(ABC)
Thirty-five years ago, Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson became TV icons as butt-kicking private investigators in the ABC television series “Charlie’s Angels.”
Cut to 2011, and the same network is bringing three new Hollywood beauties to the small screen for a revival of the crime drama.
America, meet your new Angels: Minka Kelly, Rachael Taylor, Annie IIonzeh.
Oh yeah, and your new Bosley, Ramon Rodriguez!
The rebooted series, slated to premiere in September, moves the Angels from Los Angeles to Miami, and dispenses with what was probably the most iconic component of the original – Jill Munroe’s (aka Farrah Fawcett’s) famously feathered hair cut.
“No no no,” confirmed star Minka Kelly. “That (hairstyle) was for that time.”
POLL: Which Angels are the Hottest: Classic or Newbies?
Rachael Taylor, the blonde in the trio, even went to extra lengths – or lack thereof – to avoid the Fawcett comparisons.
“It’s the reason why I cut my hair!” she exclaimed. “Not because I didn’t like it, but because I was like, ‘What are women doing now?’ It is all about keeping it current, we’re not trying to make something that’s fantastical. It’s not a super hero show, it is about young private detectives.”
Taylor also admitted that while she hasn’t seen the 1970s series (ever heard of doing your research, Ms. Taylor?), she is confident that the modern day version will stack up favorably.
“The first one was earnest and it took itself quite seriously, whereas ours is more a blend of camp and credible,” she continued. “We’re always aiming for wink and a smile, whereas the original series was quite serious.”
And one additional word of warning: some fans might be disappointed by the lack of skin on display.
“I certainly don’t think our Angels rely on their sex appeal to get ahead. As a matter-of-fact, it is quite the opposite because we haven’t had any swimsuit moments or anything like that yet,” Taylor said. “Certainly there is some fun with fashion, but that’s actually quite credible because women like fashion, so I don’t think that’s a sex appeal thing as much as a reality thing.”
But fear not! Chances are Minka Kelly, Esquire magazine's 2011 Sexiest Woman Alive, will still grab some attention, particularly in one scene where she gets to shoot a gun while riding a wild horse.
“That horse was insane, it was riveting and very exciting. I’ve shot a rifle but it’s nothing like shooting a Glock, especially from a horse – a running horse at full speed, pulling it from the back of my pants. I felt pretty incredible that day,” she said. “We all have dark pasts, we all have our own skill sets and we’re detectives as opposed to spies or cops so we will break the law sometimes, and we don’t always follow the rules which is fun. Bosley is definitely the fourth Angel, he fights with us and has to save our butt sometimes.”
So in the trade-off for no bikinis, expect bonus bad-ass behavior.
“Everyone really kicks ass on the show and we take pride in the training we’ve been doing to make it look authentic and real,” Rodriguez said. “And we give a lot of credit to the producers and everybody involved with the show because they set up gun training, and we have Navy SEALs and SWAT guys to make it look real and official. Basically, any one of us can take you down really quickly.”
All well and good. But Farrah on her skateboard would still make mincemeat out of any of 'em.
Deidre Behar contributed to this report.
Trending
Who's making headlines in television, music, movies and more from Hollywood to the Heartland.