Buzz Interview: Timothy Hutton and His Leverage Crew

Leverage, TNT's new heist show, starts Sunday night, and it's a pretty good time — there's some Ocean's Eleven flavor mixed with a little bit of The A-Team and some Robin Hood for good measure. Last month, TNT invited me to Los Angeles to interview the cast — including star Timothy Hutton, who plays Nathan Ford, the mastermind who helps a crew of thieves steal from the rich and greedy — and executive producer John Rogers. Here's some of what I learned:

Leverage isn't taking itself too seriously. "[Executive producer Chris Downey] and I were drinking in our garage, which is not as sad as it sounds, and were talking about how heist shows at the time had gotten really grim and gritty — you missed half an episode even and you were lost," Rogers said. "We talked about the shows we liked — Rockford Files, The A-Team, Mission Impossible — and why not do one of those?"

Keeping track of elaborate heists can be tricky. "In the writing room, that can get a little hairy," Rogers said. "We have different colored cards and everything . . . Everything gets spot-welded together, and there are times when we look at the board and are like, where the hell did the bad guy go?"

To see more of what I learned about the series, including what's coming up for Hutton's character, just read more.

Nathan Ford might not stay virtuous forever. "As the season goes on, he's more and more tempted by [the thieves] and enjoying the life that they come from," Hutton said. "I sort of looked at it like, he draws a line here, and by the third choice it's 'Well, maybe we'll make it here,' and the line keeps moving. But in the end, he feels OK about it because he's helping people."

Playing different characters within the show's heists is a blast . . . "It's been nothing but playtime," said Aldis Hodge, who plays the computer hacker Alec Hardison. "I think that's part of the fun of what we get to do — we're never really one character for too long."

. . . but it's not always easy. "My first instinct is always to say, 'No, I can't do that,'" said Gina Bellman, who plays the con woman Sophie. "In one of the episodes they gave me, I was playing English, Southern belle, and had three conversations in Mandarin. I went to John and said, 'I can't do the Mandarin, I absolutely can't do it' . . . which then gives you the encouragement to go away and do it."

It's supposed to be fun to watch, too. "The entire show was meant to refute the grim, gritty, serialized crime drama," Rogers said. "You know what? I got an hour a week to be maybe not so pissed off at the world. I should have some fun and watch Leverage take down some of the scumbags that I wish had it coming to them."

Photos courtesy of TNT