The TV Chick

What is the one aspect that you like best about Dawn?
To be able to be smart enough to choreograph that people come back together. I think that she’s really intelligent. She has an interesting moral code. She does have some morality. It’s probably not what most people would think of as being very moral. Even in the next script that’s coming out, that I just read, you see that there are lines that she won’t cross. So she’s pretty well-rounded, but she gets to do a lot of nasty, horrible things which is always fun to play. But I think she genuinely is smart and is doing it for a reason. And I’m holding onto that until they prove me wrong.

What do you think motivates her? Protecting her daughter or power?
Getting power is her biggest motivation. I think she definitely doesn’t want to hurt her daughter. I think she really loves her daughter. I think that she thinks that whatever it is that she needs all this power for is going to be the most important thing and maybe even protect her daughter anyway. I think that’s where she’s heading.

On genre shows, a lot of times the bad person doesn’t last the whole season. Are there worse out there?
Maybe. There’s always someone worse than you. (laughs) I think there will be other bad people.

But there might be a tiny bit of good in her?
There might be some good in her, yeah. The next script, that we’re shooting right now, was a page turner, because I read this thing and I was like huh? I thought she was really horrible. And then that thing, and she is pretty horrible (laughs). So, she’s dynamic. She’s really dynamic.

Will you get to do a lot of scenes with Gale Harold?
I’m assuming so. We seem like we’re very much in cahoots at the moment, so yeah.

You’ve done a lot of genre stuff. Can you talk about getting back into it? What do you bring into it from those projects that make it easier?
Perhaps a fan base. But there’s always something possibly more believable when you’ve played something other-worldly. I think that helps an audience in some ways to see you. Of course, it’s a completely different generation now so… but being able to believe in the out there, and really convince yourself and playing something like that. It’s fun. It’s an odd thing to have to play — aliens and witches and whatever. Played ‘em all.

What parts do you like to play best?
I’ve been lucky to get cast in roles where I played really intelligent women. And this is a really intelligent woman, too. And luckily, the writers are good, because I’m not that smart myself. (laughs) I do like playing strong woman, though. And I’m drawn to that and it’s fun to play vulnerability and all that stuff, too. And you want to care about the character you’re playing and all of that but the strong thing is nice. It’s funny to say a role model, but in some ways, playing a strong woman is some sort of role model even if she’s evil.