Jennifer Wigmore talks all about Chief Anderson's ambition in Cross season 1

Cross season 1 introduced us to Chief Anderson, who proved to be interested in her own career gains. We talked with Jennifer Wigmore about the character, and where we could see her in season 2.

Jennifer Wigmore -- Photo credit: Kristina Ruddick
Jennifer Wigmore -- Photo credit: Kristina Ruddick

The first season of Cross on Prime Video is now available. All eight episodes dropped as a binge-watch, and it was certainly great to stick with the story from start to finish.

Jennifer Wigmore took on the role of Chief Anderson, who wanted to see the initial case wrapped up as quickly as possible. She was more than willing to rule it an overdose rather than accept that there was a serial killer on the loose.

Did that mean she was involved in the case? Was she the mole? We later found out that she was just a woman looking to make a name for herself within the police force. She was a career woman, and sometimes, that meant wrapping up cases quickly. We talked with Jennifer Wigmore about that, including what it means for season 2 and what it was like playing a polarizing character.

The support for Cross from the start

Cross was renewed for a second season way ahead of the first season arriving on Prime Video. In fact, we didn’t even have a premiere date before the renewal, which was a good thing from the show. It meant that the writing could start on the second season right away, and it reduces the time between seasons. This is so important in the world of the series.

While the series had the network support, there was always the risk that the show wouldn’t be well-received with the fans. This is something we’ve seen in the past. Just look at Netflix’s The Witcher and even Amazon’s The Wheel of Time. There’s something about the cop and spy dramas that seem to be working for Amazon, though.

“I think we kind of knew that they were going to go all in on this one…but you can go all in on something but then the fans don’t respond. So I’m just grateful that the thing we made, that we loved, that you all see it, and that you love it too.”

For Wigmore, it was important to see that Amazon supported the show. There’s nothing worse for a series than having a network that doesn’t really care.

“I think Amazon has believed in it from the very beginning. If you talk to Ben Watkins, our showrunner, he would say they were collaborators and great supporters from the start. We often saw them on set, and so they’ve just been part of the team…It just makes all our jobs easier in the long run.”

Wigmore did go on to talk about getting that second season renewal early and what it meant for the series overall. The renewal came just as the writers strike started. It was just before the actors strike of 2023, and they all knew at that point that a strike was likely to happen.

“If they had to wait until now to greenlight season 2, there would have been a year wait before you got season 2. Not that we’ve already filmed season 2, you guys will get it next year, which will keep the momentum going on the show, which I think is really important. It’s part of the chemistry of getting this right with streamers. We’re no longer making it in the way that we used to, so it’s the art of the alchemy of how we get this right.”

Jenn.Websize-2
Jennifer Wigmore -- Photo credit: Kristina Ruddick

The political mind of Chief Anderson in Cross season 1

It didn’t take long to figure out what type of chief Anderson would be. While there were signs that she could have been a mole, it was pretty clear that she just wanted to wrap up the case. She’s ambitious in her career, and she is willing to do what it takes to push herself and reach her goals.

Wigmore told us a little about what it was about this character that drew her in. Why would she want to play someone so polarizing?

“What’s not to like about her? She’s driven, she’s ambitious, she’s got grit, she’s funny…She’s got all kinds of sides to her that are really exciting to play. She’s got ambitions for herself which are beyond the chief job, which means that there’s growth there. There’s things to play with that. There’s a future for her, so that’s exciting for any actor to get their teeth into.”

Chief Anderson has a political view on her career. It’s something Cross sees at the end when there’s a conversation about her running for Mayor. It may have been something we didn’t see coming at first, but it all made sense by the end of the first season. What was that like for Wigmore to see play out?

“I think it helped me understand why she is the way she is. She sees the chief, then mayor, then maybe governor…She has ambitions for herself that Cross could blow up if he doesn’t behave, and I think that explains a lot of her methodology to me, explains her psychology.”

We went into the topic of female chiefs, because it’s rare that you see them in TV shows. A lot of shows would have the female chiefs go on and on about how they have to protect their positions. Chief Anderson didn’t do that. She focused on the department overall, but you knew that she was also thinking about herself.

“She’s really worried about her job. Female chiefs are unicorns anyway. There are a lot of reasons to want to get rid of them, and so to have a huge scandal in the city would be something that could be very detrimental to her future prospects. So, keeping Cross in line is part of her job or part of what she thinks her job is. She’s not always right.”

That’s certainly one thing about Anderson. She makes mistakes, and then she owns them and works around them. That doesn’t mean she admits her mistakes to subordinates, but she owns them within herself.

“People have to make big mistakes, right? I think that she sees herself as trying to manage a problem that could be bigger if she doesn’t, right? I think she’s trying to keep a lid on something that could get very, very ugly. I love that this show has been updated to include the kinds of real-world problems that we see happening in America with the clashes of race. I think those are very scary for high profile politicians and chiefs of police who could easily see that spiraling into a much more serious and deadly situation, where you have mass riots.”

Back 10 years ago, there is no way that we would have seen Chief Anderson as a female character. That was a role for the men, especially when it came to flawed, ambitious characters. A woman in this role would immediately be hated by all rather than have people say “oh, I can see why she’d do this.” What’s it like for Wigmore being part of the change in the writing?

“I mean, honestly, there was a time when I was not acting because the characters that were on offer were vapid and shells of women. I was just like ‘This is what my career is supposed to be’…I was very, very happy to see the change in representation for women, certain women of a certain age…Nichol Kidman is doing us a solid right now because she is really bringing it for the middle-aged ladies…We’re just starting to see real characters who have all kinds of complexities and flaws, in women, in female characters, and characters of color. I think that trajectory is changing the nature of television and the nature of film.”

Wigmore did end to share that this push can’t stop. We need to see this continue to grow to bring more reality to TV. Sure, there are plenty of people who will say it’s the “woke agenda,” but it’s easy to say that when you’ve seen yourself constantly represented on screen in an equitable way. Sorry if you don’t like a change to suit what needs to happen for more than yourself.

Check out the full interview with Jennifer Wigmore about Chief Anderson in Cross season 1:

Cross is now available to stream on Prime Video.

Stay up to date with the latest news about your favorite TV crime dramas with Precinct TV.