Liev Schreiber on Potential ‘Ray Donovan’ Revival: ‘I Would Consider It’
Showtime’s “Ray Donovan” has already had quite a few lives, surviving for seven seasons on Showtime before being revived as a film soon after its cancellation. But there may be even more on the way. Speaking at a masterclass at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on Sunday (via Variety), Liev Schreiber was asked if he was interested in playing the eponymous fixer yet again. His answer should inspire some hope in the show’s biggest fans.
“I would consider it,” Schreiber said.
The actor made it clear that any decisions about bringing back “Ray Donovan” are above his pay grade, but made it clear that the Showtime brass has a lot of passion for the show.
“It was always [Showtime CEO] David Nevins’ baby,” he said. “I know he loves this character and this story, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear more from David.”
Schreiber recalled that his decision to do the show was an opportunistic one at first, as he and his ex-partner Naomi Watts were looking for an excuse to settle down and raise their children in one place. A steady job on a TV show seemed like an easy solution.
“Naomi was a bigger star than me, and we were flying all over the world with our children,” he said. “But they were getting bigger and they needed to go to school and live in one place. She wanted to live in L.A., it was more like Australia, so I decided to try to get a job there — a job that would last.”
That said, the actor quickly grew to enjoy parts of the gig, particularly the extent to which he was able to work behind the scenes.
“They let me help with the casting and writing, and directing, and I thought it would be good to be working in front of the camera over and over and over again, every day. And it was — for a while.”
While Schreiber is the first to admit that the beloved show eventually felt like nothing more than a job to him, he admits that he was moved to learn how passionate fans were about the show. Their devotion fuels his interest in reviving the character.
“I didn’t know that many people loved it,” he said. “You realize that seven years of work that you were doing for money really moved some people. That meant a lot to me.”