The Closer cast member Phillip P. Keene (Buzz Watson) reveals his favorite moments and experiences during the show’s seven-season run. The final six episodes of The Closer begin Monday, July 9, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on TNT.
Q: It’s the final day of shooting The Closer after seven spectacular seasons. What does this day mean to you, and how are you feeling?
A: It’s a little up and down. I’m not really quite sure what to feel yet. I mean, we’ve been here for seven years now. This is episode 21 of season seven and there are 109 episodes total. Last week, I had a bit of a breakdown during our read-through. I think that’s when it hit me that it is our last episode.
Q: What have you enjoyed about playing Buzz over these seven seasons?
A: I’ve enjoyed seeing Buzz grow as a character and an integral part of the squad. Even though he doesn’t carry a gun and he’s not a detective, he still is part of that family. And I really do feel that has carried over into my personal life, just like a lot of the guys from the show. The growth of the character and getting more to do and fleshing out who he is – that’s been the best part for me.
Q: If you could take any memento from The Closer home with you as a daily reminder of this experience, what would it be?
A: It’s funny you should ask me that question, because I actually have something already from our old set. Someone was kind enough to give me one of the panels from the original electronics room. It’s currently sitting in my garage in Palm Springs.
Q: Tell us what you felt when you read the final script.
A: I was excited when I got the script. I couldn’t put it down. I read it in about 20 minutes from front to back and was like, “Oh my God. What’s gonna happen now?” I was excited about it every step of the way and how it was going to play out.
Q: The Closer really put TNT on the map in terms of original programming. How does it feel to know you helped start the network on this journey?
A: TNT has been a great place to be. Everybody’s just great. When someone from TNT comes down to the set to visit, it’s like reuniting with relatives that you haven’t seen in a long time. It’s been great to be part of the TNT family.
