"I don't think there's another actor on the planet who would be better for the role," gushes FX president John Landgraf. "She's the best of her generation at this."
Cast against type, sitcom veteran Ted Danson, 59, plays an archly corrupt zillionaire CEO, target of a class-action suit by Hewes' clients. His case will run through the season's 13 episodes.
As befits her status as a five-time Oscar nominee, Close is doing Damages on her own terms.
Damages is shot entirely in New York. She's a New Yorker. She only did one season on The Shield because it's produced in L.A.
She has a contractually mandated 21/2-week production break until July 30. For her, the issue was a deal-breaker.
She wants time with her only child, Annie, 19, who is home from college for the summer. "We have an unusual relationship," Close says. "We like each other's company."
Having devoted decades to her profession, "I'm less apt to sacrifice stuff than I was in the beginning," she says. "Networks like FX have more flexibility. It wasn't an outrageous request."
True fact. Denis Leary, star of FX's Rescue Me, takes two two-week holidays with his family per production cycle, according to Landgraf. For Damages' subsequent seasons, dates will be moved up so it wraps by May, he says.
The show is a natural fit for the network.
Landgraf labels Close's Patty Hewes "the absolute equal" of any of the male leads on FX shows. That's saying something, given the testosterone count of that mondo-butch club. (Just consider Vic Mackey of The Shield.)
"A badass is a badass," Landgraf says. "The character is made of steel. She has a deeply complex backstory and complicated family life. Ultimately, she's absolutely indefatigable, relentless."
