Author Michael Connelly Discusses Casting Bosch and Ballard
· BCPosted in: Amazon Studios, TV | Tagged: ballard, Bosch, Michael Connelly
Author Michael Connelly Discusses Casting Bosch and Ballard
Author Michael Connelly on how things change and evolve from writing characters on the page to casting actors to play Bosch and Ballard.
Published Fri, 15 Nov 2024 17:38:07 -0600
by Adi Tantimedh
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Bosch creator Michael Connelly had a bookclub with his longtime editor Asya Muchnick to talk about his latest Bosch-Ballard novel, The Waiting, possibly the most intricately-plotted book of his career as it features not only LAPD detective Renée Ballard, to be played by Maggie Q. in the upcoming TV series, but also Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) and his daughter Maddie Bosch, played by Madeleine Lintz in Bosch: Legacy, now a rookie cop getting her feet wet as an investigator. Connelly talked about his creative process, the thinking behind the book, and the research he used from real-life detective Mitzi Hartert-Roberts, the inspiration for Ballard, who only recently retired from the LAPD. Hartert-Roberts has also been a consultant for the Bosch TV series and upcoming Ballard series to ensure the portrayal of the cops and the LAPD were authentic and also in the books. Connelly talked about the increased presence of women in the book and the emergence of Maddie Bosch as a major character for the first time as she forges her own path as a cop and investigator.
Bosch Universe: From Characters on the Page to Casting Actors
"When I was a reporter, I couldn't write about what anyone was thinking. It was a great joy to write about what was behind the eyes of Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller. It goes back to newspaper reporting when you're casting because you can't know what anyone is thinking, so you have to cast someone who can express the centre of the character in some way. Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch is really easy because he has some way of projecting what's behind his eyes that's not good, that's baggage, that's a tough life. Ballard's a little bit different – to me, she's more mysterious because she's driven, she's fierce, she's undaunted, all those things that are fantastic characteristics. But where does it come from?" Connelly shared. "
It's hard to figure out. I'm five books into it, and I'm not really sure where it comes from. I know she had some tough times when she was growing up in Hawaii, but what keeps Ballard going now? It's a mystery that I'm still working on. So when it came to casting her, we're actually this week filming the last episode of the first season, we have Maggie Q. She is Ballard. Like in the book, she has confrontations with superiors, mostly male, and she gets it and makes it work. There's a physicality to her that works. We got a winner." The bestselling author added, "Maggie Q. will eventually push her way into my head when I'm writing about Ballard, but Mitzi Roberts has been in my head when I write Ballard."
It's notable that Welliver has been reading the audiobooks for the Bosch novels for years now, and in the recent Bosch-Ballard books, Welliver reads the Harry Bosch sections while Christine Lakin reads the Ballard sections. In The Waiting, Christine Lakin reads the Ballard sections, Welliver reads the Harry Bosch section, and Lintz reads the Maddie Bosch sections. The Waiting is now out in bookshops. Connelly mentioned that the first season of the Ballard series will finish shooting this week. The final season of Bosch: Legacy will premiere in 2025. Stay tuned for more revelations from Connelly's book club.
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