SOUTHLAND
MICHAEL CUDLITZ and BEN McKENZIE Interview
“Officer John Cooper” and “Officer Ben Sherman”
SouthLAnd Tuesday nights at 10 PM EST on TNT
March 7, 2011
By Lena Lamoray
About Southland
From Emmy Award winners John Wells, Ann Biderman and Chris Chulack comes a raw and authentic look at a police unit in Los Angeles. From the beaches of Malibu to the streets of East Los Angeles, “Southland” is a fast-moving drama that will take viewers inside the lives of cops, criminals, victims and their families. Michael Cudlitz (“A River Runs Through It”) plays John Cooper a seasoned Los Angeles cop, assigned to train young rookie Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie, “The O.C.”). Cooper’s honest, no-nonsense approach to the job leaves Sherman questioning whether or not he has what it takes to become a police officer. Cudlitz and McKenzie are joined by other cast members, including Regina King (“Ray,” “Jerry Maguire”), who plays Detective Lydia Adams. Adams lives with and is the primary caregiver of her mother. Her partner, Detective Russell Clarke (Tom Everett Scott, “Boiler Room”) is an unhappily married father of three. Michael McGrady (“The Thin Red Line”) plays Detective Daniel “Sal” Salinger. Sal oversees fellow gang detectives Nate Moretta (Kevin Alejandro, “Drive,” “Ugly Betty”) and Sammy Bryant (Shawn Hatosy, “Alpha Dog”). Arija Bareikis (“Crossing Jordan”) plays patrol officer Chickie Brown, a single mom who dreams of being the first woman accepted into SWAT.
I spoke with MICHAEL CUDLITZ and BEN McKENZIE about their characters John Cooper and Ben Sherman in SOUTHLAND. SouthLAnd is such an incredible series and it was an honor to speak with both of these charming gentlemen. Michael plays my favorite character, John Cooper in the show and he made me cry in the finale. You can see the genuine pain in his eyes and it’s heartbreaking. Michael really does a phenomenal job portraying Cooper. Ben will win you over with his stunning fight scenes and his facial expression in the last scene is just absolute perfection. Watch the season three finale of SouthLAnd Tuesday night at 10 PM EST on TNT.
Read the interview: https://lenalamoray.com/INTERVIEW-SOUTHLAND-MICHAEL-CUDLITZ-BEN-McKENZIE.html