Dylan McDermott reinvents modern gangster on ‘Law & Order’
By JOHN CARUCCI
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Dylan McDermott says his experiences as a child and later as a waiter helped him reinvent the modern-day gangster on “Law & Order: Organized Crime.” The actor says back then he was “surrounded” by unsavory types and used the experiences to bring criminal mastermind Richard Wheatley to life on the NBC series. McDermott says his “mother’s boyfriend was a bank robber.” Later as a struggling young actor in New York, he waited tables and often served local bad guys. Christopher Meloni, who stars in “Law & Order: Organized Crime, says that McDermott’s portrayal avoided clichés and created a villain for the 21st century. McDermott’s multi-episode arc as the deadly, smart gangster on the show recently wrapped.
