Riley Smith, Peyton List walk the talk; ‘Cage’ cops provide surprises

There’s no reason for Riley Smith and Peyton List to be on the set of their new CW Network series, “Frequency,” at the same time. It’s not some sort of actor tiff that keeps them apart. The reason is that their characters live in worlds 20 years apart and their only connection is through a shortwave radio.

Only one side of the conversation is recorded at a time, so anyone could read the lines to the actors to prompt the filmed response. So far, though, that is not the case.

Smith and List have stuck to the deal they made before the show started filming: “We made a deal during the pilot that we would be there for each other during the off-camera stuff,” Smith says. “That’s interesting now when you are working 16-hour days and you want a day off. But, you still have to be there.”

They knew when shooting the first long-distance conversation between father and daughter that having the other actor read their lines made a big difference. Things may change after a few seasons but for now, List and Smith plan to be there for each other.

The series is based on the 2000 feature film of the same name starring Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel. Smith saw the movie when it was originally released, but it had been so long ago he didn’t connect the film and the new TV show until he started reading the script.

During that reading, he also realized that he would get to play a flawed antihero. That was the key to him doing the series.

Smith, an Iowa native, has been a professional actor for 18 years having worked on “Freaks and Geeks,” “Gideon’s Crossing,” “24,” “Joan of Arcadia” and “Nashville.” That means if he found a magical shortwave radio, he could contact his younger self just before starting his professional acting career.

He knows exactly what he would tell his younger self.

“Enjoy the journey,” Smith says. “Actors get so caught up with now, now, now. Why this? The idea if you enjoy every day you are going to end up where you are supposed to be.”

“Frequency” airs at 9 p.m. Wednesdays on the CW Network (Channel 59.1).

Cops and clobbers

The new “Marvel’s Luke Cage” focuses on a hero for hire as played by Mike Colter. That means he’s often going to end up dealing with members of law enforcement.

Simone Missick and Frank Whaley play two members of the New York Police Department who cross paths with Cage. Her role of Misty Knight and his as Det. Scarfe come with secrets that will unfold throughout the first season of the Netflix show.

Both actors were excited about becoming part of the ever-growing world of TV shows and films based on comic books.

“Those projects have upped the standards for the material, so I had a feeling ‘Luke Cage’ would be high-quality,” Whaley says. “Where they succeed is humanizing the characters. As actors, we don’t approach it as a comic book show but as a strong drama.”

Missick adds that there was more interest in developing the characters and telling the story than shooting the action.

“When I was first auditioning, it was so different than anything I had read,” Missick says. “The character was smart. She was witty, unapologetic about her power, which is awesome to play. This feels like a great 13-hour movie.”

“Marvel’s Luke Cage” is the third show in the “Defenders” series to launch on Netflix. To prepare for the roles, both actors watched other the Marvel series, including “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones.” That helped because neither had read any “Luke Cage” comics before being cast.

Missick laughs and says she and Whaley were more into “Archie” comic books when they were younger.

All of the episodes in the first season of “Luke Cage” are available on Netflix.

Other news

Dance fever: Jennifer Lopez will be one of the judges on NBC’s new dance competition series, “World of Dance.” The 10-episode series will give dancers the platform to showcase their talents and win the grand prize of $1 million.

The dancers will compete in battles of artistry, precision and athleticism. Solo artists will compete against duos and crews in an unlimited range of dance, including hip-hop, krumping, popping, locking, tap, ballet, break dancing, ballroom, clogging, stomping and more.

Live and learn: The Amazon original kids series “Bookaboo” will premiere Oct. 28. The series for preschool children celebrates the fun and benefits of adults and children reading together. Every episode features a different celebrity guest who shares his or her favorite picture book with Bookaboo.

Special guests will include Paula Abdul, Emily Van Camp and Selma Blair.

This story was originally published October 10, 2016 at 12:30 AM with the headline "Riley Smith, Peyton List walk the talk; ‘Cage’ cops provide surprises."