Kim Raver Talks Up The Nine and 24

October 6, 2006 by

I’m still not sure how long Kim Raver will stay with 24 considering her new show, but for now she’s planning on being on both. Here’s an interview she did with UGO:

UGO: Are you shooting this week?

KIM RAVER: Yeah, we’re shooting every day.

UGO: What episode are you working on?

KIM: We’re shooting the sixth right now.

UGO: Can you tell me anything that your character is doing in this episode?

KIM: We’re learning who these people are. My character is still internal about what her experience was inside the bank. Then through events that happen after the bank you really get to see who she is. Like how after this life altering event she now has to deal with being a lawyer. There’s stuff that’s going to happen to the bank robbers so it’s very hard for her not to be involved with that. Her relationship with the other lawyer Ed [played by Tom Verica] becomes a very interesting point to learn about who Kathryn is and how she’s changing and who she’s becoming.

UGO: Was it easier to get into the flow of The Nine after being on 24?

KIM: I think it definitely helped in the sense of playing the scenes because you’re not giving away everything. It’s not like you’re concluding each episode into a nice little neat package, which keeps you hanging a little bit. Questions are definitely answered in every episode, which is great, but they leave you hungry for more.

UGO: Is it difficult to craft a character when you don’t know everything about her?

KIM: I don’t find it difficult at all. I find it amazingly revealing because with every episode I’m given so much about who this person is. Since the show doesn’t take place over a 24 hour period my character gets to talk with other characters and her mother which is revealing so much about who Kathryn is. These are very three dimensional characters which is so thrilling to play. They’re not stereotypical characters. They’re very full, very fleshed out and though you have the doctor, the lawyer and the cop they’re really rich characters which hopefully makes for very dramatic television.

UGO: Were you looking to do another ensemble show or was it that you just liked the script?

KIM: I wasn’t looking at all actually. I didn’t have any plans on doing another show. I was very happy on 24 working with Kiefer [Sutherland] and the rest of the cast cast. When I saw the script for The Nine that was when I went back to Kiefer and to the producers. I wasn’t really ready to give up 24 so it was great that they were able to make it a possibility to be able to go and do The Nine and have that be my full-time commitment but yet still have the family of 24 backing me up. So it’s truly the best of both worlds.

UGO: What impressed you about the script for The Nine?

KIM: I felt it was a fantastic concept. The writing by Hank [Steinberg] and KJ [Steinberg] was great and they are such interesting writers. I talked to Hank at length when I was deciding whether to do this or not and the way he described how the show was going to move forward and how he talked about the characters showed how multi-dimensional the characters are. [The Nine director] Alex Graves’ work on The West Wing is just excellent and those are people that I wanted to be involved with and I love the concept of where television is going right now. To be able to have these big ensembles but yet all of the characters are very important and very interesting and very diverse. None of these characters are the same and it’s so great because none of the actors are the same either. Everyone approaches things differently. That creates a really great ensemble and a really great working chemistry and what I love about Kathryn is she’s very different than Audrey Raines from 24. As an actor you always want to do new things. I just love she’s not by the book but she’s amazing at what she does. She’s incredibly intelligent and she’s sexy and her own woman but yet she hang with the guys and get her job done.

UGO: Do Hank and KJ ever fight like brother and sister in front of everybody?

KIM: No, never. They have this amazing yin and the yang kind of thing. They counterbalance each other’s strengths. It’s great to watch.

UGO: Which character do you interact the most with in the show?

KIM: Probably Tim Daly’s character. There’s definitely something going on there. All of the actors are really strong at what they do, which brings us a really great mix of characters and people.

UGO: What do you think of the way that ABC is promoting the show by being all mysterious?

KIM: ABC is promoting it with such strength that I have been very grateful for their support because that’s really what shows need these days. We hope that audiences are intrigued by the show and I think it is mysterious, but at a good level. Not at a point where it gets frustrating or annoying.

UGO: How was going to the Emmy’s and seeing Kiefer and 24 win big awards?

KIM: It was amazing. Kiefer one of the hardest workers I have ever seen. He’s so dedicated, generous and gifted so I was really ecstatic. Also to see the people behind the show acknowledged by winning best drama made it a very unique and special evening.

UGO: Will you keep following the show now that you’re not working on it right now?

KIM: I’m going to try and do some of the episodes this season as well. I don’t know if physically it’s possible, but we’ve definitely talked about it with Kiefer and the producers. It is just a matter of whether we can physically pull it off.

UGO: Do you have a big role in the upcoming Night at the Museum?

KIM: No, it’s a small role but it was great. It really is Ben Stiller’s film. I play his ex-wife and there’s a really great scene between Ben and Paul Rudd and me. Paul plays my fiance and it’s this funny little triangle and it took us a zillion takes to get through because I couldn’t stop laughing.