My chat with William Hurt...

The last time William Hurt worked with Glenn Close was on the 1983 film "The Big Chill," a classic about a group of college pals who spend a weekend together years later after one of their friends commits suicide.
Although both Hurt and Close have worked virtually nonstop in movies since then, it took the FX legal drama "Damages" to reunite them on the screen.

Close has always mixed TV work with films, including spending a season on the series "The Shield." But for Hurt, a recurring role on television is a first.

"For me, this is not different from (films)," the Oscar-winner told me recently. "This is not a departure for me. To me, it's all theater and any media of it, of theater, and its basic dynamics, is fodder."

On "Damages," the Julliard-trained actor plays a new client of Close's Patty Hewes character, with their previous involvement having been both personal and professional.

"I was riveted by the characters and that, to me, is the key," Hurt said. "Because, after all, there's only a few plots in the world, but every life is unique and original. What I really key off of is the life of the character. Is it unique and arresting to me? And this was completely that."

The cast began filming second-season episodes earlier this summer, but the new episodes will not begin airing until early next year. Hurt said he will be in about 10 of the show's 13 episodes.

So far, so good.

"The thing that saves it from the standard TV format, which is rushed, is the fact that every time you raise a flag, they come out and they talk to you," he said. "So you can talk about a question and receive an intelligent, if not final, idea."

Hurt remains busy in films - and has for decades. His credits include "Kiss of the Spider Woman," "Children of a Lesser God," "Broadcast News," "A History of Violence," "Body Heat," "The Accidental Tourist" and "Altered States." Most recently, he had a role in this summer's "The Incredible Hulk."