This was posted at another site & was found at Club Keanu ...I thought you would enjoy: Oh, am I able to do this or can I only provide a linkK? If I overstepped my bounds, please feel free to remove.
The Watchful Eyes:
Hugh Laurie as Captain Biggs
“I’ve watched you bully, intimidate and blackmail your way up the pay grades
for twenty years. I know exactly who you are.” -Captain Biggs
Internal Affairs Captain James Biggs exists between the worlds of the corporate arm of law enforcement and the cops who walk the beat patrolling the streets. When Biggs is first introduced in the film he comes off as illusive, deceitful and out to get the goods on Ludlow, Wander and Ad Vice. His character asks some probing questions of the various shades of grey in the moral landscape of these men. Through the numerous inquiries and relentless pressure, Biggs serves as a peripheral player in the awakening of Ludlow.
“Biggs was one of the most difficult characters to develop in the film,” recalls David Ayer. “He is a very self-aware character who understands the grey areas of this world, yet isn’t cynical and is ultimately very smart and pragmatic.”
To play the character of Captain Biggs, the filmmakers looked to the award winning and accomplished British actor Hugh Laurie to bring him to life. Laurie, who has found great success stateside as the starring role on the popular television series “House,” was interested in both the material and the idea of breaking outside his comfort zone.
“This film was a hard proposition to turn down,” he says. “I absolutely loved TRAINING DAY and David is a very bright and interesting writer and director and I’ve always loved James Ellroy. It was wonderful opportunity to work with this fabulous cast in a very different environment for me. After playing one character for the last three years it was rather wonderful to be able to do something a little different.”
Laurie was also intrigued by the questions that the film raised about the morality and ethics of these men who choose to deal with the darker sides of human nature. ”The story has a lot of shadows with a lot of shadowy characters and it’s not easy to place them in positions on a moral scale. It plays into the reality that Los Angeles lends itself a certain moral grayness.”
While Biggs is certainly out to advance his own career, he becomes an unlikely champion for the morality of Ludlow. “While Ludlow is useful to Biggs, Ludlow is the soul for whom these forces are battling,” argues Laurie. “In spite of the violence and sordid nature of how he earns his living, Ludlow is nonetheless an innocent and naïve character. He is the soul for which we are battling.”
David Ayer was impressed by Laurie’s performance and dedication to the complexities of the character. “Hugh did quite a bit of research and was able to understand the politics and psychology of the department. Here you have a British actor from the European school of acting who was able to really transform himself into a captain of the LAPD.”
Laurie was impressed by the performances of his co-stars Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker. “Although Forest is the kindest and most gentle person to work with, at the flip of a switch he’s able to summon up the most extraordinary reserves of physical menace and power. Keanu has often played characters who you root for and sympathize with and he’s able to draw on those reserves when delving into some very dark and frightening stuff.”
HUGH LAURIE (Captain James Biggs)
Known for possessing a keen eye for the complex characters he creates as an actor and a writer, Hugh Laurie currently brings that talent to his work on the critically acclaimed series, "House" for which he has won two Golden Globe Awards, a SAG Award, and has been nominated for two Emmy awards. The innovative and uncompromising series features Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, an antisocial and brutally honest doctor who combines an unconventional approach to his cases with flawless instincts. The remaining episodes of the third season will begin airing on April 28, 2008.
Laurie previously starred in a number of groundbreaking British television comedy series, including four seasons of "A Bit of Fry and Laurie," which he co-wrote for the BBC with Stephen Fry; three seasons of "Blackadder," written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton; and three seasons of "Saturday Live." In addition, four seasons of "Jeeves and Wooster," based on the novels of P.G. Wodehouse, aired on PBS's "Masterpiece Theatre" from 1990-1995.
On the big screen, Laurie was last seen in the 20th Century Fox release FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX opposite Dennis Quaid. Other film credits include PETER'S FRIENDS directed and co-starring Kenneth Branagh, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, COUSIN BETTE with Jessica Lange, THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK, 101 DALMATIONS, STUART LITTLE and STUART LITTLE 2 with Geena Davis.
On American television, Laurie portrayed Vincente Minnelli opposite Judy Davis in the network telefilm "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows." He also appeared in "Tracy Takes On" and "Friends."
In addition to acting, Laurie has directed television programs and commercials, composed and recorded numerous original songs and written articles for London's The Daily Telegraph. Four volumes of "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" scripts have been published by Mandarin and his first novel, "The Gun Seller," was published in both the UK and the US to critical acclaim and has been adapted into a screenplay for MGM.
Laurie was educated at Eton and Cambridge University, where he took a degree in Anthropology. He also rowed in the University Boat Race of 1980. He was elected president of the venerable Footlights Revue, where he produced The Cellar Tapes along with Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson. The show won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival of 1981.
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