The two leads of L.A.’s Finest are breaking their silence over a horrific accident on the set of their Spectrum series this past February that led to showrunner, Brandon Sonnier’s amputation below the knee.
In an interview with Variety at th 59th Monte Carlo Television Festival Saturday, stars Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba spoke out about the accident on the set of their police drama series and how it affected them, admitting there are no words to express that kind of loss.
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“I don’t know if there is a word that’s big enough to describe how the whole production felt, how everyone associated with the show felt, I don’t know if saying it was ‘heartbreaking’ or ‘devastating’ is enough,” Union said to the outlet. “”I don’t have a word. With all of my fancy degrees I don’t have a word that’s big enough to describe how we felt.”
She added how Sonnier was the one who “led” them and was back coaching on the sidelines of his children’s games a week and a half later.
“We were still like… and he was like ‘It’s my new normal; get on board, guys,’” she said, with Variety noting she became emotional during the conversation.
Her co-star, Alba interjected that Sonnier is a “fully hands-on father,” who is both “resilient and inspiring.”
“[But] you go through something that is like that you see the type of family and community that you surround yourself with, and he and all of us really came together as a family in a way that you just never even realize until something like that happens,” Alba said. “We’ve been texting. They are excited for this next season. They are already pitching different things. We are securing our crew. They are texting us about that. There are many emojis that he is using. Yeah, he is just so resilient.”
Alba said he’s eager to get back in the writers’ room and getting everything prepped for next season as the network just announced earlier this week they would be returning for Season 2.
Union went on to add that Sonnier has been “leading and we are following.”
Sonnier and co-showrunner Brandon Margolis were both injured during a car stunt scene and rushed to the hospital this past February. Margolis was quickly released, but Sonnier’s injury was reportedly so severe, he had to have one of his legs amputated just below the knee.
A GoFundMe page helped raise over $38,000 for Sonnier’s medical bills. Charter Communications, who picked up the show as its first original program, donated $5,000, while executive producer Jonathan Littman donated $10,000, according to The Blast.
L.A.’s Finest is a spinoff from the Bad Boys movie franchise starring Union and Alba. The upcoming series, set to premiere on Spectrum, was Sonnier’s big break after signing a two-year overall deal with Sony Pictures Television in August with Margolis. The two made their way up at Sony since starting as staff writers on The Blacklist; L.A.’s Finest is their first series as creators.
Photo credit: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
