Actor with Michigan roots enjoys roles in TV legal dramas
By Kurt Anthony Krug
Legal News
Denis O’Hare has no preference when it comes to being on the stage or the screen — big or small.
“They’re very different, obviously, and I am lucky enough to be able to indulge both. So I couldn’t give a preference because what you’re required to do in each medium is so different; it activates different parts of you. I’ve definitely done more stage work than I’ve done film work. At this point, I’ve done maybe 30 to 40 films and tons of TV. I feel I haven’t exhausted my curiosity when it comes to film, so I am always anxious to do more movies. I love theater. I continue to do theater,” said O’Hare, 53, an alumnus of Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills and Northwestern University.
O’Hare appeared at the Motor City Comic Con in Novi last month. This was not only his first appearance at this event, but also his first in Michigan in 18 years.
“The fans are amazing,” he said. “Their enthusiasm and their excitement is contagious — I really like that.”
Best known for his roles on “True Blood” and “American Horror Story,” O’Hare has made numerous guest-appearances on many shows: the “Law & Order” franchise, “Brothers & Sisters,” “New York Undercover,” “Justice,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “CSI: Miami,” et al. He currently has recurring roles on “The Comedians” and “The Good Wife.” Additionally, he’s appeared in the films “Michael Clayton,” “Milk,” “Duplicity,” “J. Edgar,” “Dallas Buyers Club,” among others.
He meticulously researches each of his roles.
“I do a lot of homework whenever I work on anything, even on TV playing a guest part on ‘CSI.’ I sit down and I write out notes — ‘Who I am? Where did I come from? What’s my background?’ … You have to answer these questions. You have to know your character’s background. I spent a long time researching (Russell, the alpha vampire on ‘True Blood’), where he would be and what he would be,” explained O’Hare. “I decided he’d be a Celt… I did a lot of research on the Celts and gave myself a Celtic name, which nobody to this day knows — only I know — and then I shared my notes with (creator) Alan Ball. He loved them so much, that he asked me for them when they were filming the DVD extras. He was like, ‘We need Russell’s backstory. Can you please send me your notes?’”
O’Hare still won’t reveal Russell’s Celtic name.
“That will go to my grave,” he said.
His most recent movie appearance was 2014’s “The Judge,” starring Oscar winner Robert Duvall (“The Godfather Part II”) and Oscar nominee Robert Downey, Jr. (“Avengers: Age of Ultron”). He played Dr. Morris, a friend of the titular character Judge Joseph Palmer (Duvall). Palmer’s charged with murder and it’s up to his estranged son Hank (Downey), an attorney, to defend him.
“Both are great guys. I only spent a day with both of them. Duvall couldn’t have been easier and sweeter to talk to — I had a lovely time,” O’Hare recalled fondly. “I loved working with (Downey).
He’s such a committed actor. I’ve worked with George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie — the thing they have in common is they all work really, really hard. They show up on set on time and they’re ready to go. (Downey) is like that too. He takes it very seriously, and I think it shows in his work.”
O’Hare loves his recurring role as Judge Charles Abernathy on the legal drama “The Good Wife.”
“(The creators) came to me early on after they shot pilot. I did the second episode. They just offered it to me. They asked if I’d be interested in doing this. I said, ‘It depends. I don’t want it to be a one-off,” said O’Hare. “We have an open contract. Whenever I’m available, they call me up. Whenever I’m available, I call them up. They try to give my character more than just perfunctory stuff; he’s not just presiding over a trial.”
Even though O’Hare’s only been in “The Good Wife” for eight episodes, he’s amazed by how much Abernathy has developed in that short length of time.
“I love the idea of playing someone who’s ditzy, sort of liberal — actually, very liberal — wearing his heart on his sleeve — I really liked that. It’s funny I was just shooting my last appearance (for this season) and he’s gotten older and more mature and a little more sure of himself, which is inevitable; it’s really fun to watch,” he said.
O’Hare credits Abernathy’s development to creators Robert and Michelle King and their staff of writers.
“I think it’s head and shoulders above most (legal dramas today) because of the writing and the cast and the production values. (The Kings) are very much in control of the writing, whether they do it directly or they’re shaping the storylines… They create amazing storylines. The scripts are always clever and ambiguous. I love the fact that ‘The Good Wife’ is always ambiguous; it’s not neat, it’s not black and white, its characters are all shaded. Alicia Florrick (Juliana Margulies) is a very complex character. She doesn’t always scan; you don’t always understand her motivations. I think it’s amazing that they’ve managed to keep interest in her and keep her having integrity throughout the seasons.”
Born in Kansas City, Mo., O’Hare’s family moved to Southfield when he was 2. The fourth of five children, O’Hare grew up in Southfield and Birmingham. His interest in performing began at a young age, following in his mother’s footsteps and playing the organ in church. From there, it was a natural progression into musicals, his first being “Showboat” at the Southfield Civic Center in 1973.
O’Hare lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his husband and son.
O’Hare stated his reasons for coming out in the 70s — when homosexuality wasn’t tolerated as it is now, was for sanity’s sake.
“I don’t think it was brave of me; I did what I had to do to be a functioning, healthy person. It’s not healthy to lie to yourself. It’s not healthy to lie to other people because you’re not going to have authentic relationships. I’d rather you cut me off if you know who I am rather than have me as your friend if I’m living a lie,” said O’Hare.
O’Hare has been closely following the case of the Hazel Park same-sex couple April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse who spoke before the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. in late April against Michigan’s 2004 same-sex marriage ban. The couple, who have four adopted children, would like to get married. If the Supreme Court rejects the same-sex marriage ban, it could make same-sex marriage legal across the nation. If not, it could re-empower same-sex marriage bans across the nation. A decision isn’t expected until mid/late June.
“We’ll see what happens. I don’t believe anyone has the right to vote on my rights. I think it’s absurd that we put to a referendum the basics of human life that one gets to vote on my existence,” said O’Hare. “I hope the Supreme Court will do its job and interpret the Constitution — that’s their job. Their job isn’t to make laws — that’s up to the legislatures. The legislatures can’t make unconstitutional laws — that’s what happened in Michigan, Indiana, Virginia and Texas. They’re writing these laws and you can pass any law you want to, but it has to pass the constitutional test.”
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