читать дальше
EMMY SPOTLIGHT – SUPPORTING ACTRESS: SHARON GLESSCOMMENT 13 JUN 2013 BY DINA GACHMAN
Veteran actress Sharon Gless has been living and breathing Hollywood “since before we had area codes before our numbers.” Her grandfather Neil S. McCarthy was a highly respected entertainment lawyer during the Golden Age of Hollywood. When an 18-year old Gless told him she wanted to pursue acting, he replied, “Stay out of it, it’s a filthy business!” The advice didn’t stick, and she went on to pursue her passion, and eventually to star as New York police detective Christine Cagney in the hit Cagney & Lacey – a role that earned her two Emmys, a Golden Globe, and a slew of Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.
Gless, who now lives with her husband in Miami, where Burn Notice is shot, recently celebrated her 70th birthday. She’s passionate about acting and doesn’t intend to stop working anytime soon. Her career has the kind of longevity that most actors dream about. With parts ranging from Debbie Novotny in Queer as Folk to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lynne Warner in the BBC miniseries The State Within to her unforgettable turn as ruthless Hollywood agent Colleen Rose in Nip/Tuck, Gless’ range – and her good-natured sense of humor – have no doubt helped to keep her busy. She’s currently filming the seventh and final season of USA Network’s Burn Notice, the highest-rated cable series in the country. SSN spoke to Gless about her love of acting, what Emmy nominations mean to her, and how she feels about saying goodbye to Burn Notice’s chain-smoking, obsessive mother, Madeline Westen.
SSN: What attracted you to the role of Madeline?
SG: They first sent the sсript to me when I was in a spa – or a fat farm – in California, and I thought it was very funny. My character was only in two scenes but I loved the narration and I said, “All right, I’m not so busy. I’ll go.” I didn’t audition for the part. It was early pilot season and I flew to Miami. I didn’t tell them I had a place there because I wanted to stay in the hotel with everyone. After we shot the pilot I went home and forgot about it. Then my manager called and told me that Burn Notice sold and I said, “What’s Burn Notice?” When my manager reminded me I thought, “Oh my God, that’s cool.”
SSN: Did you identify with the character right away?
SG: I loved the character, but she was only described as a “chain-smoking hypochondriac” so that’s all I had to go on. Then I sat down with (Burn Notice creator and executive producer) Matt Nix and we worked out a past for Madeline. Matt told me that Michael (Madeline’s “burned” CIA agent son, played by Jeffrey Donovan) gets all of his moxie from her, and that made sense to me. They always write me a little gem every week. It has been quite a ride; she’s a wonderful character.
SSN: Has anything really surprised you about Madeline along the way? Is there anything she’s done or any changes that have occurred that you couldn’t have anticipated?
SG: When they killed my youngest son. That really threw me. There are only two episodes a year that I’m not in, and the only disagreement I had with Matt Nix was that they didn’t deal with the death of her son. I said, “Excuse me, I know you have a caper and everything here, but you have to deal with this.” So I sat down with two of the writers and they said they hadn’t really thought about that. They’re men and I think they just missed that piece. I asked for it. Now this year she’s getting custody of her three-year old grandson, so we start again.
SSN: As mother and son, Madeline and Michael have a pretty tumultuous dynamic. Is that something you and Jeffrey had to work at, or did it come naturally?
SG: We feel our way through. It’s my job to protect Michael. Jeffrey doesn’t like to rehearse, he likes to be spontaneous, and I like to rehearse and then make it look like it never happened. It’s a painful relationship. There was a lot of abuse in the family, and there’s a wonderful dynamic between mother and son. The writers do a wonderful job. Before a tough scene I’ll say, “Remember that I love you.”
SSN: You’ve had a long career in television, and you’re no stranger to Emmy nominations. Does it mean the same thing now as it did that first time?
SG: Oh, absolutely. It’s a long time between drinks, and I’ve been a bridesmaid for many years, even though I have won. It’s very flattering because it’s your peers.
SSN: Burn Notice has a huge fan base. Do you ever get comments from the fans?
SG: People don’t really write fan mail anymore and I don’t do Facebook, but friends do send me remarks that people write and I love it.
SSN: You’ve played a detective, the Secretary of State, and a Hollywood agent, to name a few roles. Has any one character been more demanding than the others?
SG: The longer you play a part you really live with that person, but with miniseries like The State Within, I had never played a character like that; she was a real hawk. It was very different than anything I had done. With Cagney & Lacey, Tyne (Daly) and I were in pretty much every scene so we would work 16 and 17 hours a day. Some roles are more emotional than others. I don’t care how hard the work is; I love to work. I could work all day and all night, I really do love it. I don’t want it to end.
SSN: You’re saying goodbye to Madeline after this season. How do you feel about Burn Notice ending, and what’s next for you?
SG: I’m talking to a network but I can’t say which one, but I’ve been approached. I wish Burn Notice wouldn’t end but it’s time. It’s going to be some ending! After that I’ll take a little break. There’s nothing better than going on vacation knowing you have a job to come back to. TV series – well, hit TV series – are my favorite things. I prefer going to a family every day and I’ve been very blessed. You just have to put your dream out there.
Burn Notice’s legions of fans will be waiting to see how it all shakes out for Madeline, Michael and the rest of the crew. Judging from Gless’ drive and love for her work, it’s a good thing that she didn’t listen to her grandfather’s advice all those years ago.