Rebel with a cause
Married ... with Children star takes on the `badass' role of legal crusader
Rebel
Thursdays, ABC/CTV
Katey Sagal has played plenty of tough TV characters, but she's never encountered a force of nature quite like Annie (Rebel) Bello.
The new TV drama casts Sagal (alongside Andy Garcia) as a legal advocate inspired by reallife champion of justice Erin Brockovich, the subject of a 2000 movie that cast Julia Roberts in the title role. Joined by Garcia, Sagal spoke about being lured back to TV and fighting passionately for the underdog.
Q Katey, what was it about Annie Bello that stood out to you?
A It was such great writing. It was a project I couldn't say no to. The character is so interesting and fun to play. She's a badass, and I've played many badasses, but she's a different kind. I'm able to explore a new approach to doing things the way that Rebel does, which is different than some of the other characters I've played.
Q Andy, what appealed to you about joining Rebel?
A I've said this before, but it bears saying again: Katey playing this part and knowing that I was going to be in the trenches with her. I've been a fan of her work for many years. So that, the quality of the writing, the fact that this was going to be an exploration in the long form, which I've never really done in my career. I also got to play a Cuban American man, and that was important to me because you don't really see that on television.
Q Katey, Annie is a character who's energized by injustice. Why was now the right time for a show like this?
A Annie is a character (who) stands up to injustice, but she's also someone who empowers people to stand up to injustice. I think it couldn't be timelier. The hardest thing to do is to not get overwhelmed by the amount of injustice that seems to be in our faces these days. Everybody's response is, “What can I do? I'm just one person.” But I think Rebel's message is, “You can do a lot as just one person.”
Q Andy, how does Rebel stand apart from other legal dramas?
A It's not a procedural show. We're not in the courtroom all the time … it's more about the dynamics between the people in the show. Katey's character has been in three relationships and she's had multiple children. Cruz is a widower, and that gets explored as we go along.
Q Katey, what was it like playing a character inspired by Erin Brockovich?
A I found Erin to be extremely down to earth, passionate and fiery. She is what we all think she is. For me as an actor, I'm not quite as fiery. It's been a challenge because she has a stick-toit-ness, and she does not give up. As she says, she's exhausting and relentless.
Q Andy, what have you liked about Katey's work?
A I've seen all her shows, but as an actor, you recognize sublime acting. You know the people you're attracted to by the nature of their work. When I heard she was playing this character inspired by Erin Brockovich, I thought (that was perfect). There's an old saying, there's two types of casting: typecasting and miscasting. We all, in a sense, get cast by the energy we give out. Sometimes people don't recognize the full spectrum of that energy, but we've seen Katey explore women of power. Some of them are relentless and really operating on the wrong side of the law, like she did on Sons of Anarchy, where she played someone who would put a bullet in your head. I've never done a series and sometimes these things can be a long process, so you want to work with people that you can get off on. So far, Ms. Sagal has not disappointed.
Q Katey, how did you react to getting a chance to have Andy as your co-star?
A My response to that was, “Holy s--t, it's Andy Garcia. Will he do this?” I've seen him in The Godfather, the Untouchables, the Ocean's movies. But right before we met, I watched him in Modern Love. He did this really beautiful episode with Catherine Keener. There was something so mensch-y about him, as Jewish people like to say. But what has surprised me most about Andy is how funny he is. I don't know that everyone knows him for that, but he's really funny. That's great because you want people in this show who can straddle both worlds. We are a dramedy. We're a comedy, but it's dramatic. Because it's dealing with real issues and real people and real emotions. So you need people who can do both things and Andy is bringing it.