Anna Wood returning to her roots in new TV series

MARINA HUTCHINSON
Associated Press Writer

Charleston, South Carolina, is in the spotlight in the new CBS series “Reckless,” starring Anna Wood and Cam Gigandet.

Wood plays Jamie Sawyer, a beautiful litigator transplanted to the Deep South from Chicago. She hides a mutual attraction with a charming Southern attorney as a police scandal threatens to tear Charleston apart. The series premieres Sunday (9 p.m. EDT).

City officials say they’re excited about the series showcasing beautiful parts of Charleston.

“The end result is that people see a city that is unlike most in the United States,” says Duane Parrish, director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. “‘Reckless’ will make people want to visit Charleston.”

Wood agrees. “Charleston is a hidden gem in America,” she says. “I’d like to think our show captures the romanticism of our city, very timeless, incredibly romantic, a kind of wonderland.”

“It can do for Charleston what ‘Hawaii Five-0’ did for Hawaii,” Parrish says.

And something else is happening, says Walea Constantinau, Honolulu Film Commissioner.

“What you are really talking about is this whole entity called film tourism,” he says. “Audiences are very sophisticated these days. The same way they like to engage in their shows through social media, they also like to go to places where these shows are shot. It makes them feel more connected. We saw that with ‘Lost,’ which was also shot in Hawaii.”

Wood, who was born and raised in Mount Airy, North Carolina, says she always knew she would be an actress and that she would have to leave the South to pursue her dreams. Now 28, Wood says she’s thrilled that her dream job has brought her back to her roots.

“To be in the South in my first big job was very nostalgic,” Wood says. “There is an energy to the way we do things in the South.”

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Online:

http://www.cbs.com/shows/reckless/

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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