Sam Waterston Almost Didn't Return For 'Law & Order' Revival
Sam Waterston had some hesitation in returning for the new revival of Law & Order.
The 81-year-old actor, who will be back as Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy, opened up to Variety about why he almost didn’t return for the 21st season.
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“I thought at first, ‘Haven’t I done this already?’” Sam recalled in the feature, but added that he probably would’ve regretted it if he didn’t.
He added, “I’m so glad I didn’t miss this chance, because you’re racing through your life and you’re in a big hurry all the time. You don’t really get much opportunity to ever look at it or look back at it or look down at it at the height of it. You know, a life is a big deal.”
Sam went on, explaining that the show’s revival will feel familiar, but also tell new stories from new perspectives.
“It does feel familiar, but we are completely different people. The structure of the show, the names of the characters, they’re there from the past. But I feel like I have to find a new way to live in the show,” he says. “I think that’s what will make it interesting. We’re going to do that together. It’s the same show but it’s a new day. The new people who Jack will be working with most of the time are going to change McCoy, and the relationships will be different. It’s really the most extraordinary thing, the overlays of past and present.”
Sam added, “I don’t think he’s gotten weary. In his heyday, he was a happy warrior, and I think he still is. I don’t know how much he’s changed. Ask me in six or seven episodes.”
Law & Order will premiere this Thursday, February 24 on NBC.