Brewster and Gonzalo on their trip to ‘Dallas'

THE REVIVAL of "Dallas" has brought a new generation of Ewings to Southfork Ranch, and Jordana Brewster (Elena) and Julie Gonzalo (Rebecca) were in Philadelphia recently to reflect on their characters and hopes for the show.

DN: Was there any doubt about trying to relaunch such an iconic show when agreeing to the parts?

JULIE: It felt really good from the start. We read a lot of scripts. You're used to reading something and knowing whether it's good or not, whether it feels organic to play, and I think that once I started concentrating on working on Rebecca, it just felt right.

JoRDANA: Had it been a reboot and had I been playing an original character, I would have been scared out of my mind, because I think that the fan base is so large and so avid. I really liked Elena's character — I got her.

DN: How can viewers expect your characters' interesting relationship dynamic to evolve?

JULIE: These are very smart women. Little by little, you'll find out that these women are not as one-dimensional as women used to be portrayed.

DN: What type of audience are you expecting to reach?

JoRDANA: The variety of people that were fans of the original is so broad. Of course, we would love to draw in the audience that is now into "Revenge" and are into the genre that is making a comeback. There is so much reality television that I think people need a little escapism and a little drama in their lives, and we're here to provide it.

JULIE: You can identify with these people. People grew up watching this family. People miss this family.

DN: Did any of the older cast members help to mentor you?

JoRDANA: They wanted us to have fun and enjoy it, which has been really lovely, and I think that's what you want.

JULIE: Not once have they been like, 'This is their show,' but it's like, 'This is our show' … we're just lucky to be here.

DN: What most excites you about the revival?

JULIE: I just want to know the reaction; I want to know how it's going to be received. We really didn't fool around a lot because we just wanted this show to be successful. We want to make Larry and Linda and Patrick proud.

"Dallas" airs at 9 p.m. Wednesdays on TNT.  

Contact Allison Caren at carena@phillynews.com.