Damages just added some firepower to an already formidable cast. William Hurt, four-time Oscar nominee (and one time winner), has just signed on to join the cast of
Damages for its second season, which is set to begin filming in New York City next week. The FX drama is coming off a critically acclaimed first season, and is another in a long line of hard-hitting original programs from the cable network. Hurt will portray a client of
Glenn Close's attorney character Patty Hewes. This marks a reunion of sorts – Close and Hurt co-starred in
The Big Chill twenty five years ago. They have not shared the screen since.
Damages will be the first significant television role for William Hurt. He had a bit part on
The King of Queens for some incomprehensible reason and he began his TV and film career with a guest appearance on
Kojak, but that is the extent of his TV series work. He has, however, appeared in several TV movies and miniseries, including the 2000 version of
Dune and the recent Stephen King miniseries
Nightmares and Dreamscapes. He can currently be seen at the theaters in
The Incredible Hulk, and is best known for his roles in the films
Body Heat,
Gorky Park,
The Big Chill and countless others. He won an Oscar in 1985 for his work in
Kiss of the Spider-Woman.
William Hurt's casting is a part of a noticeable trend recently. Big name actors, veteran actors, are moving from film to television with a much greater frequency. Just in the last month, we've seen Hurt go to
Damages, Jon Voight go to
24, and Dennis Hopper go to the
Crash TV series. In the past, making the transition from film to television was largely considered a backwards move. No longer, it seems. It actually makes some sense. With the prevalence of quality cable dramas these days, actors can shoot a full season of television (for cable, 12 or 13 episodes constitute a season) in about as much time as it would take to film a big movie. If the quality is there, and no one can argue with much of the long-form drama being brought to TV, then the actors will follow.
Better William Hurt movie?
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
Source: Variety
(Image Courtesy of Hollywood Reporter)