BAM Column: Oklahoman Christian Kane finds “Leverage” after “Angel”
A version of this story appears in Saturday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Christian Kane finds ‘Leverage’; stays close to Norman roots
Christian Kane went Hollywood a decade a go, but he hasn’t lost the blue-collar sensibilities he grew up with in Norman.
The actor/singer has found an outlet for his working-class attitude, along with his fighting skills, in the new TV series “Leverage.” The show, which debuts at 9 p.m. Sunday on TNT, follows a group of professional criminals who use their skills to help people victimized by the wealth, the corrupt and the powerful.
“It’s a finger to the man. This is for my daddy, you know, this is what we do it for. … It’s television so it’s not real, but the fact is that the law sometimes doesn’t allow you to do what’s right. And that’s where we come in,” Kane said in an interview Monday at The Oklahoman offices.
Oklahoma roots
With a dad in the oil business, Kane, 34, grew up in Oklahoma and Texas. When he was in eighth grade, his family settled in Norman, where he wrestled in high school, attended the University of Oklahoma and apparently, caused a bit of trouble in his youth.
“Listen, I’m from Norman. You drink beer and you fight. That’s what it is,” he said with a winning grin. “I probably got beat up in high school more than I won fights, but … in college I found that being a wrestler helps when it comes to tussling.”
His wrestling training taught him how to carry himself and sparked an interest in learning different fighting styles. He did his own stunts in his breakout role as wicked lawyer Lindsey McDonald on the series “Angel,” and the experience not only gained him loyal fans but helped him get a part on “Leverage.” Kane said series creator and executive producer John Rogers, a writer on the movie “Transformers,” created the role of Eliot Spencer with him in mind.
“I did all my own stunts; no one doubled me whatsoever. … I’m very fortunate in that sense because producers a lot of times won’t allow someone to do something like that,” Kane said.
Finding “Leverage”
On “Leverage,” Kane plays a “retrieval specialist” who can take out a mob of heavies while sipping a cup of tea. Former straight arrow Nate Ford (Oscar winner Timothy Hutton) , who was an insurance investigator before his life was derailed by tragedy, recruits Spencer and three other crooks to form a crack team dedicated to righting corporate wrongs.
While his character fights like super-spy Jason Bourne, Kane was inspired by B.A. Baracus, Mr. T’s character on “The A Team,” to give Spencer an angry edge.
“It’s made me fall in love with television again, man. It’s made me fall in love with acting to be honest with you. I’ve been very fortunate; I’ve done a lot of stuff. But this role, I honestly feel like I’ve combined everything I’ve known and learned and smashed it into this character. I got a lot riding on this guy; this is my favorite guy in the world.”
Singing, acting and coming home
The tight-knit cast and crew wrapped finished filming of all 13 episodes of the first season, which will move next week into its regular 9 p.m. Tuesday timeslot, about three weeks ago. Despite the long days over the five-month shoot, Kane said he had so much fun he never felt like he clocked in.
While he hopes for a hit with “Leverage,” Kane is bound for Nashville, Tenn., where he is working on a country album. The singer performed Monday night at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill in Bricktown.
Kane, who has appeared in the films “Friday Night Lights,” “Secondhand Lions” and “Just Married,” also has wrapped three movies set to come out soon.
Though he already divides his time between L.A. and Nashville, Kane also owns land south of Norman. His parents live in Tulsa, and Oklahoma is still home.
“I’m an Oklahoman. Your heart’s here. This is a great place to be raised and it’s a great place to die,” he said. “It’s funny because you fight so hard to get out of Oklahoma, and now I’m fighting so hard to get back.”
On TV
TNT’s new caper series “Leverage,” starring Oklahoma-raised actor Christian Kane, Oscar winner Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge, premieres at 9 p.m. Sunday.
The series will move next week to its regular time slot at 9 p.m. Tuesdays.
In an interview, Kane said the tight-knit cast and crew filmed the entire 13-episode first season in an intense five-month shoot that wrapped about three weeks ago.
-BAM
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
whew-wee