411mania Interviews: Southland's Regina King
Posted by Al Norton on 01.12.2010
411's Al Norton sits down for an exclusive chat with Southland star Regina King
Regina King may be best known for her performance as Marcee Tidwell in the Oscar winning film Jerry Maguire but she has worked steadily in the 14 years since then, appearing in such movies as Enemy of the State, Down to Earth, Ray, Miss Congeniality 2, and A Cinderella Story along with a stint on 24. Her current role on Southland, which premieres on TNT tonight at 10 pm, just earned her the 4th Image Award nomination of her career.
Al Norton: Congratulations on the Image Award Nomination.
Regina King: Thank you. It's always nice to be recognized.
Al Norton: I was thrilled that at least one voting body recognized your work as well as that of Jill Scott on The # 1 Ladies Detective Agency.
Regina King: You can't ever keep a good woman down.
Al Norton: I know we're going back a ways but how did you end up on Southland?
Regina King: I decided I wanted to do TV and when pilot season came around I started reading scripts and this was the one that appealed to me the most. I met with John Wells and got the scope of how they planned to execute this thing, which at the time was called LAPD, and then I auditioned for NBC and here we are.
Al Norton: What was it about f the show that appealed to you?
Regina King: The character and the writing was what appealed to me initially. I wasn't aware of the style of the show until we actually were about to start shooting when they sat us down and explained what they were going to be doing.
Al Norton: How far along in the casting and pre-production process were things when you first sat down with Tom Everett Scott (who plays her partner on the show) to see how you two worked together?
Regina King: That was almost right before we started shooting. They had not cast his character until literally a few days before we started shooting.
Al Norton: It obviously worked out well.
Regina King: Oh my God, I love Tom. We talk, we hang out, we go to dinner. While we're on this press tour he's in Orlando and I'm in Atlanta and we've been texting about how cold it is in places that aren't supposed to be this cold (laughing).
Al Norton: It must be strange because of the big cast to only see certain people you work with at the wrap parties.
Regina King: We have so much fun when we get scenes together. The director sometimes tells us we have to pull it back. We enjoy each other so much that when we get those rare moments to do scenes together it's "yea, I love you so much, I miss you."
Al Norton: I know you've played other characters that worked in law enforcement but how much experience did you have both holding and firing a weapon?
Regina King: Not much. Most of the experience came from the boot camp and training they put us through before we started the show. I probably had only gone to the range once or twice prior to doing the show.
Al Norton: So you went through some sort of LAPD boot camp simulation?
Regina King: Yes they did. We worked very closely with a retired Detective who had worked in SWAT and had been on the force for over 20 years.
Al Norton: Tell me about the day you found out NBC was shutting the show down.
Regina King: I was disappointed, as was the rest of the cast, but I never really felt like it was over for the show. I felt like it was over at NBC but not like it was over for the show, and it wasn't. I'm one of those people who really tries to listen to the voice inside and I never had that sinking feeling in my stomach. I did think, "this is some BS" and that kind of feeling but it was never, "what am I going to do?"
Al Norton: Did you pay a lot of attention to the rumors that were going around about where the show would end up?
Regina King: I had heard that TNT was a very strong contender and of all the contenders I really wanted TNT because they seemed to cater to the audience that loves narratives. On other networks now it's all about the reality shows and we're not getting to see the one hour dramas that those of us who love that watch. At TNT, that's what they do.
Al Norton: Has being a Mom affected the roles you choose and/or the process in which you choose them?
Regina King: Of course. That was one of the reasons I decided to go into TV; I was turning down films that if I accepted they would take me out of the city for two weeks. When I became a Mom I said I wouldn't take a part that would take me away from my son for more than two weeks.
Al Norton: What TV do you watch?
Regina King: Right now I like Modern Family. I watch Food Network; I watch Iron Chef and Chopped. I like Men of a Certain Age.
Al Norton: And you're not just saying that because it's on the same network, right?
Regina King: No (laughing). I am a huge Andre Braugher fanatic.
Al Norton: I interviewed him a month or so ago and it's one of the few times where I've gotten nervous before hand. I am in awe of his work.
Regina King: I am, too. I wouldn't know what to do with myself…I'd probably act like such a dork in his presence. He amazes me.
Al Norton: The first seven episodes of Southland that air on TNT are the ones that ran on NBC and then come the six that were filmed this fall.
Regina King: The new episodes pick up about a week or so from what we saw in the finale. We continue to dive into the lives of these detectives and officers and I think you'll have even more sympathy for them as real people. In the world we kind of look at cops as feelingless beings – they're not really human – and in all 13 episodes you feel like they are real people and you feel for them and how they have to take everyone else's crap home and have to process it. The job opens up a part of their lives that they have stuffed down deep somewhere; they have a certain case or see a certain homicide that triggers that emotional thing they've got stuck away in a box.
Al Norton: Thanks so much for your time. I am really hoping the show does well on TNT.
Regina King: I appreciate the support and hope to be talking to you next year and having you ask me, "what can we expect in season two?"
