Scandal, premièring on Thursday 5 April at 10 PM on ABC, is the latest drama from Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes. However, the main characters in the new series are
doctors of reputation rather than of medicine. An elite crew of lawyers, investigators
and fixers under the direction of the uber-efficient Olivia Pope (Kerry
Washington) takes care of alternately hushing up and exposing the dirty secrets
swirling around Washington,D.C. – including one that promises to provide a
season-long arc.
Olivia’s right-hand man
is Stephen Finch, played by Henry Ian Cusick. ABC series with intricate plots
are nothing new to Cusick – he was Desmond Hume on seventy-one episodes of Lost. Born in Peru and raised in Trinidad, Tobago and Scotland, Cusick has had an
extensive stage career. During the filming of Lost, he settled in Hawaii with
his family, where they still reside, but Scandal has brought him back to the
U.S. mainland for work.
ASSIGNMENT X: Scandal brings you back to ABC. Were you in
the network Rolodex, so to speak, after Lost?
HENRY IAN CUSICK: I
don’t think there is such a thing, but I know that when you have to get
approval, I think they were quick to say “yes.”
AX: What in particular
appealed to you about the character of Stephen Finch?
CUSICK: There was a line
in the pilot that said, “I’m not a good man,” and I thought that line was a
little gem and it held a lot of potential for storylines. That was a line that
drew me in. And working with Shonda Rhimes – she’s such a fantastic writer, it
was crazy to say no to a part like that.
AX: Were you looking
forward to working with/for Shonda Rhimes?
CUSICK: When I
auditioned for this, I was looking for work, and obviously, Shonda Rhimes’
series are a class act and [she’s] a great writer, so when I was offered it, it
was a no-brainer.
AX: Shonda Rhimes has
said that, to some extent, the character of Olivia Pope is based on Scandal
co-executive producer Judy Smith, who worked for many years as a Washington,
D.C. fixer. Did you talk to Judy Smith at all about being a fixer?
CUSICK: Yes, she was on
set and we sat about.
AX: Were any of her
insights valuable to your performance?
CUSICK: You know, Judy
is watching you all the time, she’s picking up clues to what you’re giving
away, just by talking, by being. So it was interesting. Immediately, I thought,
“What telltale clues do I give away when I talk?” So it just made you aware
that you learn a lot by watching.
AX: Do you think being a
fixer is anything like being an actor?
CUSICK: No. [laughs] No.
Well, let me think about that. A fixer is someone who spots a problem and just
gets on and fixes it and does it. From that point of view, thinking quickly all
the time, if I do want to compare it, actors are observant, we try and copy and
mimic.
AX: At least in the
opening episode, there are points when the fixers try out certain personas to
persuade people to do what the fixers want them to do.
CUSICK: Right, being
very direct and telling them how it is. “This is what will happen if you do
this, this is what will happen if you don’t.” So there are decisions to be made
from the point of the person listening. Were you thinking that an actor has to
persuade someone? There’s persuading, I think, and there’s just telling it like
it is, and I think Olivia’s a lot more telling it like it is and these are the
things that will happen if you blah, blah, blah, and now it’s up to you as to
what you decide to do.
AX: Everyone on Scandal
speaks a little more quickly than normal, a la The West Wing. Did you have to consciously
speed up your speech?
CUSICK: Yeah, I did.
Because I’m not a very fast talker, but the rest of the cast are. I’m one of
the slower ones.
AX: Do you like
quickening your speech?
CUSICK: It’s a whole new
technique and if I can do it well, it’ll be another string to my bow.
AX: Have you done any
other projects over the last few years that we should know about?
CUSICK: Since Lost? A
couple of things here and there. I did [a double] episode of SVU. I’ve been
hanging out in Hawaii mainly.
AX: Your erstwhile Lost
colleagues Daniel Dae Kim and Terry O’Quinn are both working in Hawaii on Hawaii Five-0. Did you any thought to working on that series at any point?
CUSICK: I was asked to do
an episode, but if I was to do it, I’d like to do it a little bit longer, I’d
like to have an arc. I would love to do it, but I’d like to have more than just
one episode.
AX: Speaking of shows
filmed in Hawaii, were you happy with the way Lost ended?
CUSICK: Yes. I think
after six years, for a show like that to have an ending like it did – I have no
complaints. I’m very proud of the show, I think the writers did an amazing job,
I think the cast did an amazing job, and I’ll always be proud of that show.
AX: If you got into a
tight spot, would you want a fixer for yourself?
CUSICK: Now that I know these people exist, yes, of course. If you got into a tight spot, yes, you'd want Judy Smith. However, I have her number now.
Source: Assignment X
