Celebrity Scoop: Juliette Lewis

For Juliette Lewis, "The Firm" is more than steady work ... it's also a big reintegration into the acting world.

"For about eight years, I had a rock 'n' roll band, and that became my livelihood," says the distinctive talent now seen Saturdays as street-wise law office assistant Tammy in NBC's series spinoff of the John Grisham best-seller. "I did not do any acting for five years, by choice, because I was touring the world and starting a totally new career.

"Then I started making movies again a couple of years ago, and I was looking at things I'd never considered before, because everything was fresh and in a new place and time. This happened to be the perfect fit, because I was never really interested in series television. The sensibility is cinematic, and even though it's formulaic in the best sense, there's also a humanity we're striving for in the central characters."

An Academy Award nominee for the Martin Scorsese-directed 1991 remake of "Cape Fear," Lewis now has the part played in the 1993 movie version of "The Firm" by Holly Hunter, who was Oscar-nominated for it. Another big-screen veteran, Josh Lucas ("Sweet Home Alabama," "J. Edgar"), is the current television custodian of Tom Cruise's previous role as attorney Mitch McDeere.

"As ('Firm' co-star) Molly Parker says, 'We're all actors of naturalism,' " Lewis reflects during an interview on the show's Toronto set. "We're all kind of cut from the same cloth, and Josh was a big appeal for me. I think this is a great part for him. He has all the qualities, that strength and the ability to see things through. He's a real force to be reckoned with."

Favorite movie: "All That Jazz"

Favorite television series you're not in: "The First 48" on A&E Network

Favorite singer: Tina Turner