Archive for the ‘The Closer’ Category
Kyra Sedgwick Shoulders Fifth Season of The Closer
Kyra Sedgwick describes her Closer character, Brenda Johnson, as “incredibly delicate and fragile and yet really, really strong and fierce” — and to look at Sedgewick, that could describe her as well. Dressed in an immaculate white dress, surrounded by a crush of people working the room at TNT’s recent spring presentation to reporters and advertisers, she looks as endangered as a lilly at the side of an on-ramp.
Until you see her up close.
Sedgwick, it turns out, is ripped. She’s small, of course, but with sturdy shoulders and slender, powerful-looking calves. Maybe it’s the dress, but the actress seems to draw the light in a room filled with star power, including not only Saving Grace star Holly Hunter, but Jada Pinkett Smith, star of the network’s new HawthoRNe, and her husband, Will Smith, one of the most bankable movie stars in the world. And yet Sedgwick stands out — perhaps because she’s the essence of TNT.
Southern accents, like the Georgia twang that New York-raised Kyra Sedgwick drawls on “The Closer,” are rare for lead characters on TV. Critics and fans have been vocal about their love-it-or-hate-it relationship with Sedgwick’s thick delivery, but series creator James Duff says neither he nor TNT execs ever considered losing the accent.
“There was never any question at all, because the character of Brenda Johnson was complete with that accent,” Duff says. “TNT was interested in a complete character, and I think the accent was the finishing touch. I always felt like, ‘If people hear her authenticity, they’ll hang out more with the show.’”
Hang out they have, with improved ratings, according to Nielsen, over the course of four seasons. Not that Duff doesn’t still read accent bashing online.
This summer, Kyra Sedgwick reprises her Golden Globe-winning role as Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson in the fifth season of TNT’s “The Closer.” Her work as the LAPD’s master interrogator has also earned her Emmy and SAG award nominations.
The 5th season of “The Closer” begins Monday at 9pm on TNT. She talks about the show, and some of the changes her character will undergo in this interview with Tony, Lauren, and Jillian.
“The Closer” is looking at a great change in the fifth season when a member of the squad is gone. In the press release, TNT revealed that Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson “loses someone very dear to her” as she starts adjusting to married life. Lead actress Kyra Sedgwick added, “It’ll be quick and painless, and it’ll be soon.”
The departure is not the only highlighted change in the new season. The intra-office conflict between Sgt. Gabriel and Det. Daniels is resolved for good and another squad member goes through a complete attitude change after falling in love. The economy forces one of Brenda’s detectives to take a second job, while the fatal shooting of a suspect leads to career complications for another.
“After four years of really getting to know these characters, the fifth season marks a great time to see how they react to major changes both inside and outside the squad room,” said series creator James Duff. “We’re very excited about where we’re taking Brenda and her squad in the coming year.”
The new season begins Monday, June 8, welcoming Mary McDonnell as a guest star to play the new internal affairs officer. “She’s the complete opposite of me; we’re at odds,” Sedgwick revealed. “Brenda’s always had antagonists who are men, so it’ll be great to have an antagonist who’s a woman.”
Regis & Kelly, June 2nd 2009
The Closer
Gamer
