Interview: Sasha Alexander, "Maura Is in a Funky Place"

The dynamic duo of “Rizzoli and Isles” — played by Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander, respectively — is back and better than ever this fourth season of the TNT hit cop-show drama, which airs Tuesday nights at 9/8c. I spoke with the doctor half of the duo, Sasha Alexander, about the new season and what’s in store for chief medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles. And yes, I also asked her about “Dawson’s Creek.” I just couldn’t resist.

Celebrity Extra: Last we saw Maura, she was going to anonymously donate a kidney to her sister. Where does season four pick up?

Sasha Alexander: We start about three months after Maura has donated her kidney to her sister. Like you said, her sister doesn’t know. Maura’s in a funky place, because emotionally I think she is recovering from the surgery, but she’s kind of bummed out that nobody has really reached out and thanked her. Not her mom, not her sister, not anyone. And so she’s just feeling a little bit vulnerable and fragile. And she’s not her normal sunny self, and it’s kind of a bummer for Jane (Rizzoli) and for everyone else, because they are having to tiptoe around her.

But I think it’s funny to see her that way. Watching Jane try to help lift her spirits, it leads to some funny antics. Like, Maura wants to spy on her kidney to make sure that Kayleen’s taking care of it properly. There’s a scene where she spies on her and she’s pumping all this artificial sweetener into her coffee, and she’s like: “That is just not OK. It’s so unhealthy. She’s not treating my kidney well.” It was really funny.

It’s sweet because it brings Maura and Kayleen together. They do end up forming a relationship, which is going to lead to Maura playing big sister to Kayleen. And Kayleen’s going to come to her for help with their mom, Hope, and it leads to a lot more of the family drama. Paddy Doyle is on trial, and we’re going to uncover what really went on with Hope and with Paddy. There’s a lot of cover-up. A lot of secrets. A lot of lies. And it’s going to put Maura in a position of having to choose between these people that she’s just met who she’s related to and her real friends and family, Jane and the Rizzolis.

CE: Your show always has the best guest stars. Who’s on board for this season?

SA: Sharon Lawrence is back as Hope. And John Doman is back as Paddy Doyle. Amaury Nolasco joins us as Lt. Martinez, who is a person from Jane’s past who we’re going to find out about. Eric Winter is a love interest for Maura. He plays a bomb-squad tech who Maura’s attracted to.

CE: Switching gears a bit, I am a huge “Dawson’s Creek” fan, so I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you about your experience on that show.

SA: I had a wonderful experience there, and the thing that always makes me laugh is that I went to prom with Dawson. I remember Katie (Holmes), Michelle (Williams) and I trying on so many dresses over the course of the three months. They were really, really picky about the prom dress. It was a big deal. But I had a wonderful time. All of them were wonderful. James (Van Der Beek), Josh (Jackson) and Michelle are all still dear friends. You know, we don’t have shows like that anymore. I loved the innocence and the beauty of that show. And I just thought it was a really fun experience for me, and I thought it was a really positive show. I wish there was something like it on the air now.

DD: Another big role for you was as Kate Todd on “NCIS” — and boy, what an exit! Her death was so startling.

SA: The reactions were just enormous. I remember I took off for Europe that summer, and when it aired, people just went nuts, and CBS called and was like: “Oh my God! You have to come back. We have to figure out what to do.” And it was wonderful to have such a positive reaction in the sense that people really loved Kate, and they still do. I think it was shocking because nobody saw it coming. I can say that I don’t like it when people walk up to me and re-enact it for me. It’s not an image of oneself that we like to keep reliving. But, it is what it is. It was a good, shocking TV moment.

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Q and A: Week of July 1

Q: One of my favorite movies is “Into the Wild.” Can you tell me what its star, Emile Hirsch, has coming up? — Ronald W., via e-mail

A: For Emile’s latest project, he is taking on the iconic role of Clyde Barrow in the History/Lifetime/A and E joint production of “Bonnie and Clyde.” Holliday Grainger of “The Borgias” has been tapped to play Bonnie Parker, with Holly Hunter, William Hurt, Sarah Hyland, Elizabeth Reaser, Lane Garrison, Austin Hebert and Dale Dickey all set to co-star. The four-hour two-night event miniseries will air simultaneously on History, Lifetime and A and E, and will be directed by Oscar nominee Bruce Beresford.

For those unfamiliar with the real-life events, “Bonnie and Clyde” retells the fascinating tale of the couple whose crime spree enraptured the Depression-era American public. Clyde was always able to stay one step ahead of the law as he and Bonnie escaped capture time and again. His one blind spot was Bonnie, who was intent on becoming famous, fed on the media attention and pushed Clyde to commit riskier and more dangerous crimes to generate bigger headlines, and make them the most famous criminals of the modern era.

“Bonnie and Clyde” will air later this year. I’ll let you know the date as soon as I know.

Q: What has Val Kilmer been up to? I loved him in “MacGruber,” but haven’t seen him in anything lately. — Felicia W., Atlanta

A: Aside from starring in his one-man show that he also wrote and directs called “Citizen Twain,” Val has just signed on to co-star in the IFC satire “The Spoils of Babylon,” which skewers the epic television miniseries in six half-hour episodes to air in early 2014. Produced by Funny or Die, the original comedy also stars Will Farrell, Toby Maguire, Haley Joel Osment, Tim Robbins, Michael Sheen, Kristen Wiig and Jessica Alba.

Jennifer Caserta, president and general manager of IFC, jokingly says of the project: “This amazingly talented cast will give this decadent genre its due respect. Never before has a parody of a miniseries been more poised for showers of accolades.”

Q: I love “Justified.” Is it coming back for another season? — Bobbie B., Richmond, Va.

A: FX has renewed the critically acclaimed crime drama for another season. The show will premiere its fifth season in January 2014. In the meantime, you can catch up on seasons one through three on DVD, and season four on Amazon Instant Video or iTunes.

Q: I thought that “Eastbound and Down” was over, that the third season was its last season. Now I hear there is a new season coming. Is this true? — Larry T., Philadelphia, Pa.

A: Originally, “Eastbound and Down” was supposed to be only three seasons. Danny McBride and company ended the series in a hilarious way that only they could. However, HBO (and perhaps pressure from die-hard fans like us) convinced Danny, Will Farrell and the rest of the crew to return for a fourth season. I, for one, am thrilled, as this has been a highlight of my sitcom-watching career. The fourth — and supposedly final — season of HBO’s “Eastbound and Down” is scheduled to premiere Sept. 29.

Q: Can you tell me how Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard is doing? I heard he has cancer. — Shelley W. in North Carolina

A: According to the axeman himself, the Def Leppard guitarist is doing just fine. He has Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which has an 80 percent cure rate, and he is currently undergoing chemotherapy. He plans to continue touring with the band throughout the summer. In his words, he wanted to warn fans about his “new aerodynamic hairstyle (read: no hair) … I don’t want anyone to be so shocked by my new look that they ask for a refund.”

Q: One of my favorite shows is TNT’s “Rizzoli and Isles.” Can you give me any clues as to what to expect this season? — Janet Y., via email

A: I had the chance to speak with series star Sasha Alexander, who plays Dr. Maura Isles, and she gave me a few spoilers about season four, which begins Tuesday, June 25: “We start three months after the end of season three. Maura has anonymously donated her kidney to her sister, Kayleen. Maura is in a funky place. She’s feeling vulnerable and fragile. She’s not her normal, sunny self.”

“It’s fun watching Jane try to lift her spirits. It leads to funny antics with Maura and Jane. It brings Maura and Kayleen together, which leads to a relationship, and more of a family drama.”

In regard to future storylines and guest stars, we can expect great ones this season, starting with Maura’s love life. As Sasha tells me: “Eric Winter (of ’The Mentalist,’ ’Brothers and Sisters’ and ’The Ugly Truth’) is a potential love interest. He’s great — I love him. He plays a bomb-squad tech that Maura is attracted to.”

Because of my affinity for “Dawson’s Creek,” I had to ask her about her time there. “I had a wonderful experience. I love that I went to the prom with Dawson. James (Van Der Beek), Michelle (Williams), Josh (Jackson) and I are still dear friends. We don’t have shows like that anymore. I love the innocence and the beauty of that show. It was a really fun experience for me, and it was a really positive show. I wish there were something like it on the air now.”

Q: I heard that Steve Perry has cancer. Is this true, and if so, how’s he doing? — Wyatt R., Buffalo, N.Y.

A: The former Journey frontman recently revealed on his blog that he did indeed have cancer. In Steve’s words: ”Three weeks ago a routine mole was taken off my face, and the lab report came back melanoma skin cancer. I’ve had two surgeries in two weeks to remove all the cancer cells, and I’ve been told they think they got it all, and no other treatments are required.”

This news comes only six months after Steve lost his girlfriend, Kellie, to breast cancer, which had spread to her lungs, bones and brain.

Q: I am so happy that ”Scandal” was renewed for a third season. Can you give me any hints as to what to expect when it returns? — Justine P., via email

A: One thing you can expect is more Scott Foley. He was recently made a series regular, so it would appear that he is not out of Olivia Pope’s life. It also would seem that he won’t be left indefinitely in the hole his bosses at B613 tossed him in at the end of season two. Here’s hoping he doesn’t come out all grungy and gross like Huck did after his time in the hole.

Q: I saw “Man of Steel” over the weekend and loved it. Will there be a sequel? — Johnny S., via email

A: A sequel had been rumored to be in the works, and with the record-breaking opening weekend of “Man of Steel,” you can bet that sequel will become a reality. “Man of Steel” took in $125 million during its opening weekend, bringing in more money than the openings of the previous five “Superman” movies combined. It also was the biggest June opening for a film ever, and it had the second-highest opening of a film so far this year, behind “Iron Man 3.” This gives a great boost to the DC Comics superheroes for their own movies, much like Marvel Comics has done with its characters of Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk and the rest of the Avengers.

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Q and A: Week of July 9

Q: I am so excited that Lifetime Television’s “Drop Dead Diva” is back for another season. Can you give me any teasers on what to expect? — Kimberly T., St. Louis

A: Well, first off, you can expect guest stars a-plenty: Cybill Shepherd, Natasha Henstridge, Vivica Fox, Leelee Sobieski and more. Also, “Diva” star Kate Levering (pictured, left), who plays rival lawyer Kim Kaswell, dished a little with me and let me know that Kim gets a new love interest. Kate says: “We’ll see some of the fallout with her last relationship last season with Grayson, and she’ll enter into a new relationship that creates some scandal. That storyline for me has been really cool. And there will be more interesting, quirky court cases and great dream sequences with really exciting talent.”

Q: I read somewhere that a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” is in the works. Is that true? — Daniel F., via e-mail

A: Director Sam Raimi of “Spider-Man” fame is in contention to direct the “Oz” prequel, which is called “Oz: The Great and Powerful.” As of this writing, Disney had not confirmed the news, as they are still in the negotiation stage. Robert Downey Jr. has been linked to the lead role. Sam himself is a very busy man — he has dozens of films in production, either as a writer, director and/or producer. He is producing and writing “Evil Dead IV,” producing “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” directing “No Man’s Land” and many others. 

Q: I know you’re a big fan of “Dancing With the Stars,” so I was wondering who you’d like to see compete on the show. — Renee, B., via e-mail

A: Thank you for asking! I think former 98 Degrees singer Jeff Timmons would do very well — and get a lot of the ladies’ votes! And funnyman cutie-pie David Blue of “Ugly Betty” and “Stargate Universe” fame would do very well, especially given his musical theater background.


I spoke with “DWTS” judge Carrie Ann Inaba in June (as she was helping to bring awareness to Cat Adoption Month), and she told me one of her dream guests: “I would love to see Lindsay Lohan come on our show. I think it would be a really good opportunity for her to sort of turn her life around, as she’s been going through some hard times. She is a talented young actress, and she’s a very sexy girl. I’m very curious to see that — I think she’d do very well on our show.”

Q: Since her departure from “NCIS,” I haven’t heard anything from Sasha Alexander. What’s she up to? — Art U., Johnson City, Tenn.

A: Since leaving “NCIS,” Sasha, 37, has appeared the feature films “Yes Man,” “Love Happens” and “He’s Just Not That Into You,” as well as many guest spots on various TV series. She is currently wrapping production on the film “Coming and Going,” which should be released later this year. Beginning July 12, she can be seen with Angie Harmon in the TNT original program called “Rizzoli and Isles,” which airs on Mondays at 10/9c.

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