Exclusive Interview: Christopher Gorham Talks The Lincoln Lawyer, Sinking His Teeth into His Character, and More

For over two decades, Christopher Gorham has captivated audiences with the complex characters and stories that he’s brought to life in projects including Popular, Felicity, Ugly Betty, Jake 2.0, Covert Affairs, 2 Broke Girls, and Insatiable. This May, he can be seen starring opposite Manuel Garcia-Rulfo in the crime-drama The Lincoln Lawyer.

Based on Michael Connelly’s bestselling novels, The Lincoln Lawyer follows an iconoclastic idealist who runs his law practice out of the back of his Lincoln town car.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Christopher about The Lincoln Lawyer, sinking his teeth into his character, and more.

PC: You’ve had so much success throughout your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Christopher: So many. If I get to talking or thinking about any particular show, it takes me right back there. I remember my very first acting job, riding in a van with Ewan McGregor. I spent half a day with him, Cameron Diaz, and Danny Boyle. I remember working on the set of Popular (my very first series) and Ugly Betty. I remember being up in Canada for Jake 2.0, Odyssey 5, and Covert Affairs. There have been so, so many.

PC: In addition to the work that you’ve done on screen, you’ve also written and directed. How has your experience behind the scenes made you a stronger actor and vice versa?
Christopher: My acting job never felt easier than after the first day that I finished directing my first episode. There’s so much more to do when you’re in charge of everything. Being behind the camera really opened my eyes to the deep pool of talent that is on every production.

When you’re a cast of a show, you’re rather insulated. You come in, you do your part, and then you go home. Frankly, nobody wants you around, otherwise because there’s too much going on. I found it’s become very valuable to understand the full picture of what it takes to make a film or an episode of television. It’s truly miraculous. There are so many moving pieces. Everything has to happen at the same time. Everything has to work, and more often than not, it does.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Christopher: It’s hard to pinpoint. One thing that comes to mind is working with Henry Winkler. We did a sitcom together for CBS called Out of Practice. He’s incredibly famous. He’s seen fame on a level that very few people see and success that very few people see. To see the grace and humility with which he has handled that was great. It was a real lesson in how you can carry yourself if you choose to. Everybody that I’ve ever met that’s worked with him loves him.

On the flip side of that, his wife, Stacey, has had a very similar effect on my wife, Anel. Every week, Stacey would be there in the stands watching our taping and Anel would come. Week after week, Stacey would talk to her about how to help balance our work lives, our home lives, and how important it is to always make sure that even though at work, I was always going to be this shiny bright object, at home, you have to make sure that the kids are the shiny, bright objects. You can’t take that “celebrity” into the home; that’s the kids’ role. They need to feel that. That’s one example of a hundred.

PC: Tell us about The Lincoln Lawyer and your character on the show.
Christopher: A lot of people will recognize the title from that Matthew McConaughey movie from ten years ago, but this is a series based on the books by Michael Connelly. It’s about a lawyer named Mickey Haller. He’s called the Lincoln Lawyer because he works out of the back of his Lincoln as he’s being driven around LA, which is actually a brilliant way to work when you’re in a city like Los Angeles. There’s so much traffic and everything so spread out, so all of that time is wasted otherwise.

I play Trevor Elliot, who is a video game designer. He’s very successful and very well known. He’s been accused of murdering his wife and her lover, so he needs a great lawyer to defend him, but the lawyer that he hired has been murdered. The murdered lawyer left all of his cases to Mickey for an unknown reason. Mickey, at the beginning of the first episode, has to convince my character, Trevor, that he can be trusted with this massive case—that he could be trusted with his life, basically.

PC: Throughout your career, you’ve brought these dynamic characters to life. What was it about playing Trevor that appealed to you?
Christopher: The script was great. It’s a David E. Kelley show. He always does such a good job with his shows; they’re always so good. It was written by Ted Humphrey, who was the showrunner on The Good Wife, which is an incredible legal show. The script was fantastic and the characters were so challenging.

It was really interesting—this is a guy who really comes across as a kind of a dick, yet he loves his wife. He’s got a compelling argument for why Mickey should believe in him and why Mickey should defend him. He needs help. It’s not a position that this guy is used to being in. There are so many great head-to-head battles between him and Mickey throughout the series. You’ve got these two real alpha males who don’t really trust each other, but they have to work together.

PC: Mickey and Trevor have this really complex dynamic, and there are several intense confrontations between the two of them throughout the series. What was it like getting to collaborate with Manuel as you brought this relationship to life?
Christopher: Oh my God. It’s so much fun. We are great friends. We got along great. Manuel is a big dude, and it was really fun for me to be able to stick it to him and know that I was in the position of power. Trevor is in this position of power where Mickey needs this case, so it gave me the freedom to really give it to him. There’s really nothing he can do; he has to take it. In real life, I’m a much nicer person than that—I don’t do that to people, but Trevor had no problem. He’s like, “You’re going to have to take this big boy.” That was fun to pretend.

PC: When we’re introduced to Trevor, he’s on trial for the murder of his wife and her lover. It becomes a question of whether he’s guilty or not. Obviously, as the actor who’s playing this character, you know the truth. How do you make sure that doesn’t bleed into earlier episodes?
Christopher: It’s easier than people think because you just play the scene. My job is to play the reality of each scene and try to make it as real, honest, and believable as possible. The writers don’t give it away; you see what you need to see to understand the answer at the end of the day when the writers decide to reveal it to the audience. All I have to do is play the words as they’re written, and the bigger picture stuff takes care of itself.

PC: There are so many standout moments throughout the series. When the show drops on the 13th, is there a particular scene that you’re really excited for your fans to see?
Christopher: There are a few, but two of them are in the first episode. There’s a scene where you meet Trevor. You get to see him in a position of power. He’s literally on the top of the world. It’s uncertain whether or not he’s going to hire Mickey, whether or not he even respects Mickey or should. He certainly doesn’t trust him yet. It was a fun scene to play.

And then the next time that you see Trevor, you see he peels back the layers. He reveals himself and becomes vulnerable. Those were two great scenes for me to sink my teeth into and perform. I’m looking forward to people being able to see them. There are so many, though, throughout the ten episodes.

PC: There are so many incredible timely and relevant themes within the series. What do you hope audiences take away after they see it? What’s next for you?
Christopher: I hope they have a great time. I think this is such a well-done, legal drama. If true crime and legal stuff is your jam, you’re going to love this show. It’s a great case and mystery. There are great performances, too. It’s fun. I hope they enjoy it and I think they will.

As far as what’s next for me, I just finished filming a comedy pilot for CBS called Unplanned in Akron with Katie Mixon and two wonderful young actors. Heather Matarazzo is in it. We’re just waiting to see what happens with that. Hopefully, it gets picked up to series and then people can see it on their TVs next year or their phones or computers or whatever you watch shows on.

To keep up with Christopher, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix today.