The thought of working on another American television series was probably the last thing on the mind of British actor
Jonny Lee Miller. After all, his most recent experience with the premature canning of CBS'
Smith was likely anything but motivating.
"I was like, no way do I want to do serialized television again right now," Miller told the
Los Angeles Times.
After learning more about the titular character
Eli Stone though, Miller managed to set aside his initial reluctance and became eager to dive into the part.
"I just thought this part was too good, and it would have been a ridiculous opportunity not to try to follow up on. He's quite selfish, and it's about him trying to be a better person. I like that aspect of it - I like the fact that he's not such a great guy, in my opinion. And the strange things that start happening to him give the story a lot of scope,” Miller said about his
Eli Stone persona.
For the moment, the upcoming series which is scheduled to take off on ABC come January 31, has 13 episodes all ready to broadcast. Cast and crew finished filming all 13 installments before the holidays.
Prior to
Eli Stone and the short-lived
Smith, Miller gained recognition for his work in films like
Trainspotting and
The Flying Scotsman.
Stone is just one of the more than handful of talents that have crossed over from Britain to star in American television shows.
Though the actor couldn't speak for his fellow countrymen, he did say that for him, at least, quality opportunities back home have “been thin.”
With
Eli Stone about to start airing, Miller and his fiancé, Michelle Hicks, are Los Angeles residents for the time being. The actor even mentioned that he's planted a garden and disclosed that he's not particularly fussed about being public property just yet.
"I'm kind of lucky; I tend to look completely different in person than how I look on films or television," Miller quipped.
-Rosario Santiago, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Los Angeles Times
(Image Courtesy of CBS)