Rossif Sutherland’s new present “Murder in a Small Town” was an surprising probability to hold on his late father Donald’s legacy.
The present, which premieres Tuesday, Sept. 24 on Fox (8 p.m. ET), is predicated on the Karl Alberg collection of novels by L.R. Wright, first printed within the ’80s. Years earlier than Rossif acquired the starring position within the new procedural, Donald tried to get a movie adaptation of the books off the bottom.
“This was news to me,” Rossif, 45, advised The Post. “I had no idea that this was one amongst many projects that my father had been attached to.”
He added, “I only found out when I called my dad to tell him that I had gotten this job for an American network, and they did the absurd thing of giving me the lead role.”
Hollywood legend Donald Sutherland died in June at 88. He left behind 5 youngsters, together with Rossif and his half-brother, fellow actor Kiefer Sutherland.
“It did seem serendipitous, or maybe it was nepotism,” Rossif stated about touchdown the position, including that for the individuals who “wanted to bring the show to life, maybe they were enchanted by this idea that the son would get to play him.”
Rossif, additionally featured in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” added, “Here I am, my father’s now gone, and I’m in this show that he could have been a part of had it been done at a different time. It’s all a little surreal. I feel him all over this project.”
“Murder in a Small Town” follows Karl Alberg (Sutherland), who strikes to a quaint coastal city as the brand new police chief to flee the large metropolis. As he investigates crimes, he additionally makes a romantic reference to native librarian Cassandra Lee (Kristin Kreuk, “Smallville”).
“This show is a murder mystery, sure. It follows the formula of somebody committing a crime, and we have to figure out who did it, and why,” Rossif advised The Post.
“But at the heart of it is a love story between two people halfway through their lives, who have suffered their own pains, and life has made them afraid of a lot of things … They’ve found each other. And now, it will be their journey to make this love survive the cruelties of life.”
He stated he favored his character as a result of “his superpower is his humanity. I was quite intrigued by playing a good man.”
Sutherland shared that though his father and brother Kiefer are actors, and his mom Francine Racette was additionally an actress, he didn’t develop up planning to get into the enterprise.
But, he added, “I was in the presence of this great man, this great artist,” referring to Donald.
“It was always a gift, going to see his films. It was an absurd thing because I was his son, and there he was up on that screen. I rarely ever thought it was my dad. I’ve seen my dad die so many times on-screen before he passed [away] for real.”
Rossif stated he turned an actor “very much because of my father … In many ways, it’s what brought me close to my dad. And in many ways, it’s the thing that will keep him in my company now that he’s gone.”
Rossif added that he hasn’t labored since Donald handed away, “but I do look forward to being on a set. Because it’s the place that he called home, and I miss him.”
