Hollywood Q&A
Q: I’ve heard talk that there might be a spinoff series for the Severide character from “Chicago Fire.” Is that true? – Ben Parsons, via e-mail
A: There had been discussions about it, according to “Chicago Fire” executive producer Andrea Newman, but it was ultimately abandoned because Severide — and his portrayer, Taylor Kinney (“Trauma”) — was deemed essential to the NBC parent show. That was confirmed when the actor was absent for an extended period last season, and given how that went, “Fire” wasn’t eager to lose him again.
Had there been a spinoff, it would have put Severide back in the Office of Fire Investigation, probing arson cases — something he has shown his gift for a number of times, and something he has in common with his deceased father Benny (who was played by the late Treat Williams, of “Chesapeake Shores”). Undoubtedly, “Fire” will continue to go back to that aspect for Severide, as it did in explaining his absence and also in incorporating it into early chapters of the current “Fire” season.
Q: I recently saw the Hallmark Channel movie “Summer in the City”: and the lead actress looked very familiar. Where else would I have seen her? – Susan Case, Philadelphia, Pa.
A: Julianna Guill has done quite a bit of television work over the past 15 years, but she might be known most widely for her recurring role as Nicolette Nevin’s (Emily VanCamp, “Revenge”) sister, Jessie, in the Fox medical drama “The Resident.” She also co-starred as the title character’s wife in “Joe Pickett” on Paramount+, and had multiple-episode runs in CBS’s “Rush Hour,” Bravo’s “Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce,” Netflix’s “Bad Samaritans,” MTV’s “Underemployed,” TBS’s “Glory Daze” and The CW’s “90210.” Shows on which Guill has done single guest shots have included “The Mindy Project,” “Cougar Town,” “Criminal Minds,” “Psych,” “Community” and “How I Met Your Mother.” While the home screen has been her main domain, she also has made some notable movie appearances. She was in “Captain America: Civil War” (2016), “Christmas Eve” (2015), “Crazy, Stupid, Love” (2011), “Fired Up!” (2009) and a remake of “Friday the 13th” (2009). Q: I enjoyed seeing Deborah Kerr in “The Gypsy Moths” on Turner Classic Movies. I don’t remember her being in many films after that. Was that her last one? – Robin Kane, Manchester, N.H.
A: The six-time Oscar nominee — who was given an honorary Academy Award in 1994 — made several more projects after that 1969 story about skydivers. Her last theatrical film was released the same year, writer-director Elia Kazan’s drama “The Arrangement” with Kirk Douglas and Faye Dunaway.
The remainder of Kerr’s work was for television, including a 1982 version of Agatha Christie’s “Witness for the Prosecution,” the 1984 miniseries “A Woman of Substance” (based on a Barbara Taylor Bradford novel) and a 1986 sequel to the latter saga, “Hold the Dream” (which was Kerr’s final credit).
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