FAIRLY LEGAL: Michael Trucco on Life After Battlestar Galactica

In the new USA Network series Fairly Legal, Michael Trucco plays Justin Patrick, a top attorney at the San Francisco District Attorney’s office – and the ex-husband of Kate Reed (Sarah Shahi), a lawyer turned mediator. It is not an easy task being the ex of a woman whose life ambition is to mediate anything and everything. Fortunately, Justin is the kind of ex-husband who not only carries a torch for his ex-wife, but he also refers to her cases on a regular basis because he knows she is the best person for the job. Playing the hunky, if somewhat saintly Justin seems like a natural fit for Michael Trucco – a super sweet guy in his own right.

Fielding questions from a bevy of reporters during a recent conference call with NiceGirlsTV, Michael talked about what drew him to the role of Justin Patrick. Michael said that while scouting projects after Battlestar Galactica concluded, he came across Fairly Legal and it was such a different series, that he was intrigued. He shared, “I think it’s important for an actor to look for diversity in their roles and I like the idea of playing a human being, for one. I like the tone of the show, the light-hearted, the dramedy so to speak and the character interests me.” He also was drawn on a more personal interest being the son of a police officer and even pursued a college degree in criminal justice for a short time. Despite that background, Michael ruefully admitted he did not retain much of that knowledge. Instead, he attributes his love of the law and legal system to growing up immersed in it. So with both the attractiveness of playing a human-being opposed to a cybernetic organism and working to portray a character in the legal field, Michael did not hesitate to jump at the role on Fairly Legal.

Talking a bit about the challenges of playing Justin, Michael described it mostly as trying to find the balance between his and Sarah’s character, Kate’s relationship. He explained, “We’ve sort of explored the unconventional side of the male character in Justin — and in terms of this relationship between Kate and Justin, we’re in the midst of a divorce when we pick up the series. They still have a relationship that would be considered friends with benefits, so there is definitely an aspect. I think what’s challenging here is that the writers of the show have given Justin the sort of moral perspective.” He further explained that, while Kate may be okay with the “friends with benefits” aspect of the relationship, Justin is not. Michael said, “[Justin’s] not copacetic with this relationship. He doesn’t like the way things stand. He wants some sort of resolve. I find that a unique perspective and one that is challenging in this character.”

While Justin may have conflicted feelings about Kate, Michael is unabashedly happy to be working with his co-star Sarah Shahi. He admitted that while the chemistry on-screen was not instantaneous, he and Sarah have worked diligently to ensure that the audience feels their characters’ chemistry. Michael reflectively said, “The chemistry between Sarah and I is something that we discovered on set. To use a term instantaneous is probably inaccurate. It was more something that you develop as the scenes go on, but it definitely developed in the pilot. You know, when you’re thrown into a scene with somebody and you’re half naked, there’s not a lot of room for discussion. You just jump right in and sometimes the dynamic works between two actors and sometimes it doesn’t — and Sarah and I were fortunate to discover that there was a good rapport.” He also revealed that it works because there is a lot of trust between he and Sarah and that they have a lot fun working off each other. In fact, Michael is the first to admit, “We were very lucky — the chemistry is something you just can’t fabricate. It just is there between two actors or it’s not and having never met Sarah before, we’re very lucky to be able to jump into these roles and discover that there was chemistry and I think it’s working for the two characters and you’ll see it continue throughout the entire series.”

Noting that Justin is not exactly an adrenaline-junkie like some of his previous roles, Michael is pleased that he is getting to stretch his creative acting-wings. He likes having diversity in the roles he plays and thus is enjoying the chance to portray a lawyer for a change. He shared, “I think that has always been part of my DNA is the fact that my father was a police officer for my entire life growing up — and, before I pursued acting full-time, I had every intention of going into some form of law enforcement work. So I think it is poetic to be able to get to play a lawyer.”

Michael also noted that he is itching for the chance to show-off in the courtroom.  “Justin’s character is clearly a prosecutor. I think he does his best work in the courtroom,” Michael mused. “For me personally, I would love a shot at an episode in which we get to see Justin in his element. I would love to see a high-profile case in which Justin is given the lead and given the rein to try in the courtroom.”

Besides Justin’s skills in and out of the courtroom, Michael thinks there is a lot more going on with Justin that perhaps has not been revealed so far. He believes that Justin is more than just a guy who sees things in black-and-white. Michael elaborated with analysis of Justin’s feelings and relationship with Kate, “I think there is no clarity yet in [their relationship] and I think there’s a certain irony that Justin in his job and his 9-to-5 and his work is all about clarity, black and white. No gray area. I think the irony here is that when it comes to his personal life, he — they can’t make that judgment. They can’t decide yes or no.” He further speculated, “I think that’s what makes their relationship so complicated and that’s what makes love in general so difficult. [Kate and Justin], on paper, are not right for each other. They’re butting heads all the time and they just discovered that they have a real tough time living with one another, but there’s still a strong physical attraction, obviously, but there’s also an emotional attraction. I think Justin is trying to find some resolution. I would say that he’s swaying towards a permanent separation, just for some clarity, but that isn’t so easy. It’s just not that black and white when it comes to love.” Despite Kate and Justin’s inherently different takes on the legal system and how to achieve justice, which creates a natural conflict between them, they are still drawn to each other – and there clearly is still a lot of love between them.

Talking about how he has tried to flesh out Justin, Michael shared, “I like to try to bring a purpose and loyalty to the character. Whatever that character’s arc or that character’s intentions are, I like to bring a clear sense of purpose.” Which may be crucial for a lawyer working at the District Attorney’s office who finds himself in a bit of a tug-of-war with his ex on how to best achieve a fair result for their clients and each other. Michael also emphasized, “I think Justin’s where he is for a reason . . . Justin and Kate, as characters, they’re two type A personalities that are constantly butting heads — he’s a bit tenacious in the courtroom. I have a feeling, unlike for Kate, for Justin, the law is black and white. There is right and wrong. There is yes and no. There are winners and losers — just as long as I’m always the winner because, as a prosecuting attorney, if I put you on trial, then you’re guilty or else you wouldn’t be there. So there is no ambiguity. There is no gray area, and I think that’s a facet that Justin brings to the courtroom. Absolute clarity, absolute purpose and, you know — losing is not an option.”

Thus, for Michael, he is drawn to the dichotomy of the character and what he represents. He shared, “Justin represents the city of San Francisco and he takes an approach that is more pragmatic. He has a fierce sense of duty. . . There’s a sense of purpose — direction.” It is this uncompromising approach that makes the role interesting for him.

To illustrate, Michael described one of his recent favorite scenes, “Without giving too much away, there’s a scene between Sarah and myself, between Justin and Kate, in which the cute pretense is dropped. Oftentimes when you see these two characters on screen, there’s a certain comedic air. There’s lightness to it, there’s banter, there’s sexual tension and we do have a scene in an upcoming episode in which all that pretense is dropped and the gloves are off. Justin lets her have it. It was a new aspect of the character to explore. There was no cute one-liner, no banter, nothing tongue-in-cheek. There is a scene where he just dresses her down and— it was pretty powerful to shoot that scene.”

Finally, Michael happily noted, “This is a unique experience [to] actually start from the beginning because it is a trend I have of coming onto an already established product and being lucky enough to get to play characters that were definitely memorable— they were written so and they were big arcs on these particular shows. So this is a little bit different for me to start from page one. I hope I can carry that energy and establish a character that is memorable and that people want to see week after week. The result is to be determined. We’re just getting out of the gates. I’m as curious as you are.”

When asked what is the best reason to be watching Fairly Legal, Michael without hesitation replied, “I’ll give you two words: Sarah Shahi. She’s fantastic. She’s brilliant in the part, full of energy, unpredictable, beautiful to look at and she anchors our show. This is going to put Sarah on the map because she’s a star in the making.”

On that high note, be sure to tune in watch Michael Trucco in an all new episode of Fairly Legal on Thursday, February 3 at 10/9c on USA Network.