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Amy Brenneman returns in TV roles after
'NYPD Blue'
Detroit News - May 11, 1999
By James Endrst / Hartford Courant
Amy Brenneman's star is on the rise again.
Brenneman first gained fame, some notoriety and a couple of Emmy nominations for her role as Officer Janice Licalsi
in the first season of ABC's NYPD Blue -- a gutsy choice, considering the controversial first episode in which she
appeared partially nude.
This month, clothes on, Brenneman sweeps back into television homes in two high-profile roles.
First up is Mary Cassatt: American Impressionist, an hour-long drama airing tonight at 7 that is part of HBO's The
Artists' Specials, a series that focuses on the lives of great artists, their encounters with young people and the
resulting impact on the artists' work.
Cassatt, who defied 19th-century convention by leaving her home in Philadelphia at age 22 to pursue a career as an
artist, settled in Paris and became best known for her paintings depicting women and children.
Brenneman admits she wasn't sure initially what she was getting into. "At first," she says, "I gotta
be honest; I had this moment of 'Ewww ... children's programing!' But then I thought, 'You know what? I could get
behind this.' I was very touched by what it was trying to do.
"The more research I did about this woman," she says, "the more fascinating she got." Though
Brenneman, 34, is the star of the piece as Cassatt, the actress is bound to get more attention when she shows up in
the season finale of NBC's Frasier May 20 as star Kelsey Grammer's girlfriend Faye Moskowitz.
It will, in all likelihood, be the last of several episodes in which Brenneman has appeared, a stint that had
already gone on longer than she originally expected.
"They kept saying, 'You're one of the few viable women for Frasier, so we have to keep you in the mix,"
Brenneman says, laughing, and adding, "It seems like I'm not going to be around (after the season-ender), but
never say never."
Her exit from Frasier may be for the best, because what the actress (who has appeared in such feature films as Heat,
Daylight and, more recently, Your Friends and Neighbors) is waiting for is a go on what could be the biggest project
of her career.
It's called Shades of Gray, a pilot for CBS that she hopes will be picked up for the fall. (A formal announcement
from the network is expected by mid-May.)
Shades of Gray, which stars Brenneman as Amy Gray, focuses on three generations of women and is inspired by the
real-life story of Brenneman's mother, Superior Court trial referee Frederica S. Brenneman.
It's a drama that the actress, who is also an executive producer, says is not unlike NBC's Providence. In the pilot
(directed by Brenneman's husband, Brad Silberling), Amy, a lawyer, moves back home to her native Hartford, Conn.,
after separating from her husband, becomes a judge and settles in -- her young daughter in tow -- with her
social-worker mom (played by Tyne Daly).
"I'm interested in real family vibes," says Brenneman. "I'm interested in where we come from and who
we learn from. And part of the reason I was sort of inspired to try to do my own thing was I looked around at what
was considered women's programing, and I wanted to shoot myself because I thought, 'It's so soft. It's so
sentimental.' The women that I know -- No. 1 being my own mother -- are incredibly smart, incredibly tough and
they're really (very) funny."
If Shades of Gray does see the light of day in prime time, comparisons will certainly be made to Providence, which
Brenneman says is not a problem. Not in the least, considering that show's success.
"It's funny," she says. "When Providence debuted and people watched it, and I was way in the process
of developing Shades of Gray, part of me thought, 'Oh no!' And then part of me thought, 'Great!' "
Actually, says the actress, Shades of Gray is more like "Felicity for grown-ups."
Copyright © 1999 The Detroit News. All rights reserved.
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