Rossif Sutherland known as the concept of casting somebody to play his dad on Homicide in a Small City “difficult” after wishing his father, Donald Sutherland, received the possibility earlier than his dying.
“I all the time have the attractive actuality of with the ability to consider my very own dad as the one that would play my dad,” Rossif, 47, who performs Karl, solely instructed Us Weekly about who he would have forged on the Fox present. “He has [played my dad on screen] up to now — and he in all probability would have cherished to do that.”
Rossif doesn’t have anybody particular in thoughts now.
“I do not know. I would love any individual who’s tall — simply in order that I may look him within the eye. I think about this character to be not a weak [and] not a damaged man. I see him as surprisingly fairly robust and put collectively,” the actor famous. “However he simply made decisions that Karl disagrees with. So they need to have the ability to take a look at one another straight.”
Based mostly on novels written by L.R. Wright, Homicide in a Small City follows a police chief named Karl (Sutherland) who — together with the assistance of others, together with his girlfriend, Cassandra (Kreuk) — investigates mysterious murders. Season 1 featured visitor appearances from James Cromwell, Stana Katic, Devon Sawa, Paula Patton and Noah Reid.
Rossif beforehand spoke about his father’s curiosity in bringing the books to life earlier than his dying in June 2024 at age 88.
Kristin Kreuk and Rossif Sutherland. James Dimmock/ FOX
“The bizarre factor is that my father was tied to this 30 years in the past. It’s just a little surreal, actually — serendipitous I suppose,” he instructed Us in September 2024. “However right here I’m telling a narrative that my father would’ve instructed 30 years in the past. I don’t know that I’m following in his footsteps, however I like the person and I miss him.”
Rossif continued: “I consider [my dad] day-after-day. And my lovely mom that I like and adore, I hope she watches this. I hope this brings her pleasure … someday at a time.”
After filming two seasons of Homicide in a Small City — thus far — Rossif has discovered his groove as lovable police chief Karl.
“There’s a appeal to these [small town] environments. In fact it’s idyllic however there may be telling a narrative inside a context like that. The neighborhood is small so that you really get to know who everyone is,” he famous. “That’s one other factor that we had been making an attempt to do. If we get to do that once more, we’d do it much more. It is rather a lot about all these characters that make this place a house. It’s a house that absurdly has grow to be a little bit of a homicide capital however there needs to be a cause why folks keep. That’s as a result of they’ve one another.”
Rossif highlighted his love for the message behind the present.
“It was all the time that theme of relationships, of discovering love and what it means to maintain that love alive. It was this concept of Karl, who has this pure skill to unravel crimes, to unlock mysteries and to make folks converse the reality. All of the whereas there are a whole lot of mysteries about his personal life and talents that he has to truly converse his personal reality,” he defined. “However he finds any individual in Cassandra who was very completely different from him. Due to this love, they’re negotiating how finest to be and this isn’t what they’d imagined.”
He continued: “They need to make it work. With that can come conversations, vulnerability, intimacy and the constructing of a household. These are all grand themes however we tackle them in our personal little approach in a fantastic place. We inform our little homicide tales nevertheless it’s very a lot to me a present about love. There’s a whole lot of love whereas we movie it and hopefully it interprets to the display screen.”
Homicide in a Small City airs on Fox Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
