Big Shots wasn't the high-flying success former West Wing actor Joshua Malina had hoped for, he tells Joanna Hunkin
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It's been a bad year for television. The prolonged writers' strike wreaked havoc on schedules and saw several new season casualties, which are only now filtering down to New Zealand.
One such victim premieres tomorrow night: drama series Big Shots - described as Cashmere Mafia with men. The female version didn't survive the storm either.
But while the strike may have stirred the waters, working in Hollywood has never been smooth sailing, as actor Joshua Malina knows all too well.
One of the four stars of Big Shots - alongside Dylan McDermott, Michael Vartan and Christopher Titus - Malina was disappointed to hear the series was cancelled earlier this year, but not surprised. "I've reached that crusty old veteran stage where nothing surprises me," laughs the actor from his family home in Los Angeles. "The worst mistake to make is to set your heart on anything or expect anything. The best way is to expect disaster at every step."
At 42 and after 20 years in the business, Malina knows just how fast the tide can turn. Having landed a recurring role on a sitcom seven years ago, he finally had the money to buy his first home and was relishing his achievement when the phone rang. "Somebody from work said, 'Yeah, don't come in tomorrow, it's all over'."
The series - Imagine That with Hank Azaria and Katey Sagal - lasted just six episodes. Big Shots made it to 11.
Fortunately, the actor has had some good times in between, including a regular role on the award-winning drama The West Wing, which established the actor as a more serious thespian.
Prior to that turn - playing White House staff member Will Bailey - Malina's portfolio comprised a string of comedic roles, from The Larry Sanders Show to Sportsnight.
"I think of myself very much as a comic actor. Thanks to Aaron [Sorkin, creator of The West Wing] he somehow established me as more of a dramatic actor. So now I find myself in the odd situation where I have to prove to people that I can do what I thought was my bread and butter."
It was the lighter, dramedy style of Big Shots that drew Malina to the series.
"I enjoyed the fact it wasn't taking itself too seriously. It wasn't too gritty or a realistic look at what it must be like to be super rich."
He also liked the idea of a male-oriented series, particularly one with such a star-studded line-up of actors.
"I got a kick out of the fact it focused on a core group of male friends, because we've seen a lot of shows that revolve around female friends."
But there was confusion from the start over who the series was aimed at.
"There was a lot of talk about 'Is it a men's show? Is it a women's show?' I kind of get the appeal to both. For men, it's like, 'We're getting our turn, this one's focusing on us and our friendships'. But I also think it's the kind of show that appeals more to women."
Though based on the lives of four wealthy male CEOs, the series appeared to be written with a female audience in mind. In America, ABC screened the programme after Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy - which have a female skew.
"I think women are the TV meal ticket, at least here in the United States. I think that's the demographic they're really trying to court usually."
That initial confusion led to some harsh criticism of the series.
Malina laughs as the subject is broached, insisting he has a thick skin. He says he regularly took the chance to publicise negative reviews, reading them aloud on set and passing photocopies on to his castmates.
"Some actors never read any reviews. I read everything. If you're going to be delighted when you read something good written about yourself, you have to be able to take it when somebody writes that you're awful."
LOWDOWN
Who: Joshua Malina, born January 17, 1966 in New York, US.
What: Plays inept adulterer and billionaire Karl Mixworthy on Big Shots, which premieres tomorrow night, 9.30pm on TV2.
Best known for: His role as White House staffer Will Bailey in The West Wing.
