YOU won’t see Linus Roache, aka “The New Jack McCoy,” until “Law & Order” returns in January.
But Roache has been shooting his “L&O” episodes since August while exploring his new character, unorthodox assistant DA Michael Cutter.
“He’s a little more impulsive – not so much aggressive, but he’s fast, he paces a lot and he’s got an edge to him,” says Roache, who co-starred on NBC’s short-lived “Kidnapped” last season with Jeremy Sisto, who’s also joined “L&O” as cop Cyrus Lupo.
“Sometimes [Cutter] is a little dangerous; he’s not necessarily a comfortable kind of guy,” he says. “He cares about justice . . . but he sometimes takes these leaps out-of-the-box and is kind of non-linear.
“He looks everything up on his BlackBerry and doesn’t read books. He’s kind of a little more modern that way.”
The British-born Roache (he’s playing Cutter as an American) was thrust into the show’s new pecking order when Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) was promoted to District Attorney – after Fred Thompson, who played “L&O” DA Arthur Branch, left to run for president.
“I’ve got [Thompson’s] dressing room,” Roache says. “I’ve taken his spot. And Sam is such a gracious human being and an actor I’ve admired for years.
“I like the way he works,” he says. “He’s not defining everything and laying it all down. He’s not the kind of actor who wants to fix everything and nail it.
“He leaves it with a sense of mystery and the unknown. My whole [on-screen] interaction with him is . . . a complex relationship of admiration, respect and competition.”
The 43-year-old Roache, a Manchester native, was asked about British actors tackling lead roles on American television – including “House” star Hugh Laurie and Michelle Ryan, who’s starring in NBC’s “Bionic Woman.”
“I can’t say it’s always been easy . . . but I’ve done quite a few American roles after I moved here with my wife a few years back,” he says.
“I’ve always had this fascination with and love for America. I don’t know where it comes from, but I always had it.
“Of course I am British and I do have to do an [American] accent and that adds time and extra pressure.
“But when you’ve got Hugh Laurie, Daniel Day-Lewis, Gary Oldman and Albert Finney playing Americans all over the place, it doesn’t feel that unique anymore.
“And I think they’ve written [Michael Cutter’s] parents as gypsies to cover all the bases.”