‘Notorious’ Behind the Scenes: How Piper Perabo, Daniel Sunjata Created Sparks on Set (Exclusive Photos)
Fall TV Preview: “We give each other space,” actor tells TheWrap about his work with Perabo on ABC’s new Thursday night drama
A version of this story about “Notorious” first appeared in the print edition of TheWrap Magazine’s Fall TV Issue.
ABC is making a big bet on its new fall drama “Notorious,” breaking up its reliable Thursday night lineup to schedule the show between the Shondaland heavy-hitters “Grey’s Anatomy” and “How to Get Away With Murder.”
Based on the real-life relationship between “Larry King Live” producer Wendy Walker and civil defense attorney Mark Geragos, the drama follows the ethically questionable partnership between a seasoned cable news producer (Piper Perabo of “Covert Affairs”) and a high-profile lawyer (“Graceland” alum Daniel Sunjata) who work together for their mutual benefit, occasionally with some friction.
Perabo plays Julia George, executive producer of the fictional entertainment news show “Louise Herrick Live” — or as showrunner Josh Berman put it, “She’s the boss.”
Perabo describes her character as an “ambitious hustler,” but it’s clear that the actress, who self-identifies as a “news junkie,” holds both the character and news producers in general in high esteem.
“These are really smart people who are really well-versed in politics and world news that can work as an incredible team,” she said, getting animated as she described the visit.
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While shooting a scene that took place in the broadcast’s control room, she never once looked up from the monitor before the show-within-a-show went to a commercial break, even though Sunjata’s character, attorney Jake Gregorian, was trying to speak to her the entire time.
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Sunjata recalled the first scene he shot with Perabo for the pilot, and the first scene their characters share in the series.
In the scene, Jake casually strolled out of a fancy sports car while Julia pulled him into an elevator, racing to get him up to the studio in time for a segment.