Tate Donovan: Man in waiting

He doesn’t mind getting “older” roles like playing a father on The OC and the likes. He is not even bothered to be second to a woman in the chain of command on AXN’s Damages which airs every Tuesday night at 10.

Tate Donovan belongs to that mold of actors who look for substance rather than appearance. After all, a real actor is measured not only by the number of lead roles he has played but by the number of characters he has done and can do in his career.

“Getting old in a role is a good thing,” replies Tate, who plays lawyer Tom Shayes on Damages, when asked about the kind of “mature and father” roles he has been portraying. “I look forward to it. It has substance.”

This is the same reason why Tate never had second thoughts about playing Tom, one of the many lawyers under the whims and caprices of Glenn Close’s character named Patty Hewes.

“My character is interesting,” says Tate of Tom, Patty’s senior legal associate. “I’m the No. 2 guy to Glenn. I’m second to a powerful woman. Tom will never be No. 1. He is like Patty’s wife. I don’t mind playing it. Besides they (the executives) hired me to be second to a woman. Damages has an excellent cast. Every single character evolves and is pulling off the rope to win. Each has his own moments of selfishness or greed.”

But what the rest of the characters don’t know is that Patty seems to be in control of the situation and everyone is subtly at her beck and call. 

Damages revolves around brilliant, manipulative lawyer Patty whose law firm Hewes and Associates handles a lawsuit against a former CEO named Arthur Frobisher. Arthur allegedly lied to his employees about the status of his company. Patty will do anything and everything to nail down the case even at the expense of others.

Aside from Patty who is the heart and soul of the show, the story or the conflict also shifts to other characters. One of them is Ellen Parsons, a new lawyer, who turned down offers from other prestigious law firms just to work with the notorious lawyer Patty. Like her passionate boss, Ellen gets engrossed with the case the firm handles to the point that her relationship with boyfriend David Connor suffers. What intrigues the viewer is the flashback that shows David dead in the apartment and Ellen running covered with blood.

Whatever is the connection of these visions of the past or future to the present is enough reason to make  televiewers glued to the set till the end.

Asked if it’s his first time to play a lawyer on the small  screen, Tate replies, “I played it before. I spent time with my uncle, a corporate lawyer. I met some of his colleagues, corporate lawyers themselves, and spoke to them in the halls. It was also fun watching a couple of trials. I also read books about lawyers. They are like everybody else. They are kind. It’s not really difficult to play a lawyer. I just bring it inside.”

What makes the work a breeze not only to Tate but also to the other members of the cast is the producers of the show. They are smart and share some giggling time with everybody on the set.

How is Damages different from existing and previous legal drama series like Boston Legal and Ally McBeal?

“It is less comedic and far more legal,” answers Tate. “There’s a case that runs throughout the season. It is not a procedural show but more of a character study.”