felicitylen
09-01-2005, 02:05 PM
Leguizamo on ER (http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20050831/en_tv_eo/17270)
John Leguizamo is going to freak out those ER medics with a "Wake Up" call.
"Wake Up" is the title of the episode in which the actor-comedian will make his debut as Dr. Ernesto Clemente, the new supervisor at Chicago's County General, who "shakes up the E.R. with unconventional ideas and cutting-edge technology." NBC characterizes him as a "sparkplug" whose methods not only invigorate the hospital staff but also bring a coma patent back to consciousness.
(Maybe he should have been hired to supervise the whole of NBC, which is hoping for a new lease on life this season after its DOA schedule last year.)
"The character comes in with a different way of doing things, and we wanted an actor capable of matching that kind of energy," ER executive producer David Zabel tells Variety. "John is both a gifted dramatic actor and a brilliant comedian. More than any other character we've ever brought on, the character John's playing is a sparkplug. I think it's going to change the whole dynamic in the characters that already exist. I think adding in this new dynamic force will reenergize everybody."
NBC confirms that Leguizamo will be a recurring character--not (as had been rumored) someone stepping in fulltime to fill the spot on the hospital roster vacated by Noah Wyle, who slipped out the door last season after 11 years of playing Dr. John Carter to spend more time with his family.
Leguizamo, whose last regular gig on series television was one season on the 1995 Fox sketch comedy House of Buggin', which he also produced, will appear in at least 12 episodes of ER beginning with the fifth episode, scheduled for Oct. 20.
Also stopping by this fall will be Kristen Johnston. The big, bold, blond, best known as the sexy alien on the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, will play a doc for a half-dozen episodes.
Now entering its 12th season, ER remains the NBC's top-rated drama, having survived numerous casting exits--most notably George Clooney's Dr. Doug Ross, who departed in 1999, and Anthony Edwards's Dr. Marc Greene, who succumbed to a brain tumor in 2002. Last year, Thursday-night Must-See staple averaged nearly 15.5 viewers a week.
Leguizamo's decision to appear on network television is another example of a growing trend in which stars, despite their success in movies, are willing to work in the network TV trenches. Earlier this week, Oscar winner Charlize Theron opted for a five-episode gig on Fox's critically lauded comedy Arrested Devolpment.
Colombian-born Leguizamo, 41, who immigrated to New York City as a kid, made his name in his stage shows Mambo Mouth and Spic-O-Rama and earned two Tony nominations for his one-man Broadway debut, Freak, which aired on HBO. He followed that with Sexaholix: A Love Story, which also was picked up by the pay-cable channel.
The prolific and chameleonic actor has appeared in a wide range of feature films this year: the Spanish-language thriller Cronicas, George A. Romero's Land of the Dead, the big-screen take on The Honeymooners and the remake of Assault on Precinct 13.
Other feature credits range from action (Collateral Damage) to musical (Moulin Rouge!) to Shakespeare (Romeo + Juliet). He was also a drag queen in To Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar and the voice of Sid the Sloth in the CGI 'toon Ice Age and will reprise the role in next year's Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. He also stars in the upcoming wedding comedy The Groomsmen.
John Leguizamo is going to freak out those ER medics with a "Wake Up" call.
"Wake Up" is the title of the episode in which the actor-comedian will make his debut as Dr. Ernesto Clemente, the new supervisor at Chicago's County General, who "shakes up the E.R. with unconventional ideas and cutting-edge technology." NBC characterizes him as a "sparkplug" whose methods not only invigorate the hospital staff but also bring a coma patent back to consciousness.
(Maybe he should have been hired to supervise the whole of NBC, which is hoping for a new lease on life this season after its DOA schedule last year.)
"The character comes in with a different way of doing things, and we wanted an actor capable of matching that kind of energy," ER executive producer David Zabel tells Variety. "John is both a gifted dramatic actor and a brilliant comedian. More than any other character we've ever brought on, the character John's playing is a sparkplug. I think it's going to change the whole dynamic in the characters that already exist. I think adding in this new dynamic force will reenergize everybody."
NBC confirms that Leguizamo will be a recurring character--not (as had been rumored) someone stepping in fulltime to fill the spot on the hospital roster vacated by Noah Wyle, who slipped out the door last season after 11 years of playing Dr. John Carter to spend more time with his family.
Leguizamo, whose last regular gig on series television was one season on the 1995 Fox sketch comedy House of Buggin', which he also produced, will appear in at least 12 episodes of ER beginning with the fifth episode, scheduled for Oct. 20.
Also stopping by this fall will be Kristen Johnston. The big, bold, blond, best known as the sexy alien on the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, will play a doc for a half-dozen episodes.
Now entering its 12th season, ER remains the NBC's top-rated drama, having survived numerous casting exits--most notably George Clooney's Dr. Doug Ross, who departed in 1999, and Anthony Edwards's Dr. Marc Greene, who succumbed to a brain tumor in 2002. Last year, Thursday-night Must-See staple averaged nearly 15.5 viewers a week.
Leguizamo's decision to appear on network television is another example of a growing trend in which stars, despite their success in movies, are willing to work in the network TV trenches. Earlier this week, Oscar winner Charlize Theron opted for a five-episode gig on Fox's critically lauded comedy Arrested Devolpment.
Colombian-born Leguizamo, 41, who immigrated to New York City as a kid, made his name in his stage shows Mambo Mouth and Spic-O-Rama and earned two Tony nominations for his one-man Broadway debut, Freak, which aired on HBO. He followed that with Sexaholix: A Love Story, which also was picked up by the pay-cable channel.
The prolific and chameleonic actor has appeared in a wide range of feature films this year: the Spanish-language thriller Cronicas, George A. Romero's Land of the Dead, the big-screen take on The Honeymooners and the remake of Assault on Precinct 13.
Other feature credits range from action (Collateral Damage) to musical (Moulin Rouge!) to Shakespeare (Romeo + Juliet). He was also a drag queen in To Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar and the voice of Sid the Sloth in the CGI 'toon Ice Age and will reprise the role in next year's Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. He also stars in the upcoming wedding comedy The Groomsmen.