Tom, Dick, or ‘Harry’? Kathy Bates can do it

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PHILADELPHIA — Actress Kathy Bates had no competition landing the lead role in NBC’s tangy new legal drama, “Harry’s Law” (Mondays, 10 p.m. EST).

Well, unless you count every male in Hollywood.

The character of the dyspeptic, droopy attorney was originally designed and written for a man.

Every character actor with a SAG card auditioned for
the pilot. Understandably so. It’s a toothsome part: a colorful,
crankypants lawyer reluctantly starting his career over in a funky
storefront office at age 60.

The fact that “Harry’s Law” was created by David E. Kelley made it more attractive. The prolific writer/producer’s pedigree
extends from “L.A. Law” through “Ally McBeal” to “Boston Legal.”

But even after an extensive cattle call, Kelley
couldn’t find the right fit for his latest creation. That’s when he
came up with the idea of switching the protagonist’s gender.

“Not finding the right actor opened it up to the
female side of the fence,” Kelley says. “As soon as I broached that
with (my team), everybody said, ‘Kathy Bates.'”

“I got the same script they had sent around to
everyone,” says Bates, 62. “It arrived with the name ‘Harry’ on it. I
didn’t want them to change a hair. After I said I would do it, the
title stayed the same but the character’s name was changed to Harriet.”

(Good thing it wasn’t “Stan’s Law.”)

According to Kelley, it was surprisingly easy to retrofit the concept to showcase Bates.

“We weren’t going for a leading-man type. This was a
curmudgeon, a cantankerous old lump of a guy,” he says. “We simply
switched over to a cantankerous old lump of a woman.”

OK, not exactly flattering, but the role is still an irresistible lure for an actor’s actor such as the Oscar-winning Bates.

“She’s really at ease in Harry’s skin,” Kelley says.

The series carries all of Kelley’s trademarks:
eccentric characters, humorous twists, timely social issues, and
stirring courtroom eloquence.

Viewers have responded. “Harry’s Law” is averaging
an audience of more than 11 million in a challenging time slot. It
hovers just outside the Nielsen Top 10.

In large part that’s because Bates is brilliant at juggling Kelley’s Capraesque mix of the whimsical and the weighty.

“I think David has emphasized the drama more than
the comedy side,” the actress says. “But it can get pretty loony,
especially with Harriet’s dry sense of humor. Being able to play both
is very enjoyable.”

Bates has honed her considerable talents in a variety of arenas.

A native of Memphis, she studied acting at Southern Methodist University in Dallas before moving to New York at 21 to pursue theater.

“I hadn’t ever been north of the Mason-Dixon Line,”
she says. “My first subway ride was quite an experience. Working temp
jobs in a huge city could be pretty daunting.”

She eventually distinguished herself on Broadway, receiving a Tony Award nomination for her performance in “‘night, Mother.” Playwright Terrence McNally wrote the lead role in “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune” expressly for Bates.

Ironically, when the play was adapted for the screen, the role of Frankie went to David E. Kelley’s wife, Michelle Pfeiffer.

Hollywood
came calling and Bates answered with a series of memorable roles in
films including “Misery” (for which she won the best-actress Oscar),
“The Waterboy,” “Titanic” and “The Blind Side.”

She has also kept an active hand in television
series and movies, earning eight Emmy nominations over the years. This
spring she will reprise her role as the delightfully quirky Jo Bennett in a pair of episodes of “The Office.”

Each genre has its appeal.

“I love theater,” she says. “It’s the actor’s gymnasium. It’s a real workout and requires stamina and concentration.

“Film has its own challenges, but it’s a reasonable
page count (of the shooting script) each day and there’s a lot of
waiting time involved.”

Because of its condensed production schedule, TV demands a more instinctive approach.

“It’s more fast-paced and you have to make your choices quickly,” she says.

Playing the lead role in a one-hour drama is proving harder than Bates had imagined.

“It’s a very high page count each day and this is an
especially dialogue-heavy show with lawyers and closing arguments,” she
says.

“You don’t get the script until the last two or
three days before shooting, so on the weekends I would be working on
lines nonstop.”

The supporting cast sees only the fruits of her dedication.

“She is carrying the show on her shoulders,” says Nate Corddry,
who plays Harry’s jittery associate, Adam. “There’s not an acting
school that can teach what she does. You can only get it by watching a
pro. And she is the ultimate pro.”

Now that she’s proven that no part is beyond her, are there any other roles on TV, male or female, that she’d like to tackle?

“Dexter,” she says emphatically, referring to the Showtime serial killer played by Michael C. Hall. “I would have loved to get a hold of that character.”

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