When Bradley Whitford read the series finale of The Comeback, he had an immediate sense of how he’d play Jack Stevens, the legendary TV writer who summons Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow) to his office under mysterious circumstances. Valerie had been enjoying yet another comeback role on a new sitcom — the big catch being that it was written entirely by AI — and was set to join a press conference announcing the season two pickup. Upon meeting Valerie, Jack tells her in no uncertain terms: She must use this opportunity to stick up for human writers and denounce AI.
“I just felt like Jack was John Wells,” Whitford says, referring to the seven-time Emmy-winning icon behind everything from ER to The West Wing to The Pitt. “He is a model of equanimity and decency and sanity, with a genuine love for the creative process. He is a friend and someone who I’ve known since I did an episode of ER in 1995. … He can be really intimidating but is a champion of storytelling and the people who do it.”
Taking that approach, Whitford fits the role like a glove. Bringing that inside-out understanding of his industry and its history speaks to his strengths as a veteran working actor who has made a habit of dropping into established and popular shows mid-run and shaking things up. He’s already won Emmys for guest starring on Transparent and, most recently, The Handmaid’s Tale, and now finds himself back in contention for, in addition to HBO’s The Comeback, his fiery turn as The Diplomat’s new first gentleman.
