Today's Entertainment

Sean Bean goes deep undercover in 'Legends' By Jacqueline Cutler © Zap2it In a post 9/11 world, well-armed bands of vigilantes seem uncom- fortably realistic. They crop up, and govern- ment agents are not far behind ready to thwart them, as they do in TNT's "Legends" premiering Wednesday, Aug. 13. Sean Bean ("Game of Thrones") plays one such FBI agent, Martin Odum, who slips in and out of undercover op- erations with such ease he's losing himself in the process. "He's a lone wolf in a sense," Bean says, relaxing on a terrace at a Beverly Hills, Calif., hotel. "He's a blank can- vas for his legend. He enjoys playing his legend more than he enjoys his real life. He's estranged from his wife and child and even from his col- leagues." "Legends," based on Robert Littell's novel, has the edgy energy of "Homeland," which isn't surprising considering executive producers How- ard Gordon and Alexan- der Cary, are behind that Showtime hit. This series opens with tense scenes from a mi- litia. Odum is undercover as a man named Lincoln, who stutters, wants to meet the boss, then thinks he's going to get shot. Odum takes insane risks, worrying everyone in his FBI office. Among those is his colleague, Crystal Mc- Guire (Ali Larter), who like everyone in the of- fice, is necessarily tough. They're hunting internal terrorists while going deep undercover. "Finally, this oppor- tunity of peeling back the layers of the onion," Larter says of her char- acter. "I love looking at different characters and figuring out why they do what they do, and figur- ing out the passions and dreams. That's the fun of it for me." Bean says he's en- joying playing multiple characters, an acting feat he had not tried before. He explains the title, and how legends are not what viewers might assume. "The legends are the parts he plays," Bean says. "The police and the FBI use legends as someone who goes un- dercover. That's his life, I guess. Apart from him changing his character, he has his own personal crisis. Is he a legend?" Undoubtedly, and there's a mysterious character in the pilot who questions whether Odum is who he thinks he is. No answer is revealed, which adds to the show's mystery. Sean Bean stars in "Legends" premiering Wednesday on TNT. "It's a very exciting psychological thriller about the FBI, criminals and undercover agents and shows you the re- percussions about being an undercover agent, and how it leaves psy- chological problems," Bean says. Odum's psychologi- cal problems include not trusting anyone. He lives alone with just a mat- tress on the floor, though he has a young son who adores him. What's fascinated Bean is how these leg- ends lose themselves in their roles undercover. "I talked to people who were undercover — up to a point they talk to you," he says. "And how it affected their lives and got so immersed and couldn't go back into their lives." 2 The Goshen News • TV Spotlight • August 11 - 17, 2014 On or Off-Site Catering All Occasions Dine under the glow of gas lanterns Breakfast and Lunch Meals also available Open Tuesday through Saturday T sd thr gh Sat da T sd thr gh Sat www.goshennews.com

• Cover