Note: The following story contains spoilers from “Matlock” Season 4, Episode 8.
As “Matlock” dives deeper into the revenge plot instigated by Kathy Bates’ Madeline Matlock, this week’s Christmas episode put a spotlight on junior associate, Billy, with a surprising heartbreak that “floored” star David Del Rio.
After Billy revealed to Sarah (Leah Lewis) that he was planning on proposing to his longterm girlfriend, Claudia — but was feeling pressure from his sisters to craft the perfect moment — he embraced spontaneity and decided to pop the question at Jacobson Moore’s holiday party. In a shocking turn of events, however, Claudia rejected his proposal, telling him they aren’t meant to be together.
“There are so many questions that I have — They’ve been together for eight years. What is it? Billy is this charismatic guy … why wouldn’t you want to have a guy like this in your life?” Del Rio told TheWrap. “There’s things that are so complicated in the human condition that sometimes we can’t explain, that it just completely can shock you.”
Tapping into moments of trauma and rejection from his own life — which he jokes is easy considering his line of work — Del Rio said Billy “set himself up for failure” by “going on instinct and not really thinking about the future ahead.” “He was excited at the moment to make a big decision in life, and you get to realize that there are things in the relationship that he’s missed and that he’s missed the mark,” Del Rio said.
While Del Rio teased audiences will “love the growth” from Billy throughout the rest of the season following this rejection, it’s likely he’ll lean on Sarah through the breakup — a friendship ushered along by a set visit from creator Jennie Snyder Urman. “I hadn’t seen her for weeks, because she’s writing and writing … she comes down and she says one thing … ‘Oh, just remember the arc right now is that they’re actually becoming closer,’” Del Rio recalled. “It was that one sentence and Leah and I … [looked] at each other and we’re like, ‘Thank you. thank you. thank you.’”
Del Rio applauded Snyder Urman for her leadership on the show, saying “it goes beyond just being a showrunner — it’s absolute magic,” especially when it comes to crafting Billy’s character.
“Billy is one of those guys that wants to find the balance between working hard and having harmony, but he is in a business that states that ‘my goal is to convince 12 people on the jury that I am correct and my point of view is correct’ … but you have to give your heart and soul to it,” he said. “Additionally, there’s this five-six figure paycheck waiting for you, and so that kind of deals with a lot of Billy’s moral compass of what am I willing to sacrifice about myself in order to do my job.”
While Sarah takes on a bit more of a defensive role when Matty comes into Jacobson Moore, Billy “comes in with such a nonjudgmental viewpoint,” according to Del Rio, though that doesn’t mean the pair won’t undergo their share of professional disagreements and power struggles.
“He has a mature way of expressing to Matty and having that balance between, I’m not going to treat you like a sweet old lady — It’s going to benefit you more if I treat you as I would treat any of my co-workers,” Del Rio said. “That comes with a push and pull of finding your moral center — is Billy the type of guy that would reprimand a 76-year-old? No, not outside Jacobson Moore law firm, but in Jacobson Moore law firm, it’s absolutely necessary in order to get the job done right.”
Del Rio added that Matty sees a bit of her grandson in Billy and he, likewise, feels a kinship with her after growing up in a house full of women with a single mother and his three sisters. For Del Rio, it’s surreal he is sharing that dynamic with cinema legend Kathy Bates, who quickly told Del Rio on set, “the relationship between Matty and Billy is really, really special — I’m looking very forward to discovering that with you.”
“It just really took Kathy Bates — the legend — out the window,” Del Rio said. “After she saw my puppy eyes go really, really wide and my mouth ajar a little bit — I think she can really tell that I was such a huge fan and so excited to be working with her that she was like, ‘OK, but we are co-workers now. We’re on the same level just trying to tell the best story we can.’”
With “Matlock” having scored an early Season 2 renewal with just two episodes out, Del Rio is enjoying the “Matlock” ride as new twists and turns are introduced weekly to audiences.
“What’s awesome about social media is you get to have a communication with the audience and people who really are loving the show,” Del Rio said. “When it comes to Season 2, we haven’t heard anything, not even a start date. But right now, I’m just taking this time to … see what life I can bring to Season 2 when I get back into the shoes of Billy Martinez.”
“Matlock” premieres Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, with new episodes streaming the next day on Paramount+.
