Virginia is an odd place to find a self-described surfin' cowboy, but Brett Cullen would rather be there than shooting the curl at some beach or slapping leather on the range.

Especially since his UPN series, "Legacy," which is filmed in Richmond, has been picked up for the rest of the 1998-99 season. "Virginia is such a hotbed of the historical past," Cullen said by phone from Richmond on one of his rare days off.

"When we filmed the pilot at Tuckahoe Plantation where Jefferson lived between the ages of 3 and 9, I remember saying to the director, `Thomas Jefferson played right here.'"

"Legacy," despite its Richmond shooting locale, is set in the blue hills of post-Civil War Kentucky and follows the adventures of single parent Ned Logan (Cullen), owner of a horse farm, and his brood of children.

Also starring in "Legacy" are Jeremy Garrett, Sharon Leal, Grayson McCouch, Ron Melendez, Lea Moreno, Sarah Rayne and Lisa Sheridan.

Cullen grew up in Texas where he learned to ride - an important skill on a show that relies heavily on an equine supporting cast. He has a home in Venice, Calif., but moved his wife and 3 1/2-year-old daughter east to Richmond. "My daughter has her own chair on the set and pretty much runs the place," he said.

Family is very important to Cullen, since he and his wife had a difficult time becoming parents. "We gave up, we were going to adopt at one point and then the emotional impact of finally having this child was indescribable."

Cullen credits becoming a parent for the insight to play a father of five children. "I can bring that emotional reality to the work. Four or five years ago, I'd be trying to find an emotional connection. I'd be acting more. Now I don't have to act so much."

Cullen is proud of the fact that "Legacy" is a show his daughter can, and does, watch. "I used to watch `Bonzana' with my dad. The whole family watched it and this is something very reminiscent of that. There's so little of that on TV these days," he said.

"I feel very comfortable that children could watch this show. It's not a kiddy show," he added, "but it is a family show that deals with some cutting-edge stuff."

That "cutting-edge" material, however, doesn't often deal realistically with the uncertain and sometimes sad post-Civil War plight of African-Americans, who are generally depicted in "Legacy" as happy workers in the background.

While not denying that claim, Cullen said, "There are certain truths to what we're doing in relationship to the history of African-Americans and you'll find other places where we stretch the truth a little bit for the sake of entertainment."

"I don't know the direction we're going to take in the future on that aspect of the show," he said.

"Legacy" does feature an interracial relationship between Sean Logan (Grayson McCouch) and the plantation's black secretary, Marita (Sharon Leal).

Cullen said, "We're doing a show that's going to try and reach out to the public and try to reach the African-American audience, as well."

When he accepted the role as a single father to five children, Cullen worried that he wouldn't look old enough to have children in their 20s. "They explained to me that people got married very young in the 1800s and started having children right away. They had as large a brood as possible since the rate of infancy death was very high."

The re-release of "Gone With the Wind" last summer provided a precedent for "Legacy" with its period-specific drama and lush costuming, but there is a drawback.

"The clothing is actually quite comfortable now," Cullen said, "but it was really hideous for a couple of months in the summer when it was hot and humid, especially for the women cinched into their corsets."

"Lea (Moreno), who plays my daughter, Alice, said she had to hydrate before getting dressed, because once she's in that costume, she can't eat or drink."

Along with the realistic clothing there are those very realistic horses. "There's a lot of horse doody around," Cullen said, "but you can't leave a horse just sitting around the set, so it's not too much of a problem."

© 1999 The Tribune Review