By Robert Simonson
11 Feb 2009

Playbill.com: This is not a naturalistic play, is it?
LM: It's very ambitious in its scope. It encompasses Fitzgerald's life from the time we find him when he was 21 to shortly before his death. There are moments when you have to use direct address. The play imagines a visit that we don't actually know if it happened...Hemingway visits Fitzgerald when he was living in Hollywood in 1942.

Playbill.com: You have been able to fit this in with your schedule at "Brothers & Sisters"?
LM: Yes. It's been kind of insane. For the most part, they have been really accommodating. I work early in the morning and come to rehearsal around 6 PM.

	Luke Macfarlane on "Brothers & Sisters"
	photo by Andrew Eccles/ ABC

Playbill.com: How is everything on "Brothers & Sisters"?
LM: Very well. We're almost done with our third season. It feels nice to be a series regular, after all this time.

Playbill.com: For many theatre people, the initial attraction of the show was that it was created by playwright Jon Robin Baitz. Do you stay in touch with him?
LM: I don't really stay in touch too much, but he really championed me early on, and he'd seen my work and thought I would be great for the role of Scotty. I was really lucky to have that connection.

Playbill.com: When he was suddenly no longer involved in the show, did that come as a surprise?
LM: They do a really good job of insulating the actors. I think it was more painful for some people because of their closeness to Robbie. Obviously [co-star] Ron [Rifkin] and Robbie go a long way back, and I can't begin to speculate on what that may have been like for them. But, yeah, I think that was a surprise.

Playbill.com: Was it a rough transition, or did the show just sail along seamlessly?
LM: It certainly didn't sail along seamlessly. (Laughs) They brought people in and the tone of the show changed. Who knows if it was for better or for worse, but we all felt the shift for sure. Robbie was such a good father figure for the show.