By: Amrie Cunningham [My Take on TV]
Fans of NBC’s LIPSTICK JUNGLE have completely fallen for Robert Buckley, aka Kirby Atwood, aka Nico’s hotter-than-hot man-on-the-side. He has charm, charisma, and isn’t hard to look at! In celebration of Lipstick Jungle’s first season finale, I spent some time chatting with Rob about the show, where he wants to see his character go, and the real reason he was upset that the writers went on strike.
I want to just start by saying that I have completely gotten hooked on the show in recent weeks, and I really like your character.
Robert Buckley: Oh thank you! It’s funny. I told everyone, all my friends who started watching it, stick with the show because it really picks up momentum. I think we’re seeing it now, a lot more people are tuning in and getting wrapped up in the storyline.
They’ve really started to flesh out the characters and you learn more about the characters that have been on the screen. I’m excited at the prospect of more episodes to come.
Hopefully so, we have the season finale, and we’ll know shortly if we’re coming back for a season 2.
Why did you want to play Kirby?
I really enjoyed the challenge. This guy is pursuing a married woman. It starts off being an affair and turns out to be a much deeper emotional connection. It’s really a tough sell to get America to root for the infidelity, to root for the affair. So I enjoy the challenge of, okay, how are we going to make people root for a woman cheating on her husband of 17 years. How are we going to get America to empathize with this woman risking everything just to be with this guy. That aspect of it was really exciting for me.
How much like Kirby are you in real life?
[Laughs] Well, I don’t go around pursuing married women and I don’t go to bars with a gigantic permanent marker in my pocket, so I wouldn’t say we’re too similar. He’s a very passionate guy in terms of his work and his love life. I can definitely relate to that. He’s very caring, I can relate to that. I would have some moral issues with his choices. Married women are off limits.
What’s it like on set?
I was a recast. I wasn’t part of the original pilot. By the time I came in, everyone had a chance to work together a little bit. By the time I came in, Brooke, Kim, and Lindsay had set the bar for really a very comfortable, friendly, casual vibe. There’s no ego or pretense. It’s very comfortable, just a great environment to do great work, and to form these bonds with the people that you work with. I was very nervous coming in because there are a lot of pros on this show, a lot of great actors, and it was such a relief to see how sweet everyone was, and how welcoming. Everyone was so accepting, and wanting to make it a comfortable experience. The ultimate goal for everyone is to make a great show.
What can you tell us about tomorrow’s season finale
It’s definitely going to leave you wanting more, definitely going to leave you crossing your fingers for season 2 because there are a couple of balls are still let up in the air, in terms of relationships and careers. There’s definitely a couple of twists. There’s an interesting turn with the Kirby/Nico relationship, that depending on your take on it you may or may not like. It’s a tough episode to end on. I know personally I was definitely left wanting more so hopefully America will feel the same way.
What would you like to see the future hold for Kirby?
I think it would be good for America to learn more about this guy. We’ve only got to see a little bit of his life in connection to Nico’s world. I think there is lots of other stuff oing on with him. It would be nice to sort of see, professionally, where he is going with his photography and where that’s going to take him. He’s already worked for 2 of the three women. It sort of makes sense that he’d start shooting Victory’s fashion line. What’s the next step, and seeing as he’s already worked for Nico and Wendy, as he becomes more prominent, is he going to continue working with them, is that going to make things awkward for him and Nico. So I think professionally, we’re really anxious to see where we’re going to go with him.
Why did you want to become an actor?
I have always enjoyed performing. I’ve always liked the rush of it, and enjoyed the attention. Growing up, in high school, I always thought it would be fun, and never did it. In college, I felt the same way. In my last semester I took an acting class and I loved it. I got bit by the bug you could say. I decided to myself that I would pursue acting for a year in LA if I didn’t get any of the jobs that I initially applied for. I ended up getting one of the jobs so I put the acting thing on the back burner. It just kind of kept eating at me. It was something that I knew I had to do, and try at some point. I finally was given the opportunity and I jumped. Left my job pretty fast. I met a woman at my cousin’s wedding on I think a Saturday, who encouraged me to pursue acting. I think I gave my notice on the following Monday. [laughs] I wasted very little time.
Who are some of your favorite actors or actresses, or who inspires you?
I love the work Robert Downey, Jr. he has such great range. He can play such dark depths, and he can be so funny and kill the joke. Bill Murray. I watch his stuff. In terms of actresses, ya know, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, I love their work. Barbara Stanwyck, throwing it back a little bit. Fred MacMurray. The obvious ones. I love Brando’s stuff, I love James Dean’s stuff, I love Paul Newman’s stuff. I’m just giving you a grocery list. [laughs]
I always do that, somebody says “what’s your favorite…” and I list 13 and tell them to pick one.
I did an interview and the guy asked me a few questions in a row, like what’s your favorite song, what’s your favorite movie. And with all of them, it’s terribly relative. Music for me heavily depends on my mood. If I’m in a good mood, I’m going to listen to something very different than if I’m in a self pity mood. Movies are the same way.
What do you watch on TV when you have downtime?
I’m in love with the show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I’m such a huge, huge fan of that show. I have to say when the writers strike happened, I was upset about a lot of things, but one of the higher reasons on my list was that I was going to lose my Sunny. I was going to lose my Sunshine, figuratively and literally speaking. There’s an amazing new show on Thursday nights called Lipstick Jungle [laughs]. I’m a big fan of Family Guy. Sadly, I don’t get to watch nearly as much television as I would like to. I’m more of a Netflix guy.
What else do you have coming up, now that the Season finale is tomorrow?
We’re waiting with bated breath to hear on season 2, hoping we’ll be coming back. I’m leaving in a month to go shoot a film for Lifetime opposite Heather Locklear.
Oh nice.
Yeah, true story, so I’ll be shipping off to Hawaii and Canada to do that. We’ll just wait and see. Hopefully, I’ll be coming home to get ready to start packing again to go back to NY.
Do yourself a favor and tune into the season finale of LIPSTICK JUNGLE – you heard Rob, you won’t be disappointed and you’ll be begging for more the minute it’s over!