Jeffrey Dean Morgan is Going Gangster in Season 2 of Magic City

Published by The Editor at June 27, 2013

Actor, Jeffrey Dean Morgan has appeared in 15 films and is probably best known for his television roles including John Winchester in the show “Supernatural” and for playing Danny Duquette on the ABC series, “Grey’s Anatomy”. He currently stars as Ike Evans in the Starz original series, “Magic City.” Jeffrey recently stopped by the SiriusXM studios to sit down with Ron Bennington and talk about Season Two of “Magic City.” Excerpts of the interview appear below. You can also read excerpts from interviews with “Magic City” creator Mitch Glazer, and co-stars Danny Huston, and Kelly Lynch.

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Jeffrey Jean Morgan Talks About The Beauty and Style of “Magic City”

Ron Bennington: There is so much beauty in this show and each little thing, like just when your character is flying to Miami, that plane – who would not have wanted to be in that plane? There’s so many things… you’re like- how can we be looking back and it’s better? Things were cooler and better.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: Yeah, that’s exactly right, more beautiful, better, way cooler.

Ron Bennington: The desk you sit at, everything was going on.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: Everything was cool. And the detail they put into those sets… Our sets are Bertram Yachts, they used to build these massive yachts. We took over this yacht building warehouse, 100,000 square feet of warehouse space that we built into our soundstage, and we have used every fucking inch of it to build. The hotel, everything is built, and it is the most amazing set you have ever seen.

Ron Bennington: So walking out into that the first time, and you’re like, I’m doing basic cable?

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: Yeah, yeah, yeah, basic cable, but I think there’s like three shows: us, “Game of Thrones” and “Boardwalk Empire” that have…

Ron Bennington: Yeah, they are just blowing everybody else away.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: Yeah, and as far as the sets and stuff, no one can compete.

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Jeffrey Dean Morgan Talks About His Character, Ike. on “Magic City”

Ron Bennington: The whole thing of…. what is Ike, is he a business man who is near gangsters? But to me, if you look on one side there’s a gangster, the other side a gangster, after awhile you have to start thinking, I’m going to become a gangster… this is where gangsters go.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: (laughing) Yeah, a little bit of Frank Sinatra in there, I think, right? It is what happens. I think last year we did a lot of Ike as this family man and he’ll do anything to protect his family. This year, Ike is not as much a family man, as he is a gangster and he’s going to do anything to protect his investment. So, it went from protecting his family to, I’m going to protect my hotel.

Ron Bennington: And the family is being drug further and further into this. So, this whole thing of, oh I’m a good Dad and I’m taking care of. When you really look at it, if you just walked away you’d be a better dad.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: That’s exactly right. That’s exactly right. And so this year, those relationships are certainly going to be tested. Because Ike, though he’s been walking in this gray area for some time, I think he’s starting to slip. And the gangster element, he’s just become so obsessed with that life and these people, and he’s starts to kind of live in this world. So, it’s hard going home at night and going to your seder when you got murder on your mind. (laughing)

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Jeffrey Dean Morgan Talks About Miami

Ron Bennington: Miami is one of those places that’s a tough place to live without thinking, hey there is just so much money going around, I’m going to stop some of it. And everybody does, if you move there, within a couple of years, you’re like a guy from Miami. It’s a different vibe.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: You’re saturated by the Miami vibe, quickly. Miami is an odd place. I love it, in one respect and in another respect, it scares the crap out of me.

Ron Bennington: It should, man. It’s like Vegas, you should…

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: That’s exactly right, it’s like Vegas on the beach.

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Jeffrey Dean Morgan Talks About Danny Huston

Ron Bennington: There is a period of time where it’s all fun and then you’ve been up too long.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: That’s right. I’m pretty contained down there, and I’ve got a three and a half year old kid, so I’m on pretty good behavior. But they’ve got me working everyday, sixteen hours days, six days a week, so I don’t have a lot of time to get in trouble. But, it’s not a place I’d want to raise my three year old kid. A cool place, my younger cast mates are in constant trouble. They’re having the time of their lives… and Danny Huston. I should say, my younger cast mates AND Danny. He is fucking Ben Diamond; let’s be honest. Him and that character have kind of melded together.

Ron Bennington: Danny is not of this age, man.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: No! He’s his fucking father’s son, is what he is.

Ron Bennington: Yeah, he’s a throwback.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: He’s John Huston, he is. But there is kind of this elegant quality to him, much like Ben Diamond. I love him to death and I don’t know how he does it, but he is absolutely a throwback.

Ron Bennington: No one has ever come up with the, I’m going to sit up with a two-way mirror and watch my wife fuck, that is so…

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: Not in the 50’s. And then pee on it, as he is watching them fuck.

Ron Bennington: I’m like, what?!

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: Oh no, he goes… I mean, we knew that Ben Diamond was crazy last year, but he does some stuff this year. We would be sitting there doing a… in the middle of the table read, before we shot the upcoming script and we’d be reading the script for the first time. And we would find out what Ben Diamond was up to, and I mean, you’d just look at Mitch and go, what the fuck? Where are you coming up with this shit? There is an episode coming up soon, that you’re going to just laugh your asses off when you see it, and this is from the mind of Mitch Glazer. It has to do with – I don’t know if I can say it, I’m going to say it. It has to do with a woman has a clit leash. I kid you not.

Ron Bennington: Another TV first.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: Another TV first. But, to have Ben Diamond explain this whole thing and be walking around this girl with a gold leash, with a clit leash on. It was the greatest moment that I’ve read, and gone, what the hell? And having Mitch have to do research about it. Because he thought he just came up with it, there are actually are these things. (laughs) And he plays dumb, he’s like – I didn’t know that, I thought I made something up, and I’m like – Sure you did buddy. It just makes you look at him and Kelly differently, because he’s married to Kelly Lynch. And it’s like – What do you guys do at home? (laughs)

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Jeffrey Dean Morgan Talks About James Caan in Season Two

Ron Bennington: And you’ve got Jimmy Caan on the show.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: And I’ve got Jimmy Caan, talk about a coiled spring, man.

Ron Bennington: No kidding, right?

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: Have you met him?

Ron Bennington: No, I’ve never met him, but…

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: It’s exactly what you expect him to be, I mean, a little bit intimidating, a little bit like you don’t know what’s going to happen. When you do a scene with him you walk out of that scene feeling like you just were boxing. I mean, that guy is a tricky, smart, son of a bitch who has been around for a long time and he will try every trick in the book to test you as an actor. He’ll… it’s hilarious. Actors have tricks to upstage you. And he knows every one of them, man. So you come out of a scene just like a boxer, in the seventh round, just like I can’t believe I fucking survived that. That being said, if you do survive it, he loves you. He really respects you. But he’ll test you at the beginning, it’s quite the experience.

Ron Bennington: I was trying to think of this before, I think I was talking about it with Mitch – How many guys are there, in that kind of weight class? Where you’ve got like a him (Caan), a De Niro, a Nicholson, a very small amount of guys, that if they walk into a room everybody just went – What? That’s bigger than life.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: That’s right, That’s right, and they still got that. He absolutely has that charisma in spades, and you’re right there is not a lot of those guys left and he’s definitely one of them. But he is… I don’t know how old he is, but he’s like a coiled spring, you just don’t know what’s going to happen. He’s not against getting a little physical with you in a scene, and you’re like – (funny voice) hey man, that wasn’t in the script. And all of a sudden he’s like… I remember we did a scene and he just put his finger on my forehead and pushed me across the room. (laughing) And it’s like, look I’ve got to go with this. You see Mitch in the corner like, oh Jesus, what’s going to happen now, this is going to turn into something. But you just fight back with him, I mean, you’re acting, but it’s a way he tests you. It’s a very old-school way to go about acting. And man, you better know your shit.

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Ron Bennington: It’s Starz, every week, and it’s a hell of a show, dude.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: Thank you.

Ron Bennington: And the first episode jumped out there and I was like this is going to be tough to maintain, but the show just keeps getting better. Nine o’clock, Fridays, on Starz. Jeffrey Dean Morgan, thanks so much for coming in. And I’ll see you next time coming through.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: Awesome. Thank you brother.

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBK8vQvGGc4]

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