Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer, premiering today, May 13 on Netflix, had a long road to the screen.
TV Fanatic got the chance to speak with Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Becki Newton, Jazz Raycole, and Angus Sampson ahead of the highly-anticipated premiere.
The cast was immediately drawn to the project by the big names behind-the-scenes.
Garcia-Rulfo commends novel writer Michael Connelly for crafting such a multi-layered world in the novel the series that inspired the series.
“What he created and the details on the character and the atmosphere, it’s a pleasure to be a part of that world,” the star, who plays Mickey Haller, said before delving into his character.
“He’s full of colors and complexity and is larger than life. I was excited about having the opportunity to be a Mexican actor be playing an elite character in an American show.Bbeing a good lawyer, that was very exciting for me.”
Becki Newton, who plays Lorna, was happy to delve into a more dramatic role after appearing on mostly comedies throughout her career.
“When I found that there was this opportunity to be part of a David E. Kelley drama, I thought, wouldn’t that be an interesting next chapter for me?”
“And when I read this particular character, I knew right away that I would be able to add a ton of flavor and also embark upon sort of a new tone and a new type of show. And I’ve loved every second of it,” Newton shared of her role as Lorna.
“I love that while she has a complex past with Mickey, they were married before. They’re not married now.”
“They still have a very cool, modern relationship. She’s running his legal practice and also sometimes still trying to run his life,” Newton said with a laugh.
“It’s great to see how their characters evolve together in this new phase of their lives.”
Raycole, who plays Izzy, was familiar with the book series and felt like the show was a big draw.
“Getting to play Izzy, who’s so complex, there’s a lot of different things that she goes through in the arc that she has over the course of the season is something that is fun to play.”
Raycole also liked that there’s some heart to the show, despite the severity of the cases.
The star also spoke about the dynamic between Izzy and Mickey.
“What I like about Izzy is the dynamic that she and Mickey have, and the kind of journey that they go on with their addiction is really, really unique.”
“And they really do support each other. I think there’s a lot of care that goes both ways that kind of develops over the course of the season.”
Sampson, who plays Cisco, lives in Los Angeles, and was happy to be on a show that was filmed there.
“You do the deals here and then go off and film somewhere else. So, that was nice to be able to return home to the family at the end of each day,” the actor shared.
The series was initially in development at CBS, but it moved to Netflix after the network decided against moving forward with it.
Manuel said that Netflix was a great home because of the reach the streaming service has around the globe.
“I really appreciate the freedom they gave us to do things,” the actor shared, adding that he was happy he got to explore Mickey’s Mexican roots.
“Netflix was very open to that. I’m just thankful.”
Manuel also opened up about telling the story over a longer arc.
“It’s very well-written and very well put together the way this guy has the journey of the hero, where you find them at the lowest of his life, and you see this guy struggling with so many obstacles.”
“You can really see the world of the series is full of interesting characters.”
Check out the trailer below, and stream the entire first season now on Netflix.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.