'Snoops' rewrites role for Gershon

No way, no how would anyone ever mistake Gina Gershon for a man.

After all, Gershon is the actress who mixed sultriness with a mischievous playfulness in "Showgirls," sizzled in her love scenes with Jennifer Tilly in "Bound," seduced Tom Cruise in "Cocktail" and brought a bold femininity to testosterone fests such as "Face/Off" and "Red Heat."

So it may raise a few eyebrows to learn that the impossibly sexy Gershon is playing the "male lead" in the new ABC comedy-drama, "Snoops."

In the series - the latest from acclaimed "Ally McBeal" and "The Practice" creator David E. Kelley, Gershon plays Glenn Hall, the head of an outrageously high-tech private eye agency that has gadgets that would make James Bond salivate.

As originally conceived by Kelley, the role of Glenn was written for a male actor. Gershon actually was up for the female lead, detective Dana Plant, and turned it down, much to the dismay of the producers. The role eventually went to Paula Marshall.

But when Kelley, haunted by Gershon and her reading, rethought Glenn as a female instead of a male, Gershon jumped on board.

And one glance at her "work" outfits - often skintight leather - leaves no doubt that Glenn is a woman in charge of her life, her job and her sexuality.

"This is a great woman's role," Gershon said during the briefest of breaks in a day crammed with filming, looping dialogue and other obligations.

"I don't like the roles where the boss woman has to wear the suits and have the tight hairdo. This is a fun part and I get to have fun with it."

In "Snoops," Gershon's Hall admits that she and her investigative cohorts have "more in common with the criminals - we just have better intentions."

Simultaneously intrigued and repelled by Hall's unorthodox methods is Plant, a by-the-book former police detective who's looking for a new challenge.

Rounding out the "Snoops" troupe is Roberta Young (Paula Jai Parker), who is known to wear some brazen disguises, and Manny Lott (Danny Nucci), described as "a whiz with a minicam, a mini-mike and any woman in a mini-dress."

But much of the focus is on Gershon, who is making the leap to TV while riding the crest of a successful film career.

The actress will be featured in the upcoming "The Insider," starring Al Pacino, and in the Miramax release, "Guinevere."

Allan Arkush, the series' co-executive producer and director, said of Gershon: "Gina is bringing her own unique point of view, a real confidence and a dark sense of humor. She's a woman succeeding in a man's world by being smarter and knowing more than the people around her. She projects a lot of intelligence, and the fact that she's sexy and gorgeous certainly doesn't hurt."

The allure of the versatile role and of working with Kelley convinced Gershon to join "Snoops."

"I really had no interest in doing television," Gershon said.

"I turned down the role of Dana, and had just moved to New York because I wanted to do more theater. The first call I get in my new apartment was from David Kelley, who said, 'What do you think about playing the guy's part?' All of a sudden, things were on different terms. I said I would like to do films, get pregnant, play all sorts of characters, and he said yes to everything. It's pretty flattering to have someone so haunted by you that he's willing to work things out."

"Snoops" airs Sundays on ABC.

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