Good Cop/Bad Cop follows Lou and Henry, a sister and brother detective team in a small Pacific Northwest police force who must contend with colourful residents, a serious lack of resources, and their very complicated dynamic with each other and their police chief, Big Hank – who happens to be their father.
A social media force to be reckoned with and a rising star in his own right, Luke Cook steals all the focus as the savant-like Henry in John Quaintance’s quirky crime comedy, which is set to delight audiences on The CW in the United States (from February 19th) and Stan. here in Australia (from February 20th).
As the show arrives on our screens, Peter Gray spoke with the Australian actor about trusting his character instincts, how social media has helped his career, and the unlikely cinematic cyborg he looked to as inspiration.
Henry feels very lived in. How do you approach embodying that sort of character and his quirks beyond what you see on the page?
Yeah, at first when I read the script and this part, there were so many ways to play this person. Is he unable to make eye contact? How socially awkward is he? But then the comedy is in this guy who just thinks that he sees the world correctly, and that everybody else does not. And playing where you always think you’re right, even if he’s wrong sometimes, that’s the fun of it.
There’s so many ways I could have played this, and many of them would have also been right, but the way I came around to it was, I think, correct for the comedy of it all. I was very instinctual. I think I got a real handle on him. It’s funny, because I did this character for four months. So, at the beginning, you’re figuring it out and you just don’t really have a lot of time for people to guide you. And I also think that people are going to guide you when you’re doing it wrong. But I was never really guided. I think, probably, because I was on the right track. Eventually, Henry just became second nature.
It’s an amazing performance. As much as this character could have been a caricature, there’s always that intentional humour of this guy being funny without knowing he’s funny. As you were talking about making the right choices. Have you ever fought for a comedic choice knowing that you were right? You knew that you had to let someone else trust you with such a decision?
I have had a lot of ideas. Many of them wrong. It’s funny to come around people who know better than I do, or they’re more professional, or bigger in the industry, and I’ll say, “Hey, I’ve got this idea.” And they go, “Nah.” But then every so often, they’re like, “Yeah,” and the other thing you can do as an actor is very cheeky, is you don’t have to ask for permission (laughs). Sometimes you just go, “I’m doing it in this take, whether they like it or not.” Sometimes they’ll come out from behind the monitor and tell me not to do that.
The answer to your question is, John Quaintance, who wrote this role, he knows this character really well. Obviously, (because) he wrote him. But, at some point, I took over and I made it more what I think it is. And that just showed me he was malleable to that. He liked the direction I was going in, knowing it was correct. He wrote this character, and I changed the vision into something he wants, and he then wrote it around what I was doing, which is a cool thing to be involved in.
Does that come down to instinct versus preparation? And have you seen that shift for you over the years, where you first start out and take everything on, to now where you know you’re a good actor and what your strengths are?
Yeah, you’re right. At the beginning you want to rehearse and rehearse and get it right. And you think about it all the time. I get really worried sometimes when I don’t trust myself. I think you’ve really got to get into the mindset of this character and think all of their thoughts. And in the end, like you said, it was very instinctual over time. Once I got a good grip on Henry, I could relax and enjoy, and go into a scene not knowing what was going to happen, or what I was going to do. I learned the lines and go on, and then it would instinctually fall out, which is a really nice thing to discover as an actor, because you kind of discover how you’re getting better. You become unconsciously competent.
Looking at the comfort of the role, the physicality is a big part of it. You’ve got that Tom Cruise run down! Was that intentional? It was also very Robert Patrick in T2, as well.
Very good, Peter. You’re spot on. It’s exactly that. It’s the guy from Terminator who I was mimicking. It was in the script that he ran like a cyborg. So I watched a bit of The Terminator, and was watching how they run. And he’s doing exactly that.
And you obviously have a big social media presence. Have you seen that influence your career at all?
Yeah, it’s interesting. Actors have spoken about how if you have a big following, you can get roles. I haven’t found that to be the case. It’s interesting, because when it comes to marketing a show, you have networks who aren’t necessarily willing to put in a huge spend for marketing. You just have to do it. You’re doing their job without them, you know what I mean? I’m going to do more (marketing) for this show. I think of Brian Jordan Alvarez and his show English Teacher. There’s a bit of content out about the show, but he’s mostly just posting stupid videos, and I mean that in an endearing way. But he’ll post a stupid video with a caption about English Teacher being on (TV).
And I knew that’s what I was going to do. I’m going to build (my following), and with that, hopefully build enough people to watch the show that we market appropriately, and we can get that second season. And that wasn’t happening five to ten years ago. I think we now see that having your own following, it belongs to you and nobody else, and so you have the power to do what you want with it. And it can actually mean more power in the negotiating room when you’re talking to streamers. They need my following more than I need them, sometimes.
With the show being called Good Cop/Bad Cop. Separate from your character, if you were a cop, even just for a day, are you a good cop or a bad cop?
I’m such a cute cop. Such a nice cop. I would have been the cutest cop. On my first call, I would have cried with the victim. My partner would be, like, “It’s time to go.” Empath. I’d be such an empath.
Speaking of cops on the show, you play off Leighton (Meester) and Clancy (Brown) with a real effortlessness. The chemistry and banter is very natural. Did you have much time to build that prior to shooting?
Leighton and I rehearsed for a day on our scenes. We didn’t get a chance to rehearse with Clancy, because he came on late. When you’re surrounded by good actors, like those two, it just becomes second nature, because they know how to do it. They know how to create chemistry without there actually being anything there. And over time, we became better friends, and as we got to know each other and see how the other works, that all became instinctual. I’m glad it’s coming across that there’s a natural, familial chemistry. But it’s also great writing.
Oh, the writing is great. The show took me back to the 90s, early 2000s type of viewing, if you know what I mean. It’s just such an easy watch. You should all be so proud of it. Sometimes it’s not always the easiest to find a good streaming show, too.
Thank you. I think you’re right. I think it’s wholesome, and it’s like a person’s safe place. There’s nothing too crazy that’s going to happen. We’re in a good, safe place. But, it’s funny what you’re saying about finding something good on streaming, because I’ll drive down Sunset and I’ll see posters and think to myself, “That’s not a real show.” I’ve never heard anything about that show. No one’s mentioning it amongst my friends. And once that poster comes down, I will never give it a second thought. I seriously believe that if you went to Netflix, or wherever it’s showing, and you pressed on it, it would say, “Sorry, we don’t actually have this show.”
And, quickly before I go, in the first episode, a criminal makes the quite bold statement that Point Break is “weak.” That’s a big call to make. And I wanted to ask you, is there a film or a show in the action field that you think is underrated? Or you can at least disagree with the statement that Point Break is weak?
I’ve never seen Point Break.
Scandal!
I know. I can’t think of any other ones that I like to watch.
Well, we’ll just say you need to watch the original Point Break. But, as I said, this show is so great, and it’s always so awesome to see the Australian industry continue to thrive. It felt like maybe it was going to go under during the COVID times, but we just forged through, and it was so exciting to see.
I think it’s entirely possible that Australia has had an entertainment renaissance, because people are finally putting money into local talent, and the government is aware of how much money it makes. You can employ 400-strong crew for four months. That’s a lot of people. It’s entirely possible that Australia can be the new place for people to come and shoot the latest Hollywood (movie). I’m so excited for Australia. I’m excited for the industry in Australia, and for people shooting overseas to work in Australia.
Good Cop/Bad Cop is available to stream on Stan. in Australia from February 20th, 2025. It will be available in the United States on The CW from February 19th, 2025.
