The more I think about it, the more I realize that ABC TV is one of my biggest guilty pleasures. Last week, I got to dish with Revenge executive producer Sunil Nayar about life on the set. Right after lunch, we had a chance to pick the brains of Nashville executive producers Dee Johnson and Callie Khouri, PLUS get an exclusive sneak peak at the Nashville season finale. (Don’t worry, no spoiler alerts needed for this post)
I did receive an all expenses paid trip to sunny Los Angeles courtesy of Disney, but all wit, humor, and drooling over gorgeous actors is my own.
Courtesy of ABCNashville is one of the newer shows on ABC, but still has a great a following. Callie Khouri shared with us that she is originally from Nashville and wanted to find a way to help all the great music that comes from that great town. She shared
So much of the music in our show is not really considered country music. There’s so much great music that’s “stuck” in [the city of ] Nashville. There are so many great, really heart-felt songs that would never make their way onto country radio. I love that our show is a platform to get that music out there. There are so many brilliant song-writers there.”
How Did they Pick the Cast of Nashville? Producers Give Us Insight
Courtesy of ABC
Callie had an idea who she wanted to play many of the roles. From day one, she knew that she wanted Connie Britton as Rayna without even knowing that she could sing. When Connie mentioned it had been a long time someone had paid her to sing, Callie knew she had hit the jackpot.
The other role she knew from day one was the role of Deacon. Khouri shared while they had to hear Chip (who plays Deacon) sing before casting him, they knew
Chip was the guy since day one. He had mostly done comedy. He just fit that role, he just kind of embodied it.
The Executive Producers Surprise us with a Surprise Guest
It was truly amazing to get a chance to talk with the executive producers of this hot show, but the part that was really amazing was our surprise guest. We thought we were just chatting with the EPs about Nashville and what to expect in the future, but at the end we got a chance to meet Eric Close that plays Teddy on the show.
Eric Close was truly an amazing guy. He was kind enough to stop by and let us ask him a few questions about his character and what it’s been like being on the show. Honestly, I really don’t like his character on Nashville because he can be quite a tart about things, but it was impossible not to like Eric Close. When he walked in the room he had a grin ear to ear, and truly seemed to be enjoying all the fan girling that was going on in the room.
He spent about 15 minutes chatting with us and sharing how he was enjoying the transformation that Teddy was having on the show. He shared,
It’s fun to play the tool. It’s very different in a movie, when you have your beginning, middle, and end right in front of you. I’ve been doing TV for 20 years. It’s like one giant movie that could run 8 years. I love that aspect of TV. You hope that every year something changes and your character is reinvented.
He was even kind enough on his way out to shake my hand and thank me for coming. (I will totally admit I don’t fan girl as often as I joke, but it was might nice to be able to say I shook his hand ;))
You Don’t Have to be a Fan of Country Music to Love Nashville
The biggest takeaway from this experience that I got was you don’t have to like country music in order to love the music and the show. My friend Chrysa over at Thrifty Jinxy flat out will tell anyone she doesn’t like country music, but she never misses an episode of this great show! Mix that with the fact Nashville has an amazing cast, and there is NO reason not to watch…. (Look into my eyes Crunchy says you must watch Nashville. Is my hypnosis working?)
The season finale of Nashville airs on Wednesday 5/14/14 at 10pm ET. Here’s a great teaser on what to expect because I’ve been told my lips are sealed, but I can tell you, you won’t want to miss it!
On The Other Hand” — As Will Lexington’s album climbs the chart with the help of Jeff Fordham’s deep pockets, Rayna enlists Teddy’s help to plan a huge, free concert at LP Field to draw attention to her Highway 65 debut. She will perform with Luke Wheeler and duet with Juliette before thousands of fans. Zoey, Avery and Gunnar rock out at a benefit for Deacon’s favorite charity, Sober House, and Avery plans to serenade Juliette with a song he wrote for her. But when he attempts to sing it, he doesn’t understand why she is not present. And Scarlett makes a decision about her future in Music City, on “Nashville,” WEDNESDAY, MAY 14 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET) on the ABC Television Network.
Marybeth Hamilton says
I LOVED hearing that Chip was “the guy” for Nashville from day 1. Deacon Clayborn is my favorite character on the show!