Ed Burns' dramatic arc as historic criminal Bugsy Siegel on Frank Darabont’s buzzed-about Mob City ends with a highly-anticipated two-part finale on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 9 p.m. EST on TNT.
The actor, also an accomplished filmmaker, is so enjoyable to watch in this role that the network has started plans to work with Burns on another project, a cop series that will be written by, directed by, and star him, and will be executively produced by Steven Speilberg. Before the finale, Burns shared with Us how he became the notorious mobster.
Us: How did Frank Darabont, who also created The Walking Dead, reach out to you to play Bugsy?
Ed Burns: Frank reached out and told me when they were thinking of who could play Bugsy, I was at the top of their list. They sent me the scripts for a few of the episodes and they were just amazing. When they asked, I said, “Of course.” The opportunity to work with him was kind of a no brainer.
Besides some cameos on Entourage this is the first series you’ve really been a part of. What made it the right show to start with?
The days of looking down on television are over and especially with some of the shows that are happening now, some of which Frank was a part of, there is really no stigma anymore. Ever since The Sopranos, the caliber of talent on the small screen has just amplified every year. I’m a huge fan of The Wire, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad. There are great performances happening out there now.
What’s the best part of getting to play Bugsy?
Walking through the streets of downtown LA, wearing our suits, fedoras and holding our Tommy guns with old period cars parked off to the side. It’s every actor’s dream. To be honest, I haven’t had this much fun acting since Saving Private Ryan. Every day I’m either beating the crap out of somebody, “wacking” somebody, slapping somebody, screaming at somebody. It’s been a blast!
You have some pretty violent throw downs. What can look forward to in the finale?
Jon [Bernthal], who’s great, and I have a big fight scene at the end. It was well choreographed, but you still have to be careful that you don’t end up hurting somebody because it can get pretty intense. Luckily nobody got hurt, in real life anyway.
Mob City's two-part finale starts Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.
