Netflix’s newest series The Lincoln Lawyer is a follow-up to the 2011 film of the same name, which was based on a novel by Michael Connelly. The new show is based on Connelly’s next book in the series, The Brass Verdict, and stars Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller, taking over the role previously played by Matthew McConaughey. The rest of The Lincoln Lawyer’s main cast is rounded out by Neve Campbell, Becki Newton, Jazz Raycole, and Angus Sampson. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Newton, Raycole, and Sampson joked about how “scary” it is working in L.A. traffic while detailing their characters’ dynamics with one another.
Raycole plays Izzy Letts, a recovering addict who becomes one of Mickey’s clients and then later is hired to be his personal driver. Revealing what it was like to drive around Los Angeles in a large Lincoln SUV. “They’re huge,” she said of the vehicles, then recalling, “I actually had to be propped up on booster seats in order to see over the wheel. Yeah, because I’m very, very short.” Raycole continued, “Yes, I did a lot of driving through L.A, which was thrilling and scary at the same time, because they were just like, ‘Yeah, just go with the flow of traffic. Yeah. Yeah, go. Yeah, uh-huh.’ It was interesting at times and scary as hell sometimes.”
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Newton stars as Lorna Crain, Mickey’s second wife and now his legal aid. Notably, Campbell is Maggie McPherson, Mickey’s first wife and a criminal prosecutor for the city. While being cautious to avoid spoilers, we can share that Lorna has dreams of being a lawyer, and even attended law school in the past. Speaking about what she believes her character dreams of, Newton said, “We learned very gradually, as the series progresses, that Lorna wants Mickey to succeed, but also has an ambition of her own.”
She continued, “One thing I loved about the dynamic between Mickey and Lorna is that he wants that for her too. Again, even though they’re these exes, there’s so much support for the well-being of the other and the goals of the other. Yeah, I could see Lorna ruling the world one day.”
When asked what kind of car lawyer Lorna might be, since Mickey is a “Lincoln Lawyer,” Raycole joked that she thinks it would be something “neon.” Newton added, “Neon. Yeah, she would have a flashy car. Based on how Lorna presents herself to the world, the car would be amazing.” She also quipped, “It can be a custom paint, perhaps floral, Lamborghini.”
Finally, Sampson portrays Cisco, Mickey’s friend and legal investigator who is a former member of a biker gang. He is also engaged to Lorna. Cisco’s past is quite a mystery to the audience, leaving a lot to wonder. Sampson explained that there was a lot to learn about the character from Connelly’s novels, but that he “brought some of my own confusions to it.”
Sampson shared, “With the existence of The Brass Verdict, we meet Cisco in that novel. I certainly devoured that tome to try and gather any clues as to who this character could be, or his origin story. In chatting with the producers on this show, they were very inviting for us to take it into any direction.”
He then added, jokingly, “Cerebrally, I was more curious as to why Cisco would go to work with his fiance’s ex-husband. I couldn’t reconcile that as a red-blooded male and was quite perplexed as this man must owe Mickey some great debt. I would be too emasculated to have to go to work, between nine and five, for the love of my life’s ex-husband in real life.” Season 1 of The Lincoln Lawyer is now streaming on Netflix.
