Interview: Catherine Bell Is Making Magic
Celebrity Extra: When you first were approached to do the “The Good Witch” series, what was your initial reaction, and what tilted the scales in favor of taking the role?
Catherine Bell: It’s funny — I have been playing characters who are really different from “The Good Witch.” And when I saw the script, I thought, “Well, this character is more like me than any other character I’ve ever played.” So, that was appealing. And I thought it was funny that I was just offered the role; I didn’t have to audition for it, but I’d never played a role like it. Orly Adelson, one of the producers, had heard from a casting director that my personality is actually like this character. I thought it was sort of a risk to take. I mean, I’ve played kind of the tough girl on “J.A.G.” and an army wife, and so this is very different, but I love it.
CE: You say that you are a lot like Cassie; what are some similarities between you two, and what do you like about her?
CB: She’s just got a great sense of humor and a great enthusiasm, and just enjoys people and makes people happy. Those are all things I can certainly relate to. I find people interesting, and try to find the best in them or bring out the best.
CE: Cassie is very likable and seems like a really fun character to play.
CB: She’s very whimsical. Very rarely does anything get her down. Maybe for a moment, but then she finds a way to turn it around. She has such a great, positive spirit. That inspires me in real life to have fun. It’s like, OK, I’m feeling a little down. Maybe I could be a little bit more like Cassie. It’s a really fun role to step into. Every time I come back (to shoot another installment in the series), I put on the clothes and the dark nail polish, and I step right back into Cassie, and start making or turning anything into something good or fun.
CE: What I like about the series is that while each movie is a continuation of the previous movie, the individual movies also stand on their own, so anyone can enjoy them. Can you tell me about this latest offering, “The Good Witch’s Destiny”?
CB: Cassie’s birthday is coming up, and she wants all of her family and friends to get together, but some problems are brewing. Gwen, the grandfather’s wife, her son comes into town, and he’s trouble. There’s someone that is always trouble in this movie, you know, and he’s kind of creating some problems for them. Then Cassie’s stepdaughter, Lori, finds out about the Grey Lady. She’s a woman who looks a lot like Cassie — she’s actually one of her ancestors who brought her to this small town. She lived a hundred years ago, and she died in a mysterious way. There are all these parallels in her life and in my character’s life, and all of these weird things are happening that are kind of lining up a little too much like the Grey Lady.
And like you said, each movie kind of stands alone. So, in this one there’s a problem that’s brewing that might ruin her birthday celebration, and she’s got to figure out a way to bring everyone together. She’s got to make some magic happen.
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| (L to R) Hannah Endicott-Douglas, Matthew Knight, Catherine Bell, Chris Potter, Peter MacNeill, Libby Lennie |
CB: Entertainment can either be shocking, or it can make you think, or it can sort of make you question your purpose in life, or it can just either make you laugh or cry. This is one that makes you feel good. It makes you feel good about people and about family and relationships and life. That should be the purpose for me doing these, and for people watching — I hope that’s what they get out of them.
CE: It must make you feel good to be the purveyor of this feel-good karma!
CB: It’s crazy — of all the things I’ve done, I would say that I get equal, if not more, recognition for this role. If I’m at an airport or out somewhere, someone will walk up and say, “Oh my God, it’s a good witch!” I was on “Army Wives” and “J.A.G.” for a long time, so I find that really sweet and really endearing when I get some Cassie love. People love this show, and that makes me feel good. I don’t think there are a lot of shows on television you can watch that aren’t shocking, that aren’t dark or horrible, that you can watch with your kids, that they can get some sort of lesson out of it or have a good time. Me being a mom, that is important to me as well.
CE: You’re in Canada now filming the seventh “Good Witch” movie, correct?
CB: I am. I was in Toronto for the weekend, and I’m driving back to Hamilton, which is where we film. I’m back on set tomorrow for the last four days of shooting.
CE: Have you filmed the whole series up there in Hamilton?
CB: Yes, we’ve done all of them up here in this area just outside Toronto called Hamilton. There’s a cute little town called Dundas. It’s like a 100-year-old little town that has a cute main street where the shops are. Cassie’s original house was like a Victorian kind of haunted house that we found up here. We’ve been here with almost all the same crew — a lot of the same people, the same cast. The kids are the same, the grandparents and my hubby (played by Chris Potter) are all the same people. It’s a really great group. It actually feels like family. I’m back with the family and here we are doing another one. It’s fun. I really enjoy it.
CE: Does that mean you’d be on board for even more “Good Witch” movies if Hallmark comes a-callin’?
CB: I’m sure I would. They seem to just keep going, don’t they? And they’re always fun. I really enjoy playing this part. It’s a nice refreshing change.
CE: But that’s not to say you don’t enjoy your share of daring and shocking shows as well, right?
CB: Yeah, absolutely. I’m just catching up now on season three of “Breaking Bad,” and I love those shows as well. There is a time and a place for everything, I guess. But Hallmark is just that feel-good channel. Like you watch it and you think, “Oh yeah, it’s not so bad. Life is good.” Now a lot of people tell me that this is their guilty pleasure, that they’ll just sometimes stay in bed all day on a Sunday and watch “The Good Witch” marathon. It’s kind of nice. It’s just light and it’s refreshing. So, that certainly makes me feel good.
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| (L to R) Wendy Davis, Brooke Shields, Elle McLemore, Torrey DeVitto, ALyssa Diaz, Ashanti, Kelli Williams and Catherine Bell |
CB: I’m looking at new options. “Army Wives” just finished up after seven seasons. We’re all done. I wish I would have known we weren’t coming back (for an eighth season), because I’m sure our writers would have wrapped up the show a little more definitively. We had some great story lines that were left hanging.
So, as soon as I get back from Canada, I’ve got meetings. I’m looking at new shows and new possibilities, which is kind of exciting. We’ll see which way the future goes, but I’m excited. I’m looking forward to something new and totally different.
CE: Lifetime is planning a two-hour retrospective “Army Wives” special with cast members, which is scheduled to air early next year. Do you know how you’ll be involved with that, or is it too early yet to know?
CB: I’m actually not sure. None of that has been worked out. I don’t know exactly what Lifetime has in mind or what’s happening there or how much of that I’ll be a part. It would be nice.
Q and A: Week of Oct. 14
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| Ed Weeks |
A: The slim and fit Ed Weeks did not have to pack on the pounds to play stress-eating Reed. The British actor wears padding to simulate his character’s weight gain. Since it’s a comedy, I suppose it’s OK that he didn’t get all Robert De Niro in “Raging Bull” on us for the role.
Q: I was reading somewhere that a cable network is planning to turn the movie “American Psycho” into a TV series. Is this true? If so, how is this even possible? — Tandy W., Bowling Green, Ohio
A: You heard correctly: FX is planning a series based on the violent, bloody, cult-classic comedy/drama that brilliantly spoke of the vanity and excess of the ’80s corporate cutthroat (literally and figuratively) culture. Word has it that the series will pick up in the present time, with crazy corporate killer Patrick Bateman now in his 50s, and he’s grooming an apprentice to be just like him.
Q: Whatever happened to the planned “CHiPs” movie? I’d heard a while back that the series was going to be remade into a feature film. — Danny A., via e-mail
A: Word about the production broke back in 2005, and even as recent as 2010, the project was in development with Warner Brothers to make a “CHiPs” movie, with Wilmer Valerrama attached to star as Ponch. However, the project stalled in the development phase, and no one has seen hide nor hair of it since.
In my opinion, the remake would need to be handled like Ben Stiller did with his “Starsky and Hutch” remake, or else I couldn’t see the concept working. This “CHiPs” stall-out seems to be catching: Seasons one and two of the original cop show have been released on DVD, but there’s no word yet on when season three will come out.
Q: I love “NCIS,” and was looking forward to the spinoff starring Kim Raver. It’s not anywhere on CBS’s schedule. Has it been scrapped? — Pauline F., Harrisburg, Pa.
A: Plans for “NCIS: Red,” which also would have starred John Corbett, have indeed been scrapped. But, don’t worry: If you need more “NCIS,” you’ll be happy to hear about plans for a spinoff set in New Orleans. This spring, CBS will air an episode of “NCIS” that will serve as the jumping-off point for the spinoff, and if all goes well, “NCIS: New Orleans” could very well appear on CBS’s 2014 fall schedule.
If you need more Kim Raver, she’s rumored to be reprising her role of Audrey Raines in this spring’s “24: Live Another Day” on Fox (along with Kiefer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub).
Q: I absolutely cannot wait until Nov. 22 when “Catching Fire” opens in theaters. Do you have any “Hunger Games” trilogy-related scoops for me? — Nina M., via email
A: I, too, am counting the days until “Catching Fire” opens. And now, with the knowledge of the casting news about the two-part “Mockingjay,” I am counting the days until those movies open, too. It seems that one of my favorite actresses, Julianne Moore, has been cast as President Alma Coin in the “Hunger Games Trilogy” finale. “Mockingjay, Part One” and “Part Two” are scheduled for release in November 2014 and 2015, respectively.
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| Catherine Bell |
A: I recently spoke with “The Good Witch’s Destiny” star Catherine Bell, and she told me all about this latest installment in the family-friendly series, which premieres Saturday, Oct. 26 at 9/8c and re-airs throughout the week. First, the reason she accepted the role: “I had been playing characters completely different from ’The Good Witch,’ and when I saw the script, I saw that this character was more like me than any I’d ever played. So that was appealing. And I was just offered the role; I didn’t have to audition for it. I’d never played anyone like her — I was the tough girl on ’Jag,’ and I was an Army wife, and I love it!”
Catherine gave me a little tease as to what this movie will bring for Cassie Nightingale: “Cassie’s been married for a little while. She’s got the two stepkids. Basically she’s got a birthday coming up, and she wants to get everyone together, but there are some problems brewing. Gwen’s son comes to town, and he’s trouble, and he’s creating some problems. One of my ancestors — who looks just like me and who lived in this small town 100 years ago — is the Gray Lady. She died in a mysterious way, and there are all these weird things happening that are lining up a little too much like the Gray Lady.”
Come back tomorrow to read my entire interview with Catherine.
Q: Is “Anderson Live” coming back? Please don’t tell me it’s been canceled. — Maryanne M., via e-mail
A: I am sorry to report that Anderson Cooper’s daytime talk show was canceled after airing for two seasons. The final show aired at the end of May.
READERS: In more Hallmark Channel news, I just received word that “Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove,” which stars Andie MacDowell, has been renewed for a second season, which will premiere some time in 2014. Hallmark Channel’s first-ever scripted primetime series has been smashing records for the channel since its debut this past July. Andie MacDowell, Dylan Neal, Teryl Rothery, Bruce Boxleitner and Barbara Niven will all return for the second season.
Daniel Radcliffe Pitches a Hardcore Sex Movie
Can't wait for this one! Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan and Josh Horowitz want to start a Kickstarter campaign to make their own movie, Snowy River.
(With guest appearances by Alan Rickman and Ashley Greene)
Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog
Interview: Kasha Kropinski Says, "Hold Onto Your Socks!"
Celebrity Extra: I want to first congratulate you for being picked up as a season regular this year. You must have been thrilled!
Kasha Kropinski: Gosh, when I first arrived on the show, I was only intended to be a five-episode guest star. And then it grew and evolved, and I was brought back for the second season. And then plugging along in the second season as a guest star, I never expected to come back each year. I’m always terribly surprised when they do call and say, “You’re back on the show.” So, when season three came along and I was offered a series-regular contract, I was just so surprised because I don’t anticipate anything. I don’t hold my breath about things, especially because I have been in the industry since I was 9 years old. So, I’ve grown accustomed to being let down and being disappointed. I’ve developed a relaxed outlook toward things and missed opportunities. To actually be contracted and to be given this very sort of important and substantial thing in my career, I was just so shocked and stunned. It’s my first series-regular job that I’ve ever had, so it’s sort of a different echelon. It’s quite unfamiliar; it’s unknown territory.
CE: Back when "Hell on Wheels" first premiered, I thought it was a show about a motorcycle gang, but I quickly found out I was mistaken ...
KK: I had the exact same reaction. Prior to auditioning for "Hell on Wheels," I did testing for an NBC pilot, which was also a period piece, a Western. And it came down to me and another girl, and she got the job. It was quite a disappointment because I had been doing it for so long, and so I was at a loss as to what to do. I thought, I’m not getting any traction. I’m not accomplishing anything. And there was a little turmoil in my head. And I think it was a few weeks later that the audition for "Hell on Wheels" came through. And again, as you said, when I got the call from my agent I thought, “Oh, so it’s a motorcycle gang.” And I thought, “I wonder how I’ll fit in there. I’ll probably be someone’s daughter or something. Or picking up all the motorcycle wheels that are running around on the floor.”
But, anyway, I read the material, and I saw that it was indeed a Western set in the 1800s, just like the previous show had auditioned for. I had a moment of uncertainty and a moment of anxiety because I thought, “Oh my gosh, it’s another one. Can I really do this again?” But then I definitely had this resolve within myself that I’m going to get this one because I just adore period pieces. So I decided that I’m going to get this job. I dressed in my version of an 1800s Western costume. I love dressing up for auditions. I know some people discourage it and say it’s not exactly the best idea, but every time I’ve done that, it’s gone really well, so I’m sticking with it.
I’m just so fascinated by the Civil War time period. I just think it’s so dark and brutal and tragic, and it just aches with sorrow. I remember one night when we studied this at school, I was really compelled by it. And we studied a lot of literature, as well as the history itself, and just everything about that time was gorgeous in its devastation. To have the opportunity to do a television show about that, to act something I’m so passionate about, to put those two things together — I was really thrilled. And the pilot script was just so beautiful. There was all this exquisite imagery and dialogue. And I think that the pilot script was actually quite different from how the show has evolved to this point. I think it was sort of more poetic at the beginning.
CE: In what ways can you relate to Ruth?
KK: That’s a good question. Well, it’s difficult because the show is set in a time in which the circumstances are highly unusual. You know, just that concept of traveling across America to build a railroad was such a radical concept. Today I see in Los Angeles that they’re building the metro or the public transport, and it’s in the middle of everyday life, you know? The workers are just constructing and building, and no one really looks twice. But in those days, it was really a massive undertaking, and the fact that you had to live where you worked.
When I think about relating to Ruth, obviously, I can’t relate to her situation. But I think this show has shown a young girl growing up, and of course I can relate to that. I was a teenager when I started on the show, so I can see I don’t want to say that I mirror Ruth because I don’t really, but just dealing with being an adult and having to make decisions and deal with consequences and all that sort of thing. I have just freshly turned 22, and I was homeschooled, so I suppose I am like Ruth in that way. I had a bit of a sheltered upbringing in that way. I didn’t socialize at school or I didn’t have that experience, so I think I’m quite a bit of a Bambi in some ways, and I think Ruth is too. So, in those ways I can relate.
But obviously, people being killed left, right and center, it’s not, thankfully, something I deal with. I think that Ruth is such an unusual person and because of that peculiarity, she’s interesting. I don’t necessarily have to relate to a character I’m portraying. I know some people like to find an entryway of relating in every way to the character. But that’s not something I find vital. What I like best is playing somebody who’s totally different from me, and inhabiting someone else’s shoes as opposed to seeing if our shoes fit.
CE: What can you tell me about the finish of season three of the show? And feel free to be vague if being specific will get you in trouble.
KK: Oh gosh, I don’t want to be vague. Everybody keeps going on about confidentiality, and I just think, “Well, can we say what doesn’t happen?” I mean, you can say what doesn’t happen, but apparently that is also a step too far.
I think people are going to be totally and utterly and completely shocked by what happens in these last few episodes. When I read the script, it is totally left-field what transpires, and I think people probably have created an idea of what they think is going to happen. But I don’t think anyone could come up with what actually transpires. Some new relationships develop. Some unexpected relationships come to fruition. I think you should expect some death and destruction, as usual; it is "Hell on Wheels" after all. I don’t think that would be a spoiler at all. Just hold onto your socks; they just might blow off.
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