Benjamin Bratt Returns to TV as The Cleaner

• Jul 14, 2008 07:40 PM ET
• by TV Guide News

Benjamin Bratt returns to series TV (finally!) with the gritty, hopeful drama The Cleaner (Tuesdays at 10 pm/ET, A&E), which follows a recovering addict in charge of a crew of "extreme interventionists" who'll stop at nothing to help others find treatment. We hit him up for a quick fix. - Damian Holbrook


TV Guide: Just as you come back to TV, Chris Noth leaves another Law & Order. Did Dick Wolf call and offer you your old badge?
Benjamin Bratt: Not this time. [ Laughs]

TV Guide: Why return to series TV now?
Bratt: At the end of the day, I simply want to work. I feel like I'm at my best when I'm working, and the lines are really blurred between the mediums. Any actor worth his salt would be content doing good work, be it in film, TV or stage. Of course, the added bonus of this being an A&E show is there is a creative freedom in our approach to the drama that allows for a more authentic feel.

TV Guide: Kidnapping. Carjacking. The character seems a little above the law, no?
Bratt: Yeah, he has a "by any means necessary" approach to things that's questionable sometimes in regards to legalities. But he gets the job done.

TV Guide: It's like Touched by a Junkie.
Bratt: [ Laughs] That's very good. You should come write for us.

TV Guide: How do you prepare to play someone who's already hit rock bottom?
Bratt: Well, the good news is, I'm a man in his early 40s, so I've lived a life and this character has definitely lived a life.

TV Guide: Any special guest stars planned?
Bratt: We're drawing great actors to come play with us.... So far we've had Kathy Baker, Isaiah Washington, Eric Roberts, Tate Donovan and Annabeth Gish come on and just kill it.

TV Guide: What's your worst vice?
Bratt: Man, I've been trying to come up with a really creative way to dodge that question. [ Laughs] Let's just leave that one alone.... Were all human, right?