Interview: Billy Campbell's Helix Quest

Billy Campbell as Dr. Alan Farragut on Helix

Billy Campbell made women swoon on “Once and Again,” he surprised us all on “The Killing,” and he has us all enthralled as Dr. Alan Farragut on the apocalyptic thriller “Helix” (which airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on the Syfy network). As a brilliant scientist trying to figure out the source of and stop the progression of a life-threatening disease outbreak, Billy certainly has his hands full. But he made time recently to talk with me about the series, and to tease a little about what fans can expect as season two gets down and dirty.

Celebrity Extra: The premise behind “Helix” is fascinating and frightening. What was it about the show that appealed to you most?

Billy Campbell: I loved the premise. I loved the possibilities. This kind of show could be really spectacular. And I wanted to work with (executive producer) Ron Moore (who produced season one, but is now busy with Starz’s hit time-travel drama “Outlander”).

CE: And what did you think about your character, Alan Farragut?

BC: I thought I was right for the part; that’s about all I thought, really. A lot of the choices I’ve made over the years have to do with whether I can see myself in the role. It doesn’t matter how good the project is, if I don’t see myself in the role, I generally don’t go after it.

CE: How was it working with new cast members Matt Long and Steven Weber?

BC: They’re both, first of all, first-class gentlemen. They are wonderful actors. I’ve known Steven for many, many years. We first worked together in the mid-80s and then again on “Once and Again.” He’s a rake and a rogue and an imp, and I always knew he was a creepy guy inside. And now he’s had the chance to prove it. He’s one of the funniest, and now, I believe, one of the creepiest guys I’ve ever met. (Laughs.)

CE: What can you tell me about how season two will progress?

BC: I will say that I come uncomfortably close to realizing my quest. Everything about the second season ties very neatly into that story line. If you were shocked and surprised by season one, then you will be doubly shocked and surprised by season two. They really outdid themselves. I’m not sure exactly what they were smoking in the writers’ room during season two, but it sure seems like they had a great time smoking it.

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Interview: Bree Williamson's Unexpected Journey

Back in 2013, I was obsessed with the NBC nighttime drama “Deception.” I loved everyone on the show, especially Bree Williamson, who played murdered heiress Vivian Bowers (in flashback scenes, as we backtracked trying to figure out who killed her) in the soapy drama. I was sad it was canceled, especially because the Canadian beauty is such a nice woman. Prior to "Deception," I met Bree at Disney/MGM Studios' (now-defunct) Super Soap Weekend, and she was kind, generous and insightful. Which was why I jumped at the chance to interview her about her latest project. Bree stars in the Hallmark Channel original movie, “Portrait of Love,” which premieres March 14 at 9/8c. She plays April Littleton, a world-renowned fashion photographer who returns to her small town to help it raise money for its centennial celebration. When she gets there, she finds there’s a lot to love about her hometown, including the boy she left behind.

Celebrity Extra: What did you think when you first read the script and were considering the role of April?

Bree Williamson: I empathize with being at a crossroads in your life, where you’re doing really well and you’re feeling successful and everything’s great, but you’re not feeling completely fulfilled. She went on an unexpected journey. She goes to her hometown, and she’s swept away in the journey of finding love. She’s a really cool character; I thought it was written very well, and it is a really sweet love story that my son can watch.

CE: The chemistry between all of you onscreen was very good. Did you all get along well off-screen too?

BW: We did. It wasn’t acting. We really did all get along. I had a great time. It was really fun to work with everybody. It was a fun set, and we teased each other a lot. And Jason (Dohring, who plays Luke) really likes to work. He was available and really wanted to make it a great film and a great experience. Plus, he’s really a nice guy. And Frances Fisher is so cool. I love her so much. Caitlin Carmichael is just the sweetest little girl ever. I’m always fascinated with young actors and was impressed by how she was such a pro. I really enjoyed working with her.

CE: She really is phenomenal. She handled all the fun scenes well, and with her crying scene, she knocked it out of the park!

BW: I’ve seen grown-up actors who have to cry, and they’ll call for a clear set so they can cry, and be very high maintenance about it. But Caitlin was just such a pro about it. She was amazing.

CE: How was it working with Hallmark?

BW: Amazing. It’s a great network. They treated me so nicely. I can’t say enough. It was such a positive experience. I loved the entire crew, the hair and makeup, wardrobe. The director, Kristoffer Tabori, was amazing. He’s a classy guy. He was so open to talking about everything and the whole process. Plus, I was home every night at a regular time, and that’s a dream situation for an actor, especially for a mom. I can’t say enough good stuff about the experience. It was so wonderful.

CE: What do you hope viewers take away from the movie?

BW: I always hope that everybody just ends up feeling great after they watch something, that it brings some joy and happiness into their life. If it means more to them, that’s awesome, but that’s all I really want.

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Interview: A Story Angela Robinson Is Excited to Tell

The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) has its share of new and exciting programming. And as millions of viewers have discovered, it also has a sudsy, seductive and addictive nighttime drama, by none other than Tyler Perry, that has taken the soap world by storm. I am speaking of “The Haves and the Have Nots,” which is a one-hour drama that airs on OWN on Tuesdays at 9/8c. The show stars John Schneider, Tika Sumpter, Angela Robinson and Peter Parros, and centers on the rich and powerful Cryer family (headed by Schneider) and the hired help who work in their opulent Savannah, Georgia, mansion. I spoke with series star Angela Robinson, who plays the sharp-tongued and formidable Veronica Harrington, about the show as we get into the thick of season three.

Celebrity Extra: The role of Veronica Harrington is the talk of the fans: You either love her or you hate her. She’s smart, sassy and very much someone you don’t want to get on the wrong side of. What did you think about her when you were first presented with the role?

Angela Robinson: Thank goodness for people like Tyler Perry for writing this kind of role. When I first got the script, the only thing that really defined my character in it was my relationship with my son. The character had not been developed much more than that. I was the best friend of Kathryn Cryer, and I was the mom who was going to be against her son [and his sexual orientation]. My goal with that was to just be as faithful as I possibly could about hating that. I felt as though people who really feel that way and who would go to such lengths to change their child’s sexuality, if they could see a glimpse of themselves, they may actually think twice about it if they could actually see how painful and hurtful that could be. It was my goal to go all the way with that and not worry about being liked, to be OK with being hated.

CE: Were you nervous or excited to take that on?

AR: Definitely excited. It didn’t make me nervous. I was really excited to take it on, to be a part of telling this story of this young man’s journey. So, it didn’t make me nervous at all, but it did give me pause. I just really didn’t want to sugarcoat it. That was important to me, and it was also important to Mr. Perry.

CE: Do you consider Veronica to be a villain, or just misunderstood?

AR: That’s a really good question. I think that she’s probably one of the villainesses on the show. I say that because she is one of the ones who manipulates and tries to control a situation. I would say that she is. She, along with Candace, yes.

CE: I’d put Veronica up there with Erica Kane (“All My Children”) and Alexis Colby (“Dynasty”) in the “sophisticated and gorgeous villainess” category, but also Olivia Pope (“Scandal”) and Annalise Keating (“How to Get Away with Murder”) in the “powerful, smart and woman-in-control” category.

AR: What I love is that you mentioned these women, the leading ladies on television now of color. I love that it’s not all peaches and cream, you know? These ladies are complex; we have villains, and we get to play all these different types of characters. I think that’s great.

CE: A big moment — which for me harkened back to the “Dynasty” days when Alexis and Krystle had a lily-pond catfight — was when Veronica and Maggie went at it over David.

AR: It’s crazy, the reactions we’ve been getting. I didn’t know people were so into fighting! I think it says a lot about how people feel about marriage. No matter how much they hate [my character], they didn’t like anyone trying to come between a married couple. Allison (McAtee), the young lady who plays Maggie, is a good friend, so it was all done in fun and love. It was a lot of fun. I have fun speaking my mind and telling it like it is.

CE: People were saying that since David and Maggie weren’t intimate, it’s not cheating. I say, they were in bed making out half-clothed, so, yes, that’s cheating, and Veronica has every right to be mad.

AR: I know! We talked about that a lot on-set when we were doing it. People were like, “But he didn’t do anything!” And I would always say: “But I don’t know that. He was in her room all night. That’s enough.” They could have just been talking. I think that if you know a woman is into you, you probably shouldn’t be in an adjoining room. Probably should check his clothes. David’s such a good guy. But I agree it was cheating.

CE: How does “The Haves and the Have Nots” stand out from other nighttime dramas?

AR: I think it’s a number of things. I think it’s extremely diverse. You have different races; you have people of different economic backgrounds; you have different sexual orientations. And all are on the same level on the show. You are seeing their stories play out; it truly is an ensemble cast. Our show speaks to so many different issues, and the show is really relevant. I just think people really relate to it.

CE: Onscreen there is a lot of drama, but what’s it like backstage?

AR: We are a close cast. We all get along really well. We hang out in each other’s dressing rooms. Sometimes we talk about the story line together like it’s for real. We have to catch ourselves, because we’ll be done with a scene and walking back to the dressing room, and I’ll say to David, “But you had no business in her room.” And he’ll say, “Well, you should have let me come home.” And we look at each another and say: “What are we saying? That was business. We’re done.” Sometimes we take it very seriously (laughs).

And we genuinely really like each other. We enjoy spending time with one another off-set. I miss the cast so much [when we’re done filming for the season]. It’s really hard to say goodbye.

CE: What can you tell me about season three?

AR: I really think it’s the best season we’ve done. Fans can expect a bold ride every episode. Every character gets a moment this season. Last season we were really praying that Benny was going to come out of his coma, which was a big part of last season. And Candace was kidnapped most of last season. Now Benny’s back and Candace is back, and everybody gets the photo lens on their character more this season than any other season. It’s going to be really great. You are going to see different sides to the characters. Sometimes writers like to keep their characters in a box, but Mr. Perry doesn’t write that way. We get to see different sides of the characters, which is great for an actor to not be tied to a specific interpretation. It will be a great season.

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Interview: James DuMont Discusses His "Indie" Film, Jurassic World

With “American Horror Story: Freak Show” behind him — although I’m sure a lot of viewers are still thinking about that ending — James DuMont is ready to move on to even bigger things, namely dinosaurs. James has a role in the sure-to-be summer blockbuster “Jurassic World,” which opens June 12. While he couldn’t tell me a lot about the hush-hush project, he did give me a little glimpse of what we can expect this summer.

Celebrity Extra: Tell me about “Jurassic World.”

James DuMont: Well, it’s this little, independent, low-budget film that’s got some dinosaurs in it and stuff. (Laughs.) But seriously, I can’t tell you anything about story, plot, my character or anything. I’ve signed all these heavy-duty nondisclosure agreements up and down the street. But the good news to tell you is that it’s absolutely amazing. The cast is amazing. A good indication of the excitement around it is when the trailer came out; 15 million people saw it within the first 24 hours. I think we’re up to 80 million views on YouTube. So, I think I can go out on a limb and predict that we’ll be the box-office hit of the summer. Chris Pratt’s in there. Bryce Dallas Howard’s in there. It’s just really great people involved; it’s going to be a great franchise. There are a lot of cool things about the movie. They got it right. Steven Spielberg’s on board. The director, Colin Trevorrow, is amazing. I’m just excited to be a part of a big movie like that. It’s the largest-budget movie I’ve ever done.

CE: I know you can’t tell me about the plot, but can you tell me about the filming process? How was that, and where did you film?

JD: They did half the film in Hawaii, where the majority of the amusement park is. The rest of it was done in Baton Rouge, and that is where I come into the movie. Louisiana has so much filming going on. At some point we were sharing space with “Terminator: Genisys.” And “The Fantastic Four” was also filming in Baton Rouge. So, you had three $100-million-plus movies all being shot in Louisiana at the same time. That was kind of wild.

CE: And all three of those movies are so hush-hush, which I fully approve of, because I am a no-spoilers kind of movie/TV watcher.

JD: I respect that they want to keep it secret. I feel the same way about the TV shows, too. When I’m doing shows like “American Horror Story,” and even when I was doing “Treme,” I didn’t know about the other scenes. So, I get to watch the show with fresh eyes as well because I don’t know about what other people are doing other than my own scenes. I absolutely like that idea of keeping it quiet and secret. It’s fun to know inside information, but I wouldn’t want to share it, because it kills the story.

CE: I keep expecting to see you pop up as country DJ Bobby Delmont on “Nashville” again, but, alas, you haven’t made another appearance yet.

JD: Juliette Barnes (played by Hayden Panettiere) is going to have to circle back around to Houston and give them a little Bobby Delmont. I thought for sure that returning was a possibility, but, you know, it’s all about the gals and the singing. But you never know. I’m just glad the show’s still going.

CE: I do love “Nashville,” and Hayden has been phenomenal this season.

JD: She’s so incredibly talented. I mean, she’s amazing. She’s the sweetest person and is so smart and sharp, and so on her game. Beyond “Nashville,” I think that some Oscar work is going to come out of her within the next five years, for sure. I was blown away by her, to be quite honest.

CE: I see you’re currently filming a movie called “Mind Puppets.” Tell me about that one.

JD: It’s this cool little ensemble comedy where seven people at a fair are up on stage and are hypnotized by a mind reader/hypnotist. He gives them particular things to do, and the audience is loving it and having a good time. But before he pulls everybody out from under hypnosis, he has a heart attack, so they are stuck in this hypnotic state. It’s a really cool film, a very fun movie. It stars Kevin Pollak, Vinnie Jones and lots of others.

CE: That sounds like a wonderful premise for something I’d like to see.

JD: It is a great premise. The other thing that I loved about it is that it’s a very different follow-up to “Dallas Buyers Club.” I mean, half the movie I’m shirtless. And I’m not built, I’ll tell you right now. I’m a fat dude who sometimes has man boobs. But I researched being hypnotized in real life, and there are no limits or boundaries. Once you’re in that hypnotic state, you’re free from all the limitations that your mind and heart and experiences put on you. There’s something kind of amazing and scary about that.

CE: Tell me about “I Saw the Light.”

JD: It is a Hank Williams biopic, which stars Tom Hiddleston. That definitely will be cut and ready in time for him to be considered for an Oscar nomination, or at least a Golden Globe. He did an amazing job of channeling his inner country singer, and him being the low-key Brit from the “Avengers” movies; you couldn’t ask for more polar-opposite characters to embody. But that one is going to be pretty exciting.

CE: Was this made with cooperation and approval from Hank Williams Jr.?

JD: Absolutely — Junior had approval. We also consulted the people who handled the estate, the musicians who worked side by side with Hank pretty much from day one. You’ve got a lot of old, seasoned folks who handled his business and his personal life. I knew there was a big Hank Williams following, but I had no idea the generational levels of his contribution. I’m excited to be a part of it.

CE: What about the movie “Little Boy”? That comes out soon, right?

JD: That comes out April 24, and I did that about three years ago. I saw a screening of it, and it’s magical. It’s really quite amazing. It’s set during World War II, and it’s about a little boy whose dad goes off to war, and he’ll do anything to make sure his dad comes back home safe. A Japanese man comes to the little town, and he befriends the boy. It’s a beautiful lesson of if you can learn to love your enemy, you can learn to love anybody. Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson, David Henrie, Kevin James — they’re all in it. It’s the kind of movie that people make with their heart, and I hope it will get a lot of attention.

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Interview: Nancy Lee Grahn's General Hospital Now! Cohorts Are Here to Entertain

We all know Nancy Lee Grahn for playing Alexis Davis on “General Hospital” since 1996. And in that time, we’ve seen Alexis commit vehicular manslaughter, accidentally stab Cameron Lewis, kill Luis Alcazar by pushing him off a balcony, break and enter, and steal and lie — but you’ve never seen her like this. On her new Web series “General Hospital Now!” — which she created and co-wrote with Kaore Bonell — Nancy shows us her silly, smart and hilarious side. She also gets some of her castmates into the act with skits, talk-show panels and man-on-the-street interviews. Six episodes (each of which range from seven to 10 minutes) are now available for online viewing at abc.go.com/shows/general-hospital. I spoke with Nancy about this fun new project recently, and she is thrilled to give “GH” fans the chance to see their favorite stars cutting up and letting go.

Celebrity Extra: Who’s idea was “General Hospital Now!”?

Nancy Lee Grahn: It was mine. I have a writing partner, Kaore Bonell — we met through mutual friends — and he’s a huge “GH” fan. He’s a sketch writer, and I loathe writing, so we came up with ideas together. We just laughed and had fun and thought this would be fun to do. We pitched it to ABC, and they were receptive.

CE: I had a ball watching the episodes; this idea was long overdue.

NLG: Yes, that’s the thing — people don’t get to see that this is a very fun medium. Everyone works hard, and they take what they do very seriously and they do it really well, but it’s also entertainment. And we laugh a lot. We have a great sense of humor about all kinds of things that we do. And that to me is the fun thing about doing “GH Now!” — I think it’s important to find the humor in everything. So we are finding the humor, and we’re letting the audience know that we know that they know that we know that we know that they know (laughs). You know what I mean? It’s just really good fun, and it’s done out of love, and it’s a wink and a hug to the audience.

CE: You guys look like you’re having so much fun; is that an example of the fun you all have together off-screen?

NLG: Oh, yes, we do. That’s what’s fun about this show is we get to show what we do when the cameras aren’t rolling. We’re having a good time.

CE: Do you do this in front of an audience? I know I heard laughter and audience reactions during the talk-show portions, but I didn’t know if that was live or added later.

NLG: No, there wasn’t an audience for these first six episodes. When you do a pilot, there’s not a template for this kind of thing, so you experiment. When we saw the playback of the talk show, we realized that it sounded too hollow. There’s a reason why talk shows have the formula that they have, because it works.

CE: With the immense “GH” fan base, you should have no trouble scrounging up an audience if you decide to shoot more of these webisodes.

NLG: Oh, yes, if we get the privilege of doing more, that’s something that’s going to be addressed. We did this for a very modest budget. And if we do more, hopefully there will be some advertising money, and we can get a little more luxurious.

Nancy with Jackie Kashian, Ian Buchanan (Duke Lavery) and Jen Kober 

CE: Some of my favorite parts were when Jason Thompson could guess all of his male co-stars’ identities by their bare chests, the Alexis Jones law-office commercial, and the on-the-street fan interaction where you were teaching them to do a soap-opera face slap. What are some of your favorite moments?

NLG: I am very partial to the sketches. I love “The Crying Game” sketch, the gurney race. I like the commercials; I love doing on-the-street stuff. And there’s a funny bit where everyone goes to the bathroom in my dressing room, thinking it’s the bathroom. You know, things you’ve never seen before on “General Hospital.”


CE: How is the shooting process?

NLG: I can tell you there’s never been a moment shooting this that was not fun in some way. There was no fighting. It wasn’t like, “What are we going to do?” It was a good group. Everyone got along. Everyone pitched in. Every day was fun that we worked on the show, and I loved it.

CE: How has the fan feedback about the series been so far?

NLG: I’m knocking on wood, because it’s been very positive, extremely positive. People have been so supportive. I’m overwhelmed by how nice everybody is.

CE: I’ll bet your “GH” die-hard fans have their share of ideas for future shows, don’t they?

NLG: We’re getting all kinds of ideas. People are saying, “How about you do this in the next one?” And the actors are coming up with ideas. It’s really gotten a very wonderful response, and I’m really grateful.

CE: You said earlier that you don’t know yet if you’ll get to do more — it depends on the reception these first six episodes get — but I really hope you get the OK to do more episodes. They really are a pleasure to watch.

NLG: You are so nice; thank you so much. I so want to do more. Kaore (Bonell) and I have so many more ideas. It really is fun. And the actors involved are really good sports, and they are willing to play. Kaore and I are already starting to talk and come up with some stuff, so if we get green-lit for more, we’ll be ready.

CE: How can fans help you get that green light?

NLG: We just need a lot of website clicks, lots of clicks. People can go to abc.go.com/shows/general-hospital, and click on the “General Hospital Now!” link on the right side of the page, and watch the episodes. And share them with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Let’s get the word out!

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Charlie Weber: From 90210 to Murder

Charlie Weber (photo by Ben Miller)

ABC’s newest nighttime drama, “How to Get Away with Murder,” is the most talked about and watched new series since “Scandal.” Which is no surprise, considering both series have executive producer Shonda Rhimes — a woman who knows how to write gripping and addictive drama — at the helm. And that cliffhanger winter hiatus (where viewers discovered that Annalise — played by Academy Award-nominated Viola Davis — does indeed know that Wes killed her cheating and abusive husband, Sam, with the rest of the group helping to cover it up) had and still has everyone talking. “Murder” returns to ABC on Jan. 29 at 10/9c with six more new shows to round out season one, and I’m sure there will be lots more to talk about once that happens. I spoke with series star Charlie Weber (who has also co-starred in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Everwood” and “90210,” and starred in the feature film “Vampires Suck”), who plays Annalise’s right-hand man Frank Delfino, and he can’t wait for fans to see what Shonda and Co. have in store for fans in the coming episodes.

Celebrity Extra: “How to Get Away with Murder” is by far the best new show of the 2014-15 television series.

Charlie Weber: I agree. I’ve been on a lot of TV shows, and this is the best one. I mean, it’s so good. They screened the pilot for a few of us. I watched it with Tom Verica and Liza Weil and Karla Souza. And right when it started, I was like, “Oh my God, this is good.” I knew we were shooting a good show, but you never know how it’s going to look or how it’s going to feel. And I couldn’t have been more impressed.

CE: I was impressed that it didn’t lose steam after that brilliant pilot episode.

CW: Right. They give you that shock value to get you in, but it stayed good. The writing is incredible. It’s something that challenges people on every part of our show. Everybody’s so talented. Linda Lowy is truly the master of ensemble casting. And everybody’s so great. We all get along. We are all just good friends, and everyone’s cool. We all love our jobs and love going to work, and it makes the whole thing a lot of fun.

CE: Tell me the cast’s reaction to the winter hiatus cliffhanger, where we find out that Annalise was sitting there in the dark when Wes came back to retrieve the trophy, thus showing that all of her actions after her fight with Sam were orchestrated.

CW: That was a cliff I did not know anything about. We didn’t know that until we all read it at the table read. Prior to that, we all had our theories, but honestly, none of us knew that Wes killed Sam until the table read. Everybody had his own theory. And that’s one of the coolest things about the show, is it could have been any of us. We are all pretty bad people. With the exception of maybe Asher, Matt McGorry’s character, we’re all certainly capable, Frank especially. He made his deal with the devil a long time ago. But now these kids are really in it and having to deal with the moral complications of covering this up and having done it in the first place. They’re all in on it now.

CE: I read that show runner Peter Nowalk wants to veer away from using the flashback storytelling device now that we have caught up in time with the murder.

CW: Yes, we have now caught up to murder night, and now we go forward. There are a couple here and there, mostly to explain a certain situation, but there are going to be only a few. We’ll pop around a little bit, but it’s going to be different; it’s going to be more of a linear, forward-moving way of storytelling from here on out.

CE: Tell me about Frank and how you prepared for the role.

CW: I hung around with lawyers. One is a lawyer who does PI work, and I was really fascinated by that. That’s kind of the avenue it started going down. And I started talking with (show runner) Pete Nowalk about it, and he had this idea that we would find out in episode three that Frank’s not a barred attorney. He’s not a practicing lawyer, despite his intelligence, and I thought that adds to the mystery of who Frank is and what he really does. Because what he really does is plant evidence and whatever it is that needs to be done. I thought it was a brilliant choice. And the PI stuff is fascinating. I love Frank, you know, meeting with Annalise in the shadows and going to do the dirty work.

CE: Frank seemed like a nice guy, but then we find out he has a secret girlfriend while he’s romancing Laurel. What’s up with that?

CW: He’s very complicated and has the ability to justify a lot of things. He doesn’t think that was that big of a deal, because she had a boyfriend too. But she’s like, “But you knew about that.” But that’s not how Frank sees things. He doesn’t understand why that was a big deal. He, as a matter of fact, has genuine feelings for her. That’s why he ended the other relationship. But then again, he’s busy doing so many other things. He is a mystery because he really can’t afford not to be because of what he does for Annalise. He has no choice but to be vague and carry himself with a sense of mystery, because he’s committing felonies at almost every turn at the behest of his boss.

CE: Coming into the rest of the season, will you continue with the case-of-the-week format, aside from trying to solve Lila’s and Sam’s murders?

CW: Yeah, that has held up. We discussed that. It’s not as much of a focal point, but the interesting thing about continuing with the case of the week is that we’ve got bigger things to worry about than our client. And so everybody’s mind is sort of wandering everywhere as we’re trying to do these cases. And yes, the murders of Sam and Lila Stangard are going to be a little bit more front and center, along with the case-of-the-week stuff.

CE: Because of all that happened, I think that Annalise will need Frank a lot more.

CW: Yes, what he does is going to become an even bigger asset. This is when Frank shines. This is when he does what he does best.

CE: What can we expect as season one comes to a close?

CW: Well, we have six more episodes. As you can imagine, the whole thing busts wide open. Information will be coming out about both murders, and there’s going to be a lot of scrambling to deal with it by everyone. And not that the show isn’t already crazy and exciting already, but it gets more so. There are plenty of twists and turns coming, I can assure you of that.

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Interview: Teri Wyble's Hush-Hush Projects

Unless you live under a rock, then you know about the phenomenon that is AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” And unless you live under the soil under that rock, then you know that Arnold Schwarzenegger and company are returning to the big screen with another installment in the “Terminator” franchise, in the form of “Terminator: Genisys.” Recently I spoke with Teri Wyble — who previously has been featured in “Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” “Nashville” and “Drop Dead Diva” — about both, since she has a feature role in both of these hush-hush, highly anticipated projects.

Celebrity Extra: I was very surprised by how much I liked “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.” It was wonderfully inventive and creative, and the writing and acting were superb. Tell me about your role, and how you got the part.

Teri Wyble: Back when I auditioned for that role, I still hadn’t had a good speaking part, so I was so excited. And then I found out I was going to have to kiss Dominic Cooper, and I was like: “What? OK, now we’re talking. I can handle that.”

We filmed it on a plantation — I forget the plantation’s name — but I think it was in the fall, and the weather was starting to cool off, and I was in this period-piece dress with a corset. I loved the costumes. I love period pieces. So, we’re on this plantation and I have this beautiful wardrobe, and the weather’s wonderful, and I have cute Dominic Cooper by my side. I just thought: “This is amazing. I want to do this forever.” So, it was a great first experience on set. Few things have lived up to that first nice little experience.

CE: Is it true that they expanded your part once they had you on the set?

TW: In the original script, they didn’t have my whole death scene. They didn’t have me getting killed and me getting bitten. It kind of just showed me dead or something. I forget. But (director) Timur (Bekmambetov) threw that on me on the day of. We had filmed my couple of lines, and then I thought that was it. I thought I was just going to work one day. And he was like, “Oh, you’ll be back tomorrow?” And I was like: “Oh, OK. I’ll take it.” So, we ended up of filming this whole scene, I think Timur called it “the death dance.”

CE: How was it working on “Nashville,” which just happens to be one of my favorite shows?

TW: That was great to work on. I hate to say, “Oh this is great to work on and this is awesome.” But I guess it’s just how I approach being on set. And I’m always so happy to be there. On “Nashville,” I played Chris Carmack’s (Will Lexington) girl on the side. I met him for the first time at the hotel that we were staying at, and he and I would go out and run every day. I was like, “Who is this hot, hot guy who keeps running and I keep seeing him?” he introduced himself to me, and we had drinks one evening before we even filmed together. It was nice to kind of get to know him before I hopped into bed with him on the show (laughs). It was great to be on a show that I knew so many people loved. “Nashville” is one of those shows where you can just sit back, get comfy and watch that show, and know you’ll be in for a good time.

CE: I have to imagine that it’s pretty fun to be an actor on “The Walking Dead” set, am I right?

TW: Oh yeah, you’ve got to have fun with all that stuff and all that gore. There comes a certain point where you’re like: “Oh my God. This is so ridiculous — and awesome.” I would see a lot of the Walkers just hanging out, eating a salad. I wanted to pull out my phone so many times and be like, I want to remember this picture of this Walker eating a salad. It’s just crazy.

CE: What can you tell me about your character, and how she fits into the schematics of the show?

TW: I play Officer Shepherd, who’s one of the survivors of the outbreak, obviously. I reside at Grady Hospital, along with some other police officers and survivors. Those other survivors were “saved” by us and have to repay us by working for us. So, yeah, some shadiness is going on. But you don’t really know what’s happening in Grady Hospital. You don’t know if it’s a good thing or what’s really happening here.

“The Walking Dead” as a whole was so incredibly amazing to work on. The cast and the crew — everybody was so welcoming and so nice. It really felt like a family. Andrew Lincoln (who plays Rick Grimes) — I call him Andy — for some reason, we would always get put in the makeup and hair trailer at the same time. And he was always so friendly — he’d come give me a kiss on the cheek or on the head. And he’d put some music on really loud and just lighten the mood and make everybody feel so comfortable. He was just so amazing and so sweet. I’m so thankful to have met him. I didn’t realize he was going to be so darn cool.

CE: I know you can’t say a lot, but what can you tell me about “Terminator: Genisys”?

TW: “Terminator: Genisys” is a reboot of the “Terminator” franchise. It begins with John Connor, who’s continuing the war against the machines. I play a soldier named Mariam, who’s in John Connor’s inner circle of the resistance. I definitely worked with Jason Clarke (who plays John Connor) a bunch. He had such a commanding presence, and I think he is so incredibly talented and so captivating.

CE: How is the rest of the cast to work with?

TW: I was able to meet pretty much everyone for the read-through. We did a table read, and so just reading the script with people like Jason Clark and Jai Courtney (Kyle Reese) and Emilia Clarke (Sarah Connor) and Arnold Schwarzenegger — just being in that room with these people was pretty darn cool. I hope I can just remember little moments like that, just being in that room when Arnold’s saying some of his famous lines.

CE: A lot of people, including myself, are very excited for this reboot.

TW: I’m so excited for it to come out. I had no idea what I was getting myself into working on “Terminator.” It was just insane. It’s such a big-budget film, and I don’t think I’ve ever been on a film set with that kind of power.

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Interview: Josie Bissett on the Joy of Giving and Paper Angels

Just in time for the heartwarming holiday season is Up TV’s inspirational movie called “Paper Angels,” which stars “Melrose Place” alum Josie Bissett. In “Paper Angels,” which premieres tonight, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST, abused wife Lynn (played by Josie) leaves her alcoholic husband, Darryl, and with her two kids, Thomas and Sara, she escapes to another town where she works as a waitress to make ends meet. Thomas starts a new school and becomes the target of a bully who is threatened by how well Thomas plays basketball. Unable to join the high school team midyear, Thomas goes to the community center where he meets Kevin (played by Matthew Settle of “Gossip Girl”), and the two of them become unlikely friends through pickup basketball games. Little do they know the tremendous impact they will have on each other’s families come Christmastime through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program.

The movie is inspired by the hit country Christmas song featured in the movie, “Paper Angels,” by country music star Jimmy Wayne and the same-titled book by Jimmy (with Travis Thrasher). Jimmy also wrote and performed two new songs for the film. I spoke with Josie about the film, and she is thrilled to bring Jimmy’s story to life for her fans … and hopes they’ll open their hearts to those in need this holiday season.

Celebrity Extra: Tell me, what it was about this movie that made you want to be a part of it?

Josie Bissett: The first thing I ever look at in the script is the character, if it’s someone I want to play. And to me, the greatest part of making the decision was the character. That got me because I loved playing someone who was falling apart in the beginning, but then she really takes the reins of her life and her two kids, who were the same ages as my two kids in real life.

CE: So in some aspects, could you relate to her struggles?

JB: I’m a single mom, so yes, I really related to her struggles of being on her own, making a life for her and her kids, and the adjustments and changes that brings to her life. That part was really relatable. And I love the fact that she works hard. This character is not something I’ve ever played before, and I loved getting to play that. My characters are usually pretty put together. As far as the script goes, I really love playing a mom these days, and I just love working with kids. I feel like it brings so much joy to the set, because they are so happy to be there.

Also, I’m a big fan of Jimmy Wayne, and then hearing his story — what a phenomenal person! Knowing that it was loosely based on his life — he’s a country singer who had this absolutely horrific life and who is out there trying to help teenagers who are homeless, who are aging out of the foster-care system. It’s something you don’t really know about unless somebody tells you. And it’s tough. It’s sad.

CE: What’s the biggest message of the film that you’d like to impart?

JB: The biggest message that I know that I want to get out is the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program and all the Salvation Army does to help. (To learn more, go to salvationarmyusa.org.) When you realize how just one simple thing — like picking an angel off a tree and buying presents for a deserving child — can change that child’s life, you think: “Why aren’t these everywhere? Why aren’t we all helping?” Some of these families, they have nothing. As I get older, I really want to give back. I feel blessed to have all the wonderful experiences, health and all of that. I went through a really, really tough four years. Really tough. And I think that when you go through tough times, you truly learn compassion.

CE: “Paper Angels” is a really sweet movie that inspires people to assist those who might need a helping hand. Tell me about some of the charities you’re involved with.

JB: This month, I’m going on a Mission trip. My whole life I’ve been traveling, but I went straight from work to kids and, with kids, there’s not a lot of time for that. But now I’m older, and my kids are older. I’ve joined this incredible foundation; it’s called Starkey Hearing Foundation.

CE: I interviewed Justin Osmond a few years back, and he is very involved with Starkey. It’s such a great group.

JB: It’s a really incredible foundation. I’m going Sri Lanka right after my press for my movie, and I am just so excited. It’s the kind of the direction I want to go, to be able to do more of that, and more of these kinds of movies like “Paper Angels.” Just putting good stuff out there in the world as opposed to, you know — I watch the news every morning, and it’s just really scary.

CE: For those who can’t travel, or maybe can’t afford too much, how can we help others this holiday season?

JB: If you can’t afford to buy anything for anyone, the Salvation Army needs help packing the gifts. So that’s another option, helping with your time.

CE: What else do you have coming up?

JB: Aside from working with Starkey and my trip to Sri Lanka, I’m actually going to start my next book series. I’m going to start it while I’m in Sri Lanka, but I don’t know the name of it yet. So, let’s just say that I’m starting research on my next book series while I’m there.

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Interview: Rena Sofer Talks Daytime Drama and Amorra Collagen Candle Skincare

When Quinn Fuller blew onto the scene on “The Bold and the Beautiful” this summer, neither her portrayer, Rena Sofer, nor the audience had any idea of what they were in for. Since Quinn has been in L.A., she’s dangled someone over a railing, pushed someone off a bridge, tried to impale someone with a sword, locked someone in a steam room and interfered with and manipulated her son Wyatt’s life seven ways to Sunday. And yet, she’s still around and making life miserable for others — and the fans of “B&B” couldn’t be happier. I spoke with Rena recently about her new role, and she can’t wait for fans to see what else Quinn has planned.

Celebrity Extra: Since Quinn’s been in town, I’d say she’s been causing a wee bit of trouble.

Rena Sofer: Yes. Just a little bit though. Not TOO much (laughs).

CE: You have to be having an absolute ball portraying her.

RS: I can’t tell you how much fun it is. It’s really Brad (Bell, head writer and executive producer), though, who puts it upon himself to decide to take this woman — who nobody knew anything about and has no history of being a bad person that anyone knew of — and really slowly, behind everybody’s back, turn her into who we see now. However, I don’t think she’s crazy. I don’t think she’s mentally unsound; I think she’s just crazy in the sense of she does what she wants without the thought of how it’s going to really affect anyone else. She has this mental diarrhea.

CE: Did you have any idea where Brad was going to go with the character, or did you learn about it just before the rest of us did?

RS: I had no idea. I spent the first three months on the show wanting to keep Hope away from Wyatt. And then I really liked her because she hired us to do her jewelry line. I decided I wanted her to be with Wyatt, and Liam was in the way. I spent so much time not liking Liam, so I started doing little things, like locking him in the steam room when he was supposed to meet Hope. And turning the heat up to the point where he could have died and then letting him out. And I love the fact that she didn’t let him out and run away. She let him out, letting him see her and making it clear, “I’m the one who just locked you in there, and I’m the one who let you out.” To me, that’s gold.

CE: How was Brad able to lure you back to daytime television?

RS: There are so many great things about nighttime television and so many great things about daytime television. And then there are things that are not great about daytime and not great about nighttime. The one thing that daytime affords you is the ability to have a normal schedule, be home, and if you are a parent, like I am, it makes life incredibly easy. I got tired of the grind of not working, and then you’ve got a job that’s in Vancouver for eight days. And in those eight days, I wonder who’s going to take care of my kids. My husband is a director, and he’s out of town a lot.

Very little is shot here in L.A. now. So much is being shot in New Mexico and Atlanta and Vancouver and Toronto and Chicago. It closed the field for me. Then Brad Bell called and said: “Hey, I have this part. Will you come in and meet with me?” He told me about their schedule, which is four days a week, three weeks a month. I’m home usually before 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon. I can drive my daughter to school. I can drive her home. On top of all that, I got to create a character from scratch. That sealed the deal for me.

CE: What are some of your favorite things about playing Quinn and being on “The Bold and the Beautiful”?

RS: The great thing about this show, and probably my favorite thing about Brad Bell, is he didn’t have this iron hand about Quinn and who he wanted her to be and who she was. He was never like, “You’d better do this, and you’d better make it this.” None of that happened. This man basically invited me to his show because he trusted me, and then just said, “Here are the words.”

I started playing her lines a little bit off. I was just like, “I’m not a crier, so I don’t want to be crying every five seconds, so stop writing her that way.” I just had them stop writing that. I expressed to them that it’s not my cup of tea. Then they started writing it a little bit differently. And I started playing with their words. I didn’t change their words; I just took them in a different way than I think they expected. Brad saw what I was doing, took hold of those reins and said, “Hey, how about this?” Where do you get that kind of opportunity? In nighttime television, you are the lowest person on the totem pole as far as how you are going to play a character. They hire you to play what they want you to play, and pretty much everyone is replaceable. To be able to have the freedom to do what I do every single day is such a gift to me. It really is a gift.

CE: Hope and Wyatt are pretty fed up with Quinn, and Hope wants her out of their lives and nowhere near the baby she is expecting. How will Quinn deal with that?

RS: She’s definitely not going to give up. Clearly she sees Deacon (Hope’s father) as an asset. That is something that is helpful to her, even though she does kind of like him.

CE: Speaking of Deacon, Quinn used to be obsessed with getting Bill back, and now that that is fading, will she concentrate her efforts on Deacon?

RS: Yeah, she stopped caring about Bill a while ago. You know, when a story’s not going to work for whatever reason, it’s not going to work. You’ve just got to move on. You can’t keep forcing a situation that is not going to happen. So I’m really happy that Brad came up with the idea to have Deacon change his focus to Quinn. And I think it’s so funny that they’ve been living together all this time — since he’s been in town — and nobody knows. They’ve spent a lot of time together, but not romantically. So the fact that all of a sudden — boom! — something happened, it makes sense.

CE: Judging by the online feedback, the fans definitely approve of a Quinn/Deacon matchup.

RS: I definitely think we are going in the right direction. I don’t think I ever heard any feedback regarding Bill and Quinn, about anybody’s interest in that. This is something people are really interested in, and that’s exciting.

CE: Can you give me any clue as to what to expect regarding Quinn and Deacon’s burgeoning relationship in coming weeks?

RS: I can probably say that in upcoming weeks, their little secret relationship isn’t a secret anymore. But you will see how and when that happens.

CE: I’m sure Hope will love that!

RS: Well, she should love me, right? I mean, I love her father now. What’s wrong with that?

CE: Tell me how your collaboration with Dino Morra on the Amorra Collagen Body Candles came about.

RS: Dino Morra has been my facialist for 15 years, and I’ve used his products for 15 years, including his candles. These candles are his baby; he made them for his clients. I told him they should be in every store in America. I told him, “I love your product as is, and I would love to be your partner and get them out there.” And what happened is we really collaborated. We worked on them together and perfected them.

We had three scents in the first place: peony, vanilla and blood orange. And then we’ve added four scents that we created together. But he’s the chemist. I say to him, “I love this smell and this smell.” And then he goes into the lab and he comes out with Nag Champa and Arabian Spice. Or I’ll say, “I want like a really clean, citrusy one like the blood orange but lighter.” And he comes in with his lemongrass scent, which is just incredible. We also have a tobacco, vanilla and cherry-wood scent, which is such a beautiful scent for men. We have this great scent for our recovery candle: It is eucalyptus, mint, amber, menthol, arnica and MSM, which is a sulfur extract. The menthol is healing in when it’s lit, or when you place it on your chest, it will help open up your nasal passages if you’re congested. The arnica is great for bruising, and then the MSM is for inflammation.

With all the candles, there’s no wax and no paraffin. You put them directly on your skin, and they just melt into your skin. And they are so wonderful smelling too. You smell like the candle that you love to have in your house. And they’re great products.

CE: How long does the candle last, especially if you do a combination of burning it for the smell and using it on your skin?

RS: It’s a regular candle with 60 hours of burn time. If you wear it all the time, it’s going to change how long the candle will burn. But then you’re still getting the benefits of it as well. It’s $35, which is a great price for either a skincare product or a candle. The scents offered are really strong. I have my blood orange candle in my dressing area — I just have it out, not burning — and my whole area smells like it.

CE: Are the candles in stores yet, or can they be bought online?

RS: We have our own website, amorrabeauty.com, and it’s just great. You go to the site, and you just pick which candle you want. It’s really easy. And once you get the candle, it’s so fun. You’ll really love it.

(Author’s Note: I tried the lemongrass collagen candle, and I have to say, I absolutely love it. The scent is heavenly, and the actual collagen candle made my skin feel so soft and supple. I’d definitely recommend this. And what do you know — the holidays just HAPPEN to be coming up!)

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Interview: Apolo Ohno Pushes New Boundaries

This weekend, while the majority of us are watching college and pro football, stuffing our faces at bars or outside barbecues, or just hanging out reading a book or watching TV, world-champion speed skater Apolo Ohno will be burning enough calories for all of us. Tomorrow, Oct. 11, Apolo will be competing in the Ironman World Championship, which is a 140.6-mile triathlon competition that takes place in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. He's been training for months to compete in this only-the-strong-survive competition, and I spoke with him recently about his training, and his hopes for the competition.

Celebrity Extra: What was the impetus behind your decision to participate in Ironman?

Apolo Ohno: [Fellow “Dancing with the Stars” champion] Hines Ward completed his first Ironman challenge in Kona last year, and I was inspired by it. I had been thinking about doing it last year, but I was traveling so much, it didn’t make sense. But I needed a challenge. I needed to inspire other people. I needed to inspire myself. I needed something that wasn’t anything like speed skating. I was a 40-second athlete. I could sprint. I was ballistic. I was powerful. But then after 40 seconds, that’s when my laces came off. Hines said this is the complete opposite side of the spectrum. It’s endurance based. It’s a triathlon. It’s three sports in one.

CE: Personally, I can’t imagine myself ever being able to survive an Ironman, but if I were to try, how would I train? How have you been training?

AO: You know, you think you can’t, but you could. It just takes consistency. It takes dedication. It takes a lot of time. The businesses that I’m involved with require me to be up very late, and I’m traveling internationally. And so it’s all about scheduling. I need this in my life, but I also do it because I want to inspire other people. One of the things that I was really, really adamant about is, I said, “Look, if I’m going to do this, we’ve got to make sure that we chronicle all the steps of the way.” So, that’s what we’ve been doing.

You can see the episodes of my training on gotchocolatemilk.com. There will be eight specific webisodes total. We’re chronicling from when I first arrived in Kona and seeing the transformation process — seeing my mind, my body, my struggles, and the difficulty in training for something of this nature.

It also chronicles my training. It’s different every week. This week, on Thursday I had a very long bike ride, a seven-hour bike ride. I rode like 100 or 110 miles or something like that, solo. It’s going to be very interesting. And then I follow that with a T run — or a transition run — which is a 40-minute run right after I get off the bike. It’s wild. I mean, anytime you bike 100-something miles, it’s a pretty intense day.

CE: Since you are a world-renowned athlete, that has to give you some advantages, but since your previous training is so different, that must present some cons for you as well.

AO: The pros are that I know what training is like. I’ve suffered through difficulty and pain in my own sport. The cons are I’m not an endurance athlete. I’m based around power, explosiveness, speed. Like any sprinter who’s designed for that, we require lots of rest between intervals. I’m very good at doing intervals as long as I have a little bit of rest. But with Ironman training, there is no rest. You’re going nonstop for hours and hours and hours, and you have to complete the entire 2.4-mile open-water ocean swim to 112-mile bike ride followed by running a marathon (which is 26.2 miles). And you have to do that all in under 17 hours.

CE: Wow.

AO: I know. Whenever I say that, it blows my mind. Especially in the conditions that we compete in in Kona, Hawaii. You’re in an incredibly beautiful place, but make no mistake, the conditions are brutal: 100-degree weather; 100 percent humidity; 60-mile-an-hour crosswinds; black lava rocks in which you have to run through and bike through; ambient temperatures upwards of 120 to 130 degrees. It just sucks all of the energy, nutrients, and minerals out of your system, so you have to make sure that nutrition is a key component in that entire process.

CE: How are you preparing mentally for the competition?

AO: I do meditation, and I focus on my breathing, making sure that I have those goals in sight. Any time you have somebody in front of you, you have to make sure you are achieving those goals, whether it is on a daily basis, weekly basis, or monthly basis. And I have specific goals set up. That’s the best way to maximize performance, whether in business, life, relationships, or in sports.

CE: Did Hines give you any advice for the big day?

AO: The first thing Hines said to me was, “Brother, I’m praying for you.” He said to just enjoy it. He said to take my time. It’s once in a lifetime. It’s pretty incredible.

I’m in a whole new place now. I’m more confident; I’m stronger; I’m getting leaner; and I can’t wait to arrive in Kona. It’s a good feeling.

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Cameron Mathison Goes Undercover in Along Came a Nanny

Cameron Mathison has been one busy guy since his “All My Children” days. He’s the go-to host/correspondent for all the big talk shows; he danced his way almost to the semifinals with Edyta Sliwinska during the fifth season of “Dancing With the Stars”; and he’s guest-starred and starred on numerous TV shows and movies. Cameron’s current gig is that of an undercover nanny. On Oct. 12 at 9/8c on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel (formerly the Hallmark Movie Channel), Cameron stars in “Along Came a Nanny” as Det. Mike Logan, who must go undercover as a nanny in a formerly safe suburban neighborhood to find out who is burglarizing the houses.

Celebrity Extra: What was it about the film, and the character of Mike, that appealed to you?

Cameron Mathison: The comedic aspect was a really big factor. It was one of the first things that hooked me. I also really like that he was this big kid who hadn’t grown up, and he has to take care of other kids. He’s not really taken that seriously at work, but he wants to make a serious change as far as progressing in his job. He wants to move up. In order to do that he has to step it up. It was a moment in his life where he knew he had to take that step into responsibility and learn to deal with kids. I've lived through that phase myself, and I can really relate to it.

CE: While it was a feel-good movie, it was very believable and didn’t come off as pat or saccharine.

CM: Good! I’m glad it came off like that, because that can be a challenge. These movies get shot really quickly. We don’t have a lot of luxuries as far as time goes. To me, it’s important in my life, in general, to be happy and to be a benefit to those around me. We all got along really well. I try to be happy; I try to make the set happy. Sometimes it’s challenging when things are stressed, but with that said, this was a feel-good set. We were just having a lot of fun, a lot of laughs, and there was a lot of silliness. It was probably one of my favorite jobs that I can remember doing. It was a lot of fun.

CE: How was your leading lady, Sarah Lancaster, to work with?

CM: She’s the best. She’s such a pro and so fun and so down-to-earth and genuine. It’s maybe a little intimidating knowing that she’s a big deal. I went in making sure I was as prepared as I could be so that I could just really relax and be spontaneous and listen and react and play off her. Right off the bat she was so sweet and kind and funny — she has a great sense of humor.

CE: This movie had a very “Castle” feel to it. I could see it being a semi-regular series for the channel.

CM: I’m a big fan of “Castle,” so I love that comparison. Let’s see … how do we make this into a series? I guess we have to keep on changing his name and undercover occupation, because I don’t think he could be a nanny in every episode. But if I were, that would be fun. I know that Hallmark loves their mysteries, and I love working for them, so let’s hope for more!

CE: What would you like people to come away with after watching this movie?

CM: That’s a good question. First, I want them to have fun watching it, because there’s lots of comedy in it. I want them to feel warm, because there’s love and there’s growth within the characters through the story. I’d like for them to be entertained by the comedy, warm from the love, and also surprised by the mystery. Those are the three biggies that I would like people to take away.

CE: I know you’re in Vancouver now filming a show. What is it?

CM: It’s called “Game of Homes,” and I’m hosting it. It’s a really fun renovation/reality show where they’re taking four dilapidated houses off their foundations, and moving these four houses to a really cool downtown location. The contestants make up four teams, and they each end up, through a series of events, getting a specific house. Every week they renovate a new room of the house and the aspect of the house. And every week there is a new challenge with prizes. You can win a trip to Paris or a week cruise in the Caribbean. The ultimate goal, if you win, is that you win your house and a piece of land to put it on. It’s a fun show, because it’s reality show-esque: You get to vicariously live with them; they sleep and live in their houses, even though they are being renovated. The stakes are super-high.

Another other aspect about it that I really like is that I graduated with an engineering degree like 700 years ago, and my dream was always to go into a design firm with my best friend, who’s an architect. I was going to be the engineer, and he was going to be the architect. That was always my dream. And then I bailed on him and went in the entertainment world. But since that time, this is the closest gig I’ve ever had that involves design, construction, engineering, load-bearing walls, header beams — all that kind of stuff. For me it’s kind of coming close to my original dream of what I wanted to do with my life.

CE: Do you know when it airs, and when we’ll get to see it?

CM: It’s a Canadian production. Initially, it’s going to air in Canada. But I have a feeling it’s going to appear elsewhere; it’s just one of those shows. I’ll definitely let you know when I know what channel it’s going to be on in the States.

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Interview: CCH Pounder of NCIS: New Orleans Lets the Good Times Roll in the Big Easy

Veteran actress CCH Pounder has starred or co-starred in practically every great American TV series since the 1980s, including “Cagney and Lacey,” “Hill Street Blues,” “Miami Vice,” “The X-Files,” “E.R.” “Sons of Anarchy” and many more. Not to mention the fact that she’s starred on the big screen in feature films like “Avatar,” “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” and “End of Days,” to name a few. Next up for this talented and versatile actress is playing Dr. Loretta Wade on “NCIS: New Orleans,” which has its series premiere tonight at 9/8c on CBS. The show also brings her back to co-starring with former “Quantum Leap” star Scott Bakula, who stars in the new “NCIS” spinoff.

Celebrity Extra: You have such a prolific acting resume that you’re bound to work with some of the same people more than once — back in 1990, you co-starred on an episode of “Quantum Leap,” and now you and Scott are both on “NCIS: New Orleans.”

CCH Pounder: Oh, we were babies back then! How fabulous. It was ironic that we remembered each other so very well over the years, so it’s really great.

CE: What’s also great is the fact that your series premieres right after the season premiere of the original “NCIS.”

CCH: We’ve got a very sweet time slot. Quite honestly, if it fails you’d probably just have to go in the bathroom and shoot yourself. Everybody loves “NCIS.” People want to see more of it. Ignoring all of that, the point is that you get to be an actor, and you are reading scripts all the time, and hopefully your talent will find the sweet spot for it. I’m working on my third episode, and so far I’m feeling pretty damn confident.

CE: One of the things that works so well for the original “NCIS” is the chemistry between everyone. How’s your cast coming together so far?

CCH: My and Scott’s chemistry from working together has fallen into place very, very quickly. And I am really tickled with Rob Kerkovich, who just joined the cast. He’s very funny; he’s like a big geek god for everybody. We’ve had really good chemistry as well — those are basically the two main people who I work with.

CE: Tell me about filming on location in the Big Easy.

CCH: I think it’s becoming sort of like the next big place to film, besides Toronto. I saw at least five or six other location guides scouting areas. Are we all playing up in the swamp this year?

CE: I haven’t visited New Orleans since before Hurricane Katrina. How is the city coming along?

CCH: Where I am is a slightly touristy area, so everything is exceedingly optimistic. There is construction everywhere; it’s like Beijing. They are building like crazy; they are knocking down like crazy; they are repurposing. I am in the Art District, and every warehouse is being turned into living spaces — it’s just surreal.

There are areas where you still see the houses with the quadrants and the marks on them. There are places where the houses have giant holes in the roof, and they are abandoned. And there are also neighborhoods where people just didn’t come back. There might be two or three people living on that block.

CE: While the show does follow the “NCIS” format, it is indeed its own show, with a different feel and attitude compared with its predecessor.



CCH: Yes, absolutely. First of all, the place has its own character. It is a different kind of temperature, certainly, and atmosphere, absolutely, but also the pace of it is not as uptight as it would be in, say, Washington. It covers a wide swath of the Southern Belt, from New Orleans all the way up to Alabama. It deals with Navy Criminal Investigation — the framework is the same — but the people and the contents and the pacing are quite different.

CE: Tell me about your character, Dr. Wade.

CCH: Originally, the medical examiner was described as a British, intellectual, well-read personality, but I really wanted to go completely the opposite and be a much more emotional personality, one who has a lot of concern about the families of the deceased. And I really tried to make her kind of a sassy gal. Also, I wanted her brightness to be intuitive. She’s got the medical chops, but I didn’t want her to give medical legalese to the people who are not in that profession. She speaks to them in a plain and simple way about what happened. When speaking with other medical people, then she can be versatile within her medical language. I think we found a really nice balance.

CE: What about character/actor crossovers from “NCIS” to “NCIS: New Orleans”?

CCH: Everyone wants to come to New Orleans. Joe Spano was here last week; Meredith Eaton was here; Michael Weatherly is here now. So the food and the laissez les bons temps rouler (“let the good times roll”) attitude have enticed a lot of them to come on down.

CE: Last time we spoke, there was talk of an “Avatar” sequel. Is that still in the works?

CCH: Every time I begin to doubt, thinking, “Oh gosh, I guess it’s not happening,” they call and check in with: “Hey, how you doing? How’s your availability?” Well, it’s here. So, I guess whatever time is needed to finish writing or whatever preproduction is needed — whatever the new machinery is, the new cameras, the new technology. The technology was racing so quickly when we were doing the first “Avatar” that by now I am pretty sure that they have come up with a whole other set of things to be worked out. So, I will say that it is somewhere on the back burner.

CE: And knowing how brilliant the first one was, I’d venture to guess it’ll be worth the wait.

CCH: Oh yes, it’s always worth the wait. It really doesn’t matter how you look, as long as you still have the acting voice, because the Avatar will do the visual part for you.

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Interview: Everything's Zen with Satisfaction's Tzi Ma

Tzi Ma as Satisfaction's Zen Master

The USA network’s nighttime drama “Satisfaction” has its first season finale tonight at 10/9c, and I had the chance to talk to series co-star Tzi Ma (“24,” “Rush Hour”) about the groundbreaking show. The series, which centers on Neil Truman, a 40-something family man who discovers he and his wife, Grace, aren’t as satisfied in their marriage as they thought they were. When Grace seeks her satisfaction in the arms of another man, Neil gets his own help by becoming a male escort (it’s a long story). He also seeks the advice of a wise and tell-it-like-it-is Zen master, played by Tzi (pronounced “tie”) Ma.

Celebrity Extra: You were working on “24: Live Another Day” when you got the call to come in to work for “Satisfaction.” How did you work that out?

Tzi Ma: It truly was a logistical nightmare. But thank goodness it all worked out, because I tell you, “Satisfaction” was on the brink of replacing me. I was supposed to be in Atlanta by the middle of May, and I was still in England (for “24”). I flew straight from London to Atlanta, and I was still on hold for “24,” just in case we needed to reshoot anything.

I had shot the first episode of “Satisfaction,” but by the time I was done with “24,” they were on the fifth episode. I went and did four episodes in a row. They waited for me. Sean Jablonski, the creator of the show, is so nice. He’s just so generous and so supportive and trusting. It worked out good. I’m so thankful that they waited.

CE: Tell me about the Zen Master.

TM: The one thing I liked about what Sean was, when we talked about the character, we didn’t want this guy to be your stereotypical Zen master who just sits quietly. We’re playing him as a pretty normal guy. And that’s what I appreciate. It’s hard to do these things. Once they say you are the Zen master, you can get stuck. It’s hard to break out of that controlled, stately idea of the character.

You’re supposed to be wise, and you’re supposed to be able to talk in metaphors, and everybody will just say, “Oh my God, this is so crazy and so wonderful.” That’s not how we approached this guy. We approached him as a true practitioner of Zen in that everything’s in the moment. He has no premeditated thoughts about why this guy is coming to him. That’s how we approached the relationship between Neil and the Zen Master. If it were just a regular Zen master, I may not have wanted to play the role.

CE: When you prepared for the role, how did you approach it?

TM: The one thing I asked from our directors was, “If there’s any time that you feel that I’m just reading a line, please let me know, because that’s what I don’t want.” We have wonderful writers on the show, so you don’t want to mess that up. They get paid the big bucks for a reason.

CE: We don’t get to see a lot of the Zen Master, but when we do, his scenes are always important. Will we get to see more of him?

TM: No, I’m never featured heavily. It wouldn’t work that way. It has to be that he’s the guy who comes in and transitions himself out. But there are some little twists in an upcoming episode where it comes out that he is not really using the “Zen” philosophy to talk to Neil about certain things.

CE: When the folks at “24” contacted you about returning to the series in the role of Cheng, what was your reaction?

TM: I was excited. (Writers) Evan (Katz) and Manny (Coto) called, and they talked to me about it. They said, “We’re thinking about doing this, but it’s going to be really intense. And we don’t want to tell you too much. We really want everyone to be surprised.” We didn’t know what the ending was going to be. But given what they told me, I really felt that this character was almost like a new character. The stakes were much higher because he had nobody to answer to, just like Jack Bauer. That parallel is very exciting.

CE: What was the reaction from “24” viewers concerning your return?

TM: The reaction has been great. The one thing about the fans that’s so cool is that they don’t come up to me and spit in my face, like: “Oh, I hate you! You’re against Jack Bauer!” It’s a love/hate relationship. It’s like: “I hate you. Can I take a picture?” I’m a character actor. I try not to be so visible out in public. To be recognized that way in such a consistent manner because of this show, it’s scary for a character actor. But the fans have been great. They’re writing stuff online like: “Oh my God, I can’t believe it! He’s back! Cheng is back!” I’m really enjoying it.

CE: What are your thoughts on Freddie Prinze Jr.’s statement that during his time on “24,” Kiefer Sutherland was unprofessional and difficult to work with?

TM: Look at what Kiefer’s done for “24.” He’s been in practically every scene, from beginning to end, for nine seasons. That should tell you something about this guy’s work ethic. I don’t know any actor who comes to the set more prepared than him. You can’t carry a show like this being an asshole. Everyone has his moments, even me. The fact is, he doesn’t compromise because he is trying to achieve excellence.

CE: Tell me about your new movie, “Million Dollar Arm.”

TM: It’s a simple movie about an American sports agent (played by Jon Hamm) who’s trying to revive his career because it’s going down the toilet. He wants to create a game show; it’s like “American Idol” but with baseball. He travels to India to find his athletes.

CE: You did a few episodes of “Nash Bridges” back in the day, with one of my favorite actors, Don Johnson. What was that experience like?

TM: I shot the 99th and 100th episodes of the show, so it was a big deal. Don is so generous. He took the entire cast and crew to Vegas for the shoot. We shot at the Mirage, the Bellagio — it was a ball. Don came straight up and said, “Brother, I’m so glad you’re on the show.” He’s another guy who’s really intense. Some people think he’s a diva, but he’s not. The guy is serious about what he’s doing. It’s a bum rap that guys like Don and Kiefer get in terms of being divas or being difficult. They’re not; they’re passionate and professional.

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Interview: Katherine LaNasa, a Woman in Charge

Fans know and love Katherine LaNasa from her role of Sophia on “Deception”; from when she played (and stole every scene as) Will Ferrell’s wife, Rose, in “The Campaign”; and from her various featured roles in shows like “Two and a Half Men,” “Big Love,” “Lie to Me,” “Longmire” and “Judging Amy.” Now we can see the lovely actress weekly in the new USA network drama series “Satisfaction,” which airs Thursdays at 10/9c. Katherine plays Adriana, the hard-edged, high-end madam who lures unhappy husband and father Neil Truman (Matt Passmore) into becoming one of her male escorts. I spoke with Katherine recently about her new role, and she’s thrilled to get to play this interesting and multifaceted character.

Celebrity Extra: Tell me about the character of Adriana, whom I love, and what drew you to her and to “Satisfaction.”

Katherine LaNasa: A lot of my fans from “Deception” will really like Adriana. I think a lot of women really like those types of characters that I play. It was definitely really outside the box, so I liked that about it. I knew how the part read, but I had this feeling that I could really do something different with it. It’s always nice when you take it in a different direction, and they say, “Yes!” When (writer/executive producer) Sean (Jablonski) saw my take, he told me he just knew that I was the person.

CE: Did something similar happen for you with playing Sophia on “Deception”? These types of characters seem like so much fun to play.

KL: Yes, the same thing happened with Sophia. It’s fun in these serial soaps to have a character like Adriana or Sophia, but I think that the writers want there to be something not pushy about them. I seem to be able to manipulate most of these characters in that way. I always feel like I take a nod from the Barbara Stanwycks of the world. I felt like those ladies really knew how to do it. They were complicated, strong and dark characters in the forefront, and it was a lot of fun. I’ve been lucky to get to play those types of characters in these past few series.

CE: Tell me about the differences between Adriana and Sophia. How do you make each of these characters different and your own?

KL: It’s been an interesting balance to play Adriana versus Sophia. For Sophia I came up with that weird accent that she had — it just felt really right to have this fake sort of British accent. Everyone I’ve known who has that accent is from the Midwest. I’ve known three people from Kansas with that accent. I’m like, “That’s what I’m doing, dude.” Like I’m doing it on purpose.

With Adriana, I kind of modeled her after women I met in the art scene, the fancy art and music scene that I was in with (first husband) Dennis Hopper when I was in my 20s back in the late ’80s in New York. Before and after that, I was a professional ballet dancer, and I was traveling the world when I met him. The life I had with him — I give him credit for that — there are things you know because you get to go to those places, which you wouldn’t have known know if you hadn’t gone, if you haven’t been in those social circles. I think I was able to bring that to this character and feel like there’s something about a lot of those ex models. There’s simplicity with their style. Adriana’s a woman who doesn’t try too hard.

CE: How difficult has it been shooting “Satisfaction,” with Grant being busy with “Devious Maids”?

KL: Well, it’s always fun to be in New York and to shoot in New York, but I have had a surprisingly enjoyable and pleasant time here in Atlanta. It’s really nice that Grant’s show, “Devious Maids,” shoots here as well. I have this funny feeling that if our show gets picked up, it might even just shoot at the same time next year, which will be amazing. This year we overlapped [our shooting schedules]; it’s better if they are overlapping — if we’re both out of town together — so we just both work in Atlanta, and then we both go home.

CE: You were about five months pregnant when you shot that love scene in the pilot episode, and, by God, you looked fabulous!

KL: Thank you! I was about four-and-a-half or five months pregnant when I did that love scene. By the time we got to the art-gallery scene, I was about five-and-a-half months pregnant.

CE: I did notice judicious placement of large handbags during the gallery scene.

KL: Those bags are by Hayward Luxury, designed by Dennis Hopper’s daughter, Marin. She’s been working on them for years, but they’re now at this level where they are going to have their own store and everything.

CE: How is it working on the set of “Satisfaction,” and how are the cast and crew?

KL: It’s one of the best sets I’ve been on. It’s really happy, and the people are really nice. Everybody is just really nice and down-to-earth. I’m probably the most “Hollywood” of them all — and half the time I’m either pumping or nursing my baby on the set. It’s a really family-oriented environment. Matt (Passmore, Neil Truman) and I are usually joking around, laughing or talking. He’s a really terrific actor. He’s one of those people where you don’t necessarily see all of what he’s doing when you’re working with him, but when I saw the pilot, I was like: “Wow. This guy’s a really complicated actor.” He has an incredibly rich inner life.

CE: And that’s what made him a fan favorite when he starred in “The Glades” as well.

KL: Exactly. He just plays those characters so well. It’s funny, because Neil Truman is such an everyman, and Adriana’s such a worldly, complicated person. It’s not that he’s stupid, but I don’t think he’s come across a person like Adriana before, and he just really plays it so well. I was watching one of our scenes the other day, and I just thought: “Oh my God. This poor guy.” He does not know what he has gotten himself into. It’s like “Alice in Wonderland” — and I am the Mad Hatter, and he is Alice.

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Interview: Eric Winter Explores His New Powers

As most of you “Witchees” already know, “The Witches of East End” returns for its second season on Lifetime this Sunday, July 6 at 9/8c. I spoke with series star Eric Winter, who plays Dash Gardiner, about what to expect this season from the show, and his character specifically. At the very end of the first season, Dash’s and his brother Killian’s warlock powers (which they never even knew they had) returned to them in full force when their mother died. The second season should be very interesting as the brothers hone and develop their magical powers.

Celebrity Extra: First off, congratulations to you on your second-season renewal. I can’t wait to see what the show has in store for us.

Eric Winter: Thank you! It’s so rare nowadays, it seems, to get a second season, with all of the other great shows that are out there. Everybody was happy to get back to work. We have a great group of cast and crew, so it was nice to get back and see everybody.

CE: How was the return to work after the hiatus? Did you all just pick back up where you left off?

EW: Yeah, we all just got right back on that bike. We all really like each other, and it’s a pretty smooth ride for the most part. Everybody was just happy to see each other, to reconnect, and it was good to dive into some new material.

CE: Along with the new material, you’ve got some new cast members.

EW: There are a couple of cast additions, which are good changes, but for me in particular, there is a massive change in character for Dash. I thought that my brother and I were very underused last year. And this year we are being used in a way that’s going to expand the cast we have and really propel the story. You’re going to get a nice, well-rounded cast and interaction of story lines now. For me personally, it’s a much more exciting role to play than last year. Dash really does a 180.

CE: Another thing I am excited for this second season is 13 episodes, up from 10 from season one.

EW: That was a nice little bonus. A little something to expand on some stories and dive into more stuff, and they give us a little longer to tell it. So that was actually perfect.

CE: Now that you and Killian are aware of your warlock powers, that should be fun for you guys to play — it’s not just the ladies having all the fun.

EW: That’s a huge bonus for us, that we have a lot more to play with and a lot more to explore. That’s been a major positive, as far as I’m concerned, when it comes to playing this character. I also think it added another level to our involvement, because now we are in the know with everything that is going on. Last year, we were definitely way out of the loop with what was taking place. And now we are in on the secret. It adds to the dynamics.

CE: Last we saw Dash and Killian, Dash had left Killian for dead and set him adrift on his boat. How’s Killian going to feel about that?

EW: That’s one of the things that will have to play out for the audience to see how that unfolds. But, if it were me, I’d be angry.

CE: Dash is definitely not in control of his powers yet. Will we see him practicing and exploring?

EW: His entire life, Dash didn’t know he had these powers, so now he’s in this new stage of exploration and trying to figure out how to harness the power. How do you control it and how do you access it? It’s much like what Freya went through last year.

CE: Tell me about the addition of Ingrid and Freya’s brother, Frederick Beauchamp (played by Christian Cooke).

EW: He definitely brings a nice, strong, edgy, young energy to the show, which is great, especially for the Beauchamp family. There’s a bit of tension between him and Aunt Wendy, and he’s also trying to form a relationship with his sisters. It definitely adds a nice layer to that family dynamic — having that male energy thrown in there out of nowhere, when they didn’t even know it existed.

CE: This season’s tag line is “Darkness Is Rising.” Talk to me about that. Sounds a lot like Dash to me.

EW: A big part of that darkness is, for sure, Dash, and that rise of power and what he’s ultimately trying to go after. It also encompasses his rivalry with his brother and everything else. There are obviously other issues that are going to be problems for the Beauchamp family that will continue to come out, and that has to do with the darkness as well. That tag line in general speaks to a danger that’s going to be within East End, but also within the Beauchamp family.

CE: Can you give me a little teaser about what viewers can expect this season?

EW: You are going to see a much darker and edgier show than last year. It will have a darker tone to it. Even the risks they take are going to be stronger and bolder, which I think the viewers will like. There’s a lot more conflict and danger than last year. Last year it took awhile for a lot of that stuff to play out. This year you’re going to see it happen much more often.

CE: Everything you said about this season makes me very happy.

EW: I’m glad you like it. It’s a fun show. I really think that the true fans of the show are going to enjoy the second season much more. That’s one thing that I can honestly say. Sometimes first seasons can be so good, but then the quality of the show goes down; they run out of ideas. But I think our story has only gotten better. It will please our current fans, and I think it is strong enough to draw in new fans. I think you will be very pleased. We’re back with guns blazing.

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