Interviewing Rogue’s Josh Sasse and Leah Gibson

I enjoyed talking to Rogue’s Joshua Sasse and Leah Gibson, the gangster version of Lord and Lady Macbeth. Rogue, starring Thandie Newton, premieres Wednesday, April 3 at 9PM on DirecTV’s Audience network. The show surrounds a vengeance-focused cop, Grace (Newton), who runs a “rogue” undercover investigation on  gangster Jimmy Laszlo. She suspects someone affiliated with his operation can reveal the truth behind her son’s mysterious death. UK-raised Josh plays Jimmy Laszlo’s impetuous son, Alec. Strong and hot-headed, he’s desperate to ascend to the throne in a kingdom run by a long-living monarch (think Prince Charles). Canadian Leah Gibson portrays his wife, Cathy, the brains behind the throne. Serving as her husband’s dark id or reverse Jiminy Cricket, she consistently pushes Alec to achieve roles or take action his father disavows. Each of the Lazslo family members, including Cathy (Gibson) and Alec (Sasse), have an odd relationship with Grace (Newton), alternating between interest,  camaraderie, jealousy, desire and distrust.

While Sasse’s character, Alec, speaks with an American accent, in the show Sasse carried himself like an East London boxer, coiled and tightly wound. During our brief chat, his polished Exeter voice utterly surprised me. In fact, with his tightly buttoned oxford shirt, his European red scarf and his definitive opinions, he reminded me of James Purefoy. Is there a school that British actors attend where they learn to rock scarves, opinions and utter confidence with casual aplomb? If so, sign me up! On the show, Sasse is striking. His eyes consistently arrested me as a viewer. However, in person, his casual intelligence and uber-confidence struck me even more. He analogized Philadelphia’s Old City with Georgian architecture, which is true, and described their remaining press junket. In contrast to her co-star’s intensity, Leah is utterly bubbly, open and adorable. Rocking silver heels and artfully torn leggings, she easily talked about herself, her family and her personal life. I hope she doesn’t lose that cheerful openness as her career progresses. I just wanted to invite her out for beers and a guy gab-fest afterwards.

Prior to Josh and Leah’s arrival, my fellow on-line co-writers and I discussed the show’s most striking scenes. You know the show’s skewed towards an adult audience because, well, it features a lot of sex. A LOT. I started off the interview by asking how the two choreographed their love scenes, particularly a visually arresting glass-walled one. Josh made certain we understood that “it’s telling a story” and not an “empty bit of porn” for “sex’s sake.” Note: I think I had a similar conversation with James Purefoy who also rocked a scarf. Leah revealed they “discussed the scene for two weeks.” It possibly resonated with her longer as it served as her audition scene. I’m always happy when actresses indicate gender awareness. Gibson proudly pointed out a female director choreographed the third episode featuring their defining scene. Overall, both actors viewed the scene as “strong” and “powerful” with “high emotional stakes.” You’ll understand when you see it. However, I realized you cannot star in Rogue, unless you have a perfect body. Trust me.

Although Leah based her character on strong female archetypes, her understanding of Cathy popped in that scene. In contrast, Josh initially based his on Charles Manson i.e. a quiet powder keg waiting to explode. (Interestingly, I had a similar conversation with James Purefoy.) Revealing a startling understanding of his character, Josh explicated Jimmy’s sons as his two sides: one is the brains and the other the impetuous brawn. The characters and the scenes are intense. To de-stress, Leah admitted doing a LOT of yoga while Josh purchased an old Dodge that he used to investigate the city. I remember playing a suicidal student once in my early 30s. Let me tell you, I couldn’t stop crying after the day ended. I completely understood. It was nice watching Leah and Josh as they easily interacted with each other. We introduced a topic and they ran with it while finishing each other’s sentences, casually indicating their on-screen husband and wife relationship.

Josh admitted the script’s high quality attracted him while depicting his awareness of other mobster shows by delineating other shows like Boardwalk Empire which he correctly categorized as nostalgia, and describing show creator Matthew Parkhill’s writing as “incredible” in its “complexity” and “intricacy” of intertwining worlds.

At the end of the interview, Josh appeared willing to stand beside a Rogue poster so I could grab a photo. But, I wanted to photograph him with Leah. Unfortunately, once he sat back down, Cathy found herself pulled into a conversation and Josh into another. Oh, well. Sorry, ladies. Mea Culpa. Rogue comes out next week. For a sneak preview, check out the show at the below sites. Also, for a full audio of the interview, listen below!

Website: Directv.com/rogue
Facebook: Facebook.com/RogueDIRECTV
Twitter: Twitter.com/RogueDIRECTV