When the series was being conceived, was Benjamin Bratt always the person who was going to play Banks?
JP: No. When CBS Paramount and I pitched it at the very beginning, all we had was the real guy, which is Warren Boyd. There was no actor attached and, in fact, [writer] Robert Munic wasn’t yet on board. It was just a pitch for this cool world and this interesting, bigger-than-life character. Once Benjamin read the script, he took a meeting with us and he said to Munic and I, ‘I love the writing but I have a problem will anyone believe this guy actually exists?’ and we paused and laughed and said, “He actually does. You can meet him tomorrow.” So Benjamin came on board having read the script and then having met Warren he was compelled to join in. JH: William is often accused by those closest to him of dropping everything to help others but not really helping himself. That’s a scary space for a recovering addict to walk in, right? JP: Yes, without a doubt. He can’t get out of his own way. As his wife (Amy Price-Francis) said in the pilot, ‘You were addicted to drugs and now you’re addict
