411mania Interviews: Brothers & Sisters Executive Producer David Marshall Grant
Posted by Al Norton on 11.08.2009
411's Al Norton sits down for an exclusive interview with new Brothers & Sisters executive producer and showrunner David Marshall Grant!
David Marshall Grant was a Tony nominated actor and critically acclaimed playwright when he joined the creative team at Brothers & Sisters in 2006 when the Emmy winning series premiered. Last week he was named an executive producer and the series showrunner.
Al Norton: Congratulations on the new job!
David Marshall Grant: Thank you so much.
Al Norton: How did you get the news and how surprised were you?
David Marshall Grant: I was told by the network and I wasn't that surprised. There had been stuff we had talked about internally. I knew that Alison (Schapker) and Monica (Breen) were interested in developing series of their own and there was talk of moving things around a bit and a transition. It really wasn't that much of a surprise and because of that things managed to move forward pretty easily, without any real drama.
Al Norton: Anyone at any job spends at least some time thinking, "if I were in charge, I do things this way." How much time do you spend thinking about what your version of Brothers & Sisters would be?
David Marshall Grant: I really didn't have anytime for that kind of thought. I had to hit the ground running so I didn't have time for planning. I was basically told the day I took over. Right now I am just doing what any showrunner does, bravely going forward putting out fires. There really hasn't been that much time but once we had some moments we really did map out some nice long term arcs for the network so we'll be proceeding along those lines. There's been some attempts to stay ahead of the game but I always liken television to Lucy's chocolate factory; the candies never stop coming.
Al Norton: Without asking you about specifics, there must have been characters and storylines you would not have given as much focus to over the years, so is the biggest challenge for you to change certain things more to your way of thinking without the audience really being able to notice?
David Marshall Grant: I don't think there is really that much change going on, I don't think anyone's vision is that much different than anybody else's. This whole thing started with Jon Robin Baitz and his creation of all these characters and this world that we are in, and then Greg Berlanti came on board and really gave us direction in how to tell the stories of these people. Basically we've been running in that direction ever since. There won't be any abrupt shifts in tone or in terms of where the stories are going.
Al Norton: On behalf of fans of the show, the biggest question may be this: is Sol ever going to get a boyfriend?
David Marshall Grant: Oh yes, poor Sol. I don't know. I wonder. It's certainly something we all want for Sol, for sure. I think he's got a lot on his plate with Ohi but of course that is something we all want to see.
Al Norton: How has your experience as a playwright benefitted your work as a TV writer?
David Marshall Grant: I think it's been enormously helpful. The biggest help I think is my work as an actor but as a playwright as well. Television is dialogue driven in the sense that shows like ours don't really on car chases and spectacular cinematography, shots of mountains and oceans and such. When you are an actor you are taught to know intension, to always know what your character wants in the scene. When you're a playwright you are all about the dialogue. Most of the plays I have written have been what we call, "lights up, lights down"; the lights come up on the stage and you're with those characters in real time for over an hour. That's a lot of dialogue. Understanding what acting is, the notion of intention, and the experience of writing exposition and plot through dialogue, when you hit television you are in much better shape.
Al Norton: What can you tell me about this Sunday's episode?
David Marshall Grant: This is a big episode for us, it's a big episode for Kitty and her battle with cancer. It starts with Kitty wishing she could find some alternative way to battle her disease, wishing she could find something other than chemo, which she sadly fears will make her lose all her hair. If the title of the episode – The Wig Party – gives us any clue, I think we'll be dealing with that in this episode and Kitty truly coming to terms with what the potentially big problems are in terms of her cancer.
Al Norton: When the idea of Kitty getting cancer came up in the writer's room was it specifically about Kitty or did you want to do a story about one of the Walkers getting sick and then you decided it would be Kitty?
David Marshall Grant: We were looking for an engine for the next year and had conversations with a lot of people, including Greg Berlanti, who's been so important to us over all these seasons. We talked about a number of different possibilities but we decided that Kitty was the best for a number of reasons, one of them being because she was young, and a new mother. I feel like there are more interesting storytelling options when you're dealing with somebody who just had a baby. We determined that we'd be able to tell better stories about all of that if we concentrated on Kitty.
Al Norton: If I could go back in time and talk to you five years ago and tell you you just got the showrunner job, how shocked would you have be?
David Marshall Grant: Five years ago I wouldn't be insanely surprised but I would certainly be shocked. If you told me ten years ago I wouldn't have believe you, and if you had told me 20 years ago I'd have been mad at you (laughing). I started on the show at the beginning, really the first day, and it's an incredible thing to stay with it this long.
Al Norton: Can you give me a preview of the rest of the season?
David Marshall Grant: I think we'll be telling lots of stories that involve Kevin and Scotty and their surrogacy journey. I know that we're going to have stories about how this whole cancer situation works itself out for Kitty. There's going to be big problems at Ohi that have to be addressed. We might even understand how Holly fits into everything, including York and his wanting to buy the company. I will say in a little teaser that Sara isn't finished with Luc yet at all.
Don't miss Brothers & Sisters, Sundays at 10 pm on ABC
