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12/2007
I've been very fortunate over the years to interview celebrities, especially since just about all of these people have been so nice, honest and....incredibly normal. Some may sit in awe of these celebrities as they thrill us on the small screen, but most of them really do live normal lives and do much of the same tasks that we do on a daily basis.
In addition to being completely normal, Paula Newsome is also one of the most intelligent actors I've interviewed.
From Broadway to Heroes to her current gig on successful ABC series Women's Murder Club, Paula seems to have a knack for picking the perfect roles to fit her highly likeable personality, making each of her roles not only unique, but memorable.
Q: When did you decide to pursue acting?
Paula: "It kind of pursued me, in all honesty. I was in first grade and my teacher sent a note home to my mother saying, 'put this girl is creative dramatics class.' From then on, it was just what I was going to do. I did Community Theater for a very long time and after that, I went to New York. Four months after I moved to New York, I was on Broadway and five years later I got a show on NBC."
Q: If you hadn't gone into acting, what do you think you'd be doing now?
Paula: "The first thought that comes to my mind is that I'd be a therapist. [laughs] You don't have to be mentally sane to be a therapist. I honestly don't know, if I weren't an actress, maybe I'd be an Opera singer."
Q: I understand you're quite an accomplished Broadway actress, what was your favorite show in which you appeared?
Paula: "My favorite was my first, it was called Carousel, at Lincoln Center.
It was an amazing opportunity, I was there for four months."
Q: What is your favorite Broadway show?
Paula: "It's one I've never seen -- Sweeney Todd."
Q: Do you plan to head back to Broadway?
Paula: "I've always fantasized about being a large enough and big enough name to go back and do musicals."
Q: You've had numerous guest roles on some of television's biggest series, do you have a favorite role?
Paula: "I do....Many years ago, I did three episodes of a show called City of Angels. It was with Blair Underwood, Gabrielle Union, Hill Harper and a lot of people who went on to do very good work. It was just a wonderful story and an amazing character, I felt so comfortable -- that was my favorite."
Q: You were also on a couple episodes of Heroes, what was it like working with that cast?
Paula: "They're really good people. I worked with Ali Larter, that's who my storyline was with and she is the kindest, most generous person. Every Friday when she's there, she buys the whole crew and everybody lunch."
Q: You now star as Claire on Women's Murder Club, tell us about your character.
Paula: "There are four women: Lindsay, played by Angie Harmon; Jill, played by Laura Harris; Cindy, played by Aubrey Dollar. We're a team of women who solve crimes -- an Inspector, a D.A., a crime reporter and a medical examiner (I'm the doctor). What Claire does is she brings in the procedural element of our show. She has a husband and kid. They've been struggling with their intimacy at home because her husband was shot (in the line of duty as a police officer) and he's wheelchair-bound. What I really like about Claire is she's the anchor of the group, she's the warm hum, but also the one who shows how home life and work life can pull you apart.
I think many people; particularly women love this show because it really talks about the challenges that we deal with everyday. After the women's movement, we came out of the home and came into the workplace. It's been a struggle and a blessing. I, myself deal with this all the time....being a single woman, how to have both a successful career and a personal life at the same time. I think that's what women deal with today and why so many women are single. That balancing act is sometimes not so easy to balance."
Q: Did you do anything special to prepare for the role?
Paula: "I met with the people from the Coroners' office in Los Angeles for a couple of hours. We were invited to go downstairs and see the workplace, but I just couldn't do that! They gave us a lot of information; it's a pretty gruesome place. It's unfortunately not as well funded as depicted on television."
Q: How involved is James Patterson in the show?
Paula: "We don't have as much connection with him now, but I believe in the beginning he had a lot of input with our writers. Since the show has been doing so well, this is all conjecture on my part, but I'm assuming he thinks we're in good hands. This is the second time I've done a series and boy, it's such a different experience when the show goes so well."
Q: It must be hard to be on a show that is struggling so hard in the ratings....
Paula: "The highs are sweet, but the lows are challenging. Someone told me once, 'The space that is carved with your sadness, will one day be filled with your joy.' You don't have the ability to fill up unless you've been cracked open."
Q: Did you read any of the James Patterson books?
Paula: "I did, I read all of the ones in our series. I'm more of a New Age reader, but when I picked up his books, I couldn't put them down."
Q: Where is the show headed in the coming months?
Paula: "I don't know, right now we're on strike."
Q: How many episodes were produced before the show ran out of scripts?
Paula: "We had two episodes waiting in the pipeline and those were shot and finished on the 27th of November. So far, we've got ten episodes."
Q: Anything to say to the fans?
Paula: "Thank you! It's such a pleasure to be able to be you, to express you because that's one thing we get to do on this show -- we get to be women in the 21st century and we're not in these glamorous outfits, we come to work in pants and blouses and we do the best we can. I think that's what American women are doing today. It's an honor to put their story on television."
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