With the return of Murder In The First to FOX in the UK tonight (June 12), Female First got the opportunity to chat to AJ Buckley about his new role in the show, his fellow castmembers and much more in a new and exclusive interview. Read on to find out what he had to say...
You join season two as new character Marty 'Junior' Mulligan, what can you tell us about what to expect from this character and the new season?
Junior is the younger brother of Hildy. He was in the Vice department and is transferred over to homicide at the beginning of the season. He comes with a lot of baggage and has a really dark past. You could say that Junior has a lot of demons, so to speak.
What was it about this show that drew you to the role and getting involved?
Well, Stephen Bosco is such a legendary television producer so I knew that the material would be layered with lots of interesting character stuff. I've always wanted to play a cop... It was a dream to play a cop like this.
How easy or difficult was it to mould into this cast being new to the show, and get the chemistry fired up?
My character is introduced to the show like a bat out of hell. Junior is very different to anyone on the show, and likes to push the envelope as far as possible. He has his own kind of law and is definitely not by the book. The cast was incredibly welcoming to Junior. It created a lot of juicy dramatic scenes that were fun for all of us to play.
Can you tell us about some of your best experiences on the set of the show?
I absolutely loved working with Kathleen Robertson who plays my sister. They really wrote some amazing, truthful scenes between a brother and sister. She is such an incredibly talented actor.
How does working on Murder In The First compare to past work you've done?
This role is completely different from anything I've ever played. I got in the best shape of my life for this role. I was basically told that in order for Junior to work on the show I had to be physically intimidating. Fortunately I had three months to get in the best shape of my life. I hired one of the best trainers in the business, Rehan Jalali, and with his help he got me there.
What is it about this series that you think makes it so popular with the fans?
I think that the fact it's one crime that happens, and 12 episodes to figure it out, allows you to binge watch which seems to be the new way of television. The characters are very compelling and kept grounded in reality.
Finally, what's next for you?
I have a couple things I'm working on right now but I can't talk about as of yet. Other than that, it's enjoying my hiatus with my fiancé and daughter. We are heading to Greece to location scout for our wedding. We're looking at getting married next summer there so why not do a lot of research on different islands until we find exactly the right spot!
Murder In The First starts tonight at 10pm on FOX.