BRIDGING TV & THEATRE: Marc Blucas & Craig Shapiro Talk NECESSARY ROUGHNESS

Today we are continuing out summer series on the TV shows featuring some of the brightest and best talent onscreen and onstage with the first part of BroadwayWorld's series on USA's new primetime network drama NECESSARY ROUGHNESS. Featuring an impressive assortment of players known for roles on screens large and small and stages far and wide, NECESSARY ROUGHNESS was created by Craig Shapiro and Liz Kruger and features Callie Thorne, Marc Blucas, Scott Cohen, Mehcad Brooks and Andrea Anders. The show centers on therapist Dr. Dani Santino (Thorne) and her suddenly crumbling domestic life coming in the wake of her husband's (Craig Bierko) affair, just as she enters a new area of expertise in her field and starts taking on the toughest clients of her career - chief among them being star quarterback TK (Brooks). Will her newfound romance with the team's trainer, Matthew (Blucas), and, furthermore, his relationship to TK's team, lead to an unforeseen fumble? And, who exactly is the shadowy figure behind the scenes, Nico (Cohen), and what exactly does he want from Dr. Dani? Plus, how will she balance the roles of therapist, mother and newly-divorced woman on her own for the first time? NECESSARY ROUGHNESS goes in for a cathartic touchdown by bringing together issues from all sides of the field of life and taking them on play-by-play - because, after all, as the tagline goes: "Everyone has issues to tackle." Family to football to romance and far beyond, NECESSARY ROUGHNESS is a high-scorer - and, after all, this is only the build-up to the big game, which plays in prime time every Wednesday night at 10 PM on USA.

Kicking off the NECESSARY ROUGHNESS tail-gate party just in time for tonight's premiere episode, today we are talking to both the show's leading man, Marc Blucas, and its co-creator and executive producer, Craig Shapiro. In this extensive conversation, we discuss all angles of NECESSARY ROUGHNESS from inspiration and inception to final presentation in the pilot and the rest of the first season shot so far (up to Episode 5). Additionally, we talk all about Blucas's role as assistant coach and Dr. Santino's love interest, as well as cast a glance to his past work onscreen, such as co-starring in last summer's hit action comedy KNIGHT & DAY with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. Blucas and Shapiro's amiable rapport is amply evident in their lively chat here as well as onscreen in the fresh dramedy series premiering tonight. Don't miss this catch!

In the coming weeks we will also be featuring conversations with NECESSARY ROUGHNESS stars Scott Cohen, Andrea Anders and Dr. Dani Santino herself, Callie Thorne, so be sure to stay tuned all summer long! Don't miss it - or the series premiere tonight at 10 PM on USA!

Two-Handed Catch

PC: I've already spoken to Callie, Andrea and Scott for this column, so I am so glad we can round out the list with the leading man and co-creator now.

CS: It sounds kind of Frankenstein-y, doesn't it? "Creator?" I don't know how I feel about that.

MB: (Laughs.) "It's alive!"

PC: It really is! You really have some incredible talent on this show - first, let's talk about Mehcad Brooks.

CS: Right. He's such a bigger than life personality.

MB: Totally.

CS: He nails it - we just knew he was the perfect choice.

PC: Was Marc also your first choice for his character, that of the trainer for TK's team?

CS: Yes, he turned out to be - and, we saw a lot of actors for this part in particular. Just as soon as he walked in, we knew he was right. Some other people were good, but as soon as Marc came in, we were like, "We know this is right." He just feels like he is this part in a way that none of the other actors did.

PC: What struck you most about his audition?

CS: Well, first of all, his shocking good looks. (Laughs.)

MB: Oh, I can leave right now... (Laughs.)

CS: But, most importantly: we are going for something in a more naturalistic style. That's what I love so much about Marc and Callie, also. She's like a person you would know in real life. But, at the audition, when Marc came in he just seemed like a real natural - and a real athlete - and, he is.

PC: What sports did you play, Marc?

MB: Basketball.

PC: Of course! You're a tall guy.

MB: (Laughs.) Hey, man: with height, it's all relative.

PC: How did that athleticism inform Marc's character?

CS: You know, real jocks have a way of being where they don't have to try; they just are. That's just a part of Marc's make-up and it just plugged right into the character. He had great chemistry with Callie, even at the first audition.

PC: Did you find the actors all fell into place or was it difficult process?

CS: No, it just really all fit together beautifully - we have this really great cast. It's really well-chosen and they each bring a veracity and a realism to their acting with their individual style. All these actors - Marc, Mehcad, Scott and Callie - they just have this thing that helps it all blend perfectly together, too.

PC: An acting tapestry. It is an ensemble show, after all.

CS: Definitely. And, collectively, they actually elevated the material in a really nice way - in a way that, as a writer, you dream of capturing.

MB: Oh, yeah - from a two to a ten! (Laughs.)

CS: (Laughs.) Exactly. If the script was originally down here...

PC: What was your first impression of the script, Marc - and of the character himself? Who did you see?

MB: Well, I always try to separate myself from the job. I just want to read it and enjoy it - I don't want to break it down; I don't want to create a character. I want to say, "Do I enjoy this writing?" - especially when you are looking at and reading television, at least for me. In a movie, there is a beginning, middle and end and it is easier to crack the character - and, at the end of the day, it's not as much about the people that you are going to go through the process with just because, you know, it's six weeks, so if you don't like each other, you don't like each other, so we'll just see what happens.

PC: But, TV is a whole different thing.

MB: Yeah, TV, for me - I look at this as a six year commitment. I want it to be collaborative. So, if I am going to read a script, I want to think that's it a good idea and that it has fit in with the home they have found for it.

PC: Like NECESSARY ROUGHNESS and USA.

MB: Yeah, totally. I read it and I was like, "Home run! The tone: this is how it is and this is how it should be!" And, every actor says they respond to things like, (Growl.) "Oh, I want to play the shaved-head ex-con," you always want to play the opposite of who you are, you know?

PC: Precisely.

MB: In this, it's like: the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! (Laughs.) It has given me a chance and it has given me room to grow - and, it has grown.

CS: Definitely.

MB: This gave me a chance and it has grown - and, that's the beauty of television. Because this is not closed-ended - they can start writing for us. You know, they know Mehcad's personality and his strengths; they know, "Yeah, he's not funny. Don't write him comedy." (Laughs.)

CS: (Laughs.) No comment!

MB: And they know to write to certain strengths. So, now, this is a role that I feel like that even though it was there on the page initially - with my background being around sports - I loved the idea of a trainer.

PC: Why so?

MB: To me, a trainer in the world of pro sports gets to play both sides: they see the front office and they get to have the friendships with The Players. So, you have this push and pull going on. Also, I loved this character's place in life.

PC: In what way?

MB: This was something Callie and I talked about the first time we met, which was at a wardrobe fitting for the pilot. I remember walking in and she was, literally, in the middle of the fitting - but, there were clothes on!

CS: I didn't know this story! (Laughs.)

MB: Yeah, yeah - this is how it happened. So, I shut the door and we got through the pleasantries and the compliments and all of that other stuff. Then, I said, "Hey, look: we are at TV pace already, so let's figure this out. How do you see this? How do you see their relationship? What can we do to make it different? I have thoughts of my own."

PC: What did she say to that?

MB: We said the exact same thing at the exact same time!

PC: Which was?

MB: Well, it was basically, "You know what, we want to see two people who genuinely have fun with each other." It was on the page that, here were two people who are at a certain place in life and ready for something. On the surface, you expect something different - I mean, I meet her at a hoochie bar with a bunch of athletes!

PC: Not very romantic.

MB: Yeah, it's groupies - it's girls - you don't think you are going to meet someone with a brain and a soul and a sense of humor. And, vice versa: Callie's character doesn't think she is going to actually meet someone that has stuff going on. She thinks it's just a club with a bunch of athletes. So, suddenly, the stereotypes plug in and we meet each other - and, suddenly, we are surprised. We catch each other off guard.

PC: Instant chemistry.

MB: Yeah, for my character - and, in real life, for me - it comes from turning 33, 34 and you cross into that threshold of manhood and something changes. And, two sentences into a date I know if it is someone I want to hang out with - and I don't want that to sound sexist or shallow or anything. I just know if it's a person with the same moral compass.

PC: You know you who are.

MB: Yeah, I know who I am and I know what I want in life - and, it's an important place to get to in life. I don't think you get to that point until you are a little older. So, Callie and I both said that these are two people at that point in life.

PC: Particularly harried in Callie's character's case.

MB: Yeah, she's in the middle of two teenage kids, a philandering husband, her mother - you've seen it.

PC: And her chemistry with Craig Bierko is great, as well, in the pilot.

CS: Oh, Craig is so, so great on the show.

MB: Callie and him are so good.

PC: The style of filming the sports on the show is reminiscent of Oliver Stone's ANY GIVEN SUNDAY - that high-gloss sheen.

CS: And, you'll be happy to know we have the same sports advising team as ANY GIVEN SUNDAY and WE ARE MARSHALL and MIRACLE from Sports Studios. They are the best in the game at bringing reality to the game shoots.

MB: They really are so fantastic.

PC: What was the initial inspiration for the show, Craig?

CS: It's inspired by Dr. Donna Dannenfelser - not exactly based on her, though. She was, basically, a Long Island housewife with a little therapy practice in the 90s - much like Dr. Dani has - and she talked her way into becoming the therapist for the Jets.

PC: What is she really like?

CS: She is an amazing force of a human being. When we first met her, we spent hours and hours and hours talking to her about: what her life was like, what her practice was like, what it was like to deal with the athletes, what it was like to deal with her family while dealing with the athletes, et cetera.

PC: Everything.

CS: Yeah, everything - and, essentially, she turned over the details of her life to us to put into the show. And, she is a producer on the show so she is in the office with the writers everyday. Four days a week she is there.

PC: What particular input does she add?

CS: She helps talk about being in the world of football and all of the elements from her real life and her practice, as well.

PC: Was Marc's character, Matthew, based on a real character?

CS: (Laughs.) Well, let me just say this: only in one sense. Her contact with the team was the team's trainer - but, nothing beyond that is true.

MB: All the good stuff is made up! (Laughs.)

PC: So, Dr. Dani isn't divorced in real life?

CS: No, as a matter of fact, she is still married to her husband.

PC: Speaking of the philandering husband, will Craig Bierko's character be back on the show?

CS: Yes, he is recurring. He will definitely be coming back and forth. He is in Episode Five.

PC: Any clues as to what will happen in their crumbling marriage?

CS: Well, as you know: in TV, steady relationships are boring. And, so, we will do our rollercoaster. There will be jealousy thrown into the mix - she'll say, "Let's start dating other people." But, maybe we will revisit that spark.

PC: Is this show part of the new USA Network's male semi-soap ala WHITE COLLAR and BURN NOTICE?

CS: We aren't really man-soap (Laughs.) We are trying to appeal to everybody with this show - hopefully, there will be a balance of estrogen and testosterone. Hopefully, there will be soapy elements - relationships - but, also, sports. There are lots of sports - there is NASCAR racing, golf, football; plus, we have people outside of sports.

MB: It's all high-profile clientele - sports and politics.

CS: Yeah, later this season we have an Anderson Cooper kind of war correspondent, and we have the number one poker player in the world.

PC: Do you have a whole season arc plan in place or is it more week-to-week in the writers room?

CS: Both. We have six writers, basically.

MB: Plus: me, Mehcad, Scott and Callie! (Laughs.)

CS: (Laughs.) Can't forget them!

PC: A true collaboration!

MB: (Laughs.) All jokes aside, though, honestly: it is a dream experience. I am not just saying this because Craig is sitting here. It's not like a movie with that rehearsal time and all that time to play - it's fast; it's boom, boom, boom. Whatever works best is what goes. I can say, "Hey, Craig, this doesn't really make sense. Can I say something like this?" And, he'll say, "That's better. Do it." Or, he will say, "I like this better because we need this pay-off later in the episode. But, maybe we can find a better way to get there."

PC: It's a give and take.

CS: Well, that's what the collaborative process is - we can't have possibly had every thought possible before we shoot it.

MB: But, most TV isn't collaborative. You get a script - sometimes you just get pages! There's not much conversation between actors and writers. Look, BUFFY was my first big break and that was a word-perfect show. I was green and fresh off the bus. It was like, literally, I'd say, "I'm hungry," and, they'd say, "No, it's ‘I am hungry.'" I was trying to fit 6'3 into 5'6 and it was hard for me. (Laughs.)

PC: This is day to that night, then?

MB (Laughs.) Most of the time...

PC: How do you run the writers' room, Craig?

CS: To me, it is a group experience. I mean, there are times when we are going to heavily rewrite something to make it our own. And, sometimes, the script comes in and it's essentially all we need. It's all about whatever the situation really requires - ego is not allowed.

PC: So, it's a true collaboration?

CS: Yes. We put together the cast the best we could to make it like a family - expecting and hoping we would be together for years and we would all have a great experience; and, that is how I feel about the writers on the show, too.

PC: What a great way to build the base for a show! Lastly, I have to ask, Marc: what was filming KNIGHT & DAY with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz like?

MB: Look, I'm a huge James Mangold fan. And, we grew up with Tom [Cruise] - I mean, how many times have you seen TOP GUN? Cameron is more a contemporary of mine, but I've been a fan for so long. They both could not have been nicer. Truly. They are all so collaborative; they are so creative. I honestly had the best time of my life, until this - and the bar was set so high.

PC: So the experience surpassed even your high expectations?

MB: I am a huge Mangold fan and it delivered on every aspect: the fun, geeky side of me that's a fan says, "It's really cool to do this", and everything else.

PC: Was the final cut vastly different from the director's cut?

MB: Oh, there's always a director's cut! But, I loved it - I actually think the movie's underrated. I thought it was spectacular. I mean, I'm the first to say, "This is a piece of sh*t." (Laughs.)

PC: So, NECESSARY ROUGHNESS continues you on that high?

MB: This show is something I am really, really so proud of. I really can't wait to work on it for a long, long time.

PC: NECESSARY ROUGHNESS is poised for a winning streak, for sure. You both are so generous and hilarious and insightful. This was great.

CS: Thank you so much, Pat. I really appreciate it. I'm so glad you like the show!

MB: Yeah, Pat, this was really great, man. Thank you.