Phillip Keene – Major Crimes

By starrymag | August 1, 2016

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

Q) Each season of “Major Crimes” seems to get better and better.

A) At the end of every season, I think “Wow, the writers did such a good job.” We have been on the air for eleven years and we have had a really good run. I think, “They are never going to be able to top this,” and yet somehow they do. It’s just pretty incredible, I think.

Q) The storylines are so in depth and there are often cliffhangers. At the same time, there are so many characters that they have to focus on.

A) It’s a real challenge to service that many characters. There are other shows that have more cast members like “Game of Thrones,” but that is a completely different genre.

Q) There is such a great diverse cast as well that makes “Major Crimes” one of the top shows in the industry.

A) I think you are right and that was all purposely designed from the onset. James Duff, the creator, decided that Los Angeles itself would be a character in the show. The backdrop and feel of the city would have to be permeated through every bit of the story and that includes all of the colors and faces of Los Angeles. I think we really do represent everybody very well without having to fill any quotas whatsoever. We don’t have stereotypes of anybody on the show, I don’t think. People just happen to be what they are. They are filling a role and doing their job. They are coming up against the same challenges and prejudices that anybody else would in that position and I think we dramatize that really well. Everybody gets a chance to shine and that is a great thing to see.

Q) This season we are getting a greater look into Buzz.

A) It’s been great to explore that and to finally discover the name of Buzz’s stepfather. We revealed his name and what he did for a living. His uncle died too after only living with the family for about seven years. It’s a double loss in Buzz’s life so you can understand why his mother was so fearful of him going into any kind of police work. She obviously relented because he ended up working for the Scientific Investigation Division. That’s where he got his foot in the door and as a result of that he ended up working for Major Crimes. He started off just in the electronics room and then going to crime scenes and monitoring interviews. Then, he joined the reserves and now he is out there with detectives. They are really leaning him a lot more and letting him shine and do his own work. They are letting him open up this thirty-year-old cold case of the murder of his father and uncle. It was pretty exciting for me.

Q) It’s been interesting to see this new side to Buzz.

A) In episode ten, you’ll see another side to Buzz – kind of a scary side.

Q) I feel like Buzz has a story that we haven’t learned about him and he tells it through his facial expressions at times. There are certain characters that can tell story through their facial expressions.

A) As a child, I used to get in severe trouble for making those faces. Now, I get paid to make them. So it’s fantastic! [laughs] I was doing them for a reason, although I didn’t know at the time. But it has paid off. It’s working out well. It’s great to be able to use that, especially when you don’t have a lot of dialogue in the scene and it doesn’t mean you aren’t acting. It means you just have to go about it in a different way. If you’re lucky enough for the camera to catch it and the audience sees it that makes it extra special. So I love hearing those comments I think they are great.

Q) We have seen this great relationship this season develop between Buzz and Rusty.

A) He started out as an annoyance, pretty much. He is the younger brother Buzz never really wanted, but you can’t help but love the kid. He needs family, some guidance and some help. Everyone has sort of stepped in with their own way and lent him a hand and guided him a little bit with this journey he has had. Also, it was bringing this character’s journey to life in the sense that some of the work that we do amongst the cast and some of the executives, we do a lot of work for an agency called The Covenant House. Its primary focus is helping these runaway kids and these throwaway kids. That’s who Rusty (Graham Patrick Martin) was. His mom left him at the zoo. She was on drugs, had this creepy boyfriend and abandoned her child. That particular situation may not be very common, but that idea of abandoning children happens a lot. Left to their own devices, there is not a lot they can do. They have to rely on instincts and what the market will bear. We are trying to get them off the streets and get them some help. Buzz is facing a little bit of a dilemma in the sense that he has been tasked with taking care of Rusty all this time and it was just a one-on-one friendship or relationship. But now he has to take into consideration that Rusty is his boss’ child so he can’t be too sharp or mean with him. He has to keep in mind that Sharon (Mary McDonnell) is his mother and he may go back and say, “Buzz wasn’t being very nice to me.”

Q) While dealing with such serious topics, the show does interject some great moments of humor.

A) As serious as the show is most of the time (because it is dealing with murder) there is a bit of humor interjected in it sometimes. There has to be otherwise I think everybody would lose their minds because of all of the horrible things we see. We do have some funny episodes now and again. Even in the darkest episodes there is a little humor thrown in just to lighten the mood a little bit because this is what cops and detective do. We have a great consulting producer and writer on the show who is a veteran of Robbery/Homicide for over thirty years. So, he has some real life experiences he shares with us. Also, we have the former district attorney for the county of Los Angeles Gil Garcetti as one of our consulting producers. His son, who is now the mayor of Los Angeles, played that part before he actually before he became the mayor! He played the mayor on the show a few times and then ended up being elected. How’s that for art imitating life?!

Q) There is such a great friendship amongst the cast.

A) It carries on off-screen as well. Whether we get together for a fundraiser for the Sunshine Kids or Covenant House or any other organization we do spend a lot of time together hanging out. We have dinner or go for out for drinks. Raymond [Cruz], Michael [Paul Chan] and I go out golfing on a pretty regular basis and we also volunteer to go to different charity events. Raymond and I are restoring a 1955 Chevy Bel Air that I have. Michael, Kearran [Giovanni], a couple of the ladies from the hair/makeup trailer and I are going to go out surfing in a couple of weeks. So, I think the familial relationship you see on screen that people react to in a positive way is genuine because we get along so well together off screen. We do spend time in each other’s homes and helping each other out. I think it works. Most of us have been together for almost twelve years and that’s pretty rare, too.

Q) And it was great seeing the show transition from “The Closer” to “Major Crimes.”

A) I loved working with Kyra [Sedgwick], but this show is great for the rest of the cast in that we each get a little more time to tell our own stories and you get to see a little bit more of who these characters are. I’m very grateful, but it is nice for us to have this time to tell our own stories.

Q) The show picked up from “The Closer” and in a very cohesive way.

A) There was an episode that I think was the first of “Major Crimes” where Rusty is in Sharon’s office and he turns to her and says, “I don’t know you and I don’t like you. Where is Brenda?” James Duff wrote that as the audience. It was the audience feeling saying, “You’ve taken her away. We don’t know you. We don’t want to talk to you. We want Brenda back.” She turns to him and says, “You know what. This is who you get right now and if you still want Brenda you are going to have to wait.” It was a nice little moment for the character to stand in for the audience and speak up for their fear and anger.

Q) What can you tease is in store for Buzz and Rusty this season?

A) I know that Buzz is going to continue to encourage Rusty to pursue his dreams and some of those dreams may end up changing by the end of the season. I think he is going to find a new mentor this season, which will be a nice interesting turn for him. Also by the end of episode thirteen, Buzz will have some sort of closure with what is going on. I think that will be a nice thing to look forward to. Episodes eleven, twelve and thirteen are a three part story. So, we have another eight after these thirteen for a total of twenty-one. We have three that are tied thematically and with the story. It’s one story over these three episodes and if I can use the word “explosive” you will understand.

Q) What has been your favorite or most rewarding part of Buzz’s character arc?

A) I think the biggest moment for me is when Buzz graduated from the academy and showed up in the murder room in his uniform. He was just beaming and so happy. This was something that he wanted to do for a very, very long time and for Phillip (the actor) it was something he had wanted to do for a very, very long time – to have a story written for him and his character. That was a special moment for Buzz and Phillip.

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive to episodes?

A) It’s really great! The only problem I have is that I can’t type fast enough to keep up with it. The other challenge is that we air on Monday nights so we’ll do a live Facebook chat with a cast member or guest star with James in the writer’s room. But a lot of us are down on set because even though the show is airing we are still shooting and making more of them. So, I don’t always have the chance to interact but when I do it is great. The world is changing and this is something that we have to embrace and use to the bet of our ability and in a positive way. I think that has turned out well for us. We have a lot of people from many different countries who probably twenty years ago wouldn’t have had the access and content they do now. I do tweet or instant message them when we can. So, I think it is great for everyone involved.

Q) What else would you like to be sure we share with fans?

A) Another thing near and dear to my heart is the Pan Am Museum. It is a 501C3 nonprofit that I am on the board of to help create a Pan Am Museum to honor the legacy of our founder and creator of Pan Am, Juan Trippe, and the legacy he left behind.