Q and A: Week of May 19
A: Rainbow has indeed been tapped to write the screenplay for her first movie, and she’s thrilled for the opportunity. I asked Rainbow how it all came about, and who she sees in the parts of Eleanor and Park. “I’d been talking to DreamWorks for a few months about it. I was nervous at first because the book is so much in my control, and a film is an entirely different organism. But I kept thinking about how wonderful it would be to see Park and Eleanor on that screen. The studio and producer, Carla Hacken, seem really dedicated to bringing the book to life. I'm excited.”
As for who should play the teenage sweethearts, Rainbow is up for anything. “I don't have anyone in mind. It’s hard to imagine established actors in the roles, because there just aren’t that many starring roles for a chubby redhead and a 16-year-old Korean boy, which makes it all the more exciting.”
Q: Thank you for the update on Sharon Lawrence. She’s been one of my favorite actresses since “NYPD Blue.” Will she be in a series on a regular basis any time soon? — Denise K., via email
A: Amazon.com recently gave the greenlight to Chris Carter’s (writer/creator of “The X-Files”) latest supernatural drama called “The After,” which follows eight strangers who are thrown together by mysterious forces and must help each other survive in a violent world that defies explanation. The series stars Sharon, as well as Aldis Hodge, Andrew Howard, Arielle Kebbel, Jamie Kennedy, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Adrian Pasdar and Louise Monot. You can watch the pilot episode now on amazon.com; there is no word yet on a premiere date for the rest of the season, but it will be later this year or early next.
Q: I was surprised when David Letterman announced he was going to retire in 2015. Who will take his place on “The Late Show”? — Myra T., Birmingham, Ala.
A: Stephen Colbert is set to bring his brand of “truthiness” to “The Late Show,” as he’s been slated to take over for David upon his retirement at the end of this year. It was recently learned that CBS first approached Neil Patrick Harris as David’s replacement, a job offer that Neil subsequently turned down. When Neil appeared on Howard Stern’s show last week, he told the shock jock: “I told [them] the things that concerned me about the longevity of that kind of gig, that I think I would get bored of the repetition fast, and that the structure of it is so set, that I don’t have any interest in doing monologue, commercial, sketch, guest, guest, musical act, goodnight.“ He did pitch a variety show of sorts, which might get to see the light of day, if Neil has his druthers.
Q: I know there’s a lot of source material left for many more seasons of “Game of Thrones,” so please tell me there will be more seasons of the HBO series. — Justin R., Albany, NY
A: You can bet the Iron Throne that the incredibly popular adventure/fantasy series will be back — for at least two more seasons. HBO has renewed “Game of Thrones” for a fifth and sixth season. Currently in its fourth season, “Game” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Interview: Lindsey McKeon Is Feeling Supernatural
Celebrity Extra: Tell me about how you got your start. Had you always known you wanted to be an actress?
Lindsey McKeon: No, I didn’t always know, but there were definitely signs when I was young. In fact, in old home videos you can see me putting on a little bit of a show. It was always sort of in me. I like to explore; I like to play; I like to be different characters. But I didn’t really start exploring that until junior high. I was on the phone too much, and my mom wanted to give me a more exciting extracurricular activity. I went to an acting class, and it was the most freedom and fun I’d ever experienced in my life. For me, it was a relief. I always say that acting saved my life. I had a very difficult time in junior high and high school, so this gave me a way to find myself, experience myself and explore that without being so frigging uncomfortable.
CE: You certainly impressed the folks over at “Guiding Light,” being nominated for a Daytime Emmy for playing Marah Lewis.
LM: That nomination was so unexpected, because I was there literally a couple of months before that happened. It was so surprising, so exciting. Being at the awards ceremony was nerve-wracking. I had butterflies in my stomach the whole time. It was like: hope they call me. I hope they don’t call me. I hope they call me. I hope they don’t call me.”
But what could be better for a 19-year-old than to live in New York City? It’s such a tough city that it took me pretty much a year to adapt to it and not call my mom crying. But once I did adapt, I was really living it up, and to be able to work constantly, consistently, having new friends and living in the city was an amazing experience.
I remember being on “GL” — probably my first year there — working with a dialogue coach and learning 20 pages of dialogue a night, every day of the week. My mind would reject the dialogue after a while and would tell me: “No. No more. I’m shutting down. And we won’t learn anything else.” That’s a terrifying feeling for an actor. I spoke with some of the others on the show, and they said: “Don’t worry. This happens to everyone. You sort of lose your mind in the beginning, and then you come back and adapt to it.” And you do get used to it.
CE: Next up for you is your return to “Supernatural” as Tessa the Reaper. Are you excited to be working with them again?
LM: I am very excited. I love Vancouver. I love the show. The boys (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) are great. I’m very happy to go up there again, and this is one of my favorite characters to play.
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| Lindsey (left) with Jensen Ackles |
LM: That was a really great experience, and a really crazy experience. The cast and crew were phenomenal — amazing people to work with, very sweet and easygoing. They made me feel so comfortable. In the middle of shooting our episode, we had to deal with a weeklong, vicious ice storm in Atlanta. But it was a wonderful experience. (“General Hospital” alum) Rick Springfield is in it. And the lead singer from Rascal Flatts is in it. It’s a super-fun, famous-people episode.
CE: Tell me about “Delicious Ambiguity.”
LM: There are so many great actors in it, Arielle Kebbel (of “Vampire Diaries” and “90210”), Lucas Neff from “Raising Hope,” Lamorne Morris from “New Girl,” and lots of others. Two of my best girlfriends are in this. It was so cool to film — we just got our friends together one weekend and shot this super-fun short film. And now all of a sudden it’s in festivals and it’s doing really well. I play Ellie, the hot girl who loves fitness and loves men. She doesn’t really care what she says. She’s a very strong woman, and at times, other girls attack her for it. It’s fun, it’s comedic, but at the same time it’s very intense. It’s about uncomfortable relationships and all the different turns relationships can take.
CE: While relationships can be scary, I’m thinking your new film, “Indigenous,” is even scarier. Tell me about that.
LM: I am terrified of horror movies, and I rarely watch them because I will start seeing monsters in the shadows. It’s totally fine with me to be in the film, but to actually watch it is scary. When I screened this film, I jumped and screamed a few times. Then I started laughing because everybody around me was laughing at me.
We shot it in Panama for about five weeks, mostly in the middle of the jungle. There were these crazy trees with spikes that we would often run into. We had to have the medics pull the spikes out of our arms and our legs. It was intense. There were monkeys, spiders — all types of jungle creatures. My boyfriend in the film, played by Zach Soetenga, is super interested in finding the chupacabra (a legendary “animal” that has been hunted by cryptozoologists, and those interested in this folkloric deadly creature, since the first sightings in the mid-90s in Central and South America), and finding out whether it’s real and investigating it. Most of us don’t believe it. My character thinks it’s a bad idea to go into the jungle to search for it, but all of my friends are like, “Let’s do it. How bad could it be?” And the rest happens from there. How bad could it be, right? Famous last words.
CE: Why do they always do that?
LM: Right? They’re like, “I hear something. Let’s go investigate.”
CE: Was the actual filming process for you scary? Of course you know that it’s not real, but still, you’re out in the jungle, filming at night. I’d be scared.
LM: The first time we (as actors) saw the chupacabra (while filming), it was the middle of the night, and it was almost pitch-black. Prior to this, we hadn’t met the actor who plays the chupacabra, so we had no idea what he, as a human, looked like, and what he would look like dressed up. We had to pass him on this tiny pathway, and I swear to God, I almost peed my pants. I was so scared, I started running. I was like, “Get me away from him!”
CE: Career-wise, where would you like to see yourself in five years?
LM: Film, film, film, film, film, film. For me, that’s always been a goal, because there is something so pure, so honest, so raw about film actors, and when you’re blown up on a screen that big, there’s no room to fake it. I love the sci-fi/action/thriller-type roles. That would be my ideal, playing some type of futuristic warrior who is traveling around all of these different worlds.
Q and A: Week of May 5
A: Mild spoilers ahead: “AHS” creator Ryan Murphy recently announced that “Asylum” will be followed by the 13-episode “American Horror Story: Freak Show,” which will take place in 1950 in Jupiter, Florida, and will feature Jessica Lange as a “German ex-pat who is managing one of the last freak shows in the U.S.” Her “freaks” will be played by returning stars Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett and Frances Conroy. “Entertainment Weekly” reported that Denis O’Hare and Emma Roberts are in talks to return to the show. An exact premiere date has not yet been set, but it will be this October.
Q: Are the rumors I’m hearing about a sequel to “The Incredibles” true? — Jonathan P., Erie, Pa.
A: Disney’s chairman and CEO, Robert A. Iger, announced that Pixar Animation Studios is indeed developing a big-screen sequel to Brad Bird’s 2004 superhero adventure “The Incredibles.” Brad Bird, who wrote and directed the first film, has said that he would be open to filming a sequel if it “had a truly great story” behind it.
Q: Is this season of “Dallas” already over? It seems like it’s only just begun! — Lily T., via email
A: Don’t worry — the show is merely on summer hiatus. Dallas returns to TNT for the second half of its third season starting Aug. 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Fingers crossed that Sue Ellen survived the South Fork fire (I am thinking she will).
Q: I really miss “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” especially designer Tracy Hutson. What has she been doing lately? — Pamela T., Waco, Texas
A: You can still catch Tracy decorating for a cause — this time she has teamed up with the Design Network (www.thedesignnetwork.com) to star in “Momtourage,” an original video series focused on lifting up deserving moms who have done so much for their families and their communities. Each episode will follow Tracy as she pays a surprise visit to each woman’s home, listens to her story, learns about her family life, and offers a fun and inspirational interior-design intervention — all in the span of one Saturday.
When I spoke with Tracy recently, she told me how excited she was to work with TDN to help these women: “If I have the opportunity to help people, I’m going to take it. That’s just who I am. This series just goes to show what you can do, and how important and impactful it can be on someone’s life — especially someone who has had a rough time just getting on her feet. It’s so fun, and it means the world to them.”
Check back here later this week for my full interview with Tracy.
Q: I finally was able to watch “Hatfields and McCoys,” and I absolutely loved it. When can I see Bill Paxton in something like this again? — Paul T., Scranton, Pa.
A: Well, I can’t tell you exactly when, just yet, but I can tell you what. The History Channel has ordered “an eight-hour television event” called “Texas Rising,” with Bill leading an all-star cast featuring Brendan Fraser, Ray Liotta, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Olivier Martinez, Michael Rapaport and many more. The series will detail the Texas Revolution and the rise of the legendary Texas Rangers, and is set to premiere in 2015.
A: ABC is indeed airing a 10-part series called “The Astronaut Wives Club,” based on the bestselling book by Lily Koppel, which tells the story of the women who were key players behind some of the biggest events in American history. The series premieres July 24 at 9/8c, and stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Odette Annable, Zoey Boyle and Azure Parsons.
Q: With the final season of “Californication” upon us, does David Duchovny have another series or movie on the horizon? — Samuel D., Port Orange, Fla.
A: NBC has ordered a 13-episode period drama called “Aquarius,” in which David stars as a police detective hunting a hippie cult leader who turns out to be Charles Manson. The series will cover the early years of Manson and his “family,” with the full story playing out in future seasons (if it gets renewed). David told “Variety”: “I’m thrilled to be working with (NBC chairman) Bob Greenblatt again and coming back to broadcast television. I think ‘Aquarius’ has a chance to be a special show, and I can’t wait to get going.”
Q: I read that my favorite comedic actress, Amy Poehler, has a brother in the business too. Is that true? What can I see him in? — Fred S., via email
A: Amy’s brother, Greg, currently stars in and executive produces (with Amy) the Swedish sitcom “Welcome to Sweden,” which chronicles Greg’s real-life experiences of moving to Sweden to marry to his Swedish girlfriend. The series — which co-stars Amy, Josephine Bornebusch, Lena Olin, Patrick Duffy and Illeana Douglas — is currently airing in Sweden, and will begin airing here in the U.S. on NBC this fall.
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