Published on August 4th, 2021 | by Darren Paltrowitz

Mary McCormack & Chris Bauer On The New Starz Series “Heels,” Doing Wrestling Research & More

As set in a close-knit Georgia community, Heels is a new Starz series starring Stephen Amell (Arrow) as Jack Spade and Alexander Ludwig (The Hunger Games) as his younger brother Ace. The show follows a family-owned wrestling promotion business and the rivalry between 2 brothers who war over their late father’s legacy. In the ring, somebody must play the good guy and somebody must play their nemesis, the heel. But in the real world, those characters can be hard to live up to — and leave behind.

Heels, which consists of 8 hour-long episodes, was written and created by Executive Producer Michael Waldron (Loki, and the upcoming Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness) with Executive Producer Mike O’Malley (Shameless, Survivor’s Remorse) as showrunner. Peter Segal (Get Smart, 50 First Dates, Tommy Boy), who directed several episodes of Heels, also served as its Executive Producer. The drama series also stars Alison Luff as Staci Spade (Jack’s wife who learns that she has to contend with the emotional stakes her in-laws have invested in their wrestling goals and the demands it puts on her family), Mary McCormack as Willie Day (Jack’s business partner and the logistrical brains behind the local wrestling organization), Kelli Berglund as Crystal Tyler (Ace’s valet and love interest), Allen Maldonado as Rooster Robbins (one of the best wrestlers in the circuit yet always has something to prove), 2-time Super Bowl champion James Harrison as Apocalypse (a been-around-the-block journeyman wrestler who’s been at it for decades and has no illusions of fame or glory), and Chris Bauer as Wild Bill Hancock (a larger-than-life former wrestling star who is now a pro wrestling scout).

On August 3, 2021, I had the pleasure of speaking with the aforementioned Mary McCormack and Chris Bauer via Zoom, as embedded below. More on Heels can be found here, here and here.

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Tags: Chris Bauer, Heels, Mary McCormack, STARZ, The Wire

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal.Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."