She fought the 'Law'
Scott D. Pierce
But there was a little mistake by the executive producer's assistant. The flu-stricken Margulies opened the envelope with the script and a cover letter that contained a typo.
Instead of telling Margulies that "Canterbury's Law" was in development for Fox, the "o" was dropped and she thought the show was for FX.
"I was incredibly excited to do cable," Margulies said. "I had been looking to do a cable show."
"That assistant has since gotten a raise," executive producer Jim Serpico interjected with a smile.
And now the former "ER" star is playing driven defense attorney Elizabeth Canterbury in the new legal drama, which premieres tonight at 7 on Ch. 13. Margulies went out of her way to make it clear she was in no way kidding about how she came to star in "Canterbury's Law."
"It's really true," she said. "And when I read the character, I was like, 'Finally, a character I can play on television.' But, of course, it's cable, so she's dark and it's complicated and she's complex and she's an adult, and I thought she was sexy. And 12, 13 episodes a year — it was a shoo-in. I was very excited."
And she knows whereof she speaks after starring as Carol Hathaway on 134 episodes of "ER." She didn't leave that show because she was unhappy with the work, she was just burned out.
"Actors need to replenish. We're not machines. So, to keep coming up with that energy and creativity, you may not see it on the screen, but when everyone else's day ends, yours goes on for another four hours in preparation for the next day."
So she "thought long and very hard, and I kept saying, 'No' because of the 22" episodes a year thing if the show gets picked up for a full season. Finally, after meeting with the producers and Fox Entertainment president Peter Liguori — as well as a "great dinner" and "a few martinis" — Margulies signed on.
"It was too good to pass up," she said.
Margulies stars as Elizabeth Canterbury, a strong-willed defense attorney who has a penchant for taking on lost and/or unpopular cases. And she's not above playing rather fast and loose with the legal rules in the pursuit of justice — she is indeed dark and complicated.
Elizabeth is trying to make up for a tragedy in her own life — she's haunted by the disappearance of her young son several years earlier. Both that event and her obsession with her own cases have put enormous pressure on her marriage to law professor Matt Furey (Aidan Quinn).
In tonight's very promising premiere, Elizabeth takes on the case of an accused child killer who looks guilty. But she's sure he's not. And she and her team — associates Russell Krauss (Ben Shenkman), Chester Grant (Keith Robinson) and Molly McConnell (Trieste Kelly Dunn) — will do anything to prove he's not guilty.
And, even though the show is on Fox and not FX, executive producer Jim Serpico said Liguori (who came from FX) and his team haven't tried to soften Margulies' character.
"There was never any compromise to the DNA of Elizabeth as a character," agreed creator/co-executive producer Dave Erickson.
And that looks like a good thing.
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com
You can be the first to comment on this story.