LOS ANGELES _ Look for Kate Jennings Grant, one of the stars of the new ABC drama "Notorious," to be arrested early in the season and charged with grand theft. The New Jersey native steals almost every scene.
Grant portrays Louise Herrick, the wickedly confident and cool host of "Louise Herrick Live" (LHL), the No. 1 TV news program in the country. The series will revolve around the antics of her executive producer (played by Piper Perabo) to land the big stories.
"She's delicious, isn't she?" Grant says of her character. The actress is lounging on a white sofa in the ballroom where ABC is hosting a party for press and cast members from their new fall shows. "She's smart and dangerous, also."
Herrick is someone who is comfortable with her sexuality, not only embracing the idea is that 40 is the new 30, but in her case, it's more like the new 20. But she's not just an attractive talking head as she shows when the cameras roll. This is a veteran news person who is well informed.
Although best known for her work on Broadway, Grant has appeared on a long list of TV shows, including "The Good Wife," "True Blood" and "Commander in Chief." She comes to "Notorious" directly from Broadway, where she most recently starred in the Tony-nominated revival of "Noises Off."
Grant's stage career in New York has included leading roles on Broadway in "The Lyons," opposite Linda Lavin; "Proof," with Neil Patrick Harris; and Donald Margulies' most recent drama, "The Country House," alongside her current "Notorious" co-star Daniel Sunjata.
She was an avid pianist growing up and dreamed of being a professional accompanist and music director. Her high school choir teacher encouraged her to get off the piano bench and try singing. That was the start of her acting career.
Grant also had one other possible career plan when she went to college.
"I've always wanted to be a news reporter and one of those things I thought about early in life," Grant says. "But I ended up going in a different career direction."
Grant has played journalists over the years but no role was as big, as brash or as bold as the one for "Notorious." She also watches a lot of TV news. This, she says, helped her step into the "Notorious" role.
She's not certain why journalism seemed so appealing at one time.
"I think there's something great about instantly reporting from all sides of a situation. It's a lot like acting because I have to be able to communicate and tell a story," Grant says.
You can see Grant's first scene-stealing work when "Notorious" debuts at 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, on ABC.
FAMILY TIES
Scott Eastwood found that growing up with one of the most touted directors in Hollywood was an advantage for him once he began his own acting career. Clint Eastwood, one of the most no-nonsense directors to ever step behind a camera, passed on to his youngest son an impatience he has for directors who aren't able to quickly make up their minds.
That came in handy when the younger Eastwood signed on to star in the new Oliver Stone-directed biopic, "Snowden." Eastwood plays Trevor, the man supervising Edward Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) when he stole and distributed millions of pieces of classified material. The film opens Sept. 16.
Eastwood says that being around his actor/director father "showed me how I want to do it, the kind of people I want to work for. How someone can do it streamlined and easy and not over-think things."
Just like his father, Scott Eastwood is very direct. He's willing to answer questions, but his answers are short and to the point. That's the same approach he took when deciding he wanted to become an actor.
He never thought about the implications of having an actor father when he was young. It wasn't until he was in college in Santa Barbara that it became clear to Eastwood what he wanted to do.
"I was waiting tables. After being there about six or eight months, I had a moment of clarity," Eastwood says. "I looked around and I saw a bunch of people who had graduated college, and they were still waiting tables.
"They were all talking about going to get a job. A light went off in my head. I decided I wasn't going to wait four years to be in the same situation I was in at the time. I knew if I went and hustled then, I would be four years ahead when I got to the point of those around me."
Once he decided to attack the acting world, Eastwood clicked off a variety of roles in "Gran Torino," "Texas Chainsaw 3D," "Fury," "The Longest Ride" and "Suicide Squad."
Next up for him is "Fast 8."
