Lethal ladies
With Riggs and Murtaugh patrolling the streets, who’s policing Lethal Weapon’s troublemaker detectives? Their better halves!
Wherever there’s a problem looking for a place in action series Lethal Weapon (2016- current), mismatched detectives Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh (Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans) are sure to follow. “It’s about these two broken men who need each other,” says Damon. “They need each other to live because they’re opposites. It’s a bromance. These guys are learning about each other and are becoming brothers in the process. And they just happen to blow up half the city while doing it…” Luckily, the two lawmen have “guiding lights” in their lives to keep them more-or-less on the straight and narrow. For Murtaugh, it’s his lawyer wife Trish (Keesha Sharp), while for the unhinged ex-Navy SEAL Riggs, it’s LAPD-appointed therapist Dr Maureen Cahill (Jordana Brewster). So what better way to get to know Riggs and Murtaugh than by chatting to the women who know them best? Keesha, when you were approached by the show, what did you know about the original film franchise (1987-current) with Danny Glover as Murtaugh and Mel Gibson as Riggs? Keesha: I’m totally obsessed with them! I thought: “But why are we even touching these movies?” I read Matt Miller’s scripts for our show and I knew that I needed to be a part of it! Jordana, your character Dr Cahill is handling a sensitive topic when she has sessions with Riggs: he has post-traumatic stress and grief that leaves him hopeless. Jordana: Yes it is! It’s good to see therapy take place onscreen. And it’s nice to see a man in therapy. It’s interesting to watch a character who has such a hardshell, as Riggs does, in therapy because you get to spot the real underbelly of his problems when he’s in session. Roger meanwhile is coming back from a heart-attack and is meant to calm down… Keesha: That is challenging for Trish – her husband has a dangerous job and she has difficulty letting him be, to do what he loves without stifling him and making him stay home where it’s safe. Speaking of challenges, a strong woman isn’t your normal fare, is it, Jordana? Jordana: I’ve always played the supportive girlfriend role [most notably as Mia Toretto in the Fast & Furious franchise, 2001- current]. I work with an acting coach who pushes me hard about my character. She says, “No, Jordana! This chick’s tougher! Tougher! Tougher!” And now I can stand alone on my own as Maureen, telling it like it is. Both Trish and Maureen aren’t afraid of dropping a little truth on their guys… Keesha: My favourite scenes are when Trish confronts Roger about cases and his work. The guys are laughing and laughing behind the scenes and it’s so hard to get through filming because of that. We’d never seen that [angry] side of Trish before. I love that viewers get to see that about their relationship throughout the season. Jordana: Keesha is so right – the boys play off each other, so you do a crying scene and they’re there laughing!