We chat with the one woman capable of filling Dan Fielding's shoes as the Night Court DA, India de Beaufort, about the revival of the beloved comedy.
NBC's revival of Night Court introduced a new generation of viewers to the wacky world of Manhattan's dark, gritty, seedy, and delightful underbelly. John Larroquette returns from the original series, reprising his role as Dan Fielding, and he's surrounded by a brand new cast of characters, including Melissa Rauch (who co-created the new series) as Judge Abby Stone, the daughter of Night Court's original judge, Harry T. Stone.
This time around, Dan Fielding has changed jobs, moving from the District Attorney's table to the role of Public Defender. As a result, the role of prosecutor has gone to new character Olivia, played by India de Beaufort. Fortunately, she isn't a pale imitation of Larroquette's Fielding, or of Markie Post's Christine Sullivan, for that matter. de Beaufort imbues Olivia with tons of emotional baggage and eccentricities, which then get processed through Night Court's signature filter, allowing quirky, neurotic "weirdos" to be normal, accepted, and - most of all - hilarious.
Related: Melissa Rauch On Bringing Night Court Back To Primetime
While promoting Night Court's ongoing debut season, India de Beaufort spoke to Screen Rant about her work on the series, from developing the character of Olivia (whom she politely describes as 'high strung') to developing a lovely friendship with John Larroquette. She shared what fans can expect from Olivia as the series goes on, and what it was like to be cast after the show had already been picked up for a full season.
Screen Rant: The show is everything I ever wanted but wouldn't dare imagine. I couldn't bring myself to imagine getting new episodes that feel like new episodes of the same show I've loved for so many years. Even with a mostly all-new cast, it feels so genuine to the original show, and your character is such a big part of that.
India de Beaufort: That's so lovely, I'm so happy that you're enjoying it!
Screen Rant: I am! I live in New York City. It's this place that takes all kinds, and Night Court is a show that processes those eccentricities and neuroses in a way that is funny, but also made normal. Your character is so, shall we say, caffeinated?
India de Beaufort: She's highly strung!
Screen Rant: Perfect. Tell me about processing your character through Night Court's filter.
India de Beaufort: I love that, "Night Court's filter." I love that! I'll have to tell the guys that! Dan Rubin and Melissa Rauch and Winston Rauch had an idea for this character. I think we represent a lot of different personalities on our show, so everybody can see a little piece of themselves. Olivia is this ambitious, highly strung, caffeinated, very put-together young woman who struggles emotionally and socially. So it's fascinating, because she's very good at her job, but she can't get anywhere with it because she's terrible at the 'being human' part of it.
People generally prefer to like who they work with, and at times, a personality like that... This was one of our biggest challenges with the character of Olivia, is that someone like that can be very unlikable. So how do you take somebody who is always trying to get ahead, and always trying to be the first in line, and always wanting to raise her hand to answer the question and be the teacher's pet, how do you take that character and make them relatable and likable. So, I think it's about leaning into her vulnerability and the way that she struggles to find her place in society and the way she feels unloved.
At the heart of it, she's searching to find a community that accepts her. It goes along with everything you're saying about New York. I was just in New York last week, and you get the sense that everybody gets to be who they are, and nobody bats an eyelid. As a result, you have a city full of people expressing themselves in the most beautiful way, which makes every single day so fascinating. I think Night Court is a microcosm of that.
Screen Rant: What was the casting process like for you, and did you feel like the new kid in school? Did they haze you or anything?
India de Beaufort: (Laughs) I didn't get hazed! But yeah, I for sure felt a heightened awareness of the fact that these actors had all worked together. And not just shot an episode of television together, but they had been through the experience of having a show get picked up together. That's a pretty big deal! There's a lot that happens behind the scenes while that's going on.
For me, I kind of felt like I stepped into the golden egg without earning it because the show was already picked up. I didn't have to battle through making a pilot. I got to kind of just walk in and say, "What's up, what are we doing?" I wanted to be respectful of that, so I leaned back and assessed and tried to mirror what was being shown to me. Everybody was so warm and welcoming and happy to have me there. Within two minutes, I forgot that I had ever never been there at all.
Screen Rant: You have a special place within the cast. You're the DA, Dan Fielding's old job. Did you ever look to John Larroquette on how to do the arraignment scenes, or did you get the freedom to put your own stamp on those signature Night Court prosecutor scenes, with wacky defendants and all that stuff that's carried over from the original show?
India de Beaufort: I think John is so respectful as an actor, that he would never ever make a suggestion without it being asked for. I would love to be a walking, living sponge. If I could absorb any ounce of John Larroquette into my being, I would be thrilled. I probably badgered him more than he would have liked! (Laughs) I'd say, "John, give me something!" "John! What can I do?" "John, John, John!"
All I want for him to do is teach me. And once in a blue moon, he enjoyed giving me a little nugget of something. I think he likes the fact that I'm so open and willing and wanting to learn from him. We have a really lovely friendship.
Screen Rant: That sounds like a dream!
India de Beaufort: It's, in an interesting way, stepping into the shoes of Dan Fielding, in terms of being the prosecutor. To me, the most complicated part was that people thought I was going to be like Markie Post. They see the structure of the show and they go, "man, woman, they're opposites, and Olivia couldn't be any further from Markie Post. So everybody's always kind of fascinated when I say, "Actually, I'm supposed to be Dan Fielding, or a version of that." I have the best view in the courtroom, because I get to watch John do what John does, closer than anybody else.
Screen Rant: Christine (Markie Post's character) had her own eccentricities, but they're very different from Oliva's. It's such a great ensemble that feels so unique. You nailed it with this cast and their chemistry.
India de Beaufort: Aw, that's so wonderful, you're making my day!
Screen Rant: We've seen you paired off with Gurgs trying to find some office space. We've seen you paired off with Neil, pretending to be a couple to get attention. And of course, you and Judge Stone on the train. Do you find yourself flexing different muscles depending on who you're sharing a scene with, or does it all come from understanding your character and trusting the script?
India de Beaufort: I think it's a bit of everything. There's definitely something that happens when we're all uniquely paired off. Olivia and Gurgs, the combination of the two of them, to me, I just enjoy it so much. Their characters are both so different, but also have some similarities. There's an episode coming up that's sort of based around a wedding dress, and there are some scenes with Gurgs that I just love, and I hope you enjoy that as much as you've enjoyed the previous episodes.
Screen Rant: When you turned off her crock pot, I was just, it's a joke, but also a beautiful moment.
India de Beaufort: (Laughs) I'm hoping for more of that for Olivia! I hope we get to see her... This season, we're learning that she has a hard time connecting, and we start to see glimmers of the possibility of her fitting in here. I would love to get to a place where Olivia now knows she truly belongs, and start to see Night Court as her home, and maybe protect and defend Night Court from that perspective. It would be interesting to see her journey through the seasons... And more scenes with Dan, so I can steal and learn more from John Larroquette! That, too!
Screen Rant: Is there an intimidation factor you have to get over? He's six-foot-four of just silver fox, bearded manly man...
India de Beaufort: John, to me, I don't find him even an ounce intimidating. I just love him. We have dinner together, we hang out together, we get on like a house on fire. He's been over and spent time with my family. And I just love him. I love him. I 'm so grateful to have him as part of my life, and he's really taught me so much. I can't think of anything I'd rather do than listen to him tell me stories all day long.
Screen Rant: Did you watch the original Night Court when you were a kid, or in syndication?
India de Beaufort: No, I grew up in England, and we didn't have it! I didn't see it. I knew of it. Actually, Kapil and I were friends, we worked on another show together. And I was with Kapil in Vancouver, ironically shooting different projects, but at the same time, a year prior, when he had just gotten the job. I thought, "Night Court, that's awesome, what a great job to get!"
But then when I got the audition, I thought, I'd better check out this show so I know what I'm auditioning for! That's when I started watching it. I started binging it through the course of the show. Sometimes I would just put it on my phone in the car and just listen to it while I was driving, just listening to the rhythm and the music of it, and the cadence. It was great! I got to watch John Larroquette and then go to work and ask him about the episode I just watched.
Screen Rant: That's fantastic.
India de Beaufort: I got to say, "What was it like when Teri Hatcher was there and she opens up her jacket?" It was great!
Screen Rant: I think she says, "How about I straighten out your pleats!"
India de Beaufort: (Laughs) I mean! Between that and the fire hose in the closet...
India de Beaufort: I think, for John, there's a lot of ghosts on our set. It's the exact same set, but without all of his friends. Watching the show, to me, felt like the respectful thing to do in terms of working with him, so we'd know the ground we're treading on, so he's not alone in that. I think it's definitely been challenging for him, but I know he's glad to be back.
From executive producer and writer Dan Rubin (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), “Night Court” is based on the original hit series that ran for nine seasons on NBC. Melissa Rauch and Winston Rauch executive produce through their After January Productions. Mona Garcea oversees for After January Productions and John Larroquette serves as a producer. “Night Court” is produced by Rauch’s After January Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
Next: 10 Classic Night Court Characters That Can Still Return In The Revival
Night Court airs Tuesdays on NBC and can be streamed the next day on Peacock. The original episodes are also free to stream on Amazon Freevee.
Zak Wojnar is a writer from New York City. He's covered everything from video games and movies to maple syrup and deli business. Thanks to Screen Rant, he's discovered his newest passion, interviewing artists. He takes great joy in letting film and gaming legends tell their own story and share their passion for their art. Zak's first memory is going with his dad to Tower Records and buying the VHS boxed set of the original Star Wars trilogy. Over the next decade or so, those tapes would be completely worn out through overuse. When he's not preparing for the next big interview, he can usually be found sitting too close to the TV, either re-watching Miami Vice or The X-Files, or getting lost in a video game. Zak has bylines at Game Informer, Muscle & Fitness, PopCultureGalaxy, Men's Fitness, Cheese Connoisseur, and Deli Business (see, that wasn't a joke before!), among others. Follow and engage with him on Twitter @ZakWojnar.