[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Law & Order Season 24 Episode 11 “The Hardest Thing.”]
The most recent Legislation & Order is a tricky one for Nolan Value (Hugh Dancy), and the trial hits very near dwelling for him.
Whereas prosecuting a lady (Katie Lowes, although she and Scandal costar Tony Goldwyn don’t share the display in any respect) for murdering her father — it seems he requested her to assist him die by assisted suicide as a result of he’d been recognized with Decide’s illness (frontal lobe dementia) — Nolan will get a go to from his brother, Thomas (Justin Chatwin) about their father. Nolan tries to push it off, however when his father can not swallow meals resulting from his new meds, they need to make a selection: give him a feeding tube (and some extra months) or handle his ache for the subsequent 24-36 hours and make his passing as comfy as potential. As his well being proxy, it’s in Nolan’s fingers, and whereas he’s leaning in direction of the previous, Thomas argues for the latter and understanding it’s time to let him go. In the long run, that’s what they do.
Beneath, Dancy opens up about this powerful episode, seeing a distinct facet of Nolan, and extra.
The episode is simply so heartbreaking. Speak about studying the script.
Hugh Dancy: There’s possibly a slight transfer throughout the present to try to discover methods to remain throughout the construction that everyone’s conversant in, which is just about individuals at work, however discover methods inside that to crack it open slightly extra personally. And I believed that the writers did a wonderful job of that. I believe that Value is already a personality who’s pretty zipped up, so it made sense to me that he would have hassle simply with this work-life overlap, and that resonated with me. I believe we’ve all been in that place the place we’re wrestling with one thing at dwelling after which we’re going into work, and also you’re making an attempt to not let the 2 issues bleed into one another. So I used to be excited.
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Speak about filming this episode as a result of we do see a visibly affected Value and we’re not used to seeing that with him, such as you stated.
That’s clearly enjoyable to get to play one thing completely different, and in addition simply to broaden the sense of who Value is and his household. So we had slightly chat earlier than we began. I spoke to the showrunner and the author of the episode and in addition with Justin who performed my brother, and all of the sudden we’re speaking about who was this household, and the place they’re from and what’s their background like. Oh, okay, that is 4 years in. That is all actually useful. I believed it was very well-written as a result of it didn’t really feel shoehorned in and the opposite factor I appreciated about it, which is true of the present normally I believe, is that it didn’t take sides. You’ve bought two brothers who’ve fairly radically completely different emotions about how finest to maintain the daddy that they love, and I believe they each have some extent.
Speak about working with Justin on that brotherly dynamic, as a result of we actually get a way of it simply in a few scenes with them collectively.
Yeah, it was nice. Justin got here in for just a few days. I imply, clearly, the great factor in a manner is that, not like typical Legislation & Order stuff, all of our stuff was pretty heightened from the get-go, and he was actually keen, I believe, to leap proper into that. Like I stated, we had a really useful dialog with the writers and with the director. So yeah, it felt like form of a enjoyable performing train popping up in the midst of our present.
While you have been speaking about details about his household, it made me consider the truth that their different brother’s briefly touched on this. There’s one line and the best way Value appears at that picture, and simply with that, it’s really easy to grasp all the pieces about it with out having to do a bunch of exposition, which I actually appreciated.
Oh, I’m actually glad that you just say that as a result of I believe that was the thought. It was one thing that three seasons in the past, we did an episode about someone who had died of an opioid overdose and culminating on this piece of details about Value that he’d misplaced a brother to that and that was that. And once we began speaking about this, that’s actually salient, that’s actually related to no matter’s happening between these two brothers and possibly their relationship with their father as a result of anyone who has been by or is aware of anyone who’s been by that, dropping someone to dependancy particularly, the collateral harm inside a household is large. In order that’s one of many issues we talked about. It didn’t have to be entrance and heart by any means, however I’m actually glad that it’s there as a form of partial key to what’s happening between them.
Value actually struggles with what to do about his father. What made him determine to let him go?
That’s query. Initially, I don’t assume even on the finish of the episode, he’s absolutely reconciled to it. I believe he decides on that, however letting him go implies a form of closure, and I don’t assume he’s felt any closure. I believe he feels fairly distraught. I imply, it’s fairly comprehensible. However I believe he realizes that his dad is in such a dire place that at a sure level to maintain him alive, you’re preventing possibly for your self as a lot as you might be for the one who’s dying.
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On the finish of the episode, he turns his brother down for a meal or a drink and he says that he ought to get again to the workplace, however is he actually going again to the workplace to throw himself into work? Does he simply not wish to go and be round his brother on condition that they have been on completely different sides of it?
Yeah, I believe he could be going again to the workplace. I imply, by way of the timeline of the episode, he goes again to the workplace and has that dialog with Baxter nearly instantly after the evening through which presumably he’s been sitting in a form of vigil beside his father. So I do consider Value as someone who in all probability buries loads of — it’s not that he’s deeply repressed, however I believe he simply is a type of individuals who’s borderline workaholic. I imply, that’s one strategy to justify a personality who we solely ever see at work. That’s the character of the present. But it surely form of is smart to me as someone who channels all his personal, no matter emotions he has, discover an outlet by his work. So yeah, I believe he in all probability was going again to the workplace, which is fairly unhappy.
But it surely’s in all probability additionally simply simpler for him to take care of work than to begin the grief course of.
Completely. Yeah, I believe it’s a deflection. The whole lot that you just stated, it’s a deflection of his brother. Regardless that he gave in on that actually vital query, I don’t assume that the battle between them has been resolved. And I don’t assume it’s one factor you would possibly determine that one thing is true, however that doesn’t imply that your emotions on the matter essentially modified. I haven’t seen the episode but, however I do know that once we performed it, there was a way in that final second of strolling out of the hospital room being now empty after packing up the daddy’s belongings, that Value was barely haunted by that also. So yeah, he’s doing a runner, as they are saying.
As a result of issues aren’t resolved along with his brother, are we going to see Justin once more this season?
I actually hope so. The writers plot out these episodes and the form of all the episodes of the season fairly far upfront, and we’re at this level in filming comparatively close to the top. So I don’t know if it’ll occur this season, however knock on wooden, if we come again, I might love that. Not only for Value, however actually with all of the characters, each time there’s a justifiable strategy to open up and crack slightly bit of sunshine into who they’re and the way that displays on what they’re doing within the present, I’m in favor.
Talking of plotting upfront, had you identified that this was coming after the episode earlier, the season with Value visiting his dad?
No, I didn’t on the time. After which they talked about it. It was like, wait, severely? I believed the entire level of Legislation & Order was that one episode ends after which that’s it, and it’s as if it by no means occurred. So I used to be actually completely satisfied about that. That was one other second the place you form of realized on the finish of that episode when Value visits his father’s hospital mattress, that that’s what he’s been carrying together with him all through the case in query for that episode. And also you understand, once more, that overlap of the stuff in your private life that you just’re carrying round, significantly if you’re enthusiastic about how finest to get justice for someone, the truth that you’re going by a very painful expertise your self may simply have an effect on it.
How is Value doing going ahead after this? Are we going to see it affecting him or is he simply very a lot centered on work?
I believe he’s centered on work and he’s the identical particular person. I imply, as most of us are, particularly with one thing, if you happen to lose someone that you just’ve identified for some time is dying, it doesn’t essentially shift who you might be or the best way you behave, particularly at work. So I believe he’s the identical particular person. The actual fact of getting misplaced his brother beforehand comes up once more in a while within the season, as a facet word nearly, as a result of it once more throws gentle on the best way he’s reacting to the case in query.
Value and Baxter clashed when Baxter first got here in. How is Value feeling about working with him now?
I believe he’s extra reconciled, proper? I imply, simply in story phrases, Baxter received his reelection on the finish of final season. So he not essentially has to play politics to the identical diploma. And I believe Value’s suspicions of him on that stage have calmed down a bit, however there’s nonetheless a little bit of a conflict. I believe Value could be a bit high-minded or will be fast to really feel that Baxter’s taking a simple manner out or one thing like that. So I don’t know. It’s not utterly copacetic.
Any particular clashes arising which you can tease?
I’m form of dodging a query, however one factor I appreciated about this episode was that final scene with Baxter, assuming it was not edited out, so that you’ll have to inform me, however when he says, are you okay? And I’m like, yeah, it was a tough evening. And I inform him that I modified my thoughts concerning the case. I’m assuming that that scene was nonetheless within the episode?
Sure, it’s. He requested if it was a change of thoughts and also you say, no, a change of coronary heart.
Yeah, a change of coronary heart, precisely. And what I had appreciated about that, and I believe there’s been a bit extra on this season, is that you just additionally see Value and Baxter speaking — I imply, clearly, he’s my boss and my superior — however simply two human beings at work. So we’re as prone to be discussing one thing and teasing one thing out to try to make sense of it as we’re to be going at one another. And I’m glad of that as a result of you may solely try this for therefore lengthy earlier than it’s going to get a bit drained.
However you wanted the conflict originally to understand the place they’re now.
Yeah, yeah, precisely. Like I say, I believe that that’s all there. So the moments when it’s a bit calmer, I believe, are earned.
What else is arising for Value?
The episode we’re about to begin taking pictures is, I believe, actually all I can say about this can be very topical and goes proper to the guts of the — if it’s a mission assertion of being torn from the headlines, it’s that, and that’s true for all of the characters. It’s not significantly a Value factor, nevertheless it’s a goodie.
Any crossovers with SVU or Organized Crime arising?
I don’t assume so. Like I stated, we’re coming to the [end of filming]. I imply, comparatively talking, we’ve bought just a few extra episodes left this season, so I don’t assume so, however I might love to try this once more down the road. Clearly, we had Mariska [Hargitay] with us close to the start of this season, which was nice for me. I beloved going head-to-head together with her as properly. So the extra of that, the merrier.
Legislation & Order, Thursdays, 8/7c, NBC