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Wanted - Interviews

Star hopes 'Wanted' is wanted
TVGuide.com Insider, Aug. 31, 2005

In a great interview, Lee says he'll be a long-haired lawyer in a "Law & Order" guest-star appearance and that it's "looking good" for Wanted's renewal.

Paid To Play
TNT, August 2005
Lee lives out his childhood dream of being an entertainer.

Former 'Oz' Inmate Tergesen Feels 'Wanted'
Zap2it, Aug. 10, 2005
Lee talks about missing Meloni, having other Ozzies appear on "Wanted," buying a Mustang, and his right to "bare arms."

'Wanted' aims beyond usual suspects
Associated Press, Aug. 2, 2005

[Jorge] Zamacona has been interested from the first in writing a role for Tergesen ... "I needed a more sort of laconic, sarcastic, pain-in-the-arse guy, who could just upset the chemistry of everybody," says Zamacona -- referring to the character, not the actor. ... "Eddie Drake is sort of this loose cannon, funny, edgy guy, who has this really foolish, foolish mustache," Tergesen grins.... He says his Fu Manchu-style facial hair was Zamacona's idea.

Gary Cole switches sides, but still in line of fire
New York Daily News, July 18, 2005
One of Cole's co-stars, Tergesen, is enthusiastic about a different element of the show. "Wanted" creator Jorge Zamacona, who had worked with Tergesen on the frank and brutal HBO prison drama "Oz," wrote the character of Eddie Drake for the actor and pitched him the part. "When I found out that if Eddie had sex at all, it was going to be with women," Tergesen said, "I said, 'Okay, I'll do it.' "

Talking to: Lee Tergesen
NorthJersey.com, Aug. 1, 2005
Lee on Eddie Drake: "He's somebody who of course is intense. I always wind up playing somebody a little intense. Maybe I'm just intense."

Tergesen won't be 'dressing' up for TNT's 'Wanted'
Q&A with Lee in the Seattle Press-Intelligencer
Lee describes his role in "Wanted" as well as "Rescue Me" and "Oz."

Cast Q&A from TNT
Excerpts from Lee's interview:

Q: How would you describe WANTED?
LEE: WANTED is an in-your-face police drama. It’s unlike anything else that’s on television in the sense that it has such a tremendous amount of action.

Q: How demanding is this role?  
LEE: We’ve been doing our own stunts, and it’s exhausting. But it’s a blast.  It’s like when I was 8 or 9 years old, running around my backyard with a fake gun. It’s really funny to be older and to be playing it out in a much grander scale. ... As tired as I am when I go home at night and when I wake up at 5:30 to get to work, it’s still my dream come true.


Television Critics Association
Summer press tour - July 17, 2005

The Toronto Star quoted Lee discussing how he got the role in "Wanted" (as well as capturing his wisecracking nature): 

"When I finished working on 'Oz,' I thought to myself, what would I like to do ... an action show was something I hadn't really worked on before. Then [show creator Jorge Zamacona] called me and said that he wanted to create this character for me, Eddie Drake. 

And when I found out that if Eddie had sex at all, it was going to be with women, I was like, 'OK. Cool. I'll do it.' That's what really attracted me to this part. Not to say anything against [Oz bunkmate] Chris Meloni. He's a wonderful lover."

The Seattle Press-Intelligencer's TV writer kept a blog of the proceedings during the press tour. She wrote an item about Lee titled "Wanted: A role that doesn't require cross-dressing."


Buffalo News (Knight Ridder News Service)
July 19, 2005
"Lee Tergesen relishes his role as the accidental actor"
On the set of his new show, Lee recalls the start of his career, thanks to Tom Fontana.

 

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Lee at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, July 17, 2005

 

Wanted - Reviews

MediaLife Magazine, Aug. 11:
“Wanted” ... comes across as a barely repressed fantasy about fighting back against terrorists.

St. Petersburg Times, July 31:
A welcome change from cop dramas that take themselves seriously.

Orlando Sentinel, July 31:
With the energetic Tergesen, the show becomes a bit more bearable.

Zap2It, July 30:
At the other end of the spectrum is the freewheeling Drake, described by Tergesen as "a loose cannon with a quick wit," who's just not introspective enough for angst. "Am I a rogue officer?" Tergesen says. "Rogue sounds like a bad lieutenant. I'm a U.S. Marshal. I do things my way."

Boston Globe, July 30:
Lee Tergesen amps up the chemistry when he joins the cast as greasy-haired US Marshal Eddie Drake. ... He brings his freckly wryness to the fore, providing a welcome and comic counterpart to the sometimes off-putting righteousness of Cole's Rose. When he's not shrewdly working cases, he's all about pushing his colleague's buttons and losing the team personality contest. He's the guy who never hesitates to drink the last beer in the case.

San Francisco Chronicle, July 29:
Eddie Drake (Lee Tergesen) is a wild man and bar owner who's called back into service from his days in the U.S. Marshal Service. ... Tergesen, who pops up in the second episode, is a riveting scene-stealer.

The Buffalo News, July 28:
The second episode, which introduces Tergersen's intentionally annoying character, has so much gun play, noise and wisecracks that it practically becomes a parody of police shows.

USA Today, July 28:
Starring Gary Cole and Lee Tergesen — two of the better actors in a show that is otherwise badly cast — Wanted follows the ultra-violent adventures of a special crime-fighting team assembled to track down L.A.'s most-wanted criminals.

Boston Herald, July 28:
Next week, Lee Tergesen of HBO's prison drama "Oz" joins the cast as U.S. Marshal Eddie Drake. (There's a bit of foreshadowing in the pilot as the "Oz" theme figures prominently during one scene.) His agent slept with Rose's wife shortly after the couple separated. He's an expert at flouting rights and procedures, so he fits right in with this crew.

Bergen Record (New Jersey), July 25:
Brace yourself for plenty of violence in this new drama from Spelling Television. That said, Gary Cole heads a great cast. ... In episode two, the always terrific Lee Tergesen comes aboard.

The Capital Times (Madison, Wis.), July 25:
Thankfully, Lee Tergesen (best known as the unlucky Tobias Beecher from "Oz") comes on board in the second episode as disreputable U.S. Marshal Eddie Drake and strikes some much-needed sparks with Cole's character.

Nashville City Paper, June 27:
The first episode features some of the more graphic and troubling footage and scenarios that have recently appeared on any basic cable show. ... The interaction of the team is the show's primary focus, but it also has a heavy accent on the decadence and viciousness of the criminals. ... This show will rise or fall based on the audience getting attached to the characters.

Washington Post
TV book cover story

Behind the Scenes
cast video from TNT
Lee is featured prominently

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