A New Lawman in Town

Jesse L. Martin made an effort. He really tried. But he just couldn’t help it.

There he was in the Big Apple, starting his new role as the accomplished but compulsive detective Edward Green on NBC’s gritty cops-court drama “Law & Order,” working with the veteran cast. The scenes were moving smoothly, incorporating the traditional no-nonsense tone characteristic of the series, and Martin, even given his character’s intensity, was fitting right in the mood.

And then it happened. When the director would yell “Cut!” Martin would smile. Widely.

“It was from ear to ear,” Martin recalled. “Everyone must have thought I was crazy for a minute.”

Martin, who caused quite a stir last season with his featured role on Fox’s “Ally McBeal” as the title character’s love interest, can’t believe his good fortune at landing a starring role on “Law & Order,” becoming the most recent in a revolving door of performers to walk onto the set and into a new character on the acclaimed series. The season premiere airs Sept. 23.

There have been 10 cast changes since the drama premiered in 1990 with Martin now replacing Benjamin Bratt, the most recent high-profile departure. Bratt left the series at the end of last season to focus on a film career.

However, it’s the drama’s creator, Dick Wolf, who feels he’s made the coup in getting Martin. He signed the actor just days before Martin, who emerged last season as an extremely promising talent after “Ally McBeal,” received offers from two studios and two producers who wanted him for other projects.

“We were in a very weird situation, and I really had nobody else on the list that I wanted other than Jesse,” Wolf said. “I had seen him on ‘Ally McBeal,’ and it just seemed like a natural extension. He’s a really great actor.”

Wolf also is energized about the dramatic possibilities Martin brings with him. The Green character will have a dark, unpredictable and even violent side that clashes almost immediately with partner Det. Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and his boss, Lt. Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson). The writers and producers are already digging into a range of story possibilities.

In some ways, the show is a little like coming home for Martin. He was raised in Buffalo, N.Y., and has been on several stages on- and off-Broadway during his career, making his biggest splash as one of the original cast members of “Rent” (he played gay Computer Age philosopher Tom Collins).

“This is THE New York show,” said Martin last week from Manhattan after a grueling day of location filming with Orbach. “Every actor I know has wanted to be on this show.”

Of course, Martin is more than just smiling at his new gig. He was a bit nervous at first taking on the role and hooking up with an ensemble cast that has gotten accustomed to its own rhythm.

“I can liken it to the first day of school,” he said. “At script readings, my hand would be shaking every time I raised it. But there’s so much work to get done that there really was not time to get nervous.”

The 30-year-old actor said he is not daunted by stepping into the formidable shoes of Bratt, one of the series’ more popular actors--and a heartthrob for more than just Bratt’s girlfriend, actress Julia Roberts.

It doesn’t hurt that Martin comes with his own heartthrob factor. The lanky actor made more than a few hearts beat faster when his character, Dr. Greg Butters, romanced the neurotic Ally (Calista Flockhart). As writer-producer David E. Kelley drew the relationship out over time, the couple was pulled into increasingly intimate love scenes.

“On top of being a good actor, this is a really good-looking guy,” said Wolf. “He’s really one of the most charismatic actors you’ll ever see. Women just seem to respond to him.”

The chemistry and heat between the characters illustrated a candid sensuality between a black man and a white woman.

Yet it was Martin’s approach to the role of Butters, quiet and stripped of a racial context, that lingered in Wolf’s mind.

“The black-white dilemma was not an issue, and what impressed me was that it was also not an issue with Jesse,” he said. “It was just part of the cultural landscape. I also see that women’s reaction to him is completely colorblind.”

Martin, who is single, laughed about his new sex symbol status. “It sure doesn’t feel bad, and I’m grateful for it. But I really don’t want to focus on it.”

As a growing number of viewers have taken to Martin, so have his new colleagues.

“I know they all loved Benjamin here, and he is a great guy. But everyone here has made me feel better as I take over from him,” Martin said. “And I can’t spend time worrying about Benjamin Bratt. . . . Now I have to do the work.”

Orbach already has high praise for Martin. Because of their mutual theater backgrounds, the two made an almost instant connection.

“Jesse has a good stage background, so he always knows his lines, he’s always on time and he’s very professional,” said Orbach. “We’re coming to the end of a month together, and we’re still finding out things about each other. But we’re doing great.”

Still, Orbach admitted that taking on a new “partner” has taken some adjustments.

“It’s very much like life, when people get transferred,” he said. “It’s a grim reality for me. Benjamin was like a younger brother to me. I was fond of him, and I miss him. But I want him to move on and do well, and I can’t linger on that forever. So this is different--interesting and different.”

As usual, the “Law & Order” formula initiated since the first episode will continue with Martin’s arrival. The first half of the hour will deal with the crime and the investigation, while the second half focuses on the legal wranglings of the crime. In addition to Orbach and Merkerson, staying with the show are Sam Waterston (Executive Assistant Dist. Atty. Jack McCoy), Angie Harmon (Assistant Dist. Atty. Abbie Carmichael) and Steven Hill (Dist. Atty. Adam Schiff).

Personal stories and interactions are de-emphasized, and there are no long-term story arcs or entanglements.

Viewers expecting even a hint of the charming Greg Butters character in Martin’s portrayal of Edward Green will be in for a shock.

Green is introduced in typical “Law & Order” fashion--there is no special attention paid to his arrival, no explanation about his background. When first seen in the season premiere, Briscoe and Greene are already at work on a case where a gunman has shot several women in Central Park.

As the episode proceeds, hints about Green are dropped--he is a compulsive gambler and poker player. He immediately rubs Van Buren and Briscoe the wrong way. He has a violent streak that has resulted in citizen complaints. And he likes to see his name in the newspaper.

“Eddie Green is just as complex and sensitive, lazy and faulted as any random person--he just happens to be a detective in New York City,” said Martin.

Said Wolf: “He’s just going to be a fascinating character.”

Martin is not troubled by the structure of the show and the focus on story over character.

“One thing I’ve always loved about ‘Law & Order’ is that every show was completely focused on story rather than character,” he said. “I’ve always thought that was impressive. These are incredible stories that are amazing and harrowing. If you can’t sink your teeth into that, I don’t know what’s happening. You certainly can show your chops.

“It really doesn’t feel like work yet,” he said. “I’m completely psyched. I’ve had those jobs where every day is a chore. It will never be the case here.”

Nor was it with “Ally.” That experience, Martin said, “changed everything for me. I couldn’t believe how many people watched it. I really started getting work because of it, guest-starring on ‘The X-Files’ and other projects. I got ‘Law & Order’ because of it.”

Reflecting on the experience, Martin’s only regret is that the relationship ended almost as an afterthought. Greg and Ally were having difficulties but never formally parted ways.

“I would have loved to explore the relationship more, whether race was going to be a factor or not,” said Martin. “It ended unceremoniously. I would love to come back. I loved the people and I loved the crew. But Manhattan Beach [where “Ally McBeal” is filmed] is a long commute.”

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“Law & Order” premieres at 10 p.m. Wednesday on NBC.