Matt Murray – Rookie Blue

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) Right now, I’m working on a brand new comedy show called “Kevin From Work.” It’s made from Barbie Adler who was a writer on “How I Met Your Mother” and “Arrested Development.” McG is the head director and one of the head producers. Aaron Kaplan is one of the head producers as well. That is a very, very funny TV show that will be on ABC Family that will air August 12th. I’m very, very excited about this!

Q) The show is quite different than your work on “Rookie Blue!”

A) They both have this foolish side, but this is a little bit more big humor. When I watched the pilot for “Kevin From Work,” I had to get used to watching myself doing bigger comedy. It’s sort of like sitcom comedy, but it is a single camera. It is not shot like a sitcom, but it still has that big comedy feel to it like “Community” and “Arrested Development.” Between Duncan and Brian, they are not the brightest peas in the pod, but they are very fun characters. Brian is a lot more bigger comedy and Duncan is subtle comedy, but you like to see him mess up.

Q) Should “Rookie Blue” come back for a seventh season, will we be seeing you return as well?

A) I don’t think so. With me having “Kevin From Work,” I would have to stay just with them. Maybe we can get a guest star now and then!

Q) Where do we pick up with Duncan then this season on “Rookie Blue?”

A) In Season Five we saw Duncan going through a bumpy path with Andy (Missy Peregrym) and the rest of the precinct and a lot of it had to do with his mistakes, but him not owning up to his mistakes. He had his stepfather come in and be the behind-the-scenes guy in the courtroom. It looked like Duncan was trying to get Andy’s badge, but really it was his stepfather retaliating. In that sense, it  looked bad on the stepfather and he made it about him. Duncan apologizes for his mistake and brings up the decisions made by his stepfather, which you will see later on in Season Six. Now, you will see Duncan is in a place where he has to make the decision to face up to his own mistakes and he can either quit as a cop or be a cop on his own, not have that higher power behind him. Personally, I don’t think that and I think the writers as well, didn’t really hide too much behind his stepfather. I think it was the second episode of my debut where he mentions not wanting to talk about his stepfather being the commissioner. At the same time, he didn’t stop his stepfather from getting him a lawyer and making those decisions. I think this season Duncan is trying to find himself as a cop, his own name and find out where he fits in. It’s a little hard because of all the mistakes that have happened and the history. But he has kind of taken time to himself and is now reevaluating his own decisions and how to face the mistakes he has made. He is now trying to find out where he fits in at the precinct, which I think the writers did a good job of putting him as a partner with everyone to see where he goes.

Q) Where does he stand with his relationships with his fellow officers?

A) I think it stands in a place where they don’t trust him and they have all the right not to trust him because of how things went down. It felt like he turned his back on everybody and once you turn your back on one cop you turn your back on the whole family. They definitely do not trust him, but they have to work with him. They are not going to work with him the way they would each other where they would laugh and have fun. Now, it’s like, “Okay, this is Duncan. We need to just be business. There is no personal stuff brought into this. It’s just business.” It starts off like that, but as time goes on they start to give a little bit of themselves to him because you can’t expect someone on whatever team you’re playing on to stay a team player without giving them a second chance. I think throughout the season they start to give him a second chance, but they know who he is. Not like with the stepfather where they know who he is and makes mistakes. Little things can distract him and he is easily strayed away from something. So, they stay on him. It’s kind of like a puppy. You know the puppy is going to go the other way and try to play with something, but if you stay on him you are eventually allowed to play with him and they’ll catch on.

Q) Right, just like if the puppy bites you once you don’t just give it away.

A) Exactly! It’s very difficult with the team to ask for forgiveness. They start to give that to him. You can’t be stern with them the whole time or they are not going to know that playful side or that other side that a cop can get something out of him that can be good. He does have a lot of good in him! He has that playfulness in him and a lot of cops have that playful side to them and can come across to kids or younger people. They can reach out to them and they see that so they start allowing him to bring that side to the job. They still stay on him and still stay stern with him, but they let him bring that playfulness to the job that will actually work and make a difference. He is kind of like a horse with blinders on. They are trying to help him with their personalities and broaden his thoughts about certain things like people not changing. He feels people can’t change, but at the same time he needs to change. I think that the team spreading him out between different personalities is very good on allowing him to grow.

Q) Any chance for a romance this season for Duncan?

A) I think there is definitely a possibility. He sees that with a certain lady, but Duncan is Duncan. So, when he tries to make an attempt on something he is good at messing it up. There is a certain somebody that he starts to peak interest in because they start to give him a little bit of interest. So, he tries and the attempt he makes is hilarious! It just shows who he is and there is definite potential. I don’t want to say yes or no, but there is potential. Duncan will be Duncan.

Q) What continues to challenge you about your role on “Rookie Blue?”

A) As an actor, it’s the same challenge that Duncan has a character. It’s trying to find where he fits in the precinct. So, when I’m doing scenes with different characters my challenge is to try to figure out where he stands, where he is going to fit and where he could fit. It’s a different tactic with every character. Some characters he has to be blunt and straightforward with. Some characters he beats around the bush with. Some characters he tries to be flirtatious with. He has to change his tactics to figure out where he fits. It’s not just being with Andy anymore so it’s not just him telling his thoughts constantly. Now, it’s how can I find my place? As an actor, I have to try to find that with my character. I have to try to find that. I will read the script and have to figure out what tactic he can use to try to fit within the character that the script allows, but I can’t see at the moment. That’s when I start to find those little things like flirtation or beating around the bush. Also, I have to think if you do it lighthearted or heavy. In what way should my acting choice be to find his place within the precinct? That is something every day I was trying to figure out. And it made things fresh and new constantly.

Q) When you would make those decisions, were the writers and producers open to your thoughts?

A) The writers are very, very collaborative. It’s kind of like we found a medium together. Most of the time we were on the same page and they knew that I would bring my own color to it. But at certain times and it didn’t happen too much…There were certain times when we both liked each other’s ideas and we would find the medium to find the best idea. For the most part, they knew an idea of what I would bring and they would write it in a way that was great for me to play with. It was very open for me to play within the text and the idea of things.

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from filming this season?

A) The greatest thing for me was spending time with more of the other actors now. Last season I was with Missy for the most part and I still got to see everybody when I’d go visit the set. Now, I got a chance to work with everybody, which was amazing. I’m huge on being a team player and when I get to know the rest of my team then I truly feel it is a team. My biggest memory was actually getting to work with everybody. There are a lot of shows where you might see someone’s work, but you never do scenes with them. You’re watching them play ping pong, but you never get to be in the game. When you actually get to play ping pong with them, it’s a whole other excitement and energy that you get. And you learn a lot! I got to pick up different ideas and choices from different actors. I got to become closer with all of them. That was my biggest memory, being able to work with everybody on the show and doing different things with everybody instead of just hanging out with everybody. That would happen a lot of times where you don’t have a scene for two or three scenes and you are just hanging out with the cast and getting to know each other on a friends level. But like I said, being able to play ping pong with them is the greatest thing because you learn with them while you are playing. You learn on the court.

Q) Who had you hoped to work with more this season?

A) Ben! Ben Bass and Missy again. I didn’t get to work with Missy a lot throughout the season. Because I had so much time with her last season, we developed such a great friendship that I missed working with her. It was just a little sacrifice to be able to work with everybody else. I had to miss working with my bud! Ben, I wish I could have had more scenes with him. We had a few or I was in the room while he was doing his thing. But him and I, our characters never got to do much. There is one scene, like the third to last episode, he and I got to work on and I love watching him work. I love watching his process and he is such a sweet man. I wish I had more scenes with Ben because I learned a lot within the times I got to work with him.

Q) What else would you like to be sure fans know about this season of “Rookie Blue?”

A) Forgiveness! Forgive the poor boy! He did a lot and he messed up, but everybody deserves a second chance. I think Duncan this season is trying. He is bringing himself, his full self, to the table. The precinct forgives him so I think the audience should forgive him, too. He is a young guy that is very ignorant in different cases and situations. He is becoming more open for things, but the thing that made everyone like him in the beginning was the fact that everybody has that friend or knows someone that you love to see screw up. The only difference is that he screwed up really badly and almost got someone killed. That’s what brought the anger towards the character. Now, he’s back trying to redeem himself and he’s back to that comical sense that he had about him at the beginning of Season Five where you like to see him mess up, but he’s not messing up to where someone is going to get hurt. He messes up and they snap him back. He is willing to learn and this season he is more willing to learn and find himself as a cop.