to give it a shot, because I got a certain thrill from acting that I didn’t get out of anything else.

So what do you get out of acting?

Good question. I should probably be better at answering it; it’s hard to express. It’s a way of looking into, without being utterly pretentious about it, what it is to be human and the kind of shared human experience that we can all relate to—no matter who we are and what we are. We’re all human, we all have our own talents and fears and accomplishments and loves and hates, and we all tend to go about this thing not really knowing what we’re doing, living moment-to-moment. I like portraying that, getting a view into other people’s worlds and experiences, trying to walk in their shoes for a minute. It’s slightly voyeuristic, in a way. You get to be somebody else.

He graduated from The O.C. to a serious dramatic role as rookie cop on the critically praised Southland, which was canceled last fall to make way for Jay Leno. Now, with Southland returning to TV on TNT, Ben McKenzie speaks exclusively to Uinterview here.

Q: What was your reaction when you heard about the cancelation of Southland by NBC. – Uinterview

A: My reaction was ‘WTF OMG?’ And I said it that way. I honestly thought someone was kidding. I didn’t understand. I thought it was an elaborate gag or something because why would you renew a show, order 13 episodes, give it a time slot, wait until two weeks before it was about to premiere and then cancel it? Very peculiar. It was a bit of a frustrating situation. In part because shooting the show was a fantastic experience. I think the entire cast feels that way, but the drama behind the scenes has been bizarre and never-ending. No matter what we did, we needed to bear the brunt of a lot of changes in corporate strategy at NBC. But now that we are back on a different network, on TNT, I hope that it’s going to actually work out.

Q: Will the show be different now that it’s on cable? – Uinterview

A: TNT bought the episodes from last year that aired on NBC and the new episodes that we had shot before we were canceled that were still ordered under the contract. We haven’t shot new episodes for TNT yet, but it will all depend on whether the ratings are good enough for them to renew it. In terms of the different content, well, part of the reason we were canceled is because of a disagreement between the network and the producers over what the show is and when we had to move to 9 o’clock to accommodate Jay Leno, they promised we would be able to write the same show, but as we got closer and closer to it and they started seeing the show put together. They started having a lot of problems with the content.
Q: Was it too violent? – Uinterview

A: Yeah. Exactly. Although they were given the script, so I don’t know why they didn’t figure it out until that point. Anyway, I’m not going to get into that. There’s always a problem with content. Now that we’re on TNT, we can use whatever footage we have. We can unbleep some things now that we’re on cable. And I think the show doesn’t pull a lot of punches. There’s one thing that actually got us into trouble, interestingly enough, in that first episode. Shawn Hatosy and Kevin Alejandro do an interrogation of one of the gangbangers on a toilet. They thought that was way too crude. And you know, things like that, where you and I would say,’Who cares? That’s what you object to? Didn’t you see the rest of the show?’ Things like that, where I’ll just say it’s better situation to be on a network like TNT. Certainly, if we go forward and the ratings are good enough and TNT picks us up, I think you’ll see us fully push the envelope. I don’t think we’ve had to back off too much. Maybe that’s why we got canceled because we should have backed off more. But at the end of the day – I’m glad. If it was a choice between compromising the vision of the show drastically vs. getting canceled and risking not being picked up, I’m glad we didn’t compromise it. It certainly is unusual to be picked up by another network, and we’re fortunate. But in the long run, maybe it will work out for everyone. Our gritty show, maybe we’ll find somewhere for it to be on the air.

944.com has published a new interview with Ben Mckenzie. He talks about TV series ‘Southland’ and more. You can read it below. Enjoy!

The Reconstruction

What Happens to a Former Teen Heartthrob with a Claim to Fame as a Boy from the Bad Side of the Tracks on The O.C.? For Ben McKenzie, it’s Building a Reputation for Being Quite a Serious Actor

Although many people might know him from his stint as Ryan Atwood in The O.C., Ben McKenzie is ready to make waves again on TV with Southland, a gritty, realistic LAPD cop drama. After a false start as the next great thing on NBC, the fan favorite and critically-acclaimed show will return on TNT in March and the 31-year-old Austin, Texas native will get a chance to shine once again as Officer Ben Sherman.

While McKenzie has been seen in films like the indie hit Junebug and 88 Minutes with Al Pacino, the young actor has made most of his appearances on the small screen and with any luck, will stay there for a while.

McKenzie has maintained a pretty low-key private life, which suits his laid-back demeanor and celeb-free upbringing. In fact, it’s given the actor a little chance to sit back and enjoy the ride a little.

944: So what exactly happened with Southland getting cancelled? This was what NBC was claiming to be the show to take the place of ER.
BEN MCKENZIE: Well, we got cancelled two weeks before we were going to premiere again on NBC after we had already been renewed for a second season, so it was pretty unexpected. Nobody saw it coming, so that was a shock. So we sat around and assumed — well, it’s not likely that network shows get cancelled and are picked up again by another network, so when TNT came along, it was a pleasant surprise.

944: Where does TNT want to go with the show and how did they know it would click with their audience?
BM: TNT wants to get into a grittier, more realistic program and they understand better than NBC did, the feel of the show. Now we can be a little more edgy and unapologetic, which we couldn’t do before. With NBC, we were trying to fit a square peg in a round hole as far as what the show is, which is to explore the lives of copes in 21st-century century LA in an intimate character-driven way and not a procedural show. But what sparks with an audience? That’s the million-dollar question. If we knew that, every show would be a fit but, in fact, 99 percent of them fail.

944: The shoots are kind of hectic, though, not only because you have real cops and real gang members in them, but because of the constraints you have, right?
BM: It’s very frenetic. We’re trying to do a lot in a short amount of time in several locations every day, so we’re constantly moving all the time in a 12-hour day. If a helicopter flies by, the response of the crew is, “Quick, grab that shot and pan back down and don’t break character”. We’ve had some helicopters come by because we have a relationship with the LAPD now. It is a high-stakes environment because you only get one or two takes sometimes.

944: Does working with the cops make you appreciate your job a little more?
BM: Yeah, it does. It gives you an appreciation for how easy you have it. They’re on set all the time because they’re our background and extras, so half of them at least are real cops and there’s an on-set advisor that’s ex-LAPD, so we’re surrounded by cops and can’t get away from the cops. They love to tell stories and love to point out if you’re doing anything incorrectly. Cops are not shrinking violets by any stretch of the imagination, so they’ll tell you what’s going on. It’s probably the most gratifying aspect, finding law enforcement fans of the show because they enjoy it and have the best BS detector so if they come up and tell you they like it, that means a lot.

The critically-acclaimed TV series was abruptly dropped by NBC last October — but TNT has given it a new chance to prove its viewership potential.

Audio Interview: Listen now

Southland, by all accounts, got a raw deal from NBC when that network canceled the second season premiere only a couple weeks before it was scheduled to air. Blame risk aversion — blame Dateline — blame Leno — but mostly blame the major networks’ sudden disinterest in adding (or even keeping) unestablished drama series in their prime-time lineup.

Enter TNT, who saw the potential for the edgy, gritty, darker-than-usual network cop drama, and determined to give it a shot in their programming lineup.

The episode that was set to premiere on NBC on October 23 will now be aired — in altered (enhanced?) version — on TNT next Tuesday, January 12, at 9 p.m. Central.

Austin native Ben McKenzie — who many will remember from his portrayal of Ryan Atwood in The O.C. — stopped by the W Hotel in Dallas this Wednesday to promote the show. Here’s a sample of what he talks about in the audio interview:

* How he gets along — on screen and off — with co-star Michael Cudlitz.
* His hair-raising experiences riding around with undercover L.A. gang units.
* “I couldn’t do it for a living. I get enough adrenaline boost just riding around with them occasionally.”
* Whether he’s seen (or even wants to see) Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.
* What he misses most about living in Texas — and what he doesn’t miss at all.
* Changes in the show resulting from the move to TNT.

While we North Texans are shivering in our long handles, Ben will be enjoying himself in the shirtsleeves weather at tonight’s big Rose Bowl matchup between the University of Texas Longhorns and that other team. (Something about a Crimson Tide?)

Three guesses who he’ll be rooting for — and the first two don’t count.

Source

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.

Source

Red Carpet Crash is proud to present the return of “Southland” with a special Dallas premiere screening of the first new episodes on Wednesday, January 6. In addition, star Ben McKenzie will be in attendance to answer questions about the series, its abrupt cancellation, and its subsequent pickup by TNT. “Southland” returns with all new episodes on TNT Tuesday, January 12 at 9:00 pm CT.

Register here to win a pair of passes to the event now!

Source

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Benjamin McKenzie tells us it’s been frustrating waiting to find out the fate of “Southland,” but he feels good about the show’s future now that it’s found a new home at TNT. “It was obviously unfortunate the way it went down. Shows do get canceled. We didn’t see it coming so it was a bit of a shock for all of us,” admits McKenzie about NBC greenlighting a second season and then abruptly canceling it. “It’s frustrating when you’re in the middle of that. You get angry and impatient because we had to sort of sit around for the last couple of months while they went through the process of selling it. But if the end result of this whole process is that we end up on TNT and we have a home there for years to come, and we can make the show that we want to make that we weren’t able to make on NBC, then that’s a great outcome,” he notes.

TNT will begin airing the entire first season starting Jan. 12 and then they will air six episodes that have already been shot for season two. “TNT needs a little time, obviously, to gear up to promote the show. I’m excited for people to see not only the new version of the pilot, which has additional footage in it, but these new episodes, which I think are some of the best we’ve done. I think fans of the show will be rewarded for their patience,” he says. “Now that we’re on cable, we don’t have to deliver as big of a number as we did on NBC. If we get that core audience to follow us to TNT, then I think we could be around for a while.”

In the meantime, McKenzie plans to take it easy during the Christmas holidays. “I’m just going back home to Austin, Texas, where I’m from, to spend time with my family. I’ll eat some good food, get some gifts and just enjoy my time off.”

Source

Today is 31st birthday of our actor Ben Mckenzie

Completely-Ben.Com wishes all the best in this special day!
We hope you get to spend a fantastic day with your beautiful family and friends!!!