Star wishes ‘Saving Grace’ was not just set in Oklahoma
Holly Hunter’s mom is a huge “Saving Grace” fan.
Born in Shawnee, Opal Hunter has been anxiously awaiting the return of the show in which her daughter stars as Oklahoma City police detective Grace Hanadarko.
And her wait ends Monday when “Saving Grace” resumes the second half of the second season at 9 p.m. on TNT.
Seven new episodes will round out the season. And then the show will start Season 3 on July 6.
“My mother is the hugest fan of the show you can imagine,” Hunter said. “And my roots are so in Oklahoma. My father was born in Oklahoma City and my grandparents were part of the Land Run.
“Oh man, I wish we could come to Oklahoma for some filming, but it’s a question of money, which is a drag.”
So all the filming for Season 2 of the drama set in Oklahoma City was done in Los Angeles.
But the show makes up for it with guest stars. Former University of Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer appeared in the fifth episode of the season. Rex Linn, a graduate of Casady High School (??) and “CSI: Miami” cast member, made an appearance in Season 1.
They could pop up again next season. But upcoming guest stars have one Oscar, three Emmys, two Golden Globes and one Young Artist Award between them.
Christina Ricci, who also won a YoungStar Award and a Hollywood Young Artist Award for her work in the movies “Mermaids” and “The Opposite of Sex,” will guest star in the next three episodes. She will play Abby Charles, a uniform cop and single mother making a rotation through the squad, and she is paired with Grace.
“”We had a blast working together,” said Hunter, who has an Oscar, a Golden Globe (both for “The Piano”) and two Emmys (for TV miniseries) herself.
“Christina is a smart actress who has a discerning eye about script and the logic of her own character that only a good actor can have. She comes at it from a real solid place in herself, and I appreciate that so much.”
F. Murray Abraham, Oscar and Golden Globe winner for “Amadeus,” will be in an episode that was filmed for Season 2 but will be saved for Season 3 in summer. His character is Matthew, an angel who starts honing in on the territory of Grace’s angel, Earl.
“I’ve got to say, he was incredible,” Hunter said. “Murray was so seductive. He’s really an exceptional actor.”
Kathy Baker, who won three Emmys and a Golden Globe for “Picket Fences,” will appear in the season’s final two episodes. She will play Maggie, a new bartender at Louie’s where Grace and the squad hang out after work.
Hunter wishes the cast and crew could hang out in Oklahoma City for a few scenes, but that didn’t happen this season and may not in Season 3, either.
“You guys know we’ve all so much wanted to shoot there,” she said. “It would be incredible. But for now, I don’t think that’s a possibility with the economy being the way it is.
“But the imagination of Nancy Miller (the show’s creator who hails from Oklahoma City) is deeply rooted in Oklahoma. The characters she wants to explore and the subject matter she wants to talk about — all of it is oriented toward the state of Oklahoma.
“So to me, it’s as much about Oklahoma as it is about anything else.”
NOTE: For even more “Saving Grace” coverage, check out The Oklahoman Entertainment Writer Brandy McDonnell’s blogs and stories.
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