IR Interview: Manuel Garcia-Rulfo For "The Lincoln Lawyer" [Netflix-S3]

The Inside Reel

Actor Manuel Garcia-Rulfo talks to The Inside Reel about approach, naturalism, energy and internalization in regards to the 3rd season of his Neflix series: “The Lincoln Lawyer.”

Transcript

00:00I'm going to find who did this, I'm going to find him and I'm going to bury him.

00:24Making a series like this, especially on location is, I know it can be grueling, but you bring

00:29such a specificity to Mickey, both in his vulnerability, but also in his preciseness.

00:37Could you talk about that and finding the balance, especially surrounded in Los Angeles

00:42most of the time?

00:43So fun.

00:45Thank you for that.

00:46Yeah, I think that's what I enjoy the most about this character, you know, the vulnerability

00:54like, and I remember the first season talking this with the showrunners and the producers

01:00and the writers about making him, you know, because it's easy to fall in the thing of

01:06being like this, just this amazing lawyer and that he can do everything and you know,

01:11blah, blah, blah.

01:12He's so smart.

01:14But I also told him to, you know, let's make him, you know, let's go to for that vulnerability

01:21make him really human and make him with a lot of default, you know, faults that he has,

01:26his addiction, his everything that is, you know, because I think it's, it's important

01:31to see where it's appealing to see that and I think that's why people are drawn to it

01:35to see this, this hero being so real or so vulnerable and so with so many faults and

01:43to see him struggle, obstacle, you know, this obstacle and to see him, you know, fall,

01:50but then, then rise up, you know?

01:53And I think that's why the character is so cool, man.

01:55Do you like to gamble?

01:57Absolutely not.

01:58Too bad you're in the wrong place.

02:00Good afternoon, Mr. Schwartz.

02:02Now, you've testified that you went home after the carjacking, correct?

02:06Yes.

02:07It was late.

02:09Was your wife waiting up to let you into your house?

02:11No.

02:12I didn't want to wake her, so I let myself in.

02:14I see.

02:15And do you have a smart lock on your front door?

02:17Objection.

02:18What possible relevance?

02:19Oh, Your Honor, I'm three questions away from relevance, if you'll indulge me.

02:24Three, Mr. Holler.

02:25No more.

02:26Answer the question, Mr. Schwartz.

02:29No, I don't have a smart lock.

02:32So you use your house key to open your front door?

02:34The hell else would I use?

02:35Mr. Schwartz.

02:37My apologies, Your Honor.

02:39Yes, I used my house key.

02:42Good.

02:43Do you have that key on you?

02:44Can you show it to us?

02:53There.

02:54Happy?

02:55Okay.

02:56Your Honor, I believe that was three questions.

02:59Now we get to the relevance.

03:01So we've established that you keep your house and car keys on the same keychain, Mr. Schwartz,

03:06like I do.

03:07Like everyone does.

03:08Right.

03:09And I'm sure you understand my confusion, because if your house keys were on your keychain

03:14and my client took those keys when he carjacked you, then how were you able to unlock your

03:19front door?

03:23Now, because I love the way that even from second into third, there's a deconstruction

03:28and a reconstruction right in the beginning, which is really neat.

03:33But it's all reflected in the fact of who he's surrounded by.

03:36Lorna, Izzy, Sisko, all these things sort of change him.

03:40He's like a puzzle piece, like that you're seeing the puzzle more come together as you're

03:44going.

03:45And even with Home, with the character Home that he's playing this season, that adds another

03:49thing because you see backstory.

03:52You can't play time, but you can show time.

03:54Does that make sense?

03:55Yeah.

03:56Yeah, of course, man.

03:57And I think, yeah, you're right, man.

03:59And I don't know.

04:00He's one of those characters that, which I love, that without the people that you said,

04:08he won't be able to, even though he's a card of presentation kind of thing.

04:16Without Lorna, without Sisko, without Izzy, he wouldn't be able to do.

04:20Even without Maggie, because she puts him in the path.

04:28He wouldn't do the things that he does without the team.

04:59May the record reflect the French dip was created in 1908, when the chef right here

05:05at Kohl's soaked the bread in beef drippings to accommodate a customer with bad gums.

05:12That claim was refuted due to insufficient evidence.

05:14The French dip originated in 1918, when a French chef, Philippe, was carving a sandwich

05:21for a fireman and the bread accidentally fell into the roasting pan.

05:26Hence the name French dip.

05:28Yes.

05:29But was that not created with pork, Counselor?

05:32Correct.

05:33It was.

05:34That's the sandwich that was created at Philippe's.

05:37The classic original with roast beef was made right here at Kohl's.

05:42Could you talk about, because I love those moments in between lines where you see him.

05:46I think you're in Kohl's and there's one moment where it's quiet and you can see him thinking.

05:53Because acting is an internal versus an external exercise.

05:57Are there certain things that you've gleaned onto about his personality, about his movement,

06:03that's made him who he is to you that maybe the audience doesn't see, but they feel?

06:11Yeah.

06:13It's funny that you said that, that you put it that way, because you're right.

06:18There's something very internal in acting too, but in the case of Mickey, his outside

06:25court is very internal and that's where you see his vulnerabilities and all this.

06:29And when he's in court, it feels like he's in theater.

06:33He's putting a part and he's more external.

06:35He's putting a play.

06:38He's putting a show with a jury and all this.

06:41And going into doing it as an actor, it just feels like that.

06:46Every time I'm in the court, he's playing.

06:49He's playing a part, I guess.

06:51And when he's out of court, he's more internal and that's where you see most of his vulnerability.

06:57But I don't know.

07:00It just feels like in third season, it's becoming more natural.

07:07I don't have to think much.

07:12First season, I remember doing all this work, background of the character, what it was,

07:16that, I don't know.

07:18Now it just feels like every time I read that, they bring me something to read.

07:22I know exactly what he's thinking.

07:24I know exactly what he's...

07:26Instinct.

07:27The instinct thing.

07:30Yeah, it's not something that I think.

07:32You're like, oh, now I'm going to do it.

07:34Now it's becoming something very natural.

07:39You're dealing with people that play a very dangerous game.

07:43We're not backing down without a fight.

07:49This is a war, Holland.

07:50And you have to choose which side you're on.

07:53The job is to find out information one way or another.

07:59If you go for it, you better not miss.

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