FRIDAY FUN: Insight Into the Mysterious Lilly Rush

Because there just isn't enough Cold Case coverage in the world, I present this edition of Friday Fun that is of course, jam-packed with plenty of it! First up, check out some pictures from this hot Julie Dennis Brothers photoshoot with series star Kathryn Morris courtesy of KathrynMorrisOnline (accompanied by a recent article).

Cold Case, Hot Career
By Jay S. Jacobs
POPenterainment.com

Unlike the cases investigated by her TV alter ego, Detective Lilly Rush of the Philadelphia PD, there is nothing cold about Kathryn Morris.

She is the face of Cold Case, the Sunday night police drama which has quietly become one of television's biggest hits. The solidly crafted weekly whodunit about unsolved mysteries features some of the most intriguing cases on television evocatively spanning eras, tones and musical genres with one of the strongest ensemble casts on the air.

Now in the middle of its third season on the air, Cold Case may not get quite as much press as its flashier Jerry Bruckheimer produced cousins like the CSI series or Without a Trace, but it has been firmly entrenched high up the Nielsen ratings lists since its debut. Websites devoted to the cases and the music played on the show have popped up all over the internet. The series has routinely trounced timeslot competitors like American Dreams, The West Wing, The Simpsons and Arrested Development.

That means a lot, because it's a big investment," Morris says of the faithfulness of the show's fan base. A big investment of time and following the show [from] people that believed in us from the beginning.

It is particularly gratifying because this is Morris's breakout role. She has been working in television and film for years, but none of her previous parts had received near the scrutiny.


More excerpts from the article and insight into the mysterious character of Lilly Rush:

On Lilly's choice of profession:

"She wanted to make some kind of difference. She wanted to be needed in some way to this planet. She became guarded due to many incidences in her life. Being a workaholic cold case cop, working with dead people, makes it a lot easier to be detached, really. And she's with a bunch of guys. It's a macho work. They're not expecting her to get all warm and fuzzy. But they do completely respect her tool of being completely emotionally connected and safe for these victims and witnesses. They know that I could get the confession, because they'll feel safe with me. Because I am a woman. Because I'm soft. Because I'm like a sister, like a best friend. Like a girlfriend, and also, maybe, an intimidating hardass. That's what I try to play with."

On Lilly's experience with serial killer George Marks last season:

"George the serial killer was just so exciting for me," Morris says, enthusiastically. I really love working with that actor, John Billingsley. We worked so well together. It was the process of just doing that whole sequence, the two episodes together. That was very thrilling for me. Also, because the time between, when he was gone, I knew that he was going to show up again."

On her co-stars:

"They are the best," Morris enthuses. "I honestly can say that I could not have picked four better guys to spend my years with. We're very close. We've got each others' backs as actors and as people. They're all truly in it for the right reason - meaning the acting. They're friendships that will last a lifetime. That's very rare in this business, and extremely rare in a series. Everybody's kind of grown up on the show. Plus, they really treat me with a lot of respect."

On her own future:

"Just all the experiences I've had so far, I'd like to just continue this and work with even better and more fascinating people as time goes on. I don't ever picture myself being a flashy, overexposed celebrity. If I became enormously famous, I'm sure it would be for my work. I would much rather it be for my work than anything else."

To read more from Morris on her role as Lilly Rush and her experiences on Cold Case, click on over to POP Entertainment. To see more of her photoshoot, click on over to KathrynMorrisOnline.


Have you ever wondered about the two cats that share Lil's house on the hit crime drama? Well, wonder no more because CBS Watch Magazine has an article on the crime fighter's furry friends (a special thanks to Irishkale from Look Again for the scan and the screen captures). Did you know neither cat suffers from a disability in real life? Or that the idea for the disabled cats came from star Kathryn Morris? The show's executive producer Meredith Stiehm explains they're a part of Lilly's psyche.

"She goes to the weakest person and she's drawn to help. In her work she's speaking for the dead, the forgotten, and the tossed aside. So Kathryn thought it was appropriate for Lilly to have pets that otherwise would have been tossed aside or considered defective."

To read more about these two cats, click HERE. And of course, what would an edition devoted to Cold Case be if it didn't delve into the ever present issue of Lilly's hair? New Zealand's Stuff web site gets to the bottom of Lil's 'do. Morris says the obsession with her character's locks is a total surprise to her. She tells the site:

"Oh, God! That hair thing is crazy, isn't it? I never in a million years thought that I would become some sort of hair icon. And there really is no special cut. I just took one big bobby pin, jammed it in my hair and twisted it up behind me. I figured that's the kind of thing Lilly Rush would do."

To read more about that infamous 'do, click on over to NZ's Stuff site. Cold Case airs Sunday nights on CBS. Be sure to catch this week's episode featuring guest stars Meredith Baxter (as Lilly's estranged mother) and June Lockhart!!


That's all for this edition of Friday Fun! Be sure to check back here Monday for the latest edition of Pass the Remote and next Friday for another installment of Friday Fun! Have a great weekend everyone!