Ben on Last Call with Carson Daly

Posted by Michal on March 18, 2010 | Filed under Interviews, Media Alerts, Public Appearances, Southland, Video Updates | Browse the News Archives

Ben’s TV-Guide column: Southland’s Ben McKenzie Discusses the Value of Partnership in “U-Boat”

Posted by Michal on March 16, 2010 | Filed under Media Alerts, Southland | Browse the News Archives

This week’s episode is a very exciting one for me. For the first time, my character will be patrolling the streets alone, without the help of his partner. It can be a nerve-wracking experience for any cop — much less a rookie — to go it alone. The LAPD always partners up patrol cops, except for the sergeants (who act more as supervisors than first-responders). This is primarily for safety reasons: With two cops working in tandem, each can guard the other’s back. If one is incapacitated the other can radio for backup. If one is making a poor decision in a given scenario, the other can often correct that mistake before it proves fatal. John Cooper’s tutelage of Ben Sherman, while seemingly harsh, is necessary so that the rookie learns to make decisions that are in the best interest of both partners. Rookies sometimes have a cowboy mentality — I’m gonna do this alone — and this is not only foolish but dangerous.

In “U-Boat”, however, I am alone. My character ends up responding to a variety of calls by himself. Two of the calls share something in common: One person is being harassed or humiliated by another person, yet there is little the cops can do about it legally. This one of the most frustrating aspects of being a cop; you can’t save everyone. You can’t save the wife whose husband beats her if she refuses to press charges. You can’t keep the ex-boyfriend from stalking his former girlfriend if you can’t prove he is doing so. And you can’t keep a father from disciplining his children in cruel ways if he is not technically violating the law.

Many times, even if you could have charges filed, it’s difficult to tell whether that would make a situation better or worse. Imagine a situation where you come upon parents neglecting or harassing their children, but not in an extreme manner. Simply because they are bad parents doesn’t necessarily mean you should try to remove the children from their home and place them with social services. What’s better for the children? Hard to tell. In many situations it’s difficult to know what the cops “ought” to do. There is no correct answer.

Cops not only have to deal with epic tragedies, such as murders or rapes. They also have to endure the constant small defeats: not being able to make a poor parent better or an abusive relationship healthier. In many ways, cops are powerless to help the very people they have sworn to protect. I think this is an added benefit to partnering up: you have someone along side you with whom you can commiserate. It’s no wonder most partners on the force develop incredibly close bonds — there is only one other person who knows their pain. John Cooper and Ben Sherman may be complete opposites, but their shared experiences mean they will always respect each other, always understand the anger and sadness each carries beneath the surface, and always have each others’ back. In this world, that may be the best you can hope for.

TV-Guide

Ben Mckenzie and Michael Cudlitz on KTLA

Posted by Michal on March 15, 2010 | Filed under Interviews, Media Alerts, Public Appearances, Southland, Video Updates | Browse the News Archives

Ben on the Ellen Show.

Posted by Michal on March 12, 2010 | Filed under Media Alerts, Public Appearances, Site Updates, Southland, Video Updates | Browse the News Archives

Now that “Southland” has found a new home, Ben McKenzie is back to work filming new episodes — sometimes without his pants! he shared a funny story about a scene in which he was wearing next to nothing below the belt.

Ben McKenzie Goes Pantsless

Ben’s TV-Guide column: Southland’s Ben McKenzie Breaks Down “Butch and Sundance”

Posted by Michal on March 12, 2010 | Filed under Media Alerts, Southland | Browse the News Archives

In this week’s episode, we touch on a theme common to our show: the psychological toll exacted on cops who witness extreme violence while on the job. In “Butch and Sundance,” Officers Cooper and Sherman are the first to arrive at the scene of a brutal triple murder. Without revealing too many plot details, suffice it to say that both officers suffer psychologically from witnessing such a horrific event. Cops have a variety of ways of dealing with trauma, and Officer Cooper’s behavior embodies many of them. Repression, displacement, and the use of gallows humor are among the coping mechanisms employed. Sadly, however, these mechanisms are often not enough. In the U.S., two-thirds of officers involved in shootings suffer moderate to severe problems and 70 percent of them leave the force within seven years of the incident. In other words, if Ben Sherman were real, his participation in the “officer-involved shooting” in the pilot would mean he runs a very strong chance of not being a cop in the near future.

Southland is not real, of course. Our main characters experience extreme situations (shootings, car chases, murders, etc) on a weekly basis. In reality, these officers would never encounter these circumstances with such frequency. However, we show these acts for a reason. They help create compelling television (we hope), but they also highlight a fundamental difference between cops and the general public. Cops see the world differently from most of us civilians because they experience the world differently.

Luckily, the vast majority of us have never personally witnessed a violent crime. We have never seen a murder victim lying dead on the ground in front of us, blood oozing from his skull. We are largely insulated from the darkest side of human nature, and for that we ought to be grateful. It is not pleasant to contemplate the fact that you or your loved one could be murdered at any moment.

Instead, most of us experience brutal, horrific violence only through the media filter: TV news and scripted “fake violence” on TV shows (like Southland) or in movies. This violence will never be as truly terrifying and disturbing to us as the real thing because it is not personally experienced; it is just a shared piece of entertainment or news for all of us to consume as a society. And too often, real violence as seen on the local news has become a punch line for us — an opportunity to make a sarcastic crack at the victim’s or suspect’s (or police officer’s) expense. Near the end of “Butch and Sundance” there is a scene where Ben Sherman goes to dinner with his wealthy sisters, and it clearly exposes this rift between cops and civilians.

Cops know the darker side of human nature all too well. It surrounds them, from petty crimes all the way up to murder and rape. It is a burden they carry with them always, the sad knowledge that we humans are deeply flawed creatures capable of despicable acts. I know I could never actually be a cop because I couldn’t shoulder this burden, but I thank God that there are men and women out there who are willing to do so. They keep us safe

TV-Guide

Ben and Michael Cudlitz on KROQ radio (Kevin and Bean Show)

Posted by Michal on March 12, 2010 | Filed under Interviews, Media Alerts, Southland | Browse the News Archives

Click here to listen to the podcast. You can also download it here.