Emmy contenders: Behind the scenes of ‘The Good Wife’ with Christine Baranski and Alan Cumming
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Today, Awards Tracker checks in with CBS’ ‘The Good Wife,’ the series in which Julianna Margulies plays Alicia Florrick, a woman who returns to the law career she abandoned after her politician husband is jailed in a scandal. She joins the firm run by her former classmate Will Gardner (Josh Charles) and his partner Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski). She befriends the elusive investigator Kalinda Sharma (Archie Panjabi) and squares off against opposing lawyer Cary Agos (Matt Czuchry). Released from prison, Peter Florrick (Chris Noth) takes another run for office with the help of his obnoxious campaign manager, Eli Gold (Alan Cumming).
Here, Christine Baranski and Alan Cumming share their thoughts.
What has been your favorite scene to shoot so far?
Baranski: Dancing with Will after we win back the firm.
Cumming: I have enjoyed dropping my trousers and demanding whomever to kiss my …. It’s not exhibitionism on my part, honestly. I just think it is great to be embodying a person who at that moment is so completely impervious and immune to all the social rules and mores, and is just behaving in a really base, instinctual way. It’s very liberating for both of us.
What is your favorite off-camera moment on set?
Baranski: Making Josh laugh when I rap.
Cumming: I love seeing the girls rehearse with their curlers in and their Uggs on. It makes me laugh every time. And I love making my behind-the-scenes videos for the CBS website and turning the tables on the crew.
In what way do you hope your character grows?
Baranski: Taller and slimmer and younger.
Cumming: I would like to continue to get more of a glimpse into his personal life. The great thing about him is that he keeps surprising us, and by “us” I mean the audience and me. He has a lot of foibles and a lot of baggage and he is very complex, so I hope I am allowed to keep delving deeper to find out more about him. I also hope we get to see him play the piano, as Chris Noth’s character mentioned he was a concert pianist in the first episode we saw him!
Tell us something about one of your cast mates that most people don’t know.
Baranski: Archie is a pussycat.
Cumming: They are all fantastic kissers.
What’s your favorite legal or political drama of the past and why?
Baranki: ‘Law and Order.’ Early years.
Cumming: There was a series on the BBC in the early ’90s called ‘House of Cards’ that starred Ian Richardson as a Machiavellian politico in Westminster that was absolutely brutal and funny and gasp-inducing. I loved it because the themes were very grand and Shakespearian and yet at the same time it was set in the now. Ring any bells?
[For the record, 11:16 a.m. June 15: A previous version of this post referred to Josh Charles as John Charles.]
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--Elena Howe
Top photo: America Ferrera, left, with Christine baranski on ‘The Good Wife.’ Credit: John Paul Filo / CBS
