Ray Romano found some inspiration from Brian Grazer for the upcoming Epix series “Get Shorty” — but the actor doesn’t want Grazer to get the wrong idea.
Romano told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour on Tuesday that he’s been around plenty of down-and-out producers, along the lines of Rick Moreweather, his character on the show that’s based on Elmore Leonard’s 1990 novel and co-stars Chris O’Dowd.
“I’ve met a lot of producers, yes,” Romano said. “My character is kind of washed-up and B-level, so I guess you’re assuming I’ve met a lot of them — and I have.”
“It’s fun to play a guy who’s a little desperate and who’s trying to prove himself,” he continued. “And by the way, I borrowed the hair from Brian Grazer, who is an A-level producer. I don’t want him to be offended by this. That’s all I have from him is the hair — the character is something different.”
Series creator Davey Holmes pointed out that he was inspired to set the show in Pahrump, Nevada, after Lamar Odom was found unconscious in a brothel there in 2015. Holmes appreciated that the town felt disconnected from everything else in the world.
Romano pointed out that he himself has been to Pahrump before. “I didn’t go where Lamar Odom went — I went to play golf — but I think we both had a horrible experience,” the “Everybody Loves Raymond” alum quip.
“Get Shorty” premieres Aug. 13 on Epix.