From the moment Carrie Preston’s titular investigator in pink walked into the New York City Police Department, Wendell Pierce has been the grumpy Gus of Elsbeth in his role as Captain C.W. Wagner. He’s since warmed up to Elsbeth Tascioni and her unusual methods, even fighting for her freedom in the Season 2 finale after her arrest following the murder of Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson), but nothing seems to change the curmudgeonly demeanor he carries himself with on the job. In Season 3, however, viewers might get to see a different, even softer side of the veteran officer that doesn’t often come out. Pierce and his new co-star, Brittany Inge, spoke to Collider’s Maggie Lovitt at the New York premiere of Season 3, where they teased the familial connection between each other’s characters.
Viewers haven’t seen much of the usually stoic Wagner’s family life in Elsbeth so far, save for the power couple dynamic he shares with his wife, Claudia (Gloria Reuben). Unlike Elsbeth, who has Teddy (Ben Levi Ross) back in her life as of Season 2, however, none of his children have appeared in the picture yet. That will soon change with Julia, whom Inge says has a “definitely loving, but also complicated” bond with the dear captain. “I think that she’s growing up, and that is a challenge for him in some ways. [Laughs] And I think that she definitely is just giving him headaches by really just living her life and stepping into her womanhood and humanity. It’s giving him a headache because he has some adjustments to make as she’s growing.”
Though Inge didn’t outright state what the relationship is between Julia and Wagner, Pierce made it clear that she’s “daddy’s little girl.” Moreover, he teased that, when it comes to his daughter, that rough exterior completely disappears. “And you know, he’s a curmudgeon, but when it’s daddy’s little girl, she melts his heart, so he’s very protective,” he added. “So it’s good. It’s really nice to have a little window into family.” They may not necessarily see eye-to-eye, with his overprotective nature and her desire to spread her wings, but either way, their bond is more proof that Pierce’s character is “just not a curmudgeon” when it comes to his loved ones. “He’s a family man.”
Inge Was Excited to Enter the Colorful World of ‘Elsbeth’
Elsbeth has become the destination show on CBS, especially now that the detective has fully settled into New York in Season 3. This fall, the Good Wife spin-off has landed even more star power than ever to take part in the colorful case-of-the-week fun, with Stephen Colbert, Julia Fox, David Cross, William Jackson Harper, Annaleigh Ashford, Andy Richter, and more on board, and a reunion with The Good Fight’s Sarah Steele in order. The premiere, titled “Yes, And…,” saw Elsbeth caught in a heated late-night situation involving Colbert’s tyrannical host Scotty Bristol, Amy Sedaris’s head writer, and her bumbling husband and co-worker, played by Richter. It’s just the beginning of another season in which Elsbeth fully embraces the challenges ahead of her, from a partner who’s also an aspiring stand-up to a toy store hostage situation perpetrated by Cross.
For Inge, the chance to be a part of this world, and in such an important role related to one of its main characters, was almost overwhelming. As a longtime fan of Elsbeth the character and the show, even getting an audition was a thrill, especially when the Reasonable Doubt alum got her first fitting and was dressed to fit the always-fashionable procedural.
“You know what, I was super excited for my first fitting because I love, like, all of her fashion, and it did not disappoint, let me tell you. No, Julia doesn’t dress like Elsbeth, but the costume design on this show is just amazing. The costume team really knows what they’re doing, and my first fitting was like… I was just looking at everything like, ‘I want to take everything home!’ I’ve also been a big fan of Elsbeth the character since The Good Fight. I’m a huge fan of The Good Fight. Loved when this show first got announced. So to then get an audition for it in this third season was so exciting. And I had to calm myself down just to do the tape, like ‘Brittany, just get through it!’ And then to book it was just a dream come true.”
It’s still unknown exactly how much Inge will appear as Julia, but she’s hopeful she’ll carve out a longer-term spot on the show. “Listen, I’m hoping for as many as possible,” she continued. “What I know so far is, like, three, that I know, but we’re still in progress.” Inge confirmed that she’s still filming for more Elsbeth, meaning there’s a very good chance the captain’s little girl will be here to stay for a while.
