Robert Gossett – Sealing the Deal

Q.  What are some of the recent projects that you’ve been working on?

A.  Well, because of the series “The Closer,” I’ve been involved with the series for two years (this is it’s second season), I have been primarily been focused on that.  I did some guest shots during our hiatus last season, between the first season and the second, on “Bones” and a couple of other shows.  Although, this hiatus there are a couple of projects.  There is a TV movie that I’m talking to the producers about and a play in Pasadena. 

Q.  For those unfamiliar with the show, what can you tell us about the premise of the show “The Closer” and about your character?

A.  The show takes place in Los Angeles at the LAPD Headquarters.  The higher up, the Chief of Police, decides after several high profile cases are lost, for example OJ Simpson and cases like that, that what is needed is a division that is dedicated to high profile cases.  Because, those type of cases need a type of police work that they haven’t been given in the past here in Los Angeles according to the police administration.  High profile clients can challenge the police department and the district attorney, for that matter, in a way that poor people (or people without financial resources) can.  They have a high profile defense attorney that can pick apart the evidence that is collected by the police.  So, they decide to create this division that will be able to put together a case against a high profile client that cannot be infiltrated or damaged by a defense attorney.  They bring in a lady by the name of Brenda Lee Johnson, played by the wonderful Kyra Sedgewick, to head up this division.  Brenda comes from a CIA background and she has an expertise in interrogation that she is able, most times, to elicit a confession from her suspect.  So, they bring her in and they name the division Priority Homicide and go about trying to take on these high profile, rich clients.  Captain Taylor, I come into play, I have been in LAPD and I’ve worked myself up.  Last year I was Captain Taylor, now I am a Commander, and I was initially slated to head this new division but the higher up’s feel it is better that they go outside of the department because they want new blood.  Of course, that riles me and my feathers and I get upset and I consequently do anything I can to undermine Brenda Lee and her performance and the success of this division.  My character is adversarial in the series, he functions as an antagonist. 

Q.  What made you want to be a part of this show?

A.  The writing, the pilot script was so well written.  All the shows, actually, we have a great group of writers and creators.  These are veterans in the industry and I’ve worked with Michael Robin over at Steven Bochco Productions.  I know the quality that he aspires to and when I read the script it was such a compelling piece of writing.  The characters were so strongly written and drawn that I knew I wanted to be a part of this project.  Luckily, I was able to become a part of it!

Q.  I read that your father was a New York City police officer.  How that influenced your portrayal of Commander Taylor?

A.  It’s funny, my younger brother went into law enforcement and I have an uncle in law enforcement.  My father was in law enforcement and in a way, I am in law enforcement except no one is shooting real bullets at me.  In that way, I have pictures of him here in my home.  I have a picture of him in 1950 in the Bronx standing in front of a delicatessen in uniform.  I look at that picture some times and he always wanted me to be a police officer.  Even as a young child, he wanted me to become a cop.  Sometimes I look at that picture and I say, “Pop, I did in a way become a cop.”  I think he’s happy and in terms of how that factors into my performance as a police officer, I really respect police officers.  As an African American, the police and our community have had our issues.  With that said, I’ve always respected them because they are the ones when you’re in trouble.  No matter what you think of them, that’s who you are calling!  So, I’m very careful in how I depict them.  Even though Commander Taylor may cut a few corners, I’m always attempting to understand why a cop might be drawn to do something that is something slightly outside the law.  Slightly outside of departmental policy, because sometimes it is hard to get that person, who you know is up to no good, within the Constitution that our great country has. 

Q.  How has the role of Commander Taylor challenged you?

A.  Maybe it’s that balancing act that we’ve been talking about between what constitutes a good cop, or a bad cop.  Walking that fine line.  There is a part of Commander Taylor I think resents the Priority Homicide.  Because, to him as a cop, he feels that every homicide is a priority.  Case in point, there was an episode we did in the first season where a prostitute was found murdered.  He was investigating that murder, and he had many murders in LA, and he ditched those cases.  He doesn’t have the luxury of looking at one case at a time and trying to solve it.  He has a lot of different cases.   It wasn’t until they looked in her call book and found the names and numbers of judges and politicians that they pulled the case from him and gave it to Brenda.  He took issue with that and one of his responses was that nobody was really interested in this hooker, this dead hooker, until they saw some high profile names in her call book.  That is a challenge for me and for Commander Taylor, he doesn’t really like the idea of a Priority Homicide yet he has to deal with the fact that this exists because of the political nature of the department.  So, he deals with it but constantly tries to undermine it. 

Q.  We know you do a lot of community service work.  What makes giving back so important to you?

A.  It’s important for me to give back to the community and help because I was helped by so many people in my life.  When I look back at it, there was a play I did many, many years ago.  And there is a line from a poem I had to say and part of the poem was, “I am somebody because you, you, you make me somebody.  Because you, you, you are a part of me.”  The more I live, the more I look back, and realize it is so true.  I exist because of people like my sixth grade music teacher Mrs. Shapiro.  I exist because of men like Michael Whitaker of the East River Players who had a community theater in the midst of Harlem.  Mrs. Shapiro took my music to a whole other level and saw to it that I went to a performing arts high school.  She got me into music camps and she was just a New York City teacher.  Michael Whitaker was just a man who had a dream for theater and created one in the midst of Harlem.  There were musicians who taught me at a boys club when I was seven or eight years old.  They volunteered, they were jazz musicians.  They would come in and teach kids music and then go off and do their gig, all for free.  So many people have helped me, for me not to turn around and help other kids, would just be reprehensible, ungrateful and selfish.  I have to help kids, and that’s what I’ve always done, not just because I’m on a series.  In New York I worked helping drug addicted infants come into the world and feel nurtured and valued.  I work with a mentor program now and I do that because this is our planet.  Each one, teach one, and we’ll be fine.  I whole heartedly believe that.

Q.  What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

A.  I enjoy a lot of things, I enjoy playing music.  I enjoy listening to music, I enjoy playing with my children.  I enjoy going out with my mentee, I have a new mentee now named Kenny.  He is learning how to swim now, so that’s now our thing for the summer, learning how to swim.  I enjoy coaching my kids in basketball and soccer.  I am not coaching this summer because of the show. 

Q.  What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?

A.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I will always be able to be part of a wonderful show like “The Closer,” and if not that, then other shows.  I will continue to do work that speaks to the hearts and minds of the viewer.