Before The Irrational, Ron Canada Worked with Jesse L. Martin on Law & Order
The accomplished character actor reunites with Martin, playing his dad on the latest episode of The Irrational Season 2.
With more than 150 credits to his name dating back to the 1908s, actor Ron Canada makes a return to NBC with his guest starring role on The Irrational.
In Season 2, Episode 11's "Ghost Ship," (airing Tuesday, January 28 at 10/9c) Canada makes his debut as Alec's (Jesse L. Martin) father, Eli Mercer. Alec returns to his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia after Eli refers him to a case involving a unmanned ship that has arrived at the city's port. In the course of investigating the mysterious case, Alec is also forced to confront the complicated relationship he has with his dad.
"This particular episode... there's a long existing trope, not just in television and movies, but in storytelling since theater began, of the child trying to win approval of the parent," Canada tells NBC Insider. "That's almost always the dynamic, and this kind of turns that on its head."
The actor says he's portrayed "enough stern and crusty fathers" to the likes of stars like Terrence Howard and Jada Pinkett Smith, so his role on The Irrational was an intriguing change of pace.
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This also wasn't the first time the 75-year-old has worked with Martin. Canada was in two episodes of Law & Order during the later years of Martin's tenure as Detective Ed Green. And after appearing on many of television's most beloved shows — The Office, Ugly Betty, The West Wing, Felicity, A Different World — Canada cites Martin (along with Martin Sheen, Blair Underwood, and Brian Cranston) as one of the standout actors he's worked with in his career. He looks up to him for his talent and professionalism both in front of and behind the camera.
"Jesse is a class act. He's iconic in the American theater," he says. "He has long decades of success in television, and the people who are on television year after year, people like Ted Danson for instance. As different as they are as people, there's a similar kind of calm and steadiness and classiness with Ted – who I did an episode of Cheers with — there's a kind of sereneness and certainty in them. And certainly the acting ability is unquestionable."
Ron Canada on Law & Order
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Like many guest stars featured on Dick Wolf's storied crime drama universe, Canada has appeared on multiple episodes as different people each time. Fans can spot him in Law & Order Season 16, Episode 6's "Birthright"; Season 18, Episode 4's "Bottomless"; and most recently in SVU Season 23, Episode 19's "Tangled Strands of Justice."
"Who I played when Jesse was on the show, and then who I played in a Special Victims Unit two years ago, there were many years in between," he says. "As an actor I have to inhabit the character that's written on the page. My job is to read it, read it well, absorb it, the story and the intentions, and then to stand that character up... It's the job we do, especially those of us who are known as serious and major character actors."
