Interview with MATTHEW RHYS - Part II

by Andrew Major 

Hey there.   Andrew Major here.   It's time for the second part of our Matthew Rhys interview. 

Many thanks to those of you who submitted questions and comments...

ANDREW:  So, I have a few questions and comments from our bloggers… 

MATTHEW:  Cool.

ANDREW:  One blogger wrote, “All I have to say is that during the great clip show I almost FELL OFF MY COUCH. It happened when Matthew Rhys opened his mouth as himself and that SWOON-WORTHY Welsh accent filled up my living room. I literally cranked the volume for all of his comments and WISHED he was actually here. WOW!”  What do you have to say to the fans of our blog who think you have a sexy Welsh accent?

MATTHEW:  (BIG LAUGHTER)  That’s nice because in the British Isles it’s the accent that gets the most poked at.  Everyone makes fun of the Welsh accent because they think we’re hick and stupid.  So it’s nice to hear someone say they like the accent.

ANDREW:  Another blogger wrote, “He seems to have the gift of completely embodying, inhabiting a character, from the inside looking out (with those nuances that bring a character alive....)”  I would agree with that.  So, how much of you is in Kevin and do you have an approach to playing him?

MATTHEW:  Thank you. Actually, if you were to go back to the beginning of last season you’d see how much I floundered.  The great beauty of doing TV is that you have the luxury of time. TV gives you the opportunity to explore and develop and nurture and fine tune.  The other great thing is what the writers do – they pick up very quickly and write to your strengths.  An enormous part of it is that the writing is really good.  Like Sally says, you just say the words and don’t get in the way.  It’s very true.  You know, the creators brought a fully rounded, fully fleshed out character to the page before I showed up – so the job was a lot easier.  The backstory was very detailed.  Yes, there’s a way I approach characters based on drama school and training but, with Kevin, I’ve just had the opportunity to develop – and that’s the luxury.

Matthew is the only non-American of the B&S boys.

ANDREW:  How did you develop such a command over Kevin’s American accent?  People always assume it’s really hard to speak American, but is it really?

MATTHEW:  It’s a hard accent to master.  It’s really tough.  Different dialects like New York or southern are easy because they’re so distinct.  But California is hard because it’s more about tone than sound.  It’s hard.  In drama school you do a lot of dialogue work.  Playing American characters in the past has helped.  When you come out to LA for pilot season you work on it too. 

[In case you wondered, Matthew was speaking mostly American during this interview. --ed.]

ANDREW:  Someone from Singapore wrote, “I hope there’s a bigger role for Kevin this year.”  Will you have a bigger role this year?

MATTHEW:  I don’t know, ask your boss.  (Laughter)  I’m happy.  They always give me interesting stuff.  It’s nicely balanced.  I get nice legal stuff where I’m a different person, and then a lot of floundering relationship stuff.  So I’m lucky I guess. 

ANDREW:  Why’d you quit the softball team?

MATTHEW:  I’m committing to my charity work.

ANDREW:  Are you dodging the question?

MATTHEW:  Um, no.

Rhys was an integral part of the B&S softball team until his mysterious exit.

ANDREW:  Final question, can I hang out with you, Keira, Cillian, and Siena sometime?

MATTHEW:  Yeah.

ANDREW:  Really?!

MATTHEW:  No.

ANDREW:  All right then.  Thanks for your time.

MATTHEW:  Thank you.

Comments

[will]

Cute pic of Matthew on the softball field.

I feel a little weird right now (CeCe would say "fangirly"). Reading this interview is the equivalent of being back in high school & leafing through "Tiger Beat".... or "Seventeen" magazine....

Oh, f--k it, I'll go with the flow & just SWOOOOON..... In this fantasy, Matthew gets Leonardo DiCaprio as his next love interest. Or Christian Bale. SWOOOOOON. Those are a couple morning-after scenes I'd like to witness (bare chests & boxer-briefs in the a.m. please).

On a serious note, these courthouse excursions we occasionally see Kevin in.... Get Kevin involved in a long-running legal case... take us INSIDE his world, in a way that is greater than colorful "backdrop". Both Kevin's courthouse trips & Kitty's campaign outings.... give you the feeling of being Harlequin romance filler.... exotic pastures to set the characters in.... All the occupations & workplaces of B&S (Kevin in court, Kitty hitting the campaign trail, Sarah & Holly at Ojai, etc) all feel like malnourished plot devices. Photo ops to show they do something away from home. They seem to be little more than hangers....to hang the various relationships on & I think the entire B&S atmosphere would blossom & bloom with more dynamic, more delineated, dramatically involving workplaces. I mean, you have them in these locales ANYWAY, going through the motions....

I guess I'm saying I'd love to see an entire fluid world happening here. Stick-figure workplaces & plot diversions can be every bit as frustrating as stick-figure characters. And, please, I REALLY hope Kevin gets to stay romantically active while Jason's away.... get him involved with a cute interesting guy...just not sexually active (& NOT Scotty!)....have Kevin just starting to REALLY FALL for another guy (Kevin never cheats! but comes just short of it) as Jason makes his way back. Then, you have a nice romantic triangle to work with to spice up Jason's return. And we all the drama of love romantic triangles.

[ilovemylife]

Thanks for the interview. Just a little complaint: too short.

Is his charity work - forming another softball team? : )

[will]

NIELSEN NUMBERS

"Dancing with the Stars", "Grey's Anatomy" & "Desperate Housewives" continue to be ABC's powerhouse trifecta - all are listed in the top 5 this week (not unusual). And the next ABC show to appear on Neilsen's list...? Our own "Brothers & Sisters" which has been averaging 12 to 13 million viewers a week this season.

Wow. "Ugly Betty" is starting an ugly descent. "Brothers & Sisters" kicked Betty's #ss all 3 weeks of the new season, but now it's getting crazy. "Boston Legal" & Betty are listed in the #27 & 28 spots (in the overall rankings, compared to "Brothers & Sisters" #17 ranking). ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" is in the very un-sexy #39 position & can now be said to be in a state of cautious freefall (as anyone who watched the damned premiere could have easily predicted). Skimming down the list, ABC's "Men in Trees" & the new "Cavemen" are ranked #58 & 59, & are now drawing the same numbers that "What About Brian?" was drawing before WAB? got unceremoniously cancelled (I don't think the B&S softball team - GO DAVE! - will be spending many more Saturday afternoons mixing it up with the "Cavemen" ballclub).

At any rate, for those of you who don't follow weekly ratings, "Brothers & Sisters" is in a healthy position on ABC's current roster. It was the 4th most-watched ABC show (out of 19 listed ABC shows) this past week. Now maybe the haters can stop predicting gloom & doom (& Sodom & Gommorah) because Kevin chooses to bang a guy or two during his busy workweek.

[Jude]

Thanks for the interview with Matthew, Andrew! Nicely done!

[Kate]

Thanks for both interviews with Matthew--very cool to use some q's from the bloggers and I was happy my comment (fell off the couch) made him laugh. I did not know the Welsh accent was looked down on in the British Isles--how can this be?? It is soooo....:) He is so talented and such a joy to watch.

[Becca]

Andrew and Matthew,

Thanks for taking the time to post Part 1 and 2 of the interview.

This is a great cast and a terrific show. I enjoy watching Kevin flounder in his relationships and then be a bulldog in court. You're a wonderful artist! I look forward to seeing more of Kevin this season.

[Jon]

Coach here. After some mid-season contract re-negotiations, Matthew Rhys is very much still a part of the softball team. In fact he had a hit and a walk last Sunday and will be in the lineup on Saturday.

[Jude]

All right for the softball team!
I would love to see a video of the team show up on You Tube sometime--any possibilities?

[will]

"Viva Laughlin"

OK. I'm checking this premiere out solely for the ERIC FACTOR. If it hadn't been for "Brothers & Sisters", this show would have probably flown under my radar. Some guy wants to build a fabulous luxury 1300-room hotel-casino.... and when we meet him he sings along with Elvis' "Viva Las Vegas". Yes, that's right, he SINGS along with Elvis & the entire scene is staged as a splashy musical production number. In fact, my television cable menu is billing this program as a "musical drama". It obviously wishes to be avant-garde.... or something SPECIAL.

Another character, played by Hugh Jackman (star of Broadway & the X-Men franchise), enters singing along to the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy with the Devil". OK, I'm not even 20 minutes in yet & the dialogue sucks, the characters are stock characters and here's the most frustrating part.... you can SEE the money spent here! The cast, the production values. A potentially bold idea carried out with a dull, platitudinous script & actors vainly trying to make a lousy idea work (at least it's lousy as packaged here....it was apparently based on a successful British TV program, but americans have a long history of taking British successes & completely f*cking them up).

Oh, and here's Melanie Griffith slinking around in lingerie & trying to be SEDUCTIVE (these characters seem to be playing ONE characteristic).... Melanie's character & the first guy, the entrepreneur, sing along to Blondie's "One Way or Another". This may SOUND innovative - the characters singing their way through their little dramas - but what we actually see is quite tiresome. Musicals should give you a LIFT, leave you feeling a little giddy & light-hearted. This thing is a mish-mash of genres & leaves you feeling anxious, with a sense of ennui, a sense of dread.... the same feeling I get when I'm forced to watch "Dirty Sexy Money".

Over-simplistic plotlines, stock characters.....who break into SONG (it's like demented karaoke)....and CBS is plugging it between commercial breaks like it's the next red hot thing..... Good. Eric Winter finally enters. He is speaking with the Lloyd Owen entrepreneur character. Maybe the 2 will suddenly break into singing the Pet Shop Boys' "Go West" & liven things up. No such luck. Eric looks like Jason McCallister. He obviously misses his church congregation & snuggling in bed with sarcastic Kevin. He is trapped in this claustophobic hellish conception. Please COME HOME, Eric.

All right. There's no way this ting can keep my interest. I'm fidgetiing. It's dulling my senses. It's like camp, except with all the fun drained out. To B&S fans: Trust me. This thing is going to flop. "Cavemen" flop. I'd be willing to wager major cash. Eric is as good as back HOME (provided B&S takes him back....& you'd freaking better take him back!).

[Maria de Albuquerque]

Hi! I’m from Lisbon, Portugal, and a big fan of “Brothers and Sisters”. The first season finished last summer and I’m longing for the next one. Meanwhile, sometimes I look for news about the show on internet.
I must confess that I don’t like the American Administration, your foreign politics, your judicial system and many other things, but I guess this is not the right place to talk about these issues.
I actually think that, in general, Americans are narrow minded, and this show works a little beat like a stone on a pond! But just a little beat, as we can notice, for instance, by the way you approach the love relationships of the characters: straight couples are shown loving each others, like normal people do, and gay couple kissing once in a while, furtively, without passion! Don’t gay people hug, touch each other and make love? I’m a straight woman, but I have gay friends and I know that they are just ordinary people, just like me. I always taught my children (a boy and a girl) that we are all different but equals, so they must respect the differences, and do something for a better world, being good citizens and fight for eradicate injustices. TV shows could help changing mentalities, being pedagogic (?) to the viewers.
Here we have a tolerant society, we have gay politicians, gay actors, and this is not a big issue, the public really don’t care about it (of course there are some homophobes like everywhere!). But there are still many things to do in that area, like legal marriage and adoption by gay couples and not only by singles, items that our government promised to legislate during this legislature, a very good moment because it has an absolute majority in Parliament (I’m sorry for being so boring !!!).

Back to the show: I like all characters specially the mother and daughters, but my favourite is with no doubt Kevin. The way Mathew Rhys plays (acts?) is such a pleasure! I’m afraid that you are “cutting his legs” with his commitment to the priest in Malaysia (was it because of censorship pressure?). When he is playing with Luke Macfarlane they are so relaxed, they show emotions, empathy and tenderness, but the character Scotty should be more positive about himself, his self-esteem is so low! I liked very much the story with Chad, the dialogues were great, he is a gorgeous man, but Jason Lewis was so uneasy in his skin (?).

As a lawyer myself, and a hard working one, I would like to see Kevin Walker doing some real lawyer work. And Kevin please don’t be so snob when you do pro bono work, poor people need protection!

To finish, I just want to say that the show was and will be on one of our public TV networks and not on a private one, which I think is important because that network has for mission to provide what we call public services.
I’m sorry for being so boring, and for the inevitable English mistakes!
Good luck for you all, Maria de Albuquerque.

[JoAnne]

This kind of "musical drama" was tried before, it
was called "cops" (or something like that) didn't work then and is certainly not going to work now.

[John]

Hey Will... Variety just reported that CBS has cancelled "Viva" just four days after the premiere aired! So maybe the good Senator's brother will be returning sooner than later!

[will]

Maria: (if you're still out there) Thanks for those comments. I like hearing how other countries treat their gay brothers & sisters. The internet is a revolutionary thing. On youtube, I watch the gay Luke-Noah storyline from the soap "As the World Turns"....& the wild part is that there are regular viewers from Brazil, the United Kingdom, Amsterdam, France, South Korea, Japan....all posting in after episodes & sharing their experience. And here you are from Portugal.... Beautiful thing. Sounds like Portugal is a lot more tolerant of difference than the U.S. (And you're 100% correct....B&S COULD, should take the lead & give us a vital, positive gay COUPLE. If not B&S, THEN WHO???)

And, by the way, your English is fine!

Love the interview! I've been so impressed by Matthew and Rachel Griffiths' accents; they're nearly flawless - it's amazing!

This is a bit random, but in episode 3, Kevin had a line where he asked Tommy something like, "Why don't you use a bowl like any other human being?" Was that a reference to Withnail & I (Richard E. Grant's "Why don't you use a cup like any other human being?", or am I just being crazy?

[Rosita]

Hello everyone I am a big fan of B&S ! the character of Matthew Rhys is the best ! Kevin is for me the brother than I've always wanted to have!!1 I am from Peru and Here also the show is begining but I have to say a lot like me we are hook up with the show !!! Sorry about mi english but Iwant to say Congratulations to Matthew he is a terrific actor !!

[Carlton]

I saw the entire first season of the show but I have to stop. One of my uncles was sent to a forced labor camp for being gay, in Cuba as were thousands of other people on that island in the decade of the sixties, then I see Danny Glover appear as a guest star, a man who praises the only country in the western hemisphere that had a systematic persecuton of gays, with the entire weight of the state falling on them.
How can B&S pretend to care about gay rights? Kevin is lucky not to be Cuban. I can no longer watch B&S.

[a raping nose]

This show makes me giggle out loud with my hand to mu mouth. IT IS AWESOME AND BRILLIANT AND A+++ I SAY.

[just a nobody]

hey what's that about a baseball team? anybody knows more about that? would be cool to watch them play.

[Mario]

Hey B&S
Thank you so much for your support for the gay community.

I'm 17 years old and this is the first time I've ever blogged on the internet. But I feel that this show is giving me more and more opportunities to establish myself as a gay; therefore, I feel strongly about posting here. Kevin
Walker is without a doubt my favourite character. Matthew Rhys brings all the aspects of me in a sense to the screen. I find it very enticing to see thoughts, feelings, and emotions flooding through Matthew Rhys as he presents to the nation a different side to homosexuality, and how truly human gays are.

Being gay myself makes it challenging for me to express myself. But watching B&S gives me the courage to face this intimidating world. I am so very thankful for the support that I see on this website; to know that there are people all over this world with tolerance and an accepting nature.

Anyway, back to Matthew, I can't tell you how grateful I am to be represented to the vast nation of America and Canada (that's where I live) by someone who truly portrays the gay man of society. It's awesome to not have to watch a stereotypical obnoxiuos gay that's sex-driven on such a remarkable show.
It gives me the hope for the better that with this big step in tv, homosexuality will be looked upon in a brighter light, and will eventually make my life as a gay easier with the continuous growth of acceptance.

Thank you B&S and you Matthew Rhys for helping thousands of us frightened teenagers receive the support that we need in order to face such a discriminating world.

[David Aaron & Johnny Bash...Chicago]

Dear Cast Members, Producers, Directors & Crew,

We're devout FANS and enjoy
your work while wishing you
continued success!

PLEASE! Vocals in background music is distracting! Apt to miss
dialog.

David, Georgia & Johnny

[becky mash]

Kevin you're tyhe best,totally talented,i meean Matthew,lol.n ur accent rocks

[jack]

Kevin has the force and sensibility that the family has not. He represents all the ways of many people of the show.