Tony Goldwyn returns to mainstream politics – although he doesn’t have his own Scandal leading lady Kerry Washington by his side, he knows he can count on her support.
Before the actor — best known for starring as President Fitzgerald Grant III alongside Washington in seven seasons of the ABC drama — begins his new tenure at NBC Law and order as District Attorney Nicholas Baxter on Thursday night, spoke with PEOPLE about whether he had discussed the role with his former colleague.
“I’m a little hurt that she didn’t call me to give me some advice, but I’m sure she’ll come,” jokes Washington, 47, who played ScandalWashington, DC fixer Olivia Pope.
The on-screen couple, nicknamed “Olitz” by fans, had a “tortured love affair,” as Goldwyn calls it, during the show’s 2012-2018 run.
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Tony Goldwyn, Kerry Washington – Scandal.
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In real life, the pair remained close friends, and according to Goldwyn, Law and order he should have another viewer in Washington now that he’s joined the cast.
“They’re better off,” she says of the show’s growing fan base. “That’s all I can say.”
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Virginia Sherwood/NBC
In fact, Goldwyn notes that playing Prosecutor Baxter actually “feels pretty similar” to playing the President of the United States — both characters come from “political families,” even dressing the same.
“It’s funny, I wear a lot of blue suits and nice ties,” says Goldwyn. “But just going into the system, the institution where I’m the executive director, there’s a lot of similarity and confrontation with being a person whose job it is to deal with intractable problems and sort of steer the ship. I was really surprised how similar it felt to playing Fitz.”
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Tony Goldwyn as President Fitzgerald Grant in Scandal.
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But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still a few of them key differences between roles.
“My office isn’t as nice as Fitz’s was Scandal!” The Goldwyn Children.
And, he notes, “I don’t think Baxter is as problematic as Fitz. I have a feeling he doesn’t have that much baggage – and as far as I know, he’s not having an affair.”
He adds: “But who knows what the producers have in mind for the future!”
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Of course, Law and order the franchise has its famous Olivia — Benson, that is — but Goldwyn thinks Baxter would have a more sensible head than Fitz. When asked if he thinks his two characters would get along, his emphatic answer is, “Yes, absolutely.”
“I feel like Baxter would probably be a pretty good friend to Fitz to say, ‘Come on, dude. Get your life together!” he says.
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NBC Universal
Goldwyn joins Law and order following Sam Waterston’s departure from the show as prosecutor Jack McCoy after 19 seasons, and he says inheriting the role from Waterston is a wonderful full-circle moment.
“‘It’s a very unique experience to go into something that’s such an institution and do it in a capacity where my character is now very central to the story,'” says Goldwyn. “Stepping into Sam’s shoes — I felt honored to be doing that, so it was cool. I felt very excited and privileged.”
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Law and order airs Thursdays at 8:00 PM ET on NBC.
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