Charles Esten Looks Back on "ER"

[JamesG]

Memories From the Set: "Nashville's" Charles Esten Recalls His Stint on "ER"
by Kimberly Roots
June 14, 2013


Who knew all it would take was a five o’clock shadow and a low-slung guitar to take Charles Esten from “Hey, it’s that guy!” to “Ooh, it’s that guy!”?

In his one season as "Nashville‘s" soulful, sometimes sober Deacon Claybourne, Esten has earned heaps of acclaim and bunches of fans. But the breakout role is hardly his first. Or second. Or 20th.



In fact, Esten has worked steadily since 1993, often on TV’s biggest hits but almost never for more than a handful of episodes.

“I got these small roles on great, iconic shows that let me get my feet wet, let me learn so much,” he recalls, laughing. “I was in over my head in every single one of them, but somehow I got the role and didn’t ruin it too badly.”

At TVLine’s request, Esten offered up behind-the-scenes insights on several of his pre-"Nashville" performances.







"ER":

Dr. Barry Grossman was a recreational hockey player, so Esten spent a lot of his County General time on skates. “I got to play a bunch of hockey with Scott Grimes, and had a ball with him,” he says.

“They really trained us. It was almost a month, every day, playing hockey” to prepare for a Season 14 orthopedists-vs.-emergency room docs game. “And of course, by the time it was on air, we were on ice maybe six minutes,” he says with a laugh.

http://tvline.com/2013/06/14/charles..._esten_cheers/