Scott Foley stays in touch with 'Scandal' co-stars via group text and got one of them a role on his new show
Scott Foley is back in action as an emotional FBI operative in the new show "Whiskey Cavalier" after the hit series "Scandal" came to a close last year, but the actor said he stays in touch with co-stars of the political drama through a group text.
Foley, who starred as the dark government operative Jake Ballard in the hit "TGIT" show, told "GMA" the entire cast keeps in close contact in the most relatable way.
"We have a text chain that probably once a day somebody sends something inappropriate and funny, as every text chain is," Foley said, smirking. "We really get along and we support each other."
Foley even reconnected recently with his "Scandal" co-star Bellamy Young overseas while working on his latest TV project, "Whiskey Cavalier."
"She happened to be taking a trip in Europe when we were casting the role and staying at my house in Prague," Foley said, so when they called him to ask if she would want to do an episode, there was a resounding "yes."
"I asked her. We were out to dinner and she said, 'Yes! Oh my God!' -- It was amazing and a great transition from leaving my 'Scandal' family and having her there and starting this new [TV] family," Foley explained.
Before he landed either of the action-packed leading roles, Foley spent 15 episodes on two early seasons of Shonda Rhimes' hit hospital drama "Grey's Anatomy" -- which is about to make history as the longest running TV medical drama.
He said that when the powerhouse producer called to kill off his character, he was worried he wouldn't find another gig.
"Shonda Rhimes said, 'We loved you on the show!' And I was so excited I thought something else was going to happen, but she said, 'You got to die,'" Foley told "GMA" of the call that took a turn. "It's never good. I got a family to support."
"I went back to my trailer and I was like, 'I don't know what I'm going to do. We got to find another gig,'" he added.
But in his character's absence, Foley admitted there's still a part of his character that lives on in a weird way.
"For my death scene, they made a prosthetic head -- that they used to sort of cut into and intubate and do a bunch of things to -- and [they] still use that head," Foley said. "So if any of you ever get a chance to act on 'Grey's Anatomy' and you're in the operating room, you'll probably be operating on my head."
His new role on "Whiskey Cavalier" required some seriously tough training that Foley said simply was "tiring."
"You see me running chasing a guy for five seconds, but I spent three hours doing it again and again and again," he said of shooting the scenes. "It's exhausting, but it is a ton of fun."
"I try to do as many of my own stunts as possible, but we have a great stunt team in Prague. When I'm not able to jump off a bridge for production reasons, there's a guy that will jump off the bridge for me and look like me," he added, laughing. "I spent a lot of my time in ice baths at home with packs around my knees."
Foley said his character Will Chase, a CIA operative who wears his heart on his sleeve, is "just the opposite" of his "Scandal" persona Jake Ballard.
"Jake was strong and stoic never talked about his feelings or emotion. Will Chase is just the opposite and it's so much fun to play," Foley said. "To get to play both is an actor's dream."
And when Foley isn't running around on camera, his wife Marika Dominczyk -- who co-stars on the show and had her own recurring role on "Grey's" -- makes sure to capture all the behind the scenes action on social media.
"It's a much bigger thing for her than it is for me with these Instagram stories -- it's constant -- I don't get any attention anymore," he said. "If I want to know what she's done that day I don't even call her anymore I just go on her Instagram."
The pair, who have been married for 11 years, moved to Prague with their three kids (9, 6 and 4 years old) to do the show, and Foley said it's been "a great experience."
"It was a big adjustment, I have to say -- but it's been a great experience and my kids love the school over there. They go to an international school and my wife has made amazing friends -- she's not looking forward to moving back to Los Angeles any time soon," he admitted.
"Whiskey Cavalier" premieres Feb. 27 on ABC.
