Jeffrey Dean morgan on Good Wife Gig: Julianna Margulies 'Closed the Deal' 

Jeffrey Dean Morgan was on the fence about making a series-regular commitment to 

 — that is until the show’s leading lady-slash-producer Julianna Margulies intervened.

In an interview with TVLine, the actor — who’s currently starring opposite Halle Berry in another CBS drama,

— explains what Margulies did that “closed the deal” for him to join the Season 7 cast. Morgan also addresses speculation that his 

 character Alex is both the ‘new Kalinda’ as well as a love interest for Margulies’ Alicia.

The Good Wife Season 7: [Spoiler] No Longer a Series Regular

I start on Tuesday. Right now I’m at my farm [in Upstate New York]. Doing farm crap.

TVLINE | CBS confirmed that you’re playing an investigator that Alicia hires, leading folks to dub you “the new Kalinda.” Is that a fair characterization?

. I never even saw the show until I signed on, and then I watched seven episodes. I know he’s an investigator that goes to work for Alicia. Beyond that, it’s a little bit of a mystery. I’ve only read the first script.

I can tell you that he’s an ex-lawyer who got into some trouble and finds himself now being an investigator. He’s got a laid-back personality and a quick wit. I like that kind of dynamic. And I think it will be a nice dynamic for Julianna to play off of.

I don’t know. I haven’t been told that. I know there’s a lot of speculation.

She’s going to hire him, so, yeah, they do hit it off. She’s intrigued by his personality.

Yes. I’ve known her for probably 10 years. I’m excited to go to work with her. When the offer had come in I was in the middle of working [on Extant] and I had to think about it. To go from one show to another without a break was a little daunting. And I got a great e-mail from Julianna and that’s what closed the deal for me. I just wrote her back and said, “I’m in.”

Season 2, meanwhile, moves to Wednesdays at 9/8c after

I still wish Matthew Goode could have stayed. It sucks he’s leaving. Not opposed to JDM, just going to miss Finn. Honestly, the main priority for me for the next season is for Alicia to reject Canning’s offer. The show needs to get rid of Canning and Michael J. Fox once and for all. Enough of him already. He’s a tired character. This show has an amazing casting department. If she needs to partner with somebody (which I really think she shouldn’t at the moment; she should be on her own for a bit), then bring someone new or someone else we’ve seen other than Canning.

Shes nice now…wait until she feels like you upstaged her. Then cue the cgi scenes!

never gets old for me. I went from liking JM and her character Alicia to probably not tuning back in in the fall based on her alleged behavior (AND the fact that I wasted ~22 hours of my life on Season 6)..

I was going to comment basically the exact same thing LOL. I cant imagine the rage she has right now that Alan and Christine got Emmy nods and she didn’t

Yes!!! Honestly first thing I thought when I saw they were nominated and she wasn’t. Girlfriend is PISSED

Lol yup. I know I should be mature enough to separate character from actress but I can’t. I hate Julianna and that now bleeds into my opinion of the Alicia character.

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