Jerry Bruckheimer’s latest procedural drama is ABC’s gritty new series the forgotten. Starring Christian Slater as the head of a group of civilians who try to solve missing person’s cases, the show deals with a different story of the week – think Cold Case mixed with Without a Trace, with a lot of personal drama baked in.
I had a chance to spend a few minutes chatting with Christian Slater about the show, what drew him to it, and why he thinks people should spend some time checking it out!
I’m very interested in what drew you to this particular character?
Well, there were many elements, but I like the character a lot. Alex Donovan, a former Chicago police detective. He’s a real human being. I think he’s a bit of a gritty character. His daughter was kidnapped 2 years ago when she was 8 years old, and that kind of sent him over the edge. As a result of that, his former partner starts to give him these John and Jane Doe cases to work on and investigate and fill the void that he has within himself. What he discovers along the way is that he has the opportunity to give closure to some other people. Closure that he hasn’t been able to get himself yet.
As the episodes go along, will we get more of a history of the characters, see their back story?
Oh yeah! Absolutely – as the stories unfold, what’s great, for me, this really isn’t a “me” show, it’s a “we” show. It’s really a team of people. Alex doesn’t put this team together. It’s comprised of a telephone repairman, a high school teacher, a former medical student, and an office worker. They’re regular people like you and me, who have lives themselves, and jobs that they have to go to. As the show unfolds, we begin to discover why they’re doing what it is that they’re doing as well.
In a few words, what’s the description of the show you’ve been giving people?
The quickest way, I think it’s about humans being willing to help other humans. That’s the quickest way. That’s the shortest possible answer I could give. It really is about humanity. We’re not cops. We run up against brick walls all the time. We don’t always bump into the nicest people, or the most willing people. It’s a show about America, about willingness, about human nature, and about moral character.
Is there a chance as the series goes, that the case won’t always be solved, or is there an understood idea that the team will be successful each week?
The hope of course is that we are successful. I don’t necessarily know if that will be the case. I think that’ll come down to the writers. Really, if you look at it, the truth of the matter is that Alex Donovan hasn’t been successful. He hasn’t been able to find his own daughter. He’s already coming from a point of feeling unfulfilled in that regard, doing what he can to fill the void within himself in some possible way. It’s not like all the answers are nicely wrapped up into a tight little bow every week, and it certainly hasn’t been for Alex, and that’s why he kind of went over the edge for a little while.
Tonight’s episode deals with a missing fiancee, and the only thing to go off of is an engagement ring. Talk a little bit more about that!
A lot of the things I talked about, we definitely hit some brick walls in this episode. Walter’s character makes some efforts, and they don’t go exactly the way he would like them to go. But he’s a persistent guy, he doesn’t give up. I can tell you that Lindsay gets into some serious trouble, and needs to get bailed out.
