You're welcome America. Bill Paxton says one reason he took a role in the CBS series "Training Day," which debuts on CBS on Thursday, was to bring top-notch drama to lower-income viewers.
“There are a lot of people who aren't getting their sling box or HBO
package or their Direct TV. You know why? Because they can't afford it,”
the actor told us in Los Angeles. “Those people deserve entertainment
and I'm only too happy to supply some to them.”
Paxton, who starred on the HBO drama “Big Love,” said he appreciates
that the show is aiming for the masses rather than a niche audience.
“I like the idea that we're a popular show for sure -- we're not a highbrow show by any means,” he said.
Paxton plays rogue investigator Frank Rourke in the series, based on
the 2001 movie by the same name, starring Denzel Washington as a corrupt
detective assigned a rookie partner played by Ethan Hawke. In the TV
version, Rourke gets paired up with an idealistic young officer assigned
to his elite drug unit, played by Justin Cornwell.
Paxton notes that the TV version has a softer edge than the movie.
“This one is a little more uplifting, (there's) a little more hope,” he
sys, noting that the theme of disparate characters sharing camaraderie
is one he hopes will resonate.
“A lot of things in the last couple of years have really underlined the
divides that still exist in this country, but I think shows like ours
that show people working together trying to make something of something;
that's where it's at.”
While he's known for his work on movies like "Aliens," “Twister" and
“Apollo 13,” Paxton claims that he loves doing TV -- even though it's
harder work.
“It's a different milieu for me to do a network television show, but
they've given me a lot of agency and so I've had a lot of creative
freedom, and I'm having a good time.”
He joked that unlike the film version, the cops will not try drugs in the CBS series . . . yet.
“It's CBS, so it might take a few seasons,” he said.
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