The Fast and the Furious star talks about joining the new version of the classic TV series.
Best known for the continually successful Fast and the Furious franchise, Jordana Brewster’s latest role takes the actress (who previously was seen on All My Children and Chuck) back to TV, in TNT’s new take on the classic series, Dallas.
Rather than a remake, the new Dallas is a sequel series, in which Brewster’s Elena is one of a new generation of characters interacting with iconic Dallas characters like Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and J.R. (Larry Hagman).
I spoke to Brewster about her new series, and what drew her to the role.
IGN: You’ve done TV before, but you have a nice movie career going. What was it about this project that really appealed to you?
Jordana Brewster: Well, I really like television. I started in television, and I love watching TV. I love Nurse Jackie, I love The Good Wife, I love Girls now -- it’s so good! So I was always looking for something that was appealing, and what appealed to me about this was that the script was really good, the characters were really complex. I just love what Cynthia [Cidre] did. Once I saw the role, I was like, “I’m signing on.” Also, what was really appealing was to be on cable, because that way you’re freed up to do other things. I just felt fortunate to get the role.
IGN: Obviously the name comes with so much history for people. There was an attempt to make a feature film for quite awhile, which would have been a new cast starting over. When you heard the way they were approaching it, that is was a continuation mixed with new characters, did that sound like the right fit for you?
Brewster: It did. If it was a remake, I think people would want to hate it in some ways. And the Dallas fans are so hardcore and devout that I think we’d just be obliterated. I love the fact that they’re interweaving the original storylines and watching them interact with their kids, and it’s intergenerational. There’s just something for everyone, and everyone can sort of relate to what’s going on.
IGN: Your character’s interesting in that while she’s not technically part of the family when the show begins, she’s grown up around them her whole life. What does she kind of think having observed so much?
Brewster: I know. She’s an outsider, and yet she’s a part of them in that she’s very loyal to Bobby and Ann. I think that Bobby’s almost like a foster dad to her because she lost her dad so young, and I think Bobby helped with her education. Of course, Christopher’s her first love, so I think there’s that relationship, which I think is very interesting. So Elena’s really interesting because there’s this conflict where she wants to draw on Southfork -- she’s very ambitious -- and yet she’s very loyal to them, and I think deep down she’s a very moral, good character. So that was really fun to play.
IGN: The pilot establishes that while, yes, there is a love triangle aspect, she has her own skill set and talents.
Brewster: Right, she’s not just choosing between the guys, and a ping pong between them. And she’s not just always responding to what they’re doing. She does want to make it on her own, which is good and realistic in this day and age.
IGN: What’s it like working with the cast members from the original show and knowing all the history they bring with them to the plate?
Brewster: Well, initially it was really intimidating. I was worried that we weren’t going to live up to their expectations. In some ways, they’re giving us their blessing by being a part of this project. You don’t want to mess it up. But on the other hand, by having them be a part of it, it’s like -- I don’t want to say a security blanket -- it just makes everything easier I think. Having watched the first three seasons [of the original], it just made it more fun. I was like, “Oh my gosh, there’s Sue Ellen.” And when I had a scene with Larry, I just felt very lucky that I got to act with him. It’s just so much fun acting with J.R.. And they also just set a great example. I don’t know if you’ve interviewed them yet, but they have such a great report among the three of them. They’ve been friends for so long, and they’re so much fun together that that’s the kind of environment you want to have when you’re on set. They’re just awesome.
IGN: You’ve answered my question about whether you actually had direct interaction with J.R.. Even people who didn’t see Dallas know the character, since he’s so iconic.
Brewster: I was so unprofessional because you try to be in character and have your character’s thoughts and be in the moment when you’re acting, but in that scene I was fully thinking, “Holy s**t, I hope he’s not judging me right now. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.” That was all I was thinking in that scene. It was like a pinch-myself moment.
IGN: Had you seen much of Dallas growing up?
Brewster: I had not. I was born in 1980, so I was a kid. So I ordered the DVDs once I was cast as Elena, and I started watching it then so I could educate myself. Some of it was really racy. When I started watching it I was like, “J.R.’s having affairs with all his secretaries,” and they were getting away with a lot of stuff.
IGN: Speaking of that, we’ve sort of gone through different generations and people have different viewpoints of what they consider a soap opera. There’s a lot of different tones you could have taken with this. One could have been sort of a more campy approach that I know the producers didn’t want to do. Was that something you talked about a lot?
Brewster: I think that would have been an insult to the show. I think that would have been wrong. And that’s not in the writing or anywhere in the tone. So I think it’s grounded in reality in terms of the writing. There are lots of twists and turns, and hopefully no one’s life is quite as dramatic as these characters’ -- they do go through a lot. But I think the acting has to be rooted in reality, or the audience isn’t going to be able to relate to these characters. They have to be able to relate to them and go on the same journey as the characters.
IGN: So when you were filming the season and getting the scripts, were there some twists and turns where you said, “Whoa! I did not expect that”?
Brewster: Always, especially with other characters because you don’t know what’s going to happen. There’s stuff that happens with Ann later on in the season, which comes after the first seven episodes, where I still don’t know what’s happening. I’m riveted, and I’m part of the show so I think that’s a really good sign.
IGN: How much did your producers tell you ahead of time about what was going to happen to your character?
Brewster: We usually try to liquor them up. Like, if they’re at a party and they’ve had a couple glasses of wine, we’re like, “So, what’s happening with this?” You might be able to extract some intel from them, but otherwise you just don’t have a prayer. If we try to talk to the writers when they’re on set -- because you get a different director and writer for each episode -- they’re just not telling you anything. And sometimes they don’t know. Sometimes they have different scenarios that could play out depending on what they came up with. So it’s really tricky, but we all want to know so badly what’s happening. So usually we’d get the episode, and Julie [Gonzalo], we’d text each other, or Linda [Gray] and I would call each other. Then we’d all converge in the makeup trailer the next day and we’d all be like, “I can’t believe what’s happening to you! What do you think this means?” So it’s been really fun.
by Eric Goldman
June 12, 2012
