*Clayne Crawford and Keesha Sharp opened up in exclusive interviews about their roles in the new TV series “Lethal Weapon,” airing on Wednesdays.
Following a showing of “Lethal Weapon” that wowed viewers in the screening room at the Crosby Hotel in New York City, Clayne and Keesha were enthusiastic about their new series. I talked to them at the reception immediately following the screening.
Clayne, was there any trepidation taking on Mel Gibson’s role?
CLAYNE CRAWFORD: I’ll be honest with you, I really wasn’t interested in prime time because it had gotten so soft. I turned the role down four times. Finally they said get on a plane—I live in Alabama—read the script, and then turn it down to our faces.
I said, ‘Oh [bleep], I gotta read the [bleep] script now.’ You know what I mean? I read it and was blown away. My fear was not to shame the original [classic] because it was inarguably one of the best scripts every. So I didn’t want to [bleep] with that or Mel Gibson for God’s sake. But after reading the script, I couldn’t pass it up. I fell in love with the material.
Damon told me earlier that he didn’t feel any pressure. Did you feel any after accepting the role of Riggs?
CC: I was terrified. Like I knew everyone was going to hate me and judge the heck out of out of us. I think that was kind of my reservation for not saying yes the first time. After reading the script I really didn’t care what anyone thought. I just said for me as an actor you don’t get these opportunities very often. So I’m just gonna jump in it and have fun with it.
Keesha what was it like playing Damon Wayans’ wife?
KEESHA SHARP: It was so much fun playing opposite Damon, almost like playing tennis. He’s so funny and you always have to be ready to hit that ball hard. I think the three of us just clicked.
You are definitely not the ‘Lethal Weapon’ screen wife we remember that was married to Danny Glover. Can you talk about your role?
KS: She’s a high-powered lawyer and I’m excited about that. She’s 42 and they just had a baby. A lot of women are having babies at that time and they’re able to continue their careers. I think it’s really telling that they decided to do that with his series and I love that they have.
Syndicated Entertainment journalist Marie Moore reports on film and TV from her New York City base. Contact her at [email protected]
Facebook.com/TheFilmStripTM Twitter: @thefilmstrip Instagram.com/thefilmstriptm
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
