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As the gritty crime drama ‘Hightown‘ approaches its conclusion, ETimes caught up with the dynamic duo behind the series – actress-director Monica Raymond and showrunner, Rebecca Perry Cutter. With its pulse-pounding narrative and compelling characters, ‘Hightown’ has captivated audiences worldwide, and we had the privilege of getting Monica and Rebecca to spill the beans on the twists and turns that lie ahead while discussing their satisfaction of bringing character arcs to a natural culmination and reflecting on their journey with the Lionsgate Play series.
Monica, who has been at the forefront of the series, also graciously shared her advice for Bollywood actresses like Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhattwho will soon be stepping into the realm of crime dramas with their upcoming ventures.Excerpts:
Monica and Rebecca, it’s been months since the wrap, what are you most excited for the fans to see this season of Hightown?
Rebecca: I just can’t wait for them to see everything we did. Like you said, it’s been a long time and we’re so proud of the season and we think it goes into really interesting territory. It’s a real banger and so I just want to get it out there.
Monica: I’m so proud of our show and all of the actors. We just really tried to give it our all and serve the story. It’s just like a super fun. It’s super gritty and it’s fast. So I’m really excited for people to kind of hop on board.
Rebecca, you’ve previously co-produced ‘Gotham‘ which ran for nearly 50 episodes and now you are the showrunner for ‘Hightown’ which is ending after 3 seasons. Are you satisfied with this run, do you think Jackie and the team completed their arc or do you wish there was more?
Rebecca: Yeah, of course! In terms of the character arcs, there is a very natural stopping point at the end of season 3. I think every character kind of lands in their final form and sort of gets what they deserve in some way. I knew that going into writing season 3, this would be the end probably, so I definitely left it all on the field and wrote to an ending. So, I feel satisfied and happy that we got that. Of course, it’s bittersweet, I would love to keep going, but I’m really proud of how it wraps up. And, I think the audience will be excited by it as well.
Monica, besides leading this show, you are also directing episodes. How did helming ‘The Sinner‘, ‘National Treasures‘, and ‘FBI’, help set you up for ‘Hightown’? Would you say you would like to explore more work as a director and if so, what kind of stories would you like to tell?
Monica: I like to do multiple jobs at a time. I am I love being able to be behind the camera and in front of the camera. It’s very challenging, and what that means is I get to rely on all of the artists who are a part of filmmaking. That’s the best part about the job.
So, I definitely want to keep directing. I’m actually going to be directing a couple of shows on Starz this year. I’m doing a ‘Raising Canaan‘ and ‘Power Force’. I’m hoping to continue to stay in the Starz family and, keep cutting my teeth.
Rebecca: Just to plug Monica as a director, you can see what a talented actress she is if you watch ‘Hightown’. But she is an unbelievable director with a huge directing career ahead of her.
Crime dramas are a big hit in India as well, with many actresses like Deepika Padukone, and Alia Bhatt, stepping up into these cop roles. What is your advice to these actresses to make a great crime series?
Monica: I think what’s so appealing about a crime-drama, is we get to live something that’s hopefully not at all like our real lives. Hopefully, we live very safe lives and we get to watch these crazy things happening. So, I think the actor’s job often is to really ground the show. You know, there might be all these crazy twists and turns, but the actors bring humanity to it, which is really how the audience relates. So, always to let the humanity shine amidst the plot.
Monica, who has been at the forefront of the series, also graciously shared her advice for Bollywood actresses like Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhattwho will soon be stepping into the realm of crime dramas with their upcoming ventures.Excerpts:
Monica and Rebecca, it’s been months since the wrap, what are you most excited for the fans to see this season of Hightown?
Rebecca: I just can’t wait for them to see everything we did. Like you said, it’s been a long time and we’re so proud of the season and we think it goes into really interesting territory. It’s a real banger and so I just want to get it out there.
Monica: I’m so proud of our show and all of the actors. We just really tried to give it our all and serve the story. It’s just like a super fun. It’s super gritty and it’s fast. So I’m really excited for people to kind of hop on board.
Rebecca, you’ve previously co-produced ‘Gotham‘ which ran for nearly 50 episodes and now you are the showrunner for ‘Hightown’ which is ending after 3 seasons. Are you satisfied with this run, do you think Jackie and the team completed their arc or do you wish there was more?
Rebecca: Yeah, of course! In terms of the character arcs, there is a very natural stopping point at the end of season 3. I think every character kind of lands in their final form and sort of gets what they deserve in some way. I knew that going into writing season 3, this would be the end probably, so I definitely left it all on the field and wrote to an ending. So, I feel satisfied and happy that we got that. Of course, it’s bittersweet, I would love to keep going, but I’m really proud of how it wraps up. And, I think the audience will be excited by it as well.
Monica, besides leading this show, you are also directing episodes. How did helming ‘The Sinner‘, ‘National Treasures‘, and ‘FBI’, help set you up for ‘Hightown’? Would you say you would like to explore more work as a director and if so, what kind of stories would you like to tell?
Monica: I like to do multiple jobs at a time. I am I love being able to be behind the camera and in front of the camera. It’s very challenging, and what that means is I get to rely on all of the artists who are a part of filmmaking. That’s the best part about the job.
So, I definitely want to keep directing. I’m actually going to be directing a couple of shows on Starz this year. I’m doing a ‘Raising Canaan‘ and ‘Power Force’. I’m hoping to continue to stay in the Starz family and, keep cutting my teeth.
Rebecca: Just to plug Monica as a director, you can see what a talented actress she is if you watch ‘Hightown’. But she is an unbelievable director with a huge directing career ahead of her.
Crime dramas are a big hit in India as well, with many actresses like Deepika Padukone, and Alia Bhatt, stepping up into these cop roles. What is your advice to these actresses to make a great crime series?
Monica: I think what’s so appealing about a crime-drama, is we get to live something that’s hopefully not at all like our real lives. Hopefully, we live very safe lives and we get to watch these crazy things happening. So, I think the actor’s job often is to really ground the show. You know, there might be all these crazy twists and turns, but the actors bring humanity to it, which is really how the audience relates. So, always to let the humanity shine amidst the plot.
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