Closer's J.K. Simmons Is Up for a Fight
J.K. Simmons, The Closer
Are things about to heat up for ex-lovers Will Pope and Brenda Leigh Johnson on TNT's
The Closer (Mondays at 9 pm/ET)? Sensing that an interdepartmental romance might be brewing sometime soon, TVGuide.com Q&A'd the assistant police chief's portrayer,
J.K. Simmons, about the show's success and its possible move to the fall battlegrounds, while also seeking out some scoop on
Spider-Man 3.
TVGuide.com: I'm looking at this scene shot of you in the new TV Guide, and you're curling dumbbells that are, what, 30, 40 lbs. each?
J.K. Simmons: I think those dumbbells were 80 lbs. [total]. I always do half [real weight] and half [prop weight], because you end up doing 150 reps, but you've got to have some weight to make it look good.
TVGuide.com: How is it being a fiftysomething guy in the middle of a simmering, prime-time love triangle?
Simmons: It's a beautiful thing to be the "old bald guy" and have writers and a network that actually realize that the bald guys occasionally want to get in on the action, too. [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: In your opinion, why do some fans want Brenda with Pope?
Simmons: We laid it out in the pilot that there was a history between them and that something was still there. In Season 1 she had just arrived at the LAPD and he was married to wife No. 2, and we had a couple of scenes dealing with our relationship — what it was, what it might be, what it might not be. It's one of those things that's really fun to revisit once in a while, because our relationship has always ebbed and flowed on the edge of "is anything going to happen?" It's a good subplot.
TVGuide.com: Both being law-people, they must feel that to act on any lingering feelings would be akin to "breaking rules."
Simmons: Oh, it's absolutely rule-breaking, yeah, if she were to sleep with the boss. But as of now, we haven't shot that scene yet.
TVGuide.com: The tease for this week's episode is that Fritz starts spending more time with a female FBI colleague, which might push Brenda toward Pope?
Simmons: Yeah. I think Fritz has been a little pissy, a little whiny lately [Laughs] and this adds a little more of a push for Brenda in the big guy's direction.
TVGuide.com: You probably look forward to having something to do besides bark at poor Kyra Sedgwick.
Simmons: Absolutely. To have something a little more tender with Kyra would be a beautiful thing!
TVGuide.com: Do you and cast mate G.W. Bailey ever fight over dibs on the double-initial first name?
Simmons: Yeah, and we once got into a big thing with B.D. Wong and C.C.H. Pounder. No, in my case — and it was probably the same with G.W. — when I joined SAG, I wasn't able to use my own name. Initials [were] the best choice I was left with.
TVGuide.com: Worst case, you get mixed up with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, right?
Simmons: Exactly. I'd like her residual checks to find their way to me.
TVGuide.com: There has been some talk at the TCA summer Press Tour that The Closer might have proven itself worthy of being a fall series. Have you heard anything?
Simmons: I pretty much steer clear of any of that kind of stuff; I just show up to work. Obviously, they let us know the numbers are great and all that.... I think we're very happy where we are, and I'm very happy personally doing 15 episodes instead of 22 or 24. That gets to be a real grind, and it's hard for the writers to keep up the quality. This job is exactly what I was looking for when the family moved out to L.A. three years ago — it's good writing, and it's a nice part, but I'm not there five days a week/15 hours a day like poor Kyra is! It gives me time to do films and this and that.
TVGuide.com: Speaking of your films, are you done shooting Spider-Man 3? [Simmons plays Peter Parker's boss, Johan Jameson.]
Simmons: Yeah, we wrapped two or three weeks ago.
TVGuide.com: The box-office bar has been raised a bit by Pirates of the Caribbean 2, eh?
Simmons: [Laughs] Yeah, I'd say so!
TVGuide.com: What's your feeling on Spider-Man 3? Judging by the trailers, it looks darker.
Simmons: I think it pulls in a lot of interesting directions. Of course, we're a long ways from seeing a final version of it, but my stuff, we had a lot of fun doing. I probably had not as much to do as I did in the second one, and maybe a little more than I had in the first one. But from what I saw the new bad-guy stuff is once again going to top its predecessor.
TVGuide.com: In 2, we met Jonah's son, who in Spider-Man lore evolves into a villain. But they're not playing that card yet?
Simmons: Not yet. Hopefully there are plenty of cards to play for [Parts] 4, 5, 6.... I'll do a Spider-Man for every two or three years for the next couple of decades if they want. That'd be all right!
TVGuide.com: Was there any talk of Spider-Man 4 on the set?
Simmons: Yeah, it got mentioned. In fact, the last couple of days I shot was at the very end of the schedule — we were doing some night-action scenes in New York — and [director] Sam [Raimi] was talking about it. It's not a done deal because everybody's deals, including Sam Raimi's and all the actors', were for three pictures. But he's certainly open to doing more.
TVGuide.com: Just back up the Brinks truck!
Simmons: Exactly!
TVGuide.com: Who would win in a fistfight: Jonah Jameson or Superman Returns' Perry White, played by Frank Langella?
Simmons: Hmm, Frank's pretty big... But I think I might have a little youth on my side. Also, Jameson's just got more of a nasty streak, so I think I'd probably kick his ass.
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