CHRIS NOTH
The Wisconsin native, 61, has been a solid presence on TV’s Law & Order, Sex and the City and The Good Wife. Now he joins the cast of Tyrant, beginning its third season July 6 on FX, as Gen. William Cogswell, who is sent to a Middle Eastern country to represent American interests and advise its new president.
What enticed you about Tyrant? I had just finished The Good Wife and I really didn’t want to jump into something right away, but that’s the way it is in acting: It’s feast or famine. This was far off the map from The Good Wife; the world was so different.
Does the fact that it’s set in the Middle East make it more interesting? We have actors who are Iranian, Yemeni, Israeli, Palestinian and British. You meet wonderful, talented people from countries that have big problems, and we’re all here doing the show, which reflects those complications. So on that level, for me, it’s a real education.
On The Good Wife, do you think your character, Peter, ended up where he deserved? What I thought was great was the fact that we ended where we began: on that podium, with him resigning, defending his integrity and proclaiming his innocence.
Is climate change still your major cause? Yes. Before I left for Budapest [for filming Tyrant], we had a big benefit for the Rainforest Action Network, raising about $100,000. I think it’s the most important issue facing all of us, especially if you have kids.
Would you be up for another Sex and the City movie? Everybody asks that. I have no idea whatsoever, but it was a glorious time when we did it.