[This story contains spoilers from a nearly 10-year-old episode of The Good Wife ]
On Mar. 23, 2014, The Good Wife pulled something of a TV coup. The CBS legal drama aired an episode that killed off a major character, the No. 2 actor on the call sheet, without even a whiff of the departure leaking online beforehand.
Showrunners Michelle and Robert King have since spoken many times about all the lengths to which everyone involved went to keep Josh Charles’ abrupt exit under wraps, as has Charles and many of his former castmates, but it turns out someone was eagerly blabbing about it the whole time. At least, that’s what Alan Cumming admitted during a Wednesday press event for Peacock series The Traitors.
“I am the most indiscreet person,” said Cumming. “When I was on The Good Wife and Will [Charles’ character] was murdered — remember when Will was shot? — I told everyone. I can’t understand how it didn’t get out.”
And the information wasn’t exactly being pried from the actor, who played Eli Gold for all seven seasons. It sounds like Cumming was just volunteering it to anyone who expressed interest in his show. “I remember once doing this fashion thing, and this guy doing my hair says, ‘I’m a huge fan of The Good Wife,’” he continued, “and I’m like, ‘Will Dies!’ I told a hairdresser, which is the worst person you can tell a secret to.”
In the episode, “Dramatics, Your Honor,” Charles’ character Will Gardner shockingly gets gunned down in a courtroom. Up until that point, the back half of the series’ fifth season, Charles had played the co-lead and romantic interest of star Julianna Margulies’ Alicia Florrick. The episode that explored the aftermath won a WGA Award for episodic drama.
Cummings’ revelation from relatively ancient TV history came up during a conversation about his cult competition on Peacock, one in which the actor plays host to a slew of reality stars manipulate and backstab the other contestants. Part of his Traitors gig involves a certain awareness of who’s manipulating whom, and he says he’s gotten much more cagey about work projects post-Good Wife.
“Since then, I’m very conscious of it,” he said, speaking in front of members of the Television Critics Association “[On The Traitors], my heart is pounding, but I do all of these tricks to confuse them.”
For that matter, he doesn’t exactly consider himself a host on his new show. The wardrobe, the castle and the theatrical scheming are more like another acting gig, says Cumming: “I’ve made up a character. I don’t really sound like that. I’ve made it an acting part. I’ve hosted other things as [myself], but this is different.”
Peacock recently renewed The Traitors for a third season.
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