Relaxing in his L.A. dressing
room, Gets can think of a few more immediate advantages to playing a perennially grouchy
guy. "I’ve played a lot of leading men and it’s always great to get the
girl at the end. But it’s such a relief to play Richard, when I don’t have to
get myself into some peppy, happy optimistic place on a given day. I can just be where
I’m at, and if I’m having a rotten day, then it’s even better for the role.
"The other night, we shot until two in the morning, and the hair and makeup people
were saying to us, ‘We don’t know how you all can do this, try to make people
laugh at this time of night.’ And I thought, well, thank God Richard is as ornery as
he is because here it is 1:32 a.m. and I’m getting even pissier personally and it
just makes the scene better."
The son of British parents, Gets was raised in Florida. By the age of eight he was
already pursuing a career as a classical pianist. He started singing when he was 14, which
opened his eyes to theatrical productions. "I sort of abandoned the piano for the
theatre, though music is still me first love." The two highlights of his career were
a production of Amadeus and a role in Steven Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll
Along, in which he played composers "and drew on my musical background."
When the call came to audition for Caroline,
Gets was enjoying a thriving theatre career in New York. He wasn’t sure he wanted to
do a TV series, but against his better judgment he went to L.A. and eventually beat out at
least 100 others to get the role. Though Thompson is the show’s star,
"Malcolm’s character has always been the one who speaks the loudest to the
writers. Richard as a 21-year-old, but once Malcolm read [for the part] they changed their
minds. He keeps bringing comic touches to the role that continually surprise all of
us."
The first two seasons of Caroline had ratings-bred cliffhangers with Richard and
Caroline proclaiming their near-love for each other. But since keeping the tease going is
the name of the game, their yearnings will stay frustrated this season with the addition
of Sofia Milos to the cast, as Richard’s new wife. "Sofia’s a babe with a
lot more going on. She’s a very sophisticated woman. She’s from Rome, but
she’s fluent in Greek and I’ve heard her converse in German. She adds a lot of
spice to the pot."
Spice, though, is not something Gets is seeking in his personal life. "Renting
videos is something I’ve just discovered, no kidding, " he says. "And
I’ve become a major Prime Suspect-Helen Mirren fan.
"That kind of seemingly simple thing comes mostly from being on a hit television
show, which can make your like so complicated. I also remind myself I have a great family
and incredible friends. I’ve turned down parts during hiatus to keep the priorities
straight. I’m not carried away with the career stuff – that’ll take care of
itself."
