Country Singer/Songwriter And 'Leverage' Actor Christian Kane Sets The Record Straight

The TV show Leverage may be a hit for TNT, but over the last couple of weeks, it was in a heated battle for ratings with a certain popular sporting event (the 30th Olympic Games). Despite the gigantic ratings around the country for the Olympics, Leverage hung in there quite well, according to Christian Kane, country singer/songwriter and star of the TNT hit show.

"You know we’ve been very fortunate," Kane tells WYCD's Dr. Don Show with Rachael and Grunwald. "We've been battling the Olympics the whole time and that’s a horrible thing just because I love the Olympics, rooting for America, but, we’ve also kinda been rooting for us. We’ve been good. We’ve got loyal fans man, were very fortunate."

On the show, Christian's character, Eliot, is quite the cook and knows a thing or two about fine wine. When asked how much of that is really Christian Kane, he says, "The cooking is actually me. I come up with all that stuff. Well, they write for me, and then I get to put in my own two cents. The wine, not so much, but the cooking, definitely me.”

Leverage Stars (L-R) Actors Beth Riesgraf, Timothy Hutton, Aldis Hodge and Christian Kane (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

As an actor, Kane has gained a strong following thanks to Leverage. Some of his fans, though, wonder if he was trained or if he's just a natural. It's a question Christian often ducks--but not this time. "Some people can go to acting class and it’s really good for them. Especially if you happen to not be working at the time, it keeps you honed. I grew up with the best teachers in the world, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Cruise, the guys I was watching on TV, that was my acting class.”

"But," he continues, "I gotta be honest, I’m not gonna come out to Los Angeles and pay somebody $400 a freaking week when it’s already hard enough to live in this city. And I’m not gonna pay somebody who couldn’t hack it in the business anyways."

Christian Kane live (gallery)

Kane also has a world of fans, dubbed “Kaniacs,” who go crazy for his country music. He leads the band Kane, who've released three albums to date. Their 2010 album The House Rules made the Billboard Top 30, and they've cracked the charts a couple of times with the singles "Let Me Go" and "The House Rules."

Sometimes, Kane's acting and music worlds do come together, such as in this clip below from Leverage (Season Three, Episode 6). In it he performs "Thinking of You," a song he penned with Blair Daly.

Listen to the full Christian Kane interview on WYCD.

- Jason the 300lb Cowboy/99.5 WYCD and Nanci Haskin/99.5 WYCD