Read our exclusive interview with actress Carrie Preston, who will be reprising her role of Elsbeth Tascioni on the upcoming episode of ‘The Good Wife,’ titled ‘Executive Order 13224.’ The show, which is set to air at 9 pm on November 6, 2011 on CBS, follows Elsbeth as she works for the legal team of litigator Alicia Florrick, played by Julianna Margulies. Alicia grows concerned that she’ll break confidentiality when the Treasury Department wants her to report on her latest client. Preston discusses with us, among other things, what convinced her to play Elsbeth once again, and how she transitioned into her mindset after playing waitress Arlene Fowler on all four seasons of ‘True Blood.’
ShockYa (SY): You’ll be reprising your role of Elsbeth Tascioni on the upcoming episode of ;The Good Wife.’ What is it about the character that you find appealing, and convinced you to play her once again?
Carrie Preston (CP): Well, she’s so fascinating, and it’s exciting to play such a scatterbrained genius. Usually when you get cast as a lawyer, it’s usually a pretty cut-and-dry role. But on ‘The Good Wife,’ they’re notorious for taking roles like that and providing them with character traits, and giving them a real sense of humanity and authenticity. So that’s what drew me to it. Also, just to be part of such a great show is always appealing.
SY: In ‘Executive Order 13224,’ Alicia worries that she will break confidentiality when the Treasury Department forces her to report on her latest client. How does Elsbeth, a member of the legal team, fit into the story line?
CP: Well, Alicia has found herself in a Catch-22 situation, where she’s defending a suspected terrorist. If she reveals what she knows about the terrorist, what he has said, then the terrorist will go to prison. If she doesn’t reveal what she knows to the State Department, then she’ll go to jail. So she’s in a Catch-22 situation, which is why she brings me in.
SY: Elsbeth is viewed by other members of the legal team as not being the smartest person on staff. How do you prepare to play such a scatterbrained character?
CP: Actually, my character is smarter than everyone else in the room. She’s just the most eccentric person in the room, too. So I started to think of her as someone whose brain is doing one thing, and her hands are doing something else. Her body is moving somewhere else. Somehow, it all ends up integrating into one thing. It’s fun to think of her as someone who’s a thousand times faster than anyone else in the room, intellectually.
SY: How did you transition into Elsbeth’s mindset again, after playing Arlene Fowler on 50 episodes of ‘True Blood?’ What is the process like differentiating the two characters in your mind?
CP: That’s never a problem for me. I’m someone who’s known for her versatility. I really enjoy taking on different types of characters, and trying to provide them with as much serenity as I can, and truthfulness. So it wasn’t a problem to switch. There wasn’t a method to that. I definitely trust the writers, and I start with what they’ve given me, and build it from there.
SY: Since this is only your third episode of ‘The Good Wife,’ and you’ve appeared in all of the episodes of ‘True Blood,’ do you find it harder to play one character over the other?
CP: No, no. No, each character presents its own challenges, but those are always exciting. That’s why I love acting.
SY: Since you’re a main character on ‘True Blood,’ and only have a small recurring role on ‘The Good Wife,’ what’s your working relationship with both casts like?
CP: Well, obviously I’ve been on ‘True Blood’ for four years, so there’s a sense of familiarity, and (its) certainly something I’m comfortable with. When you’re a guest star, you’re a guest in someone else’s house, so you’re sort of learning their manners, and whatever the house rules are there. But in both cases, they’re both very welcoming households.
SY: You’re set to play Lynette in the upcoming comedy film ‘A Bag of Hammers,’ which follows two misfit best friends who are incapable of growing up, but later forming a family after finding an abandoned child. Do you think audiences will be able to relate to the friends’ need to both rebel and form a family?
CP: Yeah. What I think is so wonderful about that film is that it offers a really interesting look at alternative parenting. When you see a child in need, I think it’s everybody’s responsibility to help that child. What I think is wonderful about that film is that these two guys, who have no sense of responsibility or consequence in their lives, grow up by establishing a relationship with this child.
SY: Brian Crano both directed and co-wrote ‘A Bag of Hammers.’ What is the process like working with him, since he had both roles for the movie?
CP: Brian’s a really wonderful, young director, who’s wise beyond his years and is extremely supportive and helpful during the filming process. He was very collaborative, and trusted the actors to bring the roles to life, in a way he couldn’t have even imagined when he put them on the page. So that’s a true sense of a collaborative writer-director-someone who can take what he’s written and confidentially hand it over to a group of actors, and work with them to bring them to life.
SY: You’re also set to appear alongside Jeremy Sisto in the drama ‘Sironia,’ which follows a L.A. singer-songwriter who moves with his wife to Sironia, Texas. What was it about the film that made you want to audition for the role?
CP: Well, it wasn’t an audition, it was an offer. When I read the script, I just really responded to the role. It’s a small role, I guess I would categorize it as a cameo. But it’s a pivotal role in the main character’s journey. The writing was very subtle, and it was a quieter role than I had played in awhile, and that appealed to me. I had worked with the producer, Laura Smith, before, on (the 2009 drama) ‘That Evening Sun,’ which is one of my favorite experiences of my career. That was a film, starring Hal Holbrook, that I was in. So I was up to do anything with Laura, and work with her on anything. I found it a very easy thing to do.
SY: ‘Sironia’ is an independent film, so what is it like working on an independent movie, as compared to bigger budget films?
CP: Well, the process is ultimately the same. It’s just that one of them, you can spend more money on, and take more time with. The other one, you just don’t have as much time. I think time is really the main difference. When you’re playing the role, it doesn’t matter how big or small the budget is, you’re going to act the role the same way. I love to do everything. I find it very interesting about independent films that they force you to be more creative. It forces the producers and the director and the people creating the project to be more creative, because they have fewer resources.
SY: Do you have a preference of television over films, or vice versa? Would you like to continue with television, after ‘True Blood’ ends?
CP: Yes, I love television, I love watching it, I like doing it. I like the consistency of playing the same character in different situations from week to week, which you don’t get in a film. But that said, I’m definitely not choosey about it. If a role speaks to me, and I’m lucky enough to be asked to do it, then I’m happy with both mediums.
Written by: Karen Benardello
