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Following James Caan’s departure from Las Vegas, James Lesure was probably the best pure actor on the show. Now, NBC is tapping Lesure for a new role on Lipstick Jungle that his publicist describes as a “welcomed change of pace with a few surprises for viewers.”

He’ll play blunt CEO, Griffin Bell, who makes his mark by terminating Brooke Shields’ character from her job.

Having interviewed Lesure on multiple occasions, I can attest to the fact that he is not only a skilled actor but also a truly nice guy. Most recently, I spoke with him last October for an article at The Trades. At that time, he stressed the importance of imparting realism to a role. “With every script, I’m going to try to bring an element of believability and quality to the story,” he told me. “I approach every episode like that.”

You can see James in action tonight on Lipstick Jungle at 10/9c on NBC.