In anticipation of tonight’s return of REMEDY on Global TV (9PM ET/PT) the TV Addict was recently afforded the opportunity to check in with series star Enrico Colantoni. Not surprisingly, the affable actor and star of such TV Addict favourites like VERONICA MARS, JUST SHOOT ME and PERSON OF INTEREST was only too happy to share what attracted him to the project, why you should be watching REMEDY and what’s next for one of Canada’s biggest and brightest exports.
Enrico Colantoni: Can I be completely honest with you? The truth is that people give actors way too much credit for choices they make! Now, I’m sure there is a world where actors have to choose between 20 to 30 different projects, but fortunately I don’t have that luxury. I mean fortunately because I find the people who really want to work with me get me and because they get me, they know what they’re getting, so all of a sudden I know that any project that finds my way is going to be good. Clearly, they’re thinking outside the box, not pretty, cookie cutter, a little off beat, they’re thinking bald… they’re thinking actor! And when I read REMEDY, I thought, oh my G-d, there’s a guy (Creator Greg Spottiswood) who writes for actors. The pilot was just so funny, dramatic, there was no thought to not doing this.
Surprised? I’m thrilled because I was worried that the show was too smart for big audiences. But apparently, there are a lot of smart people in Canada who really have the patience and sit and watch this drama unfold. A drama that I can safely say gets better when we kick off the second season. For those who have seen the first season, they know that we’ve spent a lot of time developing these characters and the relationships between the Conner family. There a big divide this season between my character and his son Griffin (Dillon Casey). They love each other, know how to work well with each other, but have different opinions, are completely dysfunctional and don’t know how to communicate. It makes for good television!
It’s not a medical drama, it’s not a procedural, it’s a family drama like FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS or BROTHERS & SISTERS. It’s real, honest, and there is nothing sensational about it. It’s not GREY’S ANATOMY. It’s funny, athletic, emotional and dysfunctional! All the makings of a good drama!
When they first called me, I knew Elias would be more than a one shot, but I also knew that they were ready to kill the character at the end of the first season. I wasn’t supposed to survive! But I think that Elias became such a fan favourite and the writers loved writing for him so much that four seasons later he’s still around and just won’t die. In fact, this season (4) has the biggest Elias arc yet. There is so much, I won’t spoil anything, but it’s really exciting.
Before JUST SHOOT ME there was a show called HOPE AND GLORIA. It was my first regular role on television, we did 35 episodes on NBC and it was on the Network’s “Must See TV” lineup between MAD ABOUT YOU and FRIENDS. Nobody remembers it, but it starred Cynthia Stevenson, Alan Thicke and the late great Taylor Negron. I played a character named Louis Utz, a single dad and carpet salesman who was completely unenlightened and a big buffon. I would love to have seen what a spinoff with that guy would look like. Look it up!