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THE HERALD Wednesday July 1 1989 Page Talking with Alan Rachins of A Law STAR SPEAK After being a Jerk for the first two seasons Douglas Brackman gradually showed a Under gentler side daring the past year Why was that A It my request It just Alan Rachins Is the autocratic law yer Douglas Brackman on the Emmy winning NBCTV series Law which begins its fourth season this fall role as an upscale attor ney is a natural for him since the ac tor comes from a wealthy Boston family From an early age Rachins was programmed to join the family busi ness food products But he rebelled while studying business at an Ivy League college and dropped out to try his lock at an acting career in New York After appearing on- and offBroad way In a series of plays en rolled in the American Film Institute in 1372 to study and di recting Until L A Law came along had a successful career as a writer and director of hit TV shows including Hill Street Blues The Fall Guy Knight Rider and Quin- cy M E This summer has been filming a TV movie Single Women Married Men in which he plays a psychiatrist and best friend of Knots Landing star Lee Its due on CBS later this year Due In theaters Is Heart Condi a comedy that features Rachins as a surgeon who transplants the heart of a black man into the body of a white bigot A It takes a very special sensibility to write for IA Law Many of the writers are lawyers and they give the show Its strong base in reality As for directing its hard stepping out of the acting arena It would probably be eaer to direct another show would like to play an auto mechanic or a truck driven Alan Rachins A I dont like to eat that kind of food although Ice cream topping was delicious Thats one of the rea sons I go Into the family business You spent a year and a half tak ing your clothes off In the New York production of Oh Calcuttal Did stripping become second nature A I never got used to it It was bi zarre It was like a regular job with this added element that felt very odd I wasnt embarrassed Well some times it was embarrassing A year and a half was a long time to be in a play even one you love And I didnt love Oh Calcutta Alan evolved Douglas finally just a nit picking pain in the neck He was someone who had a point of view however moneyoriented that was necessary for the smooth running of the firm As you may recall when Douglas resigned his duties the place fell apart What would you like to see hap pen to Brackman this coming season A I want to keep a balance Keep him credible so hes not always saying let s write on both sides of the legal pad folks I also want to show how hes coping with divorce and the rest of his personal life You have an impressive resume as writer and director of major TV shows Why havent you written or di rected any episodes of LA Law In Single Women Married Men you play another welleducated person a psychiatrist With your aristocratic background and bearing do people refuse to consider you for bluecollar roles A My bearing isnt aristocratic at all Youre talking about my per as the aristocratic Douglas Brackman He has a certain clipped way of talking I dont think I talk like that Do If you think Im aristocratic that means Ive done a good job as Brack- man Thank you But I would like to play an auto mechanic or a truck driver Absolutely Like every actor I want to do different things I don ways want to have a fabulous office which I have in both my new movies Your familys business made ice cream toppings flavored syrups and cake decorations How did you stay so thin Q Your wife Joanna Frank also plays the role of your wife on Law but her part Was drcitlcally cut back last season Since her broth er Steven Is the creator and Executive producer of the show why didnt she ask him tobeefupber part A Steven has moved away from the show now that he has this special deal with ABC to create shows for that net work The reason he can work with relatives so well is that we all respect the fact that family is one thing pro fessionalism is another You have to keep the two things separate COUNTRY PUTT RANGE I NOW OPEN Was your father shocked when you dropped out of business school to become an actor A He wasnt surprised because at the end of every semester I always threatened to quit and be always ar gued me into going back Finally I didnt argue anymore and just did it Happily he continued to give me fi nancial support during my struggling actor days Speaking of you also supported yourself as a script reader What was your Impression of the quality of scripts being offered to movie studios A Ninety nine percent of the stuff was junk Worse than junk One of the few good scripts I read was for the film Gaby I gave it an incredible recommendation and the studio passed on it 1HI NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE RECYCLING I on Please Remember to Recycle This Newspaper IS HERE RIVIERA CENTRE Street P O Box 64 Ont 10P 1K0 RANCH NEW ARRIVALS Cocoon The Return Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Tourist Who tarry Crumb True Believer 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