If there were a Mount Rushmore of actors, Tony Goldwyn would be on it.
The impressively talented actor-director is not only hitting home runs this season as President Fitzgerald “Fitz” Grant on ABC’s most popular series Scandal, but is also about to be seen in the highly anticipated feature filmDivergent. And he’s also adding TV production to his resume with the upcoming series The Divide.
If there’s something that he can’t do exceedingly well, we haven’t found it yet.
On Divergent:
“The society of this city has reorganized itself and divided itself amongst five factions based on dominant personality traits. [Andrew’s faction] Abnegation is charged with running the government, under the idea [that] being dedicated to selflessness and service, they will be the most trustworthy.”
“I play [Tris’s] father, and that’s sort of where you find us,” he continued. “My daughter, as well as my son, go through this ceremony and this crazy adventure.”
Of course, you don’t bring in Tony Goldwyn to play the father figure who sits on the sidelines. While he may be a supporting character, Andrew gets his own piece of the post-apocalyptic action, as you can see in the picture at the top of this article. He’s definitely not just there to dispense fatherly wisdom.
On ‘Scandal’:
“It’s so interesting,” Tony reflected. “Jon Tenney’s an old friend of mine. It’s so great to have him aboard. He’s amazing. He and Bellamy have great chemistry. It becomes very, very complicated for Fitz if he ever finds out about that.” And this being Scandal, we bet he will.
On Directing ‘Scandal’:
“The thing about directing Scandal is it’s so unique,” he explained. “We’re such a tight family on Scandal. So to step behind the camera and direct that show, it’s such a blast. It’s really great. It’s a very different experience than directing other shows.”
And with only five episodes left in the season, if you’re not holding onto the edge of your seat already, you should be starting tonight. “This week’s episode is absolutely mindblowing,” Tony added, “and it just gets crazy leading up to the finale.”
What does it feel like for him to have these two huge projects happening simultaneously?
“I’m just really grateful,” he said. “And it’s exciting, and it’s really nice…There’s a bunch of things that I’ve been very passionate about that didn’t find their audience.”
On ‘The Divide’:
Tony co-created the series with Academy Award nominee Richard LaGravenese, with whom he worked on the 2010 film Conviction. He also serves as an executive producer and directed the pilot. “It’s happening starting in July,” he told us. “That’s going to be the first scripted show on the WE network.”
Also, the writer LOVES him (she can sit with us):
So let’s recap: you have one of the best actors in the business, who’s crushing the material given to him on one of TV’s most talked about shows. He just finished what should be another superb directorial effort on said show. He’s also in a film poised to be the next adaptation of a young adult novel that starts a blockbuster movie franchise. And he’s now co-creating a TV series. It’s safe to say Tony Goldwyn’s achieved above and beyond what anyone could expect from one individual person in Hollywood. Could he possibly be any better?
Maybe if you consider that he’s also one of the classiest people in the business. Next to the word ‘professional’ in the dictionary, there’s probably a picture of him. With everything he’s accomplished and how he handles it all, he’s the template for what an actor should be. One of the major reasons why we love Scandal so much, and embrace Fitz even with everything he’s done, is that we have so much respect and even admiration for Tony Goldwyn.
On Ghost:
And with how he’s won America over on Scandal, people have finally let him off the hook for Ghost. Laughed Tony, “They go, ‘I’ve finally forgiven you for killing Patrick Swayze.'”
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