Interview
Skye P. Marshall Says ‘Matlock’ Scenes With Husband Edwin Hodge Are ‘Caviar of Chemistry’
What To Know
- Skye P. Marshall and her husband, Edwin Hodge, acted together onscreen for the first time in Matlock Season 2, showcasing strong natural chemistry that excited both the cast and crew.
- Marshall reveals that Matlock‘s creator had long planned to bring Hodge onto the show, even naming characters after him before finding the right role for his appearance.
- While Matlock has been renewed for a third season, it remains uncertain if Hodge’s character will return or become Olympia’s new love interest.
After meeting on the network test of Good Sam, spouses Skye P. Marshall and Edwin Hodge finally acted together onscreen for the first time in Episode 12 of Matlock Season 2. They shared even more scenes in Episode 13, which aired on Thursday, April 9, on CBS.
The first moment Olympia (Marshall) saw Langston Wright (Hodge), she went weak in the knees. This was after Olympia’s ex-husband, Julian (Jason Ritter), said that people should feel weak in the knees in romance. Marshall points out that her chemistry with costar and close friend Ritter makes viewers think their Matlock characters are endgame. What happens now that Marshall and Hodge’s undeniable chemistry has entered the chat?
In “The Future Is Nigh,” Hodge returned as Remy Hodge’s (Justin Cornwell) cousin. And, yes, Remy was named after Hodge. So was Sam Anderson‘s Edwin Kingston, Marshall confirms. She says that Matlock creator Jennie Snyder Urman has been waiting to bring Hodge onto Matlock since the show began.
“Jennie Urman and Joanna Klein and CBS, they all love Edwin Hodge,” Marshall raves. “Season 1, Edwin Kingston, named after Edwin Hodge. Season 2, Remy Hodges is named after Edwin Hodge. Jennie always had him on standby for the right opportunity, the right role, and the right character.”
She adds, “She was very confident that CBS would approve him because Edwin and I met at the network test of Good Sam, as you know, which was a CBS medical drama. And then, when that came to a close, he quickly went to FBI: Most Wanted on CBS. And so he’s a part of the family, and he was extremely ecstatic when he found out that he was going to be able to be on Matlock, let alone have scenes with me, which was very exhilarating and scary at the same time because I’ve never acted with Edwin on camera before. Even in Good Sam, we didn’t have any scenes together.”
In the episode, Olympia and the team took on a client, Vicki (Jane the Virgin‘s Yara Martinez), who was fighting to gain full control of an AI afterlife software company she developed with her late sister. Also, Olympia tried to repair her relationship with Sarah (Leah Lewis), and Matty (Kathy Bates) got a troubling call from Joey (Niko Nicotera).
Hodge’s Langston has a double PhD in neuroscience and philosophy, and he’s also a deep thinker and a smooth talker. Sparks flew with Olympia the second they met in Episode 12. Acting together took the couple back to their early days of dating.
Michael Yarish / CBS
“It was very mysterious and sexy to introduce myself to him as Olympia because he’s known Olympia since the pilot,” Marshall shares. “And I am now being introduced to this character that he has presented at the end of [Season 2 Episode 12], which is very familiar to those first 15 dates.”
There was no need to try to manufacture any chemistry in their scenes, Marshall tells Swooon.
“That’s the caviar of chemistry right there,” she says. “You want chemistry? Say less. Hold my purse. Edwin Hodge, put on your shoes. You’re needed.”
“It’s a beautiful experience to reminisce in the moment of acting with him [about] what that felt like for both of us when we first met,” she adds, admitting that they knew the crew would need to buckle up seeing them flirt on camera.
“Before I went into it, I was like, ‘I would like to say a prayer for our directors. They have no idea what they’re about to get into,'” Marshall says with a big laugh. “There’s so much permission between Edwin and I that our creative team has. There’s so much space for physical improv and access, so where they decide to take it has Edwin and I on pins and needles for Season 3.”
Matlock has been renewed for a third season. While Marshall and Hodge don’t know for sure if Langston will be back, they hope he will be.
“I just hope that they really allow us to play and stretch and go for each other’s necks,” Marshall admits. “I want to feel all the emotions on the spectrum with this character, depending on where they want to take it, but I have no clue. I have no idea, and neither does Edwin, but he really shines in [Season 2 Episode 13].”
Marshall also has “no idea” if Langston is going to be Olympia’s new love interest.
“That’s the beauty about our writing room,” she says. “The twists and turns that they gift us are what keep the audience showing up every week.”
Do you want Olympia and Langston to get together on Matlock, or are you hoping for a reconciliation between Olympia and Julian? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Next week, Ritter’s wife, Melanie Lynskey, returns as Debra Palmer.
Matlock, Season 2, Thursdays, 9/8c, CBS
