By RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com, originally filed Sept. 17, 2010
On the new crime drama "Chase," debuting Monday night on NBC at 10 p.m., the first scene is quite literal: it's lead actress and former Atlantan Kelli Giddish chasing a fugitive.
Through the Texas heat she goes, dodging bulls and getting into a manic physical tussle. No surprise: Giddish's character gets her man.
Giddish, the lean, blond 1998 Forsyth Central High School graduate, nabbed the job of U.S. Marshal Annie Frost just weeks after her most recent star turn "Past Life" on Fox appeared dead.
Low ratings doomed "Past Life" almost from day one this past February. Giddish herself said she had a good time and couldn't (or wouldn't) speculate why it died such a quick death. In it, she played a psychologist/investigator who specialized in people who remembered past lives.
"We had a lot of great elements," she said. "Sometimes, a show works. Sometimes, it doesn't."
And since "Past Life" was shot in metro Atlanta in the fall of 2009, she got to see her family frequently for at least a few months.
But that show's doom obviously didn't doom Giddish's career. In this case, she gets to play more of an action hero, with much of her work outdoors.
She said she first showed the script to her dad, who told her it had her name written all over it. "I have a personal trainer who whipped me into shape," she said. "I'm already a big runner. It's often over 100 degrees here in Fort Worth. You need stamina and endurance."
And she looked on the bright side: "You don't have to go to the gym anymore. I just go to work and play Annie Frost and that's my work out."
She said she does almost all her own stunts, though they seem to be getting more challenging. "I've been on top of an 18-wheeler going 45 miles an hour. I'm running across the top of it in the mid-day sun. My co-star Cole Hauser is in a helicopter four feet from my head. That was fun. Another day, one of my favorite stunts was running through this field of knee-high grass. I have to jump on the wing of a crop duster as it's about to take off and shoot out the propeller."
And how about this for cool? Her stunt coordinator is Eric Norris, Chuck's son.
Giddish said she will draw the line on fire. "I will not rush into one," she said. "My face has to be pretty for the next scene. My hair getting burned off doesn't really work."
To prep for her role, she spent a week with actual U.S. Marshals. She admits her character probably takes more chances than the real thing. "It's a little pumped up for TV," she said. "But the commitment to finding the criminal is not exaggerated. They will wait and wait. I've never seen such patience!"
The show isn't getting much buzz and is up against ABC's already established "Castle" and CBS's hyped re-make of "Hawaii Five-0." It's not going to be an easy path to success. But at least NBC is back in the 10 p.m. drama game after last year's ill-fated Jay Leno experiment.
On TV
"Chase," 10 p.m. Mondays on NBC
Join my Facebook fan page and Twitter.
About the Author
