“ 'I made many off-color jokes about that set that I won't dare repeat for this interview.' ”
The first time I spoke to Leslie Hope was the morning after 24 had wrapped. Thanks to our poster Effykaye, who met Leslie at a fundraiser in L.A., Leslie found TWoP and started lurking in our forums. She was pleasantly surprised at how much the TWoP posters liked her, which is ironic considering that we're supposed to be the mean, cranky forums. While I was trying to type up this conversation (with my sliced pinky tendon), I kept getting emails from her agent asking me when I'd be posting the interview. I explained about my pinky and Lee, the agent, expressed her sympathies but urged me to post the interview before the final episode. I didn't know where the urgency was coming from until I saw the final episode. Teri Bauer -- Bride of Kiefer -- had been killed in the final episode. An unthinkable plot twist on primetime television. Fortunately, I got to speak to Leslie again to ask some follow-up questions about her "death."
Gustave: Hey, where did that sweater come from?
Leslie Hope: You know, when you go wardrobe shopping and you take into consideration that you're going to be wearing the same clothes -- not just for twelve hours of television time -- but for the six months, you want a warm sweater, you want something sleeveless in case it gets hot. You want comfortable pants that have a little give in them so you can eat lunch. And you want flat shoes because you're going to be running around all day.
Then what's up with Spawn's shoes?
When she shot the pilot in that outfit, she's wearing clunky girl sandals. So by the time we were in the hay house
You call it the hay house? I called it The Stable Of Sensuality in my recaps. It looked like a Playboy shoot.
I made many off-color jokes about that set that I won't dare repeat for this interview.
The Leslie Hope Interview
“ 'I read a scene, and they insisted that I stay and go to the studio audition that night. That never happens in television. It's usually such a long drawn-out degrading process. I mean, no wonder I left town.' ”
Anyway, so when we escape and we're running through the woods, you just can't be running in those shoes, so the costume department actually made her a pair of white sneakers that had the pattern of those sandals painted on. If you look closely, you can totally tell that they're sneakers. Not that they're going to be looking at Elisha's feet, if you know what I'm saying? But when we get sent to that clinic and we've got the scrubs on, Elisha finally gets some cool shoes. I still had to wear my flats from before. What's that about?
How did you get this part?
I may have been the only actor in Los Angeles who didn't know about this project. I was away doing a movie and I couldn't stomach the idea of going through another pilot season, and I knew nothing about 24. I came back to L.A. I had an audition the day. I didn't have a script. I didn't know that Kiefer was involved. Off I go, and I audition my two pages or something.
And what did they tell you about the project when they sent you in?
Nothing. They never tell you anything. But I knew the casting director really well from various projects, so I went in and I really liked Stephen Hopkins. Bob Cochrane was there too, and I really liked him. I read a scene, and they insisted that I stay and go to the studio audition that night. That never happens in television. It's usually such a long drawn-out degrading process. I mean, no wonder I left town.
They said, "We want you here tonight, but please go home in the meantime and change your pants because they make you look chunky."
[laughs] Oh my God!
And I couldn't do anything about it. I live on the other side of town, so I didn't have time to drive home and back. And I'd forgotten my wallet, so I couldn't even go out and buy a new pair of pants or a skirt. So I sat in my car for three hours like a big loser eating Jack in the Box -- paid for with the little money I had. I did the studio audition and then they said, "We'd like you to come to the network audition the morning." And that also never happens. You never go right from studio to network.
So at this point I was too embarrassed to ask for a script. I also didn't want to jinx it because things seemed to be going my way.
Did they say anything about the pants?
Oh yeah. They said, "Oh and by the way, don't wear those pants when you come back." So I came back the morning and there were lots of other women there. Mia [Kirshner] was there reading for Mandy. Sarah [Clarke] was there reading for Nina. I just assumed they were all reading for my part, so I just knew that I didn't have the job. It wasn't going to happen. Although it turned out that I was the only person there reading for Teri, but I didn't know that at the time. I went in and read my scene and did okay
The Leslie Hope Interview
“ 'We were back together because we loved each other and not because we had to be back together. That's the foundation that we based our performances on -- that we belonged together. The family belonged together.' ”
What scene was that?
The scene with Kiefer from the pilot when we're in the kitchen and I say that Kim blames me for the separation. So they sent everyone home except for me and Sarah, and they told me I had the job. I absolutely refused to believe them. I had gone down so many other paths where it hadn't gone my way that it was not within my scope to accept this really great news. I still hadn't read the script! They all came out to congratulate me and I didn't believe them. I said, "You know what? Why don't you call my agent?" They were like, "Oh no! You really have the job!" I still refused to believe it until they sent me off to wardrobe. It wasn't until I had to make decisions about what I was going to wear that it finally started to sink in. I went to work the day. And I still didn't have a script.
But little did you know that there really wasn't a script.
Well, actually, there was a script. I mean, there were a lot of plot details that hadn't been worked out yet -- like who was the mole and stuff like that -- but the relationship between Kiefer and my character was pretty well drawn out. If there were revisions to be made to our scenes there were pretty subtle. They had a pretty clear idea of who we were, what our marriage had been through and what my relationship was like with my daughter Kim.
Did you know about Dr. Phil? Oh, sorry, that's what we call him on the forums.
Ha! That's what we call him too. Or Dr. Parslow. No, I didn't know about that. But I knew that we had been separated, that there was a possibility of an affair -- that we both had affairs -- and that we were really trying to make it work. We were back together because we loved each other and not because we had to be back together. That's the foundation that we based our performances on -- that we belonged together. The family belonged together. And that's what appealed to me about the show. Not just the pilot, but what developed in the later episodes. We were drawn back together because we loved each other, but we were allowed to show the strain of our relationship.
And you really see that in the pilot, when you're in the kitchen doing work while Kiefer and Kim are playing chess.
Exactly. And a lot of credit for that belongs -- not just to the writers but also Stephen Hopkins. I know Karina and Penny also talked to you about this, but not only did he do the pilot, but he directed every other show. He really knows how to work with actors. He has a film background, but he knows how to adapt that for a television sensibility.
The Leslie Hope Interview
“ 'I've played the simpering wife before, believe me. And I've played the bad-ass parts where I literally turn myself invisible and shoot people with lasers. So it was so great to finally play a female character that made sense to me.' ”
Your character goes through a big changeor maybe you just show a different side to yourself when it turns out that Alan York isn't really Alan York. You become very strong and resourceful. Did you see that coming?
You're not the first person to say that to me. I didn't see that as a shift in my character as much as a shift in the plot. Up until that point, all I know is that this guy I've hanging out with is not a bad guy, my daughter's missing, and my husband and I are having problems. I'm allowed to be vulnerable up until that point because I have faith that my husband will helpor at least that we're in this together. Once I realize that this guy isn't Alan York, that my daughter's disappearance is connected to all of this and, most importantly, that I'm alone with this guy in his car, it's perfectly understandable that my character's behavior would shift. What also makes it credible is that I don't take out a laser gun and shoot him; I hit him in the head with a rock. I manage to strap him down, but it's not something that I'm prepared to do or that I've had a lot of experience with.
That's what I love about the show. It's a little pulpy, so you think you've seen it before. You keep expecting your character to be the typical action series wife -- a simpering victim who knows how to use a gun -- but Teri keeps surprising us with both her strength and her vulnerability.
The female characters on this show are unusually complex. I've played the simpering wife before, believe me. And I've played the bad-ass parts where I literally turn myself invisible and shoot people with lasers. So it was so great to finally play a female character that made sense to me. Stephen and the writers deserve a lot of credit for making Teri so credible.
When did you realize that this show was going to be special?
I think I was the last one to know. I've been acting for twenty years, and I'm always the last person to know that things are going to go well or my way. I had a fantastic time during the pilot but I thought, "Oh, that will be it." But then the critical buzz starting coming in after we made the pilot and we realized that not only were we going to be picked up, but we were a really advanced television show. So I got my hopes up a little bit, but I didn't quite allow myself to believe it. So then we were picked up and kept having a better and better time, and I remember sitting on the steps with Kiefer and he was asking me how I liked the show. We weren't working together that much.
The Leslie Hope Interview
“ 'I remember telling [Kiefer], "This is the best job I've ever had." And he said, "Me too."' ”
Right. Because you're out looking for Kim.
Right. And I remember telling him, "This is the best job I've ever had." And he said, "Me too." And even still, I couldn't quite believe that it was going to be picked up for the second half. It was too good to be true. So I think it hit me about a month ago. [laughs]
And when it started to actually air on television? What kind of response did you get from viewers?
Well, in November, when it started to air, I was avidly following the response on the 'net. Mostly on the Fox site. But it's only been in the last month that people started recognizing me on the street. People are coming up to me and telling me that it's their favorite show.
Do you feel like you're famous now? Are you being mobbed?
Well, I'm hardly George Clooney, do you know what I'm saying? But when we were at the Golden Globes, my boyfriend remarked that it was strange to see all these people that you sort of recognize from TV and the movies -- you don't know who they are but they sure look familiar -- you're trying to scope everybody out and they're looking back. So that was strange.
But people -- the ones who approach me -- have been so complimentary about the show. What was first disconcerting -- like maybe I shouldn't be going to the supermarket in my pajamas anymore -- now feels just fine.
It seems like anyone who recognized you would recognize you from the show and not from, say, the tabloids or something.
Exactly. And the people who watch the show have watched every single episode. I finally understand the meaning of the word "fan."
Has anyone been scary? I hear that when you play a mother on TV, it can get weird.
Uh, how about a mother who gets raped? [laughs]
The Leslie Hope Interview
“ 'No! Oh my God, no. Dana is one of my best friends! She was busted on a DUI?' ”
So he's not the object of that Ted Casablanca item? The one about the actor making a TV comeback who is partying too hard and showing up wasted on the set?
I've worked with him for ten months now and nothing like that has ever happened.
It's like that story about that woman who just got busted for DUI
Winona Ryder? No wait, that was shoplifting.
No. Not her.
No. More recent.
No! Oh my God, no. Dana is one of my best friends! She was busted on a DUI?
Am I thinking of someone else? Kim Delaney?
That's it. Oh my God, I was just about to hang up and call Dana. No, but the thing about people like Kim Delaney, and even someone like Robert Downey Jr. is
Oh, wait. I had a thought but I lost it. Did I mention that we wrapped at 1:30 AM last night?
So you know what happens in the end?
Uh, not really. I mean, I know some things, but I think they're going to decide things later in the editing room.
The Leslie Hope Interview
“ 'No one is definitely on board year [except for] Kiefer. It's pretty standard for most regular actors in the first year of a TV show -- actors who aren't that famous like me -- to sign a contract which gives the network the option of re-signing the actor for another season but no guarantee of future work for the actor.' ”
So they're doing what they did on Dallas and shooting multiple endings?
Yeah. Sort of.
What do you mean by "sort of"?
I can't give you an example without explaining what we did. But none of us know. And that's all I can tell you.
And also we don't even know if we're coming back season, so that might influence how they decide to end it.
Well, according to everything I've read, it seems like the show is definitely coming back, it's just not definite that they'll keep the real-time format.
I hope they do. I think it's a big part of the show, and if they take it away it might make the show ordinary.
Well, I just think you're all so talented that they could abandon the real-time format and the storytelling and great acting will carry it along.
Thanks. Maybe you're right.
What kind of contract do you have? If the show is picked up for year, are you definitely on board?
No. No one is definitely on board year [except for] Kiefer. It's pretty standard for most regular actors in the first year of a TV show -- actors who aren't that famous like me -- to sign a contract which gives the network the option of re-signing the actor for another season but no guarantee of future work for the actor. It's always their option to re-sign. We all signed something that.
So anyone can be killed off?
Yes. Anything can happen.
You could have been killed off.
Yeah.
The Leslie Hope Interview
“ 'I don't know how many fifteen-year-old girls you know, but I was one, and Kim looks like Einstein compared to me.' ”
Okay, you know how we were discussing how the audience confuses the actress with the character and how mean they can be? On our forums, everyone hates Kim. They love Jamey for betraying her country, but they cannot forgive Kim for being such a doormat.
Really?
Yeah. And I always wondered while watching, why Teri didn't slap the shit out of that girl at some point. I mean, she sneaks out and gets you kidnapped and raped. And she could have escaped and sent the police to the TerrorKompound, but no. I mean, I can understand you having a mother's love and all, but I think anyone would have lost it at some point.
The way I see it is, there's no time for slapping or crying or any of that. I don't have time to say something like, "Oh, just wait until we get home, young lady!" We are running for our lives.
But later, you know you're going to hold it over her head. Like when you need help cleaning out the basement and she's all, "I don't feel like it." You'd totally say something like, "Hey, remember when I slept with that guy to save you from being raped?"
Yeah. [laughs] But much later. There's no room for that within the twenty-four-hour time period. That's why it all came out between me and Nina at the Safe House. That stuff can only come up when you feel safe enough. That's the only time you can have that kind of conversation. Otherwise, who fucking cares? I'm running for my life.
Also, I don't know how many fifteen-year-old girls you know, but I was one, and Kim looks like Einstein compared to me.
That's actually a good point. I don't think of Kim as being fifteen. She looks older. I think of her as a young woman who is about to go to college, and that's the standard I hold her to.
I think that may have been something that surprised us too. Elisha looks really young in person. If you were to meet her, you'd easily think she's fifteen. But there's that magic thing that happens to some people when you photograph them or put them on TV. They go through the roof -- sexy, beautiful. And that's what happens to her on camera.
The Leslie Hope Interview
“ 'I'm not saying that there's a fundamental difference between a film sensibility and a TV sensibility, because I've certainly made some shitty movies that were no better than the TV I've done. But we have all these wonderful actors. Kiefer is a great actor. He's a great movie actor.' ”
Yeah. I'm not saying she looks "old." I just think that she looks prime, as opposed to jailbait-y.
Exactly.
Do you feel like you're making a television show or a bunch of movies?
It's like making a movie. A good movie. I'm not saying that there's a fundamental difference between a film sensibility and a TV sensibility, because I've certainly made some shitty movies that were no better than the TV I've done. But we have all these wonderful actors. Kiefer is a great actor. He's a great movie actor. We have an amazing crew -- the DP, the gaffer are all first rate. Also, I keep having to bring it back to Hopkins. When you make a "normal" TV show, you feel completely driven by the clock of production. You have to cram so much into each workday and everything plays to the clock. By whatever means necessary, you have to get it done. On our show, we rarely work a twelve-hour day, which is unheard of in the TV industry. But what makes it feel like a movie more than anything is that, because you've got a director like Stephen Hopkins overseeing it, it seems like you have all the time in the world to make the scene right. And yet, I never feel like we're navel-gazing. We're always moving forward. But I always feel like I'm just as important as the clock.
Did you know Kiefer before?
Not really. We had met once at an audition. I read for the part of his wife in The Vanishing. But I didn't even remember that until Kiefer brought it up one day.
Hopkins is English and I'm Canadian, so we both have these mean senses of humor. Sometimes I'll do a take and I'll go, "Was that fucking awful?" and he'll say, "God, yes!"
Oh, and he, by the way, had amnesia.
No way! I've never met anyone who had amnesia in real life before.
Me neither. He got it from a hit to the head. He was directing a movie. He came out of it and he knew that he had amnesia. He knew he was making a movie in London. He knew he was the director. But he didn't know what the movie was. Oh, and he'd rented a flat, so it wasn't his place. So there was nothing of his lying around that could have triggered a memory. He thought he might have to go to work the day, but he couldn't find his passport anywhere. He couldn't find his own name. He didn't know what his name was. He still knew how to eat food, read, and wear clothes and stuff, but he couldn't remember his own name. So what he did was, he pushed redial on his phone. A voice answered -- it turned out to be one of his closest friends, Peter Levy, the guy who shot our pilot -- and so Stephen said, "I know this is going to sound terribly strange, but I seem to have lost my memory and you're the last person that I phonedI guess." So as soon as Peter realized that Stephen wasn't just fucking with him, he came right over and took him to the hospital. Of course it took forever for the doctors to get to him, but eight hours later he was back at work, and his memory came back to him over those eight hours. Anyway, the point is, he made amnesia credible for me again. He was like, "This happened to me." And this is a person that I know and respect.
“ 'To be perfectly honest, I had no idea it was me. I mean, I was pregnant, for crying out loud. They never kill the pregnant lady. I was pretty shocked when I found out, but it really was the best thing for the plot. It was just the best thing artistically for the show.' ”
Whatever happened to Milo?
Well, he had to go shoot another pilot. The powers that be didn't lock him in for those final episodes, so he had to take another job.
What's the set like? What's the general atmosphere?
It's the most diva-less set I've ever been on. There's not a screaming Mimi to be found anywhere. I think Kiefer set the standard for that, but I'd also like to think that it's because there were a lot of Canadians on the show.
Yeah, what's up with all those Canadians? I'm not complaining or anything
What can I say? Sometimes American viewers get lucky! [laughs]
The day after the final episode aired, I spoke to Leslie again.
Gustave: So did you know you were dead when we spoke?
Leslie: Not exactly. My death was going to be one of the alternative endings, so I knew it was a possibility. And it had a lot to do with whether or not the show got picked up. I mean, there were all these rumors that one of us -- either me, Sarah, Carlos, or Elisha -- wouldn't be back season. To be perfectly honest, I had no idea it was me. I mean, I was pregnant, for crying out loud. They never kill the pregnant lady. I was pretty shocked when I found out, but it really was the best thing for the plot. It was just the best thing artistically for the show. We shot this scene where me and Kiefer reunite, and it just didn't work as well.
So when did you find out?
We were shooting a scene, and Joel Surnow was there. It was the end of the day, and it's rare that you see Joel on the set that late in the day. So I made some joke about Joel working late and he goes, "Actually, I'd like to have a word with you." And it was in that -- I don't know -- tone where you know what's coming .
Like when they tell you to report to personnel and then they close the door behind you and hand you a tissue?
Yeah. But I still couldn't believe that I was getting cut. I'm pregnant. They never kill the pregnant lady. So I made this joke to the cast and crew. I was like, "Bye, guys! I'm going off to get fired!" And then I was. I felt so stupid.
The Leslie Hope Interview
“ 'I don't know if you can see it or not, but when Kiefer comes in and picks me up -- or picks up my dead body, anyway -- a tear is sliding down my cheek. That was the final scene I had to shoot, and it was so sad on so many levels.' ”
You know, it almost made watching 24 a lot like watching Survivor. On the one hand, you care what happens to the characters, but you're also seeing certain actors you like voted off the island, so to speak.
Yeah. It was really touch-and-go. At one point they had a meeting with Sarah and told her that she was going to be the second mole. So she comes back from this meeting and tells me and Carlos that she's the second mole, and we felt so bad for her, because obviously that meant that she was going to be killed or something. But then she said, "Oh no, they told me that I wasn't going to die or anything. I'll still be back year. They said they were keeping me around." So we just didn't know what to say.
And it was really awkward there for a while, because I was calling people about work and everyone just assumed that I was locked into 24 for another year. They'd be like, "Oh, but you're not available, are you?" and I'd say, "Uh, no, but could I come in a read anyway?" It was frustrating.
So when did you get shot? Before Nina locked you in that room?
Yeah. Actually, we shot a really great scene of Nina shooting me. She shoots me in the back, and it's totally cold. That blood on my stomach is from the exit wound, and the make-up people did a really good job of recreating an exit wound. You can't really see it that well in the final edit.
I don't know if you can see it or not, but when Kiefer comes in and picks me up -- or picks up my dead body, anyway -- a tear is sliding down my cheek. That was the final scene I had to shoot, and it was so sad on so many levels. Not only did I have to "die," but I also had to say goodbye to everyone that I'd been working with for the past year. It was the best year of my life professionally, and it was all over with that scene.