‘The Rainmaker’ Stars John Slattery and Milo Callaghan Talk Bringing One of John Grisham’s Most Popular Books to Life (Exclusive) originally appeared on Parade.
It’s no easy feat to do an adaptation, let alone one that spans multiple genres. But that’s exactly what the team behind The Rainmaker took when they decided to create a TV series around John Grisham’s book of the same name. One of the most popular novels from the bestselling author, it was adapted into a 1997 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Matt Damon.
But, given the pressure to deliver in comparison to the book and movie, true to the nature of his character as a young upstart lawyer, Rudy Baylor, Milo Callaghan is as cool as a cucumber.
“We’re making our own version,” he says in an exclusive interview with Parade. “I think the source material is so iconic with the film. Particularly for me, following in Matt Damon’s footsteps, I think he’s fantastic. And to stand on the shoulders of such a giant, I really wanted to honor that performance. So I did watch the film. I read the book while we were shooting. I sort of paid attention to them, appreciated them. Then put them to the side.”
“In reading the scripts, it was apparent that the changes had been made that there was so significant that the relevance of any of the prior material was limited,” adds co-star John Slattery. “So you watch the film, just to sort of have points of reference, read the book. And the scripts were written early on. And so that’s what you go on.”
The series, which premiered on USA on Aug. 15, is a legal drama that centers on a court case involving a wrongful death suit against a man who died in hospital care. On the prosecution is Rudy, a law student newly employed by “ambulance chaser” Jocelyn “Bruiser” Stone (Lana Parilla). On the defense is notable courtroom “shark” – and Rudy’s boss for a short period of time – Leo F. Drummond (Slattery).
Related: How To Read Best-Selling Author John Grisham: All His Books in Order
In the premiere, during Rudy’s brief tenure under Drummond at the Tinley Britt law firm, the latter says, when speaking about getting a winning court verdict, “What determines victory is not the truth.” That quickly strikes a nerve with Rudy, who is fired after contesting the veteran lawyer. But the line speaks to a larger concept we’re dealing with in this day and age: A “post-truth” society, where hard and fast facts may lose out to an emotional narrative.
“I think we unfortunately do live in a period where the truth doesn’t matter, or doesn’t seem to matter,” Slattery says. “The difference is, in the courtroom, as he says, it’s not whether it’s true, it’s convincing the jury that it’s true. You’re telling a story to the jury, and you’re hoping that they buy it. And in Leo’s case, he’ll bend the truth if he has to.”
“It’s an unfortunate period where, whether it’s the current leadership, or whether it’s the internet or AI,” the Mad Men star continues. “I mean, there are many truths, and people will navigate by what they think is the truth, and it seems to be all over the place. I think Leo knows the difference between when you step into the courtroom and what you’re trying to achieve, versus the greater reality, at least. I think he’s convinced himself that that’s what he’s up to.”
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Rudy and Drummond’s clashing is not just one of prosecution vs. defense or different ideals, but of generations. Callaghan, much like his character, is taking on his first major role since arriving on the scene in 2020. And he’s learned much under the tutelage of industry veterans like Slattery, Parilla and Dan Fogler.
“I don’t want to overcompliment John. But he’s a powerhouse, and I learned such an incredible amount from getting to spend time with him. We have such a brilliant group of creatives. But in particular, between [Slattery] and Dan Fogler, that idea of not doing it the same way twice, it felt so playful. John has such a big heart. It’s been a real pleasure.”
Subsequently, The Rainmaker was a great opportunity for Slattery to be able to impart some advice to Callaghan and the next generation of Hollywood actors.
“I had such a good time working with Milo,” the four-time Emmy nominee says. “For a guy who’s as young as he is, and new to all this as he may be, he has a wisdom beyond his years. And he works incredibly hard. You get in there and you’re just two equals. You’re just trying to figure out the beats of the story and give some options to the post-production process. There are questions that he has, and you try to answer them as well as you can. But it’s really just the doing of it that is the education.”
New episodes of The Rainmaker air Fridays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on USA.
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‘The Rainmaker’ Stars John Slattery and Milo Callaghan Talk Bringing One of John Grisham’s Most Popular Books to Life (Exclusive) first appeared on Parade on Aug 18, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 18, 2025, where it first appeared.