Despite immediately falling in love with the script for A&E’s The Cleaner, Benjamin Bratt, who plays the central character William Banks in the series, was initially concerned about the believability of the show’s concept.  The show, which was based on the life of co-executive producer Warren Boyd, depicts a man struggling to clean himself of his addictions while trying to be a good father to his newborn daughter.

“[Boyd]’s the kind of guy who just upon looking at him (it seems) like he’s been there, done that and seen it all,” Bratt said told the Boston Herald.   “That was the essence I wanted to borrow from him. He has that gravitas to him because of his life experience both in jail and his experience as a junkie and the business of savings lives.”

Bratt also admits that he was drawn to the character also because of his experiences as a father to a sick child.  Bratt, who has two children with actress Talisa Soto, admits that he brings his experiences as a father to the table, to help him understand his character more.

"As a father myself, I have all these new life experiences to bring to the work.  While striving to be a good husband and good father, William is also distracted by his newly chosen vocation," Bratt explained.  "More often than not, he fails at being a great husband and a great parent.  I can relate on a personal level because of the amount of time work requires me to be away from my own family."

Time is of the essence for someone like Bratt, whose daughter, Sophia had suffered from a brain injury at childbirth.  The couple decided to keep a mum on the subject and instead exerted efforts to provide her with a normal life.  Nonetheless, Bratt admits that the earlier years were tough for the family.

"What my wife and I faced as parents was like being in a tunnel of darkness for the first few years of her life, because we didn't know what to do," Bratt revealed.  "But we educated ourselves, and assembled the best team of therapists we could."

Nonetheless, Bratt says that Sophia has been dealing with the sickness gracefully, saying, "Sophia has blown us away with the amount of progress she's made.  She understands everything and she's quick to laugh, she's loving and a physically beautiful child."

Additionally, Bratt admits that his show aims to bring the same optimism to viewers of The Cleaner, saying, “We’re trying to illuminate the theme of hope.  One thing I really love about the show is ultimately it is an exploration about the possibility of a second chance.”

Catch Benjamin Bratt tonight at 10pm on A&E’s The Cleaner.


-Valerie Anne del Castillo, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Boston Herald, Star Pulse
(Photo courtesy of A&E)