Hugh Laurie as Captain Biggs

"I've watched you bully, intimidate and blackmail your way up the pay grades for twenty years. I know exactly who you are."

-Captain Biggs

Internal Affairs Captain James Biggs exists between the worlds of the corporate arm of law enforcement and the cops who walk the beat patrolling the streets. When Biggs is first introduced in the film he comes off as illusive, deceitful and out to get the goods on Ludlow, Wander and Ad Vice. His character asks some probing questions of the various shades of grey in the moral landscape of these men. Through the numerous inquiries and relentless pressure, Biggs serves as a peripheral player in the awakening of Ludlow.

"Biggs was one of the most difficult characters to develop in the film," recalls David Ayer. "He is a very self-aware character who understands the grey areas of this world, yet isn't cynical and is ultimately very smart and pragmatic."

To play the character of Captain Biggs, the filmmakers looked to the award winning and accomplished British actor Hugh Laurie to bring him to life. Laurie, who has found great success stateside as the starring role on the popular television series "House," was interested in both the material and the idea of breaking outside his comfort zone.

"This film was a hard proposition to turn down," he says. "I absolutely loved TRAINING DAY and David is a very bright and interesting writer and director and I've always loved James Ellroy. It was wonderful opportunity to work with this fabulous cast in a very different environment for me. After playing one character for the last three years it was rather wonderful to be able to do something a little different."

Laurie was also intrigued by the questions that the film raised about the morality and ethics of these men who choose to deal with the darker sides of human nature. "The story has a lot of shadows with a lot of shadowy characters and it's not easy to place them in positions on a moral scale. It plays into the reality that Los Angeles lends itself a certain moral grayness."

While Biggs is certainly out to advance his own career, he becomes an unlikely champion for the morality of Ludlow. "While Ludlow is useful to Biggs, Ludlow is the soul for whom these forces are battling," argues Laurie. "In spite of the violence and sordid nature of how he earns his living, Ludlow is nonetheless an innocent and naïve character. He is the soul for which we are battling."

David Ayer was impressed by Laurie's performance and dedication to the complexities of the character. "Hugh did quite a bit of research and was able to understand the politics and psychology of the department. Here you have a British actor from the European school of acting who was able to really transform himself into a captain of the LAPD."

Laurie was impressed by the performances of his co-stars Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker. "Although Forest is the kindest and most gentle person to work with, at the flip of a switch he's able to summon up the most extraordinary reserves of physical menace and power. Keanu has often played characters who you root for and sympathize with and he's able to draw on those reserves when delving into some very dark and frightening stuff."