Television: Peter Krause, reluctant hero

LOS ANGELES - There are two reasons Peter Krause couldn't run away from "Dirty Sexy Money": a bad knee and a good friend, both with deep roots in his home state of Minnesota.

"I didn't want to do another series," said Krause, who earned three Emmy nominations for portraying Nate Fisher, the most put-upon mortal since Job, in "Six Feet Under."That was a really hard job. I was pretty beaten up and emotionally exhausted when that was over."

Krause, 42, already is feeling the strain of another demanding series in which he plays the idealistic lawyer of a family with vaults full of cash, as well as sex scandals and backroom secrets that provide plenty of tabloid fodder. The clan includes a politician having an affair with a transsexual, a dopey actress with a bad case of Paris Hiltonitis, a volatile priest with an illegitimate son and, quite possibly, a cold-blooded murderer. It's the TMZ version of "Dallas."

On an afternoon earlier this summer, Krause was taking a break from a shooting day with all-star castmates Donald Sutherland and Jill Clayburgh that started at 5 a.m. and continued into the night.

"We were working in New York recently and I was watching the family rehearse a scene that was so good, I realized I was staring down the barrel of six or seven years of this show," said Krause, who punctuated the anecdote with a swearword that suggested both exasperation and excitement.

The Alexandria-born actor could have made a cushier choice. He was one of the most sought-after actors during the past pilot season, but he had hoped to do more miniseries like "The Lost Room" and independent film projects like the well-received "We Don't Live Here Anymore." But television kept calling and other opportunities -- he was offered the part of Nancy Drew's dad and a lot of roles in horror flicks -- didn't appeal to him.

After being wooed by 60 to 70 TV projects, he finally set his sights on a new drama: NBC's "Journeyman."

But shortly before shooting, Krause was jogging in rocky terrain when he blew out his knee, which he originally injured while on his high school gymnastics team. The high-action series was suddenly unrealistic and the role went to "Rome" nomad Kevin McKidd.

While Krause was getting ready for surgery in January, one old acquaintance kept pestering him about another drama. It was Detroit Lakes native Craig Wright, a former writer for "Six Feet Under" -- and he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"The thing about this show is that it has intrigue, it has romance, it has mystery, it has comedy. It has every possible variety of things that would make a person go, 'Huh?' And, honestly, there is no one I'd rather see go 'Huh?' than Peter," said Wright, who established his show-biz credentials in the 1990s as a Twin Cities playwright. "He's the perfect everyman who can be the ears and eyes for the average viewer and look at this world of kaleidoscopic strangeness and say, 'What is this?'"

Krause turned down the part three times.

"He's very much like his character," co-star Seth Gabel said. "He's a very reluctant participant."

After some tinkering with the script and the promise of a full partnership (Krause will get a producer credit if the show gets picked up past nine episodes), he signed on -- the night before his knee surgery.

"We had some conversations on painkillers," Krause said.

Krause has a record of collaborating with top-notch writers, most notably "Six Feet Under" creator Alan Ball and his old bartending buddy, Aaron Sorkin, who cast him in the much beloved, but short-lived "Sports Night."It would be hard for me to go back to a half-hour sitcom, because I just loved 'Sports Night,'" Krause said. "Maybe if 'Arrested Development' had been around. It would have to be that good." Not that Krause is looking for another emotional basket case like poor Nate Fisher. His buddy recognizes that.

"That show was about trying to kill Nate," Wright said. "In this show, Peter is on a redemptive journey that makes it a great step after 'Six Feet,' where only death could ultimately make him sympathetic."

Sounds like the perfect trip, as long as he takes it easy on that knee.

njustin@startribune.com • 612-673-7431