We interviewed Becki Newton, Jazz Raycole, and Angus Sampson about their upcoming roles in The Lincoln Lawyer, which streams on Netflix starting May 13. As backwards as it may seem, we’re introducing you to them and their characters with some of Newton’s final words from the chat: “I think you’ll be surprised. People will be surprised every episode.”
And that…is a good way to sum up everything about this series, from top to bottom. We were definitely surprised—repeatedly. In fact, one of the biggest and best surprises was how well all the supporting characters broke stereotypes and defied our expectations of how they “should” come across.
Given the opportunity to talk to the actors, we wanted to know how they saw their characters and what they thought made them so special.
Becki Newton on Lorna
Everyone in this series is there as a part of Mickey Haller’s world. For Becki Newton’s Lorna, on the surface, she’s the second wife. But, again, that’s just the surface—she has “a never-ending well of layers.”
Plenty of shows that focus on a male main character with two ex-wives become recipes for disaster. Thankfully, The Lincoln Lawyer isn’t one of those shows—not at all. So, what makes Lorna “the opposite” of what you might expect her to be?
For Newton, it’s pretty easy. “her intelligence, her connection to Mickey. I think a stereotypical ex-wife is one that’s at-odds with her ex. She’s not running his law office.”
There’s a lot going for this character. And most of it “was really built in. There was so much complexity…There was so much, already, that was unconventional. And the writers and producers weren’t afraid to let us take that and run with it.”
Angus Sampson on Cisco
It’s pretty standard these days for a legal drama to have an investigator type, to the point where it may sometimes start to feel like a trope. But for Sampson, who plays Cisco, something only becomes “a trope if you choose to make it a trope.”
With The Lincoln Lawyer streaming on Netflix, where according to the actor, “they love creative creatives,” getting tropey in a bad way was never an option. And as an actor, he says, “you certainly look to play against type at any occasion. So, hopefully, that manifests across the series. It certainly did when we first read the screenplays.”
Besides, once you hear the series is “a dream project of David E. Kelley’s,” after you take a minute to be like, “wow! Ok. Really? From that point on, you’re just trying to keep up.”
Jazz Raycole on Izzy
If you’ve read the series of books this show is based on, you’ll know Jazz Raycole’s character…isn’t there. She’s replacing a “white surfer guy,” which already makes everything about Izzy “very against the type.” But what really makes her special, and what really works in The Lincoln Lawyer is her relationship with Mickey. Not as a client or a driver…but so much more.
Raycole described it as “comradery and this understanding of their addiction over the course of the series. And they really do come to have this care and support for one another.”
While we’re not spoiling anything for you, and everyone’s experience with addiction is going to be different, I, personally, would like to go on the record and say this series handled that part of Izzy and Mickey’s stories so well. Or, at least, it did based on what I’ve experienced with loved ones in recovery.
Not surprisingly, given how well the representation turned out, Raycole did her research. “I talked to a lot of addicts…just sat down and asked them a number of questions. I watched a lot of of Intervention. Dopesick was a really great book. They also have a six-hour audiobook, as well, that I just listened to. And, you know, when you start reading these message boards, and watching these documentaries, and seeing how family and friends are affected by the person that they love…and how it’s deteriorating them, it’s heartbreaking. I really wanted to honor that and do it justice, so I really did take the time to really, really dig in.”
Mission accomplished.
Oh. And the final word from all three actors? “Watch the show.”
The Lincoln Lawyer will stream on Netflix beginning May 13.
