Hurt Joining 'Damages'

William Hurt will be onboard FX's "Damages" for the legal drama's second season, which will air in "early 2009," according to an FX release. Hurt will play one of Glenn Close's clients, thereby forming a "Big Chill" reunionette. I was so-so about the first round of "Damages" -- I loved watching Close chew up the scenery, but I got tired of the case that spanned the entire season. But now the promise of watching Close and Hurt act off each other has got me looking forward to season two with renewed vigor.

Hurt has taken an unpredictable career path since the 1980s, when he was poised to become a traditional American leading man on the order of Tom Hanks. The 1986 Oscar winner (for "Kiss of the Spider Woman") has done some excellent work over the years -- see "A History of Violence" -- but he has not ended up in that group of actors who are always mentioned in the same breath as their box office status. He's more interesting than that.