The CBS TV cop drama Training Day is based on the 2001 film starring Denzel Washington (he won an Oscar for the performance) and Ethan Hawke. In the film Washington — an African-American — is the rogue veteran LAPD cop teaching the white rookie cop some questionable tricks in a topsy-turvy urban reality. On TV, the rogue veteran cop (Detective Frank Rourke) is white cop and the rookie (Detective Kyle Craig) is black. Rourke doesn’t wear big gold chains around his neck or a black skull cap like Washington wore; instead he wears a beat up trucker hat.
Craig is portrayed by Justin Cornwell. Rourke is portrayed by Bill Paxton. He’s known for his roles on Texas Rising (Sam Houston), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (John Garrett), Big Love (Bill Henrickson), and in the films A Simple Plan (Hank), Apollo 13 (Fred Haise), Twister (Bill Harding), Titanic (Brock Lovett), Weird Science (big brother Chet), and Aliens (Private Hudson), among others. Training Day airs Thursdays at 10pm on CBS.
