Over the past four seasons fans of the hit CBS show ‘The Good Wife‘ know Carrie Preston (Arlene Fowler) as the unpredictable Elsbeth Tascioni. Carrie recently sat down with Hollywood Reporter to tell us what is in store for her character and much more.
How does Carrie think her character has changed since when we first saw her four year ago?
“It’s a treat to have a role like this that is so delicious and idiosyncratic and singular. When I first got offered the role, [creators] Robert and Michelle King offered me the part based on some of my other work they had seen. They had seen Duplicity, with Clive Owen and Julia Roberts, and they thought the work I did in that was enough to make them want to take a chance on me. I got to figure out how to make this woman, who on the page was all over the place, connect the dots for myself and make herself a specific being; The Good Wife in our community is known to create really great roles for guests. They don’t just write a talking-head lawyer. They always flesh out the characters.”
What about her character made her interested or found funny?
“Playing the two things of figuring out what she’s thinking and then figuring out what physically she’s doing to enhance that thinking. There is this real tension between those two things. That is where the comedy comes from. The writing really highlights that. The challenge for me is walking that fine line is her function on the show, which is to add a little levity to the proceedings, but also making sure that that’s coming from a place of truth.”
Now with playing a character like Elsbeth does she have a good method on how to balance the two opposing sides that make up her character?
“I don’t really have any tricks. I always start out with the writing. I spend a lot of time on that and map out the twists and turns that are happening within the text and also within her thoughts. I feel like I know how to get into her mind, and it’s not something that I can actually put a finger on. It’s more of a feeling. I get into her way of thinking. Sometimes on the day I’m shooting that, I’m a little bit scatterbrained myself. [Laughs]“
So what does the future look like in the romance department for her character?
“She’s been married before, and we found out in the first season that she has a son, so she has definitely had a fully fleshed-out romantic life. But she’s not married now. It’s probably the last thing on her mind. In a lot of ways, she’s married to her brain and is highly entertained by it. [Laughs] She is very frequently seduced by the next thought in her brain. To then throw a courtship in front of her is the same as throwing another case in front of her or a nice set of jewelry or a pretty painting. [Laughs] She handles everything in the moment as it comes her way, and it’s delightful to watch her navigate.”
It’s always interesting to read about what the actors think about their character. To read the rest of the interview just go here. What are your guys thoughts on this?? Feel free to tell us below.
Source: HollywoodReporter.com – “‘The Good Wife’: Carrie Preston on the Trick to Playing One of TV’s Quirkiest Lawyers”
Image Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
