Royal Pains Anything But for Feuerstein
Actor Finds Success with USA Network Medical Dramedy
Royal Pains actor Mark Feuerstein is the first to admit he has no clue what draws viewers to a particular television show.
“I have no idea what makes a show successful or not successful, as evidenced by the last five shows I’ve done,” Feuerstein says in a phone interview.
The star of Royal Pains, this summer’s No. 1 rated new cable series, Feuerstein is getting that question a lot these days. But that’s what happens when you transform from TV kryptonite into primetime Superman seemingly overnight. After missing with shows such as Conrad Bloom, Good Morning, Miami and 3 Lbs., Feuerstein’s latest endeavor was a hit right from the start.
And he has no idea why.
Feuerstein Flying High
“Michael Rauch – who is a fabulous show-runner – he and I drive to set and from set every day that we can,” Feuerstein explains. “And I remember sitting in the van with him at 2 o’clock in the morning after a long week, and he had created a show for CBS called Love Monkey, that lasted exactly as long as the show that I was on, called 3 Lbs., for CBS about two years ago. That was a total of three weeks on the air. Hello, goodbye.
“And we were just bonding over the fact that there’s nothing we’re doing differently. We’re doing our jobs; we’re showing up. He’s writing scripts; I’m acting them. And yet, in this particular case, the combination of the elements has just allowed for a big success, instead of a quick failure, and we are … just flying high. It’s awesome.”
Though Feuerstein can’t put his finger on what attracts an audience to a particular series, he says Royal Pains is “the perfect mix/combination/alchemy/synergy of so many different forces, both production-wise, executive-wise, timing-wise, network-wise, and then cosmically.”
The role Feuerstein gets to continue into a second season is one that strikes home with the actor. Both he and his character, Dr. Hank Lawson, have taken unexpected paths through life.
Roller-coaster Role Rings True with Feuerstein
“Well, you know, fundamentally, I love that there is a core of good values in the show and in my character,” Feuerstein, 38, says. “But I also love about my character that he is impetuous, spontaneous, thinks on his feet, and that he has, you know, I in my own life was on the track to become a lawyer. I was on my way from going to a good private school in New York to a good college to be going to hopefully a good law school and on to a good law firm, and just living the track that so many people who grow up in New York City live.
“And a funny thing happened on the way to football practice my freshman year at college. I wandered into an audition, I got the part in a play called Orphans, and my whole life changed. And I became an actor. And I fell in love with the theater and, you know, telling stories, making people laugh and cry, and the high of being on stage and performing or on screen now.
“And similarly with Hank Lawson, the guy was on the track to become the perfect prototype of a New York guy: a doctor in an ER in Brooklyn with the perfect, hot, fiancée. He would have had money and he would've had an attractive wife – and he would've been living ‘the life.’
“And a funny thing happened to him when he tried to save the poor kid in addition to the rich guy on a particular day, and he got blackballed by every hospital in New York, and his fiancée showed her true colors. And suddenly, there’s Hank Lawson sitting drinking a Heineken, watching Mask, you know, in his doldrums in his apartment.
“And his brother comes to resuscitate him and, you know, take him out to the Hamptons for an adventure. And, low and behold, we have the series of Royal Pains. And so, you know, I feel very similar to him in this life that I’ve chosen where it’s constantly just improvisation. And that’s exciting.”
Though he wasn’t blackballed in the acting community, Feuerstein is glad Royal Pains came around to resuscitate his television career.
“I’m not knocking it,” Feuerstein says. “I’m so happy to be on a show that is well received both critically and ratings-wise.”
The first season finale of Royal Pains airs Thursday, August 27, 2009, at 10/9 Central on the USA Network.
Mark Feuerstein a Doctor with Heart on Royal Pains
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