Five Fun Facts Behind "The Equalizer"
 Edward Woodward: destined to become "The Equalizer"
photo courtesy www.discogs.org
Once I created "The Equalizer" (along with co-creator and good friend Richard Lindheim) and it became a hit on CBS-TV, things began to take on a life of their own. Ever since the show went on the air, "Robert McCall" has always been a part of me. While the show appeared to have simply arrived as whole cloth, a lot went on behind the scenes of that show and another of my all-time favorites which I've never revealed...until now.
Here are five things you probably didn't know... 1. When I started casting The Equalizer pilot for CBS, the first name on the network executives' list for the character of "Robert McCall" was a fine actor by the name of Ben Gazzara, which I quickly passed on. (It wasn't that Ben Gazzara wasn't a terrific actor, but his trademark gruff persona just didn't feel right for the sophistication I was hoping to infuse in the character.) I knew the English actor Edward Woodward and his body of work. Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he had starred in the classic film The Wicker Man and played the lead role in the iconic Breaker Morant. Edward embodied characters of innate intelligence, confidence, and sophistication, and I knew he would bring that sensibility to the role of "Robert McCall." I began to seriously campaign with the network and with the studio...and eventually, Edward became the truly memorable character of "Robert McCall," for which he would go on to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Dramatic Actor. The lesson I learned: fight for those actors you believe in! |
 Original poster featuring Lee Majors, Lindsey Wagner, Sandra Bullock
2. Because of the strong network ratings and the audience reaction to "The Equalizer" and my rising profile at both Universal Studios and the three major networks (CBS, ABC, NBC), I was given the singular opportunity to write and produce the second two-hour movie based upon the hit series The Six Million Dollar Man, which starred Lee Majors. As the casting process got under way--when multiple network "suits" and studio casting executives begin compiling lists of "new talent" and "affordable stars"--it quickly became apparent that the studio was strongly in favor of a completely unknown actress to play the young female lead. Casting sessions can be a grueling process, involving dozens of actors walking into a room to confront writers, producers, directors, casting assistants, and studio execs where they're expected to "turn it on" and read from a script so convincingly that they win the role over the six dozen other hopefuls waiting outside in the hall. By the time we were done, we had watched "readings" by at least 60 young hopefuls, both in Los Angeles and in New York. When all was said and done, only one of them really stood out for me. As per usual, I locked horns with the studio executives ensconced in Universal Studios' 'Black Tower' who wanted no part of an unknown playing against Lee Majors who was by then a major television star. Again, I took a deep breath and made it very clear that this young actress would get the job...or they could get someone else to produce the movie. As it turned out, the movie was a big hit, the young actress was terrific playing the co-lead in Bionic Showdown, and she went on to do wonderful things as the star we all know and love today: Sandra Bullock.
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 Jerry Stiller
3. The character of 'Brahms' was introduced in The Equalizer pilot as an older spy who knew Robert McCall. Brahms--played by Jerry Stiller--was never mentioned again, during the TV series or in the feature movie -- but I did re-introduce the 'Brahms' character in The Equalizer: A Novel, and then in my most recent Killed in Action. He is, in fact, my favorite of all of the auxilliary characters in the two books. (If you've read either book, I'd love to hear what you think about 'Brahms'. Just drop me a line here.)
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4. The 'Granny' character in The Equalizer: A Novel is based on a character that I created during the run of the David Carradine-starring TV series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, who was a mercenary named 'Kermit.' He was a fan favorite in the TV series, appearing in the third and fourth years of the show.
 My mother, actress-producer Paula Stone
5. When the reader is introduced to the 'Norman Rosemont' character in Killed in Action, he talks to an older Broadway song and dance gal who has an encyclopedic memory for Broadway tunes and scores. She sings a song from a show in 1957 called Red Letter Day. The show was called Rumple, featured Eddie Foy, Jr. and Elliott Gould, and was produced on Broadway by my very own mother,
Paula Stone. |