OMG! New Hugh project! We don’t know yet what part he will play or anything. Probably we will have more news soon!
We’re thrilled to announce that Julian Fellowes and the entire Downton cast are back for #DowntonAbbey2, with Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye and Dominic West joining! See the film in theaters this Christmas.
Source: Downton Abbey’s Twitter
Hugh Dancy’s Caleb Garlin is either a terrible spy or a great one. The newest player on the scene in The Good Fight is an associate from STR Laurie, the nosy corporate overlords of Reddick, Boseman, and Lockhart. But Caleb is so honest — even about the fact that he was sent to spy on RBL — that he’s won over everyone he’s worked with at the firm.
No one has been more intrigued than Liz (Audra McDonald). The magnetic attraction between Liz and Caleb, which they gave in to in last week’s episode, took center stage this week in “The Gang Goes to War” as the duo teamed up to defend Caleb’s old Army buddy in military court. Corporal DeMarcus Laney (Stephen Rider), a man Caleb owes his life to, was on trial for sabotaging the sniper rifle of his sadistic sergeant in order to keep him from killing innocent people. The military tried to sweep the sergeant’s war crimes under the rug by blaming Laney, but Liz and Caleb were able to meld her legal expertise with his Army experience and prove Laney had done the right thing. By the end of the episode, fresh off a case that proved some rules are meant to be broken, Liz and Caleb were back in bed together.
As Caleb navigates the drama at Reddick, Boseman, and Lockhart, Dancy is acclimating himself to the heightened world of The Good Fight. The actor told TV Guide that he was new to the series when he joined the cast. “To anybody who’s familiar with the show this is not really news, but it was such a strange brew,” Dancy said. “I hadn’t really seen that before. So I’m a fan.”
TV Guide caught up with Dancy to talk about how trustworthy Caleb really is, what’s next in his dynamic with Liz, and why The Good Fight is the perfect candidate for a Zoom episode.
What drew you to this role?
Hugh Dancy: Primarily, I read the episode [that introduces Caleb], which I pop up in but only very briefly… so it was more the scope of the episode and the scale of it, in which they’re having an interoffice debate between, initially, the African American employees, and then they open it up to everybody, about politics and racial politics. And then that becomes a discussion about the use of the n-word. And I thought all of it was handled so well, and I was kind of blown away that all of it was being done on a show which also has a procedural element and all the rest of it. I just didn’t feel like I’d read or seen anything like that. Plus I wanted to come and play with all of the people that are part of the show, because it’s such a great rolling lineup of people. So I was flattered to be asked.
And now you’re a part of this universe, and it seems like once you’re a part of the universe of The Good Fight you never leave it.
Dancy: I know, it does feel that way. I mean, right now I feel like, who can see more than a week into the future, but that’s a very nice thought.
Gavin (John Larroquette) says in this episode that Caleb is his eyes and ears downstairs. I want to trust Caleb, but what can you say about how much the audience should trust him?
Dancy: He’s working for that other law firm, we haven’t yet gone into exactly how that’s come about, but I think that in his favor he’s completely open about it, right? … What I liked about the character is that as soon as he’s asked if he’s spying, he’s like, “Yeah, yeah, that’s what I’m doing.” And I think the more you’re going to see of the guy, you kind of realize that — well, he’s ex military, I kind of figured he’s seen things a lot more disturbing or worrying than any little office politics. So he’s kind of just kicking back and observing it all. He’s a smart guy. He’s kind of mildly amused by everything, and he’s got nothing to lose. And I thought that was interesting.
He tells Liz that he wants this country to stay the same. What do you think that he means by that?
Dancy: Oh, I think he means the rule of law. He means having a system that anybody can appeal to and that’s going to be fair and serve the powerless as well as the powerful. Is that exactly where we live? That’s up for argument. But I think clearly it’s the ideal… It’s the most idealistic representation of the law, of the laws that we have in the country and of going into law. I think if it was just anybody saying that, you’d go, “OK sure, buddy,” but actually somebody saying that who’s been on tour in countries where there clearly isn’t rule of law, it’s got some context.
You and Audra McDonald have such good chemistry. What’s it like working with her and figuring out the dynamic between your characters?
Dancy: It was great and obviously a big part of the appeal for me. What I liked was that neither of them really want to show their cards. Because he’s a professional, and he’s doing a job and he’s not looking to rock the boat, and likewise with her, right? So it’s fun. And it wasn’t like we had to discuss that for a long time; I think that was pretty clear. I thought the scenes were well written, the comedy was in there, the kind of playfulness and the flirtation was all in there.
What do you think the characters see in each other?
Dancy: What do I think he sees in her — I think she’s really smart, I think she’s strong, and she’s quite funny, and she also has got something in reserve. And then I think for both of them on top of that there’s the taboo. There’s a kind of double taboo of the fact that they certainly shouldn’t be in a relationship because of the fact that she’s his boss, and both of them kind of acknowledged that they’ve never been in any kind of relationship with somebody of the other race. That’s obviously part of it. It’s a kind of heady mix. But I don’t think that’s all of it. I mean, that could be it and they could just jump into bed and then regret it forever, but I think there’s obviously something else going on.
Can you tease anything about what’s next for Caleb and Liz?
Dancy: They’re battling their worst judgment, or their better judgment, and they’re not winning. So they’re both trying to — or maybe her more than him is trying to pretend it’s just a passing thing. It maybe is not so much, and there’ll be more of that down the line.
Since production on the show was halted, do you know what’s in store for your character for the rest of the season, or is that still up in the air for you?
Dancy: No, honestly, I have no idea. There were a couple of times that I’d ask questions like that. I got the impression that [the writers] had a broad sense of trajectory, but a lot of it is being cooked up episode by episode, as it were, as something grabs their attention or their interest. And then beyond that, who the hell knows when any of us will be back, you know? Maybe I’ll be doing an episode with Audra via Zoom.
How would an episode of The Good Fight work over Zoom, do you think?
Dancy: Actually, I think it would be awesome. Honestly, I mean, if ever there were a group of people — most of those guys, the cast I’m talking about, they’re all straight out of Broadway. I think they could handle a live performance. Literally as I say that, I think that is a brilliant idea and I think we should do it.
I feel like this is something [co-creators] Robert and Michelle King would thrive writing.
Dancy: I do too, actually… They strike such a good balance of, I don’t know, theatrical and smart, political, all those things. We should make that happen.
New episodes of The Good Fight premiere Thursdays on CBS All Access.
Source: TV Guide
No matter how much they try to, Liz (Audra McDonald) and Caleb (Hugh Dancy) can’t stay away from each other on The Good Fight. After hooking up, or experimenting as they call it, in last week’s episode, the duo decided it could never happen again because she’s his superior. Yet, they found themselves working together on a military case in Thursday’s “The Gang Goes to War” and, unsurprisingly, gave in to the sexual tension more than once.
After watching the latest installment, EW hopped on the phone with Hannibal alum Dancy to discuss Liz and Caleb’s surprising connection, what attracted him to the show, and more.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How familiar were you with The Good Wife and The Good Fight?
HUGH DANCY: I have to be honest, I was completely unfamiliar in anything but the most distant fashion. I hadn’t seen them. And it was a last-minute kind of thing. They came along, I don’t know, half a week before they were going to jump into the episode that I would begin on. [Laughs] So, I didn’t think, “Well, I’ll sit down and spend the next 85 hours watching the entire back catalog.” I just read the script that they sent me and kind of loved it — not for myself, just I loved the quality of the writing and the ambition of it. Beyond that, the fact of getting to work particularly with Audra was very appealing.
What specifically about the character of Caleb appealed to you?
The script that I had an opportunity to read was the script that Caleb popped up in and he was only there for a hot second. I liked the way he was very kind of low key. He seemed to have a very low pulse in this high-stakes environment. He seemed to be a person who was saying, “This is not that important,” and had an interesting approach to the fact that he was supposedly a spy, but at the same time was saying, “I don’t care about the office politics of this.” I thought, “Okay, that’s interesting.” He’s playful, flirtatious, and just smart. I also knew some of that was a little bit of a red-herring for where the character was going to go in terms of the relationship with Liz, which I thought was an interesting setup. Obviously, I needed to have a sense of who I was going to be playing, but what really drew me to it was the bigger conversation they seemed to be having in the script.
Do you mean the whole Memo 618 story?
No, I mean actually that within the shape of that episodic thriller legal drama, they were also having a really quite nuanced and still quite funny conversation about race and politics in America. Any time you state it, either you make it sound too silly or you make it sound much too serious, and I think that’s a testament to what they do with the show, which is that they’re really keeping a lot of plates in the air at the same time.
Once you said yes to the project, did you think about going back and catching up, or did you just work with what was on the page?
Yeah, I was just focusing on what I was being given, because I was into it. We started and so I was just waiting for the next script I would get that would actually show me more about who this guy was, and I wasn’t disappointed.
What do you think attracts Liz and Caleb to each other?
First of all, who ever knows? [Laughs] I’ve been married for 10 years and I don’t know if I could easily answer that question. But I think [part of] what’s confusing and maybe appealing to both of them is obviously the taboo thing. It’s an office relationship, they’re working late, they’re dealing with sexual material. Clearly, the table is set. Beyond that, there’s the taboo that she’s his boss, and there’s this conversation about race and their race. So, it’s a heady mix. At the same time, I think there’s something else going on, as well, to be continued.
They hooked up once in last week’s episode, but then in this week’s episode, they keep going even though they say they’ll stop.
You said you were looking forward to working with Audra. What has it been like to explore this material with her?
It’s been great. Honestly what I like is that I think we were both alert to the same kind of pitfalls and hopefully we avoided them — which would be to lean too heavily into the whole “Should we? Shouldn’t we?” thing. You know, to at least try to give it a sense that they’re not just suddenly children again. It’s not something that needs to be discussed, or maybe it would have to be, but I didn’t find that we needed to.
In addition to Caleb’s relationship with Liz, there’s clearly some kind of vibe between him and Marissa, too.
Well, I like the fact that they’re on the same level at work so it’s almost like there’s no reason for them not to be playful together, and it is that. Whether he’s alert to the possibility that there is something more than that going on, I think that’s a grey area. All I can say if and when this thing with Liz, who is obviously her boss as well, becomes public, that might be more complicated for her, but I am literally projecting into a future I have literally no idea about.
Your Hannibal and The Path costar Raul Esparza is also guest-starring this season. Did you share any scenes with him on The Good Fight?
I don’t know. I would love that. No, I have not shot anything with Raul. Filming was still ongoing when everything shut down, so this is probably my golden opportunity to start lobbying for that to happen, and I would love it.
New episodes of The Good Fight — which was just renewed for a fifth season — launch Thursdays on CBS All Access.
Source: EW
Warning: This story contains mild spoilers from the first five episodes of CBS All Access’ The Good Fight.
When The Good Fight newbie Hugh Dancy joined season 4, he had never seen an episode of the show or its predecessor, The Good Wife. The hook for Dancy was the evocative writing by creators Robert and Michelle King. Oh, and the fact that he’ll play a character — charming attorney Caleb Garlin — who’s a little bit more decent than Homeland villain John Zabel.
“That was quite appealing, not that I was particularly thinking about the Homeland character that way. But certainly, for a while, almost increasingly the characters I’ve been playing have gone from gray area to gray area with a bit of dark to, like, full dark,” Dancy tells ET. “It was a really nice change to feel like I was going to play someone who still had something not immediately obvious, but seemed like a benevolent figure. The emphasis on ‘probably,’ because that’s what keeps it interesting.”
There’s an air of mystery surrounding Caleb, who is put into the center of the madness of Reddick Boseman & Lockhart by his boss at STR Laurie, the conglomerate that now owns the law firm. But one thing that isn’t complicated is the sexual tension between him and his boss, Liz (Audra McDonald), which, as Thursday’s episode reveals through the military case they’re partnered up on, adds even more fuel to their secret love affair. Dancy talks to ET about joining the Good Fight universe, the “ridiculous” but “sexy” Liz and Caleb scene he can’t quite get out of his head and more.
ET: Before we get into The Good Fight, how is quarantine life treating you?
Hugh Dancy: Quarantine life for us is fine and completely normal and completely weird at the same time. I think, like most people who are not on the front lines, that’s the reality, is the weird mixture of normality and anxiety and boredom and confusion. But we’ve got nothing to complain about, and in terms of keeping busy, nobody’s filming anything right now, but we’ve got a couple of kids, and one of them’s been in school remotely. So just carrying on like that.
You’re coming from Homeland, where you’re playing a pretty despicable character, John Zabel, to The Good Fight, where Caleb Garlin seems to be the complete opposite. What was that transition like?
That was quite appealing, not that I was particularly thinking about the Homeland character that way. But certainly, for a while, almost increasingly the characters I’ve been playing have gone from gray area to gray area with a bit of dark to, like, full dark. I think it was a really nice change to feel like I was going to play someone who still had something not immediately obvious, but seemed like a benevolent figure. The emphasis on “probably,” because that’s what keeps it interesting.
How did this role come to you? Was it a matter of the Kings reaching out?
Yeah, exactly that. This was pretty last minute, so I was able to do, in the time I had, was read the script that they were working on at the time, which was the one that Caleb pops up at the end — episode 3. And you’d think you’d be jumping ahead to find, “OK, where is my guy? Where’s my guy? Bulls**t, bulls**t… [here are] my lines,” that kind of thing. But actually, it was more a writer’s sample because I wasn’t, at that point, a fan of the show just because I had not seen it. I wasn’t familiar. It was like a sudden jump in at the deep end, and as much as being drawn in by the character, I was really drawn by the ambition of the show and the writing.
The show has really leaned into wacky, outside-the-box, unconventional storytelling devices. Was that intriguing to you, having not seen the show before?
Yeah, because I wasn’t familiar with it, I wasn’t thinking, “Wow, this is wackier than usual.” Not anything like that. I can see that they seemed to be trying to do, and succeeding at doing, an awful lot of things at the same time, including talking about race, politics and history of America in a way that was really quite nuanced. And at the same time, with a lot of comedy and also a completely separate procedural element. It’s like some kind of game where you sort things into a hat almost, and it was really surprising to me. I’m sure that it exists, but I personally had not seen anything like that. So that’s what made me want to be a part of it.
Did you know the full arc of your character before you signed on?
I knew enough that the thrust of it was going to be what developed between him and Liz, Audra’s character. The Kings kind of broke it down a little bit how that would happen through the play that they were working on in the previous episode, and the racial element of that, the taboo element of that. And I thought all that was really funny and timely and cool. Obviously, headlining that is the fact that it’s going to be with Audra. I was delighted, thrilled to be able to work with her.
One of my favorite episodes of the season is episode 4, which is the satirical play about the firm’s characters and inspired by Broadway’s Slave Play. What was your initial reaction to reading that particular script?
The jumping-off point of that was the actual play, Slave Play, which, at the point that they were putting the season together, was a huge hit on Broadway and really was maybe not as divisive and certainly not legally challenged in the same way, but still provocative. That play was about racial dynamics, so in that respect it [made sense for] the show to take that on, and I love the fact that they were like, “Well, we’re just writing it in!” We’ll put on the characters in the play. I love that, and I love that they would take and then literally have the characters read it out loud, which is what Audra and I are doing. I just thought that was so smart and so funny, and I think it’s sexy and ridiculous and all those things.
You’re essentially reading a version of fan fiction.
(Laughs.) No, that’s right. I mean, it’s absurd and it’s very meta and also kind of embarrassing. And I hope it’s also done in such a way that you could actually imagine those two people in that situation.
Let’s talk about Caleb and Liz. What is going on with them? Is there a mutual attraction there? We know Caleb is supposed to be the eyes and ears for STR Laurie…
I don’t think he’s allowing the thing to develop with Liz nefariously because he’s been cast to spy. I think it’s real, and the question is, how much of it is real and how much of it is based on initial attraction? Then, in turn, how much of that initial attraction is because of the war with taboo topics — the fact that she’s his boss primarily that they literally should not be doing what they’re doing. There’s also the fact that they come to it through the play, which is all about the racial dynamics, and that that’s a first for both of them. Is it just titillation or because they shouldn’t be doing it? That’s where it’s headed, to find out the answer to that.
If things reach a point where their secret extracurricular activities get out, how messy do you anticipate things will get?
For it not to be trouble, they have to have the most perfectly amicable secret ending or separation, or they’re going to have to fully commit and go public, and even then I don’t know whether that would be safe. The Kings are a couple in a working relationship, right? They know about this stuff, not that I’ve had long conversations with them about that, but I think they’re perfectly placed to write an interesting take on it.
What is Caleb’s modus operandi? We don’t know much about him, outside of the fact that he’s been added to the Reddick Boseman & Lockhart ranks by the big boss. What’s his end game, and should we fully trust him?
Caleb is somebody who’s been tasked with this — not really a double-agent role — but a go-between role, right? And the way he’s chosen to tackle it is by being completely up front with everybody, which I think is really, really admirable because of two reasons. First of all, he takes the law seriously and he’s ambitious, but I don’t think he takes office politics seriously. And he’s maybe a little bit of an adrenaline junkie, and maybe that’s also why he’s jumping into bed with his boss. But maybe down the line he’s going to have to pick a side.
Sarah Steele mentioned earlier this season that Marissa may be harboring a crush on Caleb. Is there something going on there too?
First of all, working with Sarah is a big highlight too, and I think that’s an interesting question. I think some of it was deliberate misdirection. Like, here’s this new guy in the office, what’s his role going to be? What’s the role of his presence going to be? It seems like it’s going to be something with Marissa and, obviously, veers off sharply into something else completely with Liz. Also, that could complicate matters. Honestly, where we are now, that hasn’t been explored yet. But I’m sure the writers surely will make the most of it.
Was there something you got to do as Caleb that you haven’t been able to do in previous roles?
That scene with with him and Liz sitting, reading that play. It was kind of outlandish that they arrived at that, and it was such a weird and kinky way to address burgeoning attraction between two people. If I had read that scene alone up front, I would’ve signed on.
Switching gears a little bit, there’s been a lot of virtual cast reunions. Have you connected with Bryan Fuller at all about a Hannibal reunion?
Actually, no, we haven’t. I have spoken to Bryan, but not about that. It’s true they seem to be happening more and more. But that’s a good question. I am in contact with him regularly.
The Good Fight drops new episodes every Thursday on CBS All Access.
Source: ET! Online
Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes attended the Opening Night of ‘Girl From the North Country’ in NYC on March 5th. Check out the amazing pictures at our gallery:
Gallery Link:
Public Appearances • 2020 •
March 5th – Opening Night of ‘Girl From the North Country’
Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes attended the oundabout Theater’s 2020 Gala at The Ziegfeld Ballroom in NYC on March 3rd. Check out the amazing pictures at our gallery:
Gallery Link:
Public Appearances • 2020 •
March 2nd – Roundabout Theater’s 2020 Gala at The Ziegfeld Ballroom
Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes attended the final season premiere event for Showtime’s “Homeland” at MoMa in NYC on February 4th. Check out the amazing pictures at our gallery:
Gallery Link:
Public Appearances • 2020 •
February 4th – Hugh Dancy attend the final season premiere event for Showtime’s “Homeland” at MoMa in NYC
Hello!! There are 3 new sets of photos in the gallery! They are from november and december 2019.
Gallery Link:
Public Appearances > 2019 > November 19th – ‘A Bright Room Called Day’ opening night celebration
Candids > 2019 > December 13th – Hugh and Claire out and about in NYC
Hugh was pictured this week not once, but twice! First he was seen out and about with Claire and Cyrus in NYC. Then, he was pictured with Claire at the premiere of “Seared” in New York. Enjoy!!
Gallery Link:
Public Appearances • 2019 • October 26th – Out and about in NYC
Public Appearances • 2019 • October 28th – Hugh and Claire at the opening night of “Seared” in New York
Yay, more news! Attention New York fans!!
Exciting news! #HughDancy will join the cast of Selected Shorts: The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories with Jhumpa Lahiri, along with Dawn Akemi Saito + Kathleen Turner. Dancy read at Shorts in 2017, and we’re thrilled to welcome him back.
Time: 7:30pm
Prices: Members $29 and up
Non-Members $32 and up
30 & Under (with ID) $17
Theater: Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
You can purchase your tickets here.
