Episode Report Card Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Jalapeno speaks
By Gustave | Season 1 | Episode 14 | Aired on 03.07.2002
It's so different from anything I've ever done before, I really couldn't say. I mean, in a way it's more like making a movie but on the other hand, it's being made up as you go along. When you're doing a film, there's a script, you know the ending and you can track the "arc" as an actor. I couldn't do that with Jamey because I didn't have all the information.
I notice that there's a uniformity to all of your performances. You are all so internal and introverted. It's unusually subtle acting for television. It's more like film acting. How are you all being directed?
I think that we were all chosen for the cast for that very reason in the first place. That's what kind of actors we all are. I know from talking to Sarah and Carlos [Bernard, who plays Tony] that we all have the mentality that less is more.
But Stephen is such a great director. I can't stress that enough. He's so smart and creative. His mind is always going.
In my final scenes, I was very concerned with the audience not liking me. So I kept trying to play her really sweet. [laughs] Stephen would take me aside and say, "Now she's got to get really angry at some point. You're making her all sweet like an angel and no one is going to believe she did this. You've got to put out a performance that will make people believe that you went out and did this really bad thing." It was a real struggle for him because [laughs] I really didn't want people to not like me. All that harshness that goes on at the end is totally thanks to him. He really took me through that.
You know that scene where Kiefer calls me up to his office and we are trying to figure out if Nina is a traitor or not? When we were rehearsing it, I was being myself. And I'm very gentle and non-confrontational with people. So Stephen was like, "She's got to get an answer from Kiefer and he's trying not to have to make a decision. She's got to be tough on him. Also keep in mind that she's extremely smart so we need to keep seeing that your mind is working." That was the most awesome direction, because then I was able to play the scene. He's so good.
Some critic -- I forget who -- wrote that the plotline itself is the other lead character besides Kiefer. Do you ever feel like your own acting is being hampered or upstaged by the plotline? Do you ever feel like you have to have to gloss over an authentic experience in your performance in order to create suspense or get the timing right?