“Damages” isn’t exactly going for laughs in Season 3, which started last Monday, but it will feature veteran comics Lily Tomlin and Martin Short as — probably as bad guys.
Probably because it’s always a little hard to tell on the FX legal drama who the good guys are or if there even are any. One of the fascinating aspects of “Damages,” which has earned 14 Emmy nominations over its first two season, is the moral ambiguity of its main character, Patty Hewes, a high- powered New York attorney played by Emmy and Golden Globe winner Glenn Close.
This season her character will be trying to recover billions of dollars from a massive Wall Street investment fraud — a la Bernie Madoff — but comes up against the powerful Tobin family, the matriarch of which is played by Tomlin, while Short is the clan’s lawyer, Leonard Winstone.
One reason they wanted Tomlin and Short, says “Damages” executive producer Todd Kessler, was because the pair would “embody this sense of nothing is as it seems.”
“I was a fan of the show from Day One,” Tomlin says, “and it’s the only show I’ve ever run home to see, no matter what.”
Short, too, was a fan of the show, and while people see him as a funny guy, he doesn’t think playing a shady lawyer is really a stretch.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve done an endless amount of serious roles,” Short says, “but I think of myself as a character actor, and you play characters in a sincere fashion.”
And does his character — like so many others on “Damages” — have a secret agenda?
“I certainly think Leonard Winstone appears to have only the interest of the Tobin family, and yet we’re not convinced that’s the case. And that’s the most fascinating thing to play.”
“Damages” has no shortage of top- flight actors. Along with stars Rose Byrne and Tate Donovan, returning to the series this season are Ted Danson, Michael Nouri and Tom Noonan.
Close says she’s thrilled to have Tomlin and Short as part of the cast.
“My first scene with Martin and Lily is when I was deposing Lily, and I was sitting across from the two of them. . . . It was a very surreal experience, having watched them my whole career and loved them. And I can’t tell you how invigorating, inspiring, fun it is.” The actress says she was even “jealous” because she doesn’t have a lot of scenes with the pair.
The show’s other mystery is whether Patty is good or bad.
“I think Patty’s goals are always pretty good,” Close says. “She doesn’t like bullies. She fights for people who can’t fight.” On the other hand, the actress admits that “Patty doesn’t want to lose, and she’ll do whatever she needs to do not to lose.”
