David Schwimmer, Jim Sturgess serve up crime with wine on "Feed the Beast"
AMC is hoping you'll forget about the "Friend" you once knew.
David Schwimmer is taking on an unlikely role in the cable channel's new series "Feed the Beast."
Schwimmer co-stars in the show alongside actor Jim Sturgess and a cast of other familiar faces.
"Feed the Beast" tells the story of wine sommelier Tommy Moran (Schwimmer) and his best friend Dion (Sturgess). Tommy is a recently widowed father attempting to piece his life back together after the unexpected death of his wife, while Dion frequently finds himself face-to-face with trouble. In spite of his run-ins with the law -- and the mob -- his talent in the kitchen drives him and Tommy to open an upscale restaurant in the Bronx.
"He is a hustler. He has hustled his way through life and has kind of survived, I think a big part of the hustle is his ability to cook," says Sturgess of his character. "He gets out of a bad situation by dazzling people with food. But you know he is a man who has been through a lot of trauma."
Sturgess is no stranger to the kitchen, admitting to CBS News that he once worked as a "potwash boy" growing up: "I was basically a human dishwasher at the bottom of the food chain, so I had some sort of idea what life in a kitchen was like."
In addition to his childhood kitchen experience, Sturgess spent nearly every day during the beginning of production learning skills from professional New York City chefs.
"It was more than just learning ingredients and dishes; it was more like learning the choreography of looking like a chef," he explains.
For Schwimmer's character Tommy, the restaurant's potential success could afford his son T.J. (played by Elijah Jacob) the life he never had.
"The arc of the whole first season is about choosing life. The whole journey of his friend coming back and the act of creation and building a restaurant is an act of choosing life," Schwimmer tells CBS News. "A survival thing kicks in as a parent, where you have to put your kid first. If there wasn't a son involved, I don't think he would. But he has to get on with life for his son."
Schwimmer is no newcomer in the food and beverage industry. The actor admitted he knew a good amount about food and restaurants prior to accepting this role. Playing Tommy, though, has taught him more about what it means to be a sommelier.
"I am learning what it entails and the level of knowledge that goes into being an advanced somm," he says. "It's hugely intimidating. I thought I knew a little about wine but now I know: I know next to nothing."
"Feed the Beast" premieres Sunday June 5th at 10 p.m. on AMC. It moves into its regular time slot, two days after the premiere on Tuesday June 7th at 10 p.m.