Maura Could Consider a Lesbian Tryst: Sasha Alexander Talks Rizzoli & Isles
There's one show on TV that gets the most lesbian adoration and no, it's not Glee or Pretty Little Liars. It's TNT's Rizzoli & Isles, a police procedural that is unlike anything else and stars Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. Gay and bi women helped turn the show — returning for its third season Tuesday — into whatAfterEllen aptly called a "lesbian buddy cop show that just doesn't know it yet." We caught up with Alexander, who plays Dr. Maura Isles, a Boston medical examiner, to find out if the lesbian teases are intentional, why she left NCIS, and what's in store for season three of R&I.
The Advocate: All the girls in the office here love Rizzoli & Isles. Let's talk about your character, Maura.
Sasha Alexander: Thank you. Absolutely.
I love that she’s oddly awkward around nearly everybody except Jane [Rizzoli, the police officer played by Harmon]. What part of the character do you identify with?
[Laughs] Well, it’s funny because I so enjoy playing her, and I think as you get down the road of playing a character you start to realize what are the parts that excite you. And for her, it’s, What is she thinking about? She’s got so much going on, and I like the fact that there’s this kind of innocence, this kind of almost naïveté or sort of enthusiasm for all subjects and all things. And I’m kind of like that. I’m really interested in all things of the world, people, and cultures. I like information. I like people who have information. I enjoy talking to people like that, and my parents are like that.
And socially?
I think that we all have a little bit of that, that part of us. I am now, in this stage in my life, a much more outgoing person than I was as a child or in my teens. You know, my parents were both immigrants in this country and they spoke another language, and I remember feeling like a little bit of an outcast, like, Don’t speak any languages in front of my friends.
A classic first-generation kid.
Absolutely. And I think that we all have, whatever it may be, that thing that made us feel like a bit of an outcast and not fully comfortable. I like the fact that she is comfortable with Jane and comfortable with certain people but not with all. I like that part of her. I look at that part as like a huge strength, you know, sometimes I don’t know how to explain it. So I like that, and it’s different than who I am, for sure. Um, but I can really relate to her because there’s a huge freedom in playing somebody who doesn’t, who’s not really seeking to be liked. That’s not at the forefront of what she’s thinking about. And so there isn’t any of that. Like even with her beautiful clothes, there’s not really a whole lot of vanity involved in that. It’s just that this is how she’s raised; this is what she enjoys. This is her uniform.
When you have a character and you start seeing there are elements of her that you like, that you really like bringing out, do you end up emphasizing them more? Do you bring them out more because you’re drawn to them?
I think so. I think it’s natural that you do. I mean, for me, I know that the things that started to come out ended up being a dialogue with our creator, Janet Tamaro, and one of those things was that this woman does have this really sort of offbeat sense of humor. That she doesn’t really get the joke. That she is not really in step with everyone at every moment. And so it’s a tough line to toe when sometimes the joke is on you. Like, how do I not make her be the idiot savant? In a way, it’s like people are laughing at certain things that she’s not getting, and how do you do that? How, how do you keep that likeable and not ditsy? How do you keep that smart? There’s definitely a line, but I feel like between the writing and between my interpretation of that, we’re able to do it.
A lot of people have asked whether Maura might have Asperger’s syndrome, which is similar to autism. Have you encountered that theory?
I have. I’ll tell you what, that started from me — when I asked Janet Tamaro, “Does she have a form of Asperger’s?” — it was in the second episode of the entire series where Maura goes on a date with a guy when she starts to feel his skin and she diagnoses him with a very rare skin disease. And that scene, to me ... it was just so weird. When I looked at it I thought, Oh, my God, there’s something not OK with her.Like the fact that she’s on this date, she looks great, and she’s there in front of this person that she’s interested in, but it’s more important for her to diagnose the man than it is for anything else. That was the moment I asked Janet. There wasn’t really a definitive answer to that. I don’t think she decided on it, but I definitely think that from a social aspect, there are forms of Asperger’s that are just socially related. And a lot of people who do have Asperger’s or different forms of autism are highly intelligent people whose brain is more scientific.
Absolutely. People with autism spectrum disorders are actually watching the character Maura, kind of finding some strength and visibility based on how they perceive her.
You know what? I am so proud of the fact that I get to play a character on a show that gives out positive messages and positive presentation of, in this instance, Asperger’s, but also there’s so many people that have responded to the fact that this is a woman who’s technically a science nerd, who is making that job look a lot more glamorous. I’ve had a lot of young people and educational magazines respond to the fact that they’re getting a lot younger girls saying, “Well, I’m really good at science and I like the fact that she’s like that.” And if I can put out or do anything on my end to be part of something that sends out positive representations of not just a woman but anybody that suffers from anything, then I am so grateful to be able to do that. We’ve been sort of seeing in terms of even a lot of gay suicides this year or the bullying that’s been going on that I find so heart-wrenchingly sad because somebody wasn’t given the opportunity to just feel a part of the world.
is a lesbian buddy cop show that just doesn’t know it yet.
[Laughs] I love it.
It’s really not afraid of the lesbian label, that both these fictional characters and the real-life people behind them just don’t fear the interest or speculation about their relationship.
No. I mean, you know, it’s such a strange thing because people are always going to get from any film or TV or book or anything they want, what they want to see. And that is all of our right to do so. I mean, it’s completely subjective and that is, that is art. So that’s one part of it, but I feel like we have a unique situation on our show, which is that the books were written by a woman. The show was created and is executive-produced by a woman, and it’s starring these two women who are very different people, they’re very different characters, and so we have a lot more estrogen on our show than most shows. [Laughs] And I think that it’s a great thing because we have a woman spearheading it and she is writing these characters in a way that is just much deeper. They are, they’re deeper. Their relationship; it could be sexual one day, I mean, they’re not gay in the books. But who knows?
Right.
I mean, they’re not, but I feel like even if we talk about the Kinsey scale, there are different levels of sorts of relationships. Whether it’s sexual relationships or it’s emotional relationships, and I think that these two women live in a place where they are really connected. And some people can perceive that as sexual, as something more, or it’s just the fantasy of it. I mean, you know, Angie’s a hot woman. [Laughs] Like, hey, you know? I mean, when there’s chemistry there, then why not? But I don’t think that anybody’s shying away from that, and I don’t think that we’re playing into it. I think we’re playing these women the way we, as women, behave with each other. You know, people sort of grabbed on to the whole “they slept in the same bed together” thing in the pilot. And that sort of led to all these conversations and I thought, Well, we’ve been having sleepovers since we were 9. I mean, girls do do that.
Sure.
And a lot of people that relate to the show do say, you know, “God, it reminds me of my sister,” or my best friend or my lover or whoever. The thing I’m most proud of is the fact that women like it because that means that they can relate to it, because it means it is speaking to them and their relationships in a way that is true.
I think it’s pretty clear that the two women are each other’s primary intimate partner, even if they are straight.
Correct, correct. They absolutely are.
Yeah, and that’s absolutely something that’s rare on TV, regardless.
Absolutely. And I think you are completely, completely right about that. It was never about fighting over a boy. It was never about, you know, these two women like the same guy. Guess what? Just because they’re friends doesn’t mean they like the same person. It is really much more about their relationship. And as it’s continuing to get deeper and more complicated because of the things that are happening between them, even just workwise and everything. But I agree with you, it’s just, it’s really about their emotional connection to each other, whether it’s being playful and fun and going to a spa or it’s dealing with their family or with work.
Well, how effortless is the chemistry between you and Angie Harmon?
It’s pretty effortless, I must say. It’s kind of one of those things that clicked from the moment we read together. And it was, it was kind of great, you know? We read together, and then when I — she was cast first — when I left the room they said, “Hang out for a second.” And within a second she came in. She said, “You know what? They want us to do it again. Could you come back in?” I thought, Really? I thought that was pretty good.
And we came back in and they stood up and clapped and said congratulations, you guys are it. Like, this was it. So they, even the people in the room, understood it immediately. And I think it, you know, Angie and I are very different people. We’re raised different. In real life we’re very different, but the chemistry just works. I feel like we represent different types of women and we can celebrate all of that without it trying to be one or the other. Plus I feel like there’s a little bit of back-end feminist history imbued in those characters as well. Like the way Maura’s mother was a working mother and distant and not connected with her in the same way that she had hoped and Jane’s mother was like the classic cookie-cutter mom and very overinvolved in stuff. So it gets to some of those issues that we hear young women talking about now.
Showcasing working women raising kids is a great thing.
It is. You know, we’ve enjoyed doing these mother-daughter episodes that have these storylines that get to really dive into that. I was raised by a single mom. I was raised by two women actually, my mother and then my aunt, who was basically my babysitter while my mom went off to work. So I have a really strong female bond. Women are essential to my life. Conversations with women are essential to my life, you know? I’ve spent many of a bad day crawling into my best friend’s bed and crying or eating ice cream. I like that I’m allowed to, on the show, cross the meter between being vulnerable and being feminine and girly and then also being tough and sexually charged with a lot of our male costars or love interests. And so I feel that it has those elements to it. And it’s fun to be able to do that without being censored. I have definitely, in my career in television absolutely been censored. “Don’t get too angry, don’t be too sexy, don’t be too this, don’t be too that,” and it’s like, well, women are those things. [Laughs] Like, what do you mean? Like it’s not attractive for me to get angry? Is it attractive for us to fight? Well, women fight. And then they make up. And so why aren’t we allowed to do those things?
Or allowed to be mad at the show’s other primary character for half an episode.
Yeah. And have you be mad not over something that’s petty. We’re not fighting over who looks better in the Alexander McQueen dress. We’re fighting over something substantial and real, that’s important to our life. Whether it’s her brother going to jail or my father that’s shot, whatever it may be, but these things are real things that are changing the characters in profound ways. And clearly the person that you’re close to and is your best friend is going to be able to be on that journey with you.
Now, you’ve had some iconic TV roles from Dawson’s Creek to NCIS to Rizzoli. I’m wondering, are you at the point in your career that you thought you’d be at?
I don’t know. I don’t think I really had an idea of where I thought I would be per se. Because for me it’s really about feeling good about the thing that I’m doing in that moment. I just want to work on things with good people and do good work. And do smart work and do things that I can put out into the world and feel good about looking back. I don’t know if I thought that I would be working in television as much as I have. I remember thinking that, God, I don’t have a small nose and I’m not blond. Like I actually thought like people doing TV, like my face was more European. And I thought, God, Isabella Rossellini is my idol. [Laughs] I thought I was going to make obscure European films and if I wanted to be an actress, I would go to London. I really thought that that’s what my path would be. So it was really funny when I started to get cast in things like Dawson’s because it was so all-American.
I remember when your character on NCIS was killed off, fans were just outraged and series creator Don Bellisario had to come out and say that this is the first time you’d been on a show for over a year and you just didn’t think you had the stamina to do it. Was that true at the time?
No.
[Laughs] That wasn’t true?
It wasn’t. No, but you know what? Well, no, I’m going to take that back. It wasn’t not true. But that is not the reason I left the show.
Why did you leave the show?
It’s complicated. It is. I can’t really talk about it. But what I can tell you is that I had a great time doing it for the two years I was there. I learned a lot. It just wasn’t a place that I wanted to live any further than that. I love the people, love Kate, I loved playing Kate. I think the show is fantastic. I’m proud to have been part of its beginnings, and I, I knew that it would just go on and on and on and will continue to be. It’s a huge international success. And I love Don Bellisario. He is still a dear and close friend of mine. And I think at the time, yeah, it was true. I mean, the show is grueling. Grueling, grueling, grueling! People can’t imagine how grueling — on an average, 17-hour days, 10 and a half months a year — it was really tough. I slept in a hotel room usually three days a week. [Laughs]
Right.
It was really tough, but that’s not the ultimate reason that I chose to leave the show. And physically challenging? You know what? I was an Olympic-trained ice skater and an athlete my whole life and a dancer. No, that’s not really it. I think that physically I’m working the same on Rizzoli & Isles. And it’s a different show. It’s like an office. Some jobs are better fits for you than others.
And some of them have an expiration date.
I think what people don’t understand about television is that we often sign seven-year agreements. Before we have ever shot the show. Did you know that? Most people don’t know that. Can you imagine in any other profession if somebody said to you, “You will have to work at this job for the next seven years,” when you’ve never even been to the office. You never met anybody in the office. You know nothing about it. Somebody gave you a little bit of an outline of what your job would be. But that’s basically it.
I think it’s easy for viewers to just say “Ah, I can’t believe she’s leaving the show,” not realizing that you’re on the set 17 hours a day. That this is a daily grind the way their job’s a daily grind, except it’s not 9 to 5.
Yeah. And I will tell you one thing about the reason that I have no regrets about leaving NCIS is the fact that I have a beautiful family, and I firmly believe in my heart, I would not be where I am today, with my husband, with my two beautiful children, had I remained there. There’s no way. Because it was impossible. You cannot, as a woman, work that way and still manifest the other things that you want in your life. You can’t do it. Your relationships suffer. Your family suffers. There’s no way. And at some point you do make concessions. It’s just how it is. I mean, it really is.
Let’s talk about Rizzoli & Isles again.
We do have boob-grabbing on the set, if that’s what you’re going to ask me. [Laughs]
There is some boob-grabbing?
There is boob-grabbing. Yes.
I need to know about that immediately.
I’m going to admit to the boob-grabbing. [Laughs] Um. Yes, there’s a lot of female love. It makes the men very uncomfortable. It’s like a female locker room.
There seem to be subtle winks to the show’s lesbian fans, like Jane goes undercover at a lesbian bar, the episode where you’re in bed and Jane asks Maura, “Are we having a sleepover, or is this your way of telling me you’re attracted to me?” All those little insidery winks that lesbian fans always pick up on.
Well, I think that if Jane were open to it, I think Maura would absolutely experiment because she’s just a little bit more open-minded in that way. But Jane would never. She’s so straight.
Jane doesn’t even like to hear you talk about the people that you’re attracted to. She’ll say, “I’m gagging in my mouth now.”
Yeah. It’s true.
When the show premiered it set a record as the highest-rated debut for a commercial cable series and I think the second-highest for basic cable all over. Do you think the ratings would drop if Maura or Jane did come out as gay?
I don’t think so. I really don’t think so.
Have you ever played the Rizzoli & Isles lesbian drinking game?
[Laughs] I haven’t. I do know of it and I would like to play it but I haven’t.
You take a shot if Rizzoli & Isles stare at each other longer than three seconds, any time you sleep in the same bed, and any time there’s adorable bickering between the two of you.
It’s so funny because Angie and I are both very touchy people. So we’ll naturally hold hands. We hug all the time. We’re touchy-feely, like that’s how we are. And so it is kind of funny because when people first started to talk about that, we didn’t even realize we were doing that while we were shooting it. It wasn’t that intentional, I think. But I feel because you have chemistry, even a little bit goes a long way. [Laughs]
I think you’re right there.
But ... we certainly don’t shy away from it. Um. And is it teasing? I don’t know, maybe. You decide. Sometimes. Sometimes not. It depends on what we’re shooting and what it means in that moment.
Janet says that she thinks of Rizzoli and Isles as less Cagney and Lacey and more Kirk and Spock.
Yeah. She said that.
What’s going to surprise us the most about this upcoming season?
You know, I think, I think the writing has just gotten deeper with the characters and there’s just going to be so many more places for us to go and play. I think the show is grittier. I mean that in a good way. I feel like the writing is just going to get deeper, the storylines are, are stronger and much more character-driven. A lot of the characters are going to go through a lot of very interesting new avenues this year. It’ll be very unpredictable.
Unpredictable is good.
Yeah. As you know, the show is not your formulaic kind of CSI where each episode is wrapped up perfectly with a bow and we begin in the squad room and end in the squad room. I mean, it doesn’t happen that way. So things are a lot looser on our show, which allows for it to be a bit more freeing creatively.
The Advocate: All the girls in the office here love Rizzoli & Isles. Let's talk about your character, Maura.
Sasha Alexander: Thank you. Absolutely.
I love that she’s oddly awkward around nearly everybody except Jane [Rizzoli, the police officer played by Harmon]. What part of the character do you identify with?
[Laughs] Well, it’s funny because I so enjoy playing her, and I think as you get down the road of playing a character you start to realize what are the parts that excite you. And for her, it’s, What is she thinking about? She’s got so much going on, and I like the fact that there’s this kind of innocence, this kind of almost naïveté or sort of enthusiasm for all subjects and all things. And I’m kind of like that. I’m really interested in all things of the world, people, and cultures. I like information. I like people who have information. I enjoy talking to people like that, and my parents are like that.
And socially?
I think that we all have a little bit of that, that part of us. I am now, in this stage in my life, a much more outgoing person than I was as a child or in my teens. You know, my parents were both immigrants in this country and they spoke another language, and I remember feeling like a little bit of an outcast, like, Don’t speak any languages in front of my friends.
A classic first-generation kid.
Absolutely. And I think that we all have, whatever it may be, that thing that made us feel like a bit of an outcast and not fully comfortable. I like the fact that she is comfortable with Jane and comfortable with certain people but not with all. I like that part of her. I look at that part as like a huge strength, you know, sometimes I don’t know how to explain it. So I like that, and it’s different than who I am, for sure. Um, but I can really relate to her because there’s a huge freedom in playing somebody who doesn’t, who’s not really seeking to be liked. That’s not at the forefront of what she’s thinking about. And so there isn’t any of that. Like even with her beautiful clothes, there’s not really a whole lot of vanity involved in that. It’s just that this is how she’s raised; this is what she enjoys. This is her uniform.
When you have a character and you start seeing there are elements of her that you like, that you really like bringing out, do you end up emphasizing them more? Do you bring them out more because you’re drawn to them?
I think so. I think it’s natural that you do. I mean, for me, I know that the things that started to come out ended up being a dialogue with our creator, Janet Tamaro, and one of those things was that this woman does have this really sort of offbeat sense of humor. That she doesn’t really get the joke. That she is not really in step with everyone at every moment. And so it’s a tough line to toe when sometimes the joke is on you. Like, how do I not make her be the idiot savant? In a way, it’s like people are laughing at certain things that she’s not getting, and how do you do that? How, how do you keep that likeable and not ditsy? How do you keep that smart? There’s definitely a line, but I feel like between the writing and between my interpretation of that, we’re able to do it.
A lot of people have asked whether Maura might have Asperger’s syndrome, which is similar to autism. Have you encountered that theory?
I have. I’ll tell you what, that started from me — when I asked Janet Tamaro, “Does she have a form of Asperger’s?” — it was in the second episode of the entire series where Maura goes on a date with a guy when she starts to feel his skin and she diagnoses him with a very rare skin disease. And that scene, to me ... it was just so weird. When I looked at it I thought, Oh, my God, there’s something not OK with her.Like the fact that she’s on this date, she looks great, and she’s there in front of this person that she’s interested in, but it’s more important for her to diagnose the man than it is for anything else. That was the moment I asked Janet. There wasn’t really a definitive answer to that. I don’t think she decided on it, but I definitely think that from a social aspect, there are forms of Asperger’s that are just socially related. And a lot of people who do have Asperger’s or different forms of autism are highly intelligent people whose brain is more scientific.
Absolutely. People with autism spectrum disorders are actually watching the character Maura, kind of finding some strength and visibility based on how they perceive her.
You know what? I am so proud of the fact that I get to play a character on a show that gives out positive messages and positive presentation of, in this instance, Asperger’s, but also there’s so many people that have responded to the fact that this is a woman who’s technically a science nerd, who is making that job look a lot more glamorous. I’ve had a lot of young people and educational magazines respond to the fact that they’re getting a lot younger girls saying, “Well, I’m really good at science and I like the fact that she’s like that.” And if I can put out or do anything on my end to be part of something that sends out positive representations of not just a woman but anybody that suffers from anything, then I am so grateful to be able to do that. We’ve been sort of seeing in terms of even a lot of gay suicides this year or the bullying that’s been going on that I find so heart-wrenchingly sad because somebody wasn’t given the opportunity to just feel a part of the world.
is a lesbian buddy cop show that just doesn’t know it yet.
[Laughs] I love it.
It’s really not afraid of the lesbian label, that both these fictional characters and the real-life people behind them just don’t fear the interest or speculation about their relationship.
No. I mean, you know, it’s such a strange thing because people are always going to get from any film or TV or book or anything they want, what they want to see. And that is all of our right to do so. I mean, it’s completely subjective and that is, that is art. So that’s one part of it, but I feel like we have a unique situation on our show, which is that the books were written by a woman. The show was created and is executive-produced by a woman, and it’s starring these two women who are very different people, they’re very different characters, and so we have a lot more estrogen on our show than most shows. [Laughs] And I think that it’s a great thing because we have a woman spearheading it and she is writing these characters in a way that is just much deeper. They are, they’re deeper. Their relationship; it could be sexual one day, I mean, they’re not gay in the books. But who knows?
Right.
I mean, they’re not, but I feel like even if we talk about the Kinsey scale, there are different levels of sorts of relationships. Whether it’s sexual relationships or it’s emotional relationships, and I think that these two women live in a place where they are really connected. And some people can perceive that as sexual, as something more, or it’s just the fantasy of it. I mean, you know, Angie’s a hot woman. [Laughs] Like, hey, you know? I mean, when there’s chemistry there, then why not? But I don’t think that anybody’s shying away from that, and I don’t think that we’re playing into it. I think we’re playing these women the way we, as women, behave with each other. You know, people sort of grabbed on to the whole “they slept in the same bed together” thing in the pilot. And that sort of led to all these conversations and I thought, Well, we’ve been having sleepovers since we were 9. I mean, girls do do that.
Sure.
And a lot of people that relate to the show do say, you know, “God, it reminds me of my sister,” or my best friend or my lover or whoever. The thing I’m most proud of is the fact that women like it because that means that they can relate to it, because it means it is speaking to them and their relationships in a way that is true.
I think it’s pretty clear that the two women are each other’s primary intimate partner, even if they are straight.
Correct, correct. They absolutely are.
Yeah, and that’s absolutely something that’s rare on TV, regardless.
Absolutely. And I think you are completely, completely right about that. It was never about fighting over a boy. It was never about, you know, these two women like the same guy. Guess what? Just because they’re friends doesn’t mean they like the same person. It is really much more about their relationship. And as it’s continuing to get deeper and more complicated because of the things that are happening between them, even just workwise and everything. But I agree with you, it’s just, it’s really about their emotional connection to each other, whether it’s being playful and fun and going to a spa or it’s dealing with their family or with work.
Well, how effortless is the chemistry between you and Angie Harmon?
It’s pretty effortless, I must say. It’s kind of one of those things that clicked from the moment we read together. And it was, it was kind of great, you know? We read together, and then when I — she was cast first — when I left the room they said, “Hang out for a second.” And within a second she came in. She said, “You know what? They want us to do it again. Could you come back in?” I thought, Really? I thought that was pretty good.
And we came back in and they stood up and clapped and said congratulations, you guys are it. Like, this was it. So they, even the people in the room, understood it immediately. And I think it, you know, Angie and I are very different people. We’re raised different. In real life we’re very different, but the chemistry just works. I feel like we represent different types of women and we can celebrate all of that without it trying to be one or the other. Plus I feel like there’s a little bit of back-end feminist history imbued in those characters as well. Like the way Maura’s mother was a working mother and distant and not connected with her in the same way that she had hoped and Jane’s mother was like the classic cookie-cutter mom and very overinvolved in stuff. So it gets to some of those issues that we hear young women talking about now.
Showcasing working women raising kids is a great thing.
It is. You know, we’ve enjoyed doing these mother-daughter episodes that have these storylines that get to really dive into that. I was raised by a single mom. I was raised by two women actually, my mother and then my aunt, who was basically my babysitter while my mom went off to work. So I have a really strong female bond. Women are essential to my life. Conversations with women are essential to my life, you know? I’ve spent many of a bad day crawling into my best friend’s bed and crying or eating ice cream. I like that I’m allowed to, on the show, cross the meter between being vulnerable and being feminine and girly and then also being tough and sexually charged with a lot of our male costars or love interests. And so I feel that it has those elements to it. And it’s fun to be able to do that without being censored. I have definitely, in my career in television absolutely been censored. “Don’t get too angry, don’t be too sexy, don’t be too this, don’t be too that,” and it’s like, well, women are those things. [Laughs] Like, what do you mean? Like it’s not attractive for me to get angry? Is it attractive for us to fight? Well, women fight. And then they make up. And so why aren’t we allowed to do those things?
Or allowed to be mad at the show’s other primary character for half an episode.
Yeah. And have you be mad not over something that’s petty. We’re not fighting over who looks better in the Alexander McQueen dress. We’re fighting over something substantial and real, that’s important to our life. Whether it’s her brother going to jail or my father that’s shot, whatever it may be, but these things are real things that are changing the characters in profound ways. And clearly the person that you’re close to and is your best friend is going to be able to be on that journey with you.
Now, you’ve had some iconic TV roles from Dawson’s Creek to NCIS to Rizzoli. I’m wondering, are you at the point in your career that you thought you’d be at?
I don’t know. I don’t think I really had an idea of where I thought I would be per se. Because for me it’s really about feeling good about the thing that I’m doing in that moment. I just want to work on things with good people and do good work. And do smart work and do things that I can put out into the world and feel good about looking back. I don’t know if I thought that I would be working in television as much as I have. I remember thinking that, God, I don’t have a small nose and I’m not blond. Like I actually thought like people doing TV, like my face was more European. And I thought, God, Isabella Rossellini is my idol. [Laughs] I thought I was going to make obscure European films and if I wanted to be an actress, I would go to London. I really thought that that’s what my path would be. So it was really funny when I started to get cast in things like Dawson’s because it was so all-American.
I remember when your character on NCIS was killed off, fans were just outraged and series creator Don Bellisario had to come out and say that this is the first time you’d been on a show for over a year and you just didn’t think you had the stamina to do it. Was that true at the time?
No.
[Laughs] That wasn’t true?
It wasn’t. No, but you know what? Well, no, I’m going to take that back. It wasn’t not true. But that is not the reason I left the show.
Why did you leave the show?
It’s complicated. It is. I can’t really talk about it. But what I can tell you is that I had a great time doing it for the two years I was there. I learned a lot. It just wasn’t a place that I wanted to live any further than that. I love the people, love Kate, I loved playing Kate. I think the show is fantastic. I’m proud to have been part of its beginnings, and I, I knew that it would just go on and on and on and will continue to be. It’s a huge international success. And I love Don Bellisario. He is still a dear and close friend of mine. And I think at the time, yeah, it was true. I mean, the show is grueling. Grueling, grueling, grueling! People can’t imagine how grueling — on an average, 17-hour days, 10 and a half months a year — it was really tough. I slept in a hotel room usually three days a week. [Laughs]
Right.
It was really tough, but that’s not the ultimate reason that I chose to leave the show. And physically challenging? You know what? I was an Olympic-trained ice skater and an athlete my whole life and a dancer. No, that’s not really it. I think that physically I’m working the same on Rizzoli & Isles. And it’s a different show. It’s like an office. Some jobs are better fits for you than others.
And some of them have an expiration date.
I think what people don’t understand about television is that we often sign seven-year agreements. Before we have ever shot the show. Did you know that? Most people don’t know that. Can you imagine in any other profession if somebody said to you, “You will have to work at this job for the next seven years,” when you’ve never even been to the office. You never met anybody in the office. You know nothing about it. Somebody gave you a little bit of an outline of what your job would be. But that’s basically it.
I think it’s easy for viewers to just say “Ah, I can’t believe she’s leaving the show,” not realizing that you’re on the set 17 hours a day. That this is a daily grind the way their job’s a daily grind, except it’s not 9 to 5.
Yeah. And I will tell you one thing about the reason that I have no regrets about leaving NCIS is the fact that I have a beautiful family, and I firmly believe in my heart, I would not be where I am today, with my husband, with my two beautiful children, had I remained there. There’s no way. Because it was impossible. You cannot, as a woman, work that way and still manifest the other things that you want in your life. You can’t do it. Your relationships suffer. Your family suffers. There’s no way. And at some point you do make concessions. It’s just how it is. I mean, it really is.
Let’s talk about Rizzoli & Isles again.
We do have boob-grabbing on the set, if that’s what you’re going to ask me. [Laughs]
There is some boob-grabbing?
There is boob-grabbing. Yes.
I need to know about that immediately.
I’m going to admit to the boob-grabbing. [Laughs] Um. Yes, there’s a lot of female love. It makes the men very uncomfortable. It’s like a female locker room.
There seem to be subtle winks to the show’s lesbian fans, like Jane goes undercover at a lesbian bar, the episode where you’re in bed and Jane asks Maura, “Are we having a sleepover, or is this your way of telling me you’re attracted to me?” All those little insidery winks that lesbian fans always pick up on.
Well, I think that if Jane were open to it, I think Maura would absolutely experiment because she’s just a little bit more open-minded in that way. But Jane would never. She’s so straight.
Jane doesn’t even like to hear you talk about the people that you’re attracted to. She’ll say, “I’m gagging in my mouth now.”
Yeah. It’s true.
When the show premiered it set a record as the highest-rated debut for a commercial cable series and I think the second-highest for basic cable all over. Do you think the ratings would drop if Maura or Jane did come out as gay?
I don’t think so. I really don’t think so.
Have you ever played the Rizzoli & Isles lesbian drinking game?
[Laughs] I haven’t. I do know of it and I would like to play it but I haven’t.
You take a shot if Rizzoli & Isles stare at each other longer than three seconds, any time you sleep in the same bed, and any time there’s adorable bickering between the two of you.
It’s so funny because Angie and I are both very touchy people. So we’ll naturally hold hands. We hug all the time. We’re touchy-feely, like that’s how we are. And so it is kind of funny because when people first started to talk about that, we didn’t even realize we were doing that while we were shooting it. It wasn’t that intentional, I think. But I feel because you have chemistry, even a little bit goes a long way. [Laughs]
I think you’re right there.
But ... we certainly don’t shy away from it. Um. And is it teasing? I don’t know, maybe. You decide. Sometimes. Sometimes not. It depends on what we’re shooting and what it means in that moment.
Janet says that she thinks of Rizzoli and Isles as less Cagney and Lacey and more Kirk and Spock.
Yeah. She said that.
What’s going to surprise us the most about this upcoming season?
You know, I think, I think the writing has just gotten deeper with the characters and there’s just going to be so many more places for us to go and play. I think the show is grittier. I mean that in a good way. I feel like the writing is just going to get deeper, the storylines are, are stronger and much more character-driven. A lot of the characters are going to go through a lot of very interesting new avenues this year. It’ll be very unpredictable.
Unpredictable is good.
Yeah. As you know, the show is not your formulaic kind of CSI where each episode is wrapped up perfectly with a bow and we begin in the squad room and end in the squad room. I mean, it doesn’t happen that way. So things are a lot looser on our show, which allows for it to be a bit more freeing creatively.
EXCLUSIVE: "Rizzoli & Isles" star Sasha Alexander talks season 3 and lesbian subtext
Since the first moments Sasha Alexander’s Dr. Maura Isles and Angie Harmon’s Det. Jane Rizzoli stepped on screen together, the show’s lesbian viewers have noticed something special. It wasn’t just the pair’s striking good looks together, but their genuine chemistry and frequent closeness that made our subtext-loving hearts sing. Rizzoli & Isles has amassed a large lesbian and bisexual female fanbase through its first two seasons. Now, with the show poised to premiere its third season on TNT in three weeks, we’re all anxious to see if our favorite not-gay gay cop show continues to serve up healthy helpings of LLBFF canoodling, Totally Gratuitous, Totally Gay Touching and – of course – eye sex.
Still, when last we saw these two lovely ladies of law enforcement, things were beyond tense. During a stand-off between Maura’s biological father/gangster Paddy Doyle and the police, Paddy shoots FBI Agent Dean (who happens to be Jane’s flower-bringing possible boyfriend) and then Jane shoots Paddy. Or, in other words, it’s complicated. The cast and crew has been back filming in Los Angeles (done up to look like Boston, naturally) since March and are currently shooting the sixth episode of the 15-installment season. From the set in between takes last week, Alexander spoke with AfterEllen.com about our favorite ambiguously gayzzoli duo
AfterEllen: Now Season 2 ended on quite an emotional cliff hanger. It’s hard to forgive even a LLBFF for shooting your biological father. How different will the Jane/Maura dynamic be when the third season starts?
Sasha Alexander: Well the third season begins moments after that event. We do see their initial reaction and response to all that drama. Maura is definitely spinning from all of that. There is a lot of anger and misunderstanding between her and Jane in terms of what just happened. They pick up at a place that is very intense for both of them. Maura has her dad in hospital and her mother in hospital and is really angry at Jane.
They are just in a place of a standstill. We don’t quite know how this will affect them. But then, come the second episode, something happens that brings them back together. They slowly make their way back when they start to realize what went down. Maura is coming to the realization that Paddy Doyle is not a good guy. This incident will bring them into a much deeper relationship and they do come out of it stronger. AE: Given the natural chemistry between Angie Harmon and yourself, how was that conflict to play? Was it hard? For many viewers, it’s that chemistry that attracted them to the series in the first place. And are you anything like your characters in real life?
SA: Having them in conflict explores more color and gives us more layers to develop for those characters. Not everything has to be funny and hanging out in the spa. But it was very hard to play many times. Angie and I are joking around on set and have to turn around and play this. We even have a huge cat fight.
The characters are not us at all. We’re both very different. What we bring to it is the element of having the connection to each other and the humor. We’re both very physical, we like physical contact.
AE: It sounds like Jane and Maura will have a rough go of it in the start, but won’t be mad at each other all season, which our readers will be happy to hear. What else can people expect from the third season? I assume the Paddy Doyle storyline will continue and there will be more with Maura’s mother?
SA: Yes, we are obviously dealing with Paddy Doyle being shot. He leaves some clues for Maura to find her biological mother, which she does. And that comes with a whole other set of complications. That is definitely one storyline that we get to dive deeper into.
There is an interesting storyline with a new character who is a possible love interest for Maura, played by Eddie Cibrian. He is kind of an interesting cat. He is an artist, but she meets him on an autopsy table because they think he’s dead until he’s not. So it is kind of an interesting way to meet someone. But for Maura the big one is definitely getting to meet her biological mother.
AE: Now you mentioned love interests coming up with Cibrian guesting. Our readers and your lesbian and gay fans have been pretty adamant about the friendship/relationship between Jane and Maura being central and not too interrupted by male romantic foils.
SA: Oh, no!
AE: Do you understand that desire and do you feel blowback from fans when that happens?
SA: Well, absolutely. They absolutely have their opinions about it. Look, I don’t think either Jane or Maura are getting married or into some big thing anytime soon. So, their relationship with each other is number one. But you’ve got to keep it spicy. We’ve got to keep new people coming in and out.
AE: Last season the mainstream media really latched on to what gay female fans have noticed from the start – the chemistry between Jane and Maura and that sly "are they/aren’t they" a couple vibe that you guys sometimes put out. Were you surprised that fans caught onto that immediately? And were you surprised that it made its way into the mainstream discussion of the show?
SA: Yeah, a little bit. Definitely. I mean you don’t really know what you have until you start editing it and putting it together. The fact that some people interpret it as that is, you know, fine. Look, we definitely have chemistry. Whether that’s a straight guy thinking we look hot together and wanting to see us make out or a gay woman that loves the idea that these women are together.
And we have an interesting chemistry. We physically don’t really look alike and we’re very complimentary to each other. And there is a sexiness to that. We’re very different types of women and both have a certain appeal to people. It’s not that people don’t like Jane, but like Maura, or vice versa. It’s that they love the pairing. They love how that clicks. And I think that’s a really special quality to have.
Angie and I have a joke on set, when a scene isn’t totally clicking and we’re working on it we sort of go, “That’s OK, we cut great together.” That’s a great thing. That’s what you look for in casting roles. It gives us a lot of flexibility in not just playing these roles but being more playful when we play them.
In real life many people who are close to their friends are like this. We’re not playing these characters in any way that is not natural to the way people behave when they are close to a person. We are naturally touchy feely with the people that we love. We are comfortable with our bodies around the people that we love and care for. And we do the same things with these characters, whether it’s touching each other in a scene or showing affection. That is kind of all natural.
What works for me is the fact that regardless what the interpretation is, whether that’s a sexual relationship or not, that these are two smart women who are positive role models. Women who are not these catty stereotypical types who are fighting over who looks cuter. The fact that we can dig deeper into a friendship that can have conflict, that can be funny, that can be sexy – that to me is what I am like with my girlfriends. And I admit there is some boob grabbing going on on set. I am not going to lie and say there is not. And not just her and I, it’s all the ladies on setAE: Our readers are going to be really happy to hear that.
SA: I’m not kidding. All the women who work here have an incredible rapport with each other and the men can get incredibly uncomfortable. This season there’s a lot of talk of penises. There’s a lot of penis talk. I don’t know what is going on. You’ll have to ask (series creator) Janet Tamaroabout it. And whenever it happens it’s like the room is just silent. And Angie and I are giggling like seventh grade girls.
AE: Hm, well I don’t know if our readers will be as glad to hear about the penis talk.
AE: How do you feel about your gay fans who read into the subtext, love it and actively cheer it on. Do you like to see that? That they take something and interpret it in their own way?
SA: Yeah, I like that they interpret it in their own way. That’s what you want with any kind of entertainment – that people interpret it in their own way. The most important thing is they have a character or characters they relate to that in some way affects them and make them feel things. So I think that’s fantastic. That’s the ultimate goal that people care.
We don’t set out and think about that when doing the scenes at all. I remember in the first season before it aired, we’d already shot stuff before anyone ever thought these characters would be fantastic gay icons. But I love it. We never thought that we were doing that. But again it’s just chemistry. You can just be on screen and in the same space with someone and that’s what you kind of get from it. I mean, I am a married woman and I see the two of us on screen and it’s sexy. My husband even in the very beginning said you’re hot together. You don’t have to play that, it just is.
I just say a lot of the videos they make on YouTube and all the fan stuff can be hysterical. They can take a picture of the two of us sitting on a bench and they’ve somehow Photoshopped it so she’s just touching my knee enough and I lean my head just enough so I’m going in for a kiss. I think it’s brilliant. It’s really, really funny.
AE: Both you and Angie seem very interactive with fans. You respond a lot on Twitter. Sounds like you’ve seen fanvids and things like that. Have you enjoyed interacting with fans like that and seeing the things they create about the show?
SA: Yeah, they’re pretty amazing. I mean we both get so many not only wonderful gifts and creative gifts, but pictures and books they have made for our birthdays. It’s really incredible. But again the most important thing is that they relate to these women – they remind them of their sister or their best friend or their lover. Whoever it may be, who they feel connected to. That dialogue opens up. I like the interaction and I like that they care where the dialogue is going. That part of the whole Twitter universe is fun for me.
There is something so powerful to the international aspect of television. I have fans from Brazil to Germany to Japan. You get this fan mail and you’re like someone is on the other side of the planet and they felt the desire to sit down and write to you about what this character makes them feel. That part of it is really beautiful.
AE: I know when the show started there was no inkling that people would latch onto the subtext the way they have. Do you ever see it yourself on the page when you read a script? Do you ever tone it up or tone it down on purpose?
AE: I know you’re also close friends with Jessica Capshaw from Grey’s Anatomy and she plays a gay character on that show. Do you ever compare notes about your lesbian fanbases?
SA: We do now, because it has grown so much for both of us. Obviously, she’s playing a lesbian and I am not. She is out on her show, so it’s different for her. But so many people think that she and I are sisters or look alike. It’s funny when we met 15 years ago, it really was, “Oh my gosh, you remind me of Sasha Alexander” to Jessica and they’d say it to me about Jessica. We’d say literally who is that? And when we met it was like, “Oh, you’re this person.”
It’s funny that that is how we met and now that has also gone out into the universe and to fans. Now people who do not know we’re friends still say you remind me of her and you remind me of her. It’s really sweet and we laugh a lot about it. And recently someone put a Photoshop thing up where they took our heads and put them on the other’s body. She was like, “Oh my Gosh, I look so good in that dress.” SA: I don’t because honestly I am a lesbian at heart. I love women. I was raised by my mom and my aunt. I am a girl’s girl. I am very close to women in my life. So that kind of intimacy is not strange to me. I as an adult have slept in bed with other women friends. None of that reads to me at all. But was I surprised? No. Initially I thought people were thinking that because it is sexy. But maybe not, because it’s subjective.
At the end of the day, it’s what turns you on. If at the end of the day it turns you on to think of them in that way, great. If it doesn’t, fine. I mean, in the books they are much more separate as characters. They don’t interact as much. But for me, at heart, none of it is really weird. I’m a physical person. We joke around a lot, even when we have physical stuff together we kid around a lot and are both touchy feely. And that may translate, that comfortable part of our relationship.
AE: In July, fans are organizing the first-ever Rizzles Con, which you and several others involved with the show are going to try to attend. This is a fan-produced and fan-organized event. What is it about the series that inspires that kind of fan dedication/love? Why were you interested in taking part?
SA: Look, it’s a good question. I’ve never been in a position before of having the fans organize something themselves. So if I can, and the rest of the cast can crew can, if we can make it it’s great.
AE: Are you ready for the massive fangirl onslaught you’ll receive there?
SA: Not really. [Laughs] Do you want to come be my bodyguard?
AE: I’ll be your bodyguard. But they’re all very well behaved. You’ll be safe.
SA: I know. But I’ll need some support.
AE: Well let me tell you, lesbian fans are very, very loyal. So once they love you, they will love you forever. Ask Lucy Lawless or Jennifer Beals. The lesbian fanbase is very loyal and will stick with you through ensuing projects.
SA: Well I’m glad. I like loyalty, it is an important character trait. So that’s important to me. Everybody that I’ve met, we’ve done contests and people have come to the set, they’ve all been great. It’s also great that this show is extending to young girls who are 14-15 years old and they’re looking at a character like Maura and sayimg, “You know what, she’s not the biggest nerd in the world.” I mean, she’s a nerd, but she is OK. So they think, “Maybe I can pursue science or math or other nerdy perceived paths I want and it doesn’t mean I have to be a certain way.” So it encourages people to go in these directions and I think that’s powerful stuff.
AE: One of the other great things about the show is it has two female leads. And that is still unfortunately very rare on TV. Why do you think that is and does that add to the appeal of the show?
SA: Absolutely, it adds to the appeal of the show. The only other time we’ve seen it lately isCagney & Lacey. It shows you the power of women in pairs and even groups like Desperate Housewives and now the show Girls on HBO, which I love, and Sex and the City, of course. I think when it clicks the power of that chemistry between women is such a positive and powerful thing. Women are the future. We are so in the forefront. We are such a strong, strong sex. We can do so much. I just want to see positive female roles on television and movies. I don’t want to be the girlfriend of the whatever. I love that, when you can have those relationships represented in a way that is accurate or a way that makes other women say, “Wow, that speaks to me.”
It’s unusual, I think sometimes because the casting doesn’t work. But let me add one other thing, it is also because they aren’t written by a woman. On our show, the books were written by a woman. Our creator is a woman. A lot of times she’ll write something that some people may not see – like all the male executives in a room might think that’s weird. But guess what, when Angie and I read it, it totally speaks to us and we totally know how to act it. And that translates.
So I think it’s a combination of things. Having a producer who has a really strong vision about being honest in her writing and writing characters that are as real as she knows them. Also having that brought to the screen by Angie and I who are both very strong women. We aren’t like dancing around it, we’re in it. You can feel that when you watch the show. I really enjoy not only playing my part but also being a part of it. There’s just nothing else on television like it.
AE: So this season do you think there’ll be enough LLBFF love between Jane and Maura to keep your gay female fans happy? Is there enough subtext still to be read in, even though there will be difficult times in the beginning?
SA: There are going to be some difficult times in the beginning that everyone will sort of be uncomfortable with, because obviously everyone wants to see them getting along. But that will come fast enough. And then I think there will be a lot of cool stuff to see and watch. A lot of that camaraderie. So, yeah, absolutely.
I am voting for the flashback or more like the wet dream sequence that will somehow happen to one of us with the other. But I haven’t read it yet. What I thought was, what if Jane has like kind of a sexy dream? And in the dream she kissed Maura and something happened. And then she is so embarrassed by it, like so uncomfortable, then she can’t be close to Maura. I think Maura is more open to it, so she’d be more comfortable. She’s a little more experimental. So she’d be open to it.
AE: Get Janet on the phone immediately. Immediately.
SA: [Laughs] I’ll tell her we spoke and there was an understanding. Really there is a lot of sexy and fun stuff this year. We’ve been enjoying it. The scripts are stronger than ever. The crimes are stronger than ever. It’s unpredictable. Every episode I’m like, where is this going? So that’s fun.
Rizzoli & Isles premieres on a new night and time at 9 p.m. Tuesday, June 5, on TNT. Catch up on the series read past Rizzoli & Isles Subtext Recaps here. And then come back for Season 3 gayzzoli recaps every Thursday on AfterEllen.com.
Still, when last we saw these two lovely ladies of law enforcement, things were beyond tense. During a stand-off between Maura’s biological father/gangster Paddy Doyle and the police, Paddy shoots FBI Agent Dean (who happens to be Jane’s flower-bringing possible boyfriend) and then Jane shoots Paddy. Or, in other words, it’s complicated. The cast and crew has been back filming in Los Angeles (done up to look like Boston, naturally) since March and are currently shooting the sixth episode of the 15-installment season. From the set in between takes last week, Alexander spoke with AfterEllen.com about our favorite ambiguously gayzzoli duo
AfterEllen: Now Season 2 ended on quite an emotional cliff hanger. It’s hard to forgive even a LLBFF for shooting your biological father. How different will the Jane/Maura dynamic be when the third season starts?
Sasha Alexander: Well the third season begins moments after that event. We do see their initial reaction and response to all that drama. Maura is definitely spinning from all of that. There is a lot of anger and misunderstanding between her and Jane in terms of what just happened. They pick up at a place that is very intense for both of them. Maura has her dad in hospital and her mother in hospital and is really angry at Jane.
They are just in a place of a standstill. We don’t quite know how this will affect them. But then, come the second episode, something happens that brings them back together. They slowly make their way back when they start to realize what went down. Maura is coming to the realization that Paddy Doyle is not a good guy. This incident will bring them into a much deeper relationship and they do come out of it stronger. AE: Given the natural chemistry between Angie Harmon and yourself, how was that conflict to play? Was it hard? For many viewers, it’s that chemistry that attracted them to the series in the first place. And are you anything like your characters in real life?
SA: Having them in conflict explores more color and gives us more layers to develop for those characters. Not everything has to be funny and hanging out in the spa. But it was very hard to play many times. Angie and I are joking around on set and have to turn around and play this. We even have a huge cat fight.
The characters are not us at all. We’re both very different. What we bring to it is the element of having the connection to each other and the humor. We’re both very physical, we like physical contact.
AE: It sounds like Jane and Maura will have a rough go of it in the start, but won’t be mad at each other all season, which our readers will be happy to hear. What else can people expect from the third season? I assume the Paddy Doyle storyline will continue and there will be more with Maura’s mother?
SA: Yes, we are obviously dealing with Paddy Doyle being shot. He leaves some clues for Maura to find her biological mother, which she does. And that comes with a whole other set of complications. That is definitely one storyline that we get to dive deeper into.
There is an interesting storyline with a new character who is a possible love interest for Maura, played by Eddie Cibrian. He is kind of an interesting cat. He is an artist, but she meets him on an autopsy table because they think he’s dead until he’s not. So it is kind of an interesting way to meet someone. But for Maura the big one is definitely getting to meet her biological mother.
AE: Now you mentioned love interests coming up with Cibrian guesting. Our readers and your lesbian and gay fans have been pretty adamant about the friendship/relationship between Jane and Maura being central and not too interrupted by male romantic foils.
SA: Oh, no!
AE: Do you understand that desire and do you feel blowback from fans when that happens?
SA: Well, absolutely. They absolutely have their opinions about it. Look, I don’t think either Jane or Maura are getting married or into some big thing anytime soon. So, their relationship with each other is number one. But you’ve got to keep it spicy. We’ve got to keep new people coming in and out.
AE: Last season the mainstream media really latched on to what gay female fans have noticed from the start – the chemistry between Jane and Maura and that sly "are they/aren’t they" a couple vibe that you guys sometimes put out. Were you surprised that fans caught onto that immediately? And were you surprised that it made its way into the mainstream discussion of the show?
SA: Yeah, a little bit. Definitely. I mean you don’t really know what you have until you start editing it and putting it together. The fact that some people interpret it as that is, you know, fine. Look, we definitely have chemistry. Whether that’s a straight guy thinking we look hot together and wanting to see us make out or a gay woman that loves the idea that these women are together.
And we have an interesting chemistry. We physically don’t really look alike and we’re very complimentary to each other. And there is a sexiness to that. We’re very different types of women and both have a certain appeal to people. It’s not that people don’t like Jane, but like Maura, or vice versa. It’s that they love the pairing. They love how that clicks. And I think that’s a really special quality to have.
Angie and I have a joke on set, when a scene isn’t totally clicking and we’re working on it we sort of go, “That’s OK, we cut great together.” That’s a great thing. That’s what you look for in casting roles. It gives us a lot of flexibility in not just playing these roles but being more playful when we play them.
In real life many people who are close to their friends are like this. We’re not playing these characters in any way that is not natural to the way people behave when they are close to a person. We are naturally touchy feely with the people that we love. We are comfortable with our bodies around the people that we love and care for. And we do the same things with these characters, whether it’s touching each other in a scene or showing affection. That is kind of all natural.
What works for me is the fact that regardless what the interpretation is, whether that’s a sexual relationship or not, that these are two smart women who are positive role models. Women who are not these catty stereotypical types who are fighting over who looks cuter. The fact that we can dig deeper into a friendship that can have conflict, that can be funny, that can be sexy – that to me is what I am like with my girlfriends. And I admit there is some boob grabbing going on on set. I am not going to lie and say there is not. And not just her and I, it’s all the ladies on setAE: Our readers are going to be really happy to hear that.
SA: I’m not kidding. All the women who work here have an incredible rapport with each other and the men can get incredibly uncomfortable. This season there’s a lot of talk of penises. There’s a lot of penis talk. I don’t know what is going on. You’ll have to ask (series creator) Janet Tamaroabout it. And whenever it happens it’s like the room is just silent. And Angie and I are giggling like seventh grade girls.
AE: Hm, well I don’t know if our readers will be as glad to hear about the penis talk.
AE: How do you feel about your gay fans who read into the subtext, love it and actively cheer it on. Do you like to see that? That they take something and interpret it in their own way?
SA: Yeah, I like that they interpret it in their own way. That’s what you want with any kind of entertainment – that people interpret it in their own way. The most important thing is they have a character or characters they relate to that in some way affects them and make them feel things. So I think that’s fantastic. That’s the ultimate goal that people care.
We don’t set out and think about that when doing the scenes at all. I remember in the first season before it aired, we’d already shot stuff before anyone ever thought these characters would be fantastic gay icons. But I love it. We never thought that we were doing that. But again it’s just chemistry. You can just be on screen and in the same space with someone and that’s what you kind of get from it. I mean, I am a married woman and I see the two of us on screen and it’s sexy. My husband even in the very beginning said you’re hot together. You don’t have to play that, it just is.
I just say a lot of the videos they make on YouTube and all the fan stuff can be hysterical. They can take a picture of the two of us sitting on a bench and they’ve somehow Photoshopped it so she’s just touching my knee enough and I lean my head just enough so I’m going in for a kiss. I think it’s brilliant. It’s really, really funny.
AE: Both you and Angie seem very interactive with fans. You respond a lot on Twitter. Sounds like you’ve seen fanvids and things like that. Have you enjoyed interacting with fans like that and seeing the things they create about the show?
SA: Yeah, they’re pretty amazing. I mean we both get so many not only wonderful gifts and creative gifts, but pictures and books they have made for our birthdays. It’s really incredible. But again the most important thing is that they relate to these women – they remind them of their sister or their best friend or their lover. Whoever it may be, who they feel connected to. That dialogue opens up. I like the interaction and I like that they care where the dialogue is going. That part of the whole Twitter universe is fun for me.
There is something so powerful to the international aspect of television. I have fans from Brazil to Germany to Japan. You get this fan mail and you’re like someone is on the other side of the planet and they felt the desire to sit down and write to you about what this character makes them feel. That part of it is really beautiful.
AE: I know when the show started there was no inkling that people would latch onto the subtext the way they have. Do you ever see it yourself on the page when you read a script? Do you ever tone it up or tone it down on purpose?
AE: I know you’re also close friends with Jessica Capshaw from Grey’s Anatomy and she plays a gay character on that show. Do you ever compare notes about your lesbian fanbases?
SA: We do now, because it has grown so much for both of us. Obviously, she’s playing a lesbian and I am not. She is out on her show, so it’s different for her. But so many people think that she and I are sisters or look alike. It’s funny when we met 15 years ago, it really was, “Oh my gosh, you remind me of Sasha Alexander” to Jessica and they’d say it to me about Jessica. We’d say literally who is that? And when we met it was like, “Oh, you’re this person.”
It’s funny that that is how we met and now that has also gone out into the universe and to fans. Now people who do not know we’re friends still say you remind me of her and you remind me of her. It’s really sweet and we laugh a lot about it. And recently someone put a Photoshop thing up where they took our heads and put them on the other’s body. She was like, “Oh my Gosh, I look so good in that dress.” SA: I don’t because honestly I am a lesbian at heart. I love women. I was raised by my mom and my aunt. I am a girl’s girl. I am very close to women in my life. So that kind of intimacy is not strange to me. I as an adult have slept in bed with other women friends. None of that reads to me at all. But was I surprised? No. Initially I thought people were thinking that because it is sexy. But maybe not, because it’s subjective.
At the end of the day, it’s what turns you on. If at the end of the day it turns you on to think of them in that way, great. If it doesn’t, fine. I mean, in the books they are much more separate as characters. They don’t interact as much. But for me, at heart, none of it is really weird. I’m a physical person. We joke around a lot, even when we have physical stuff together we kid around a lot and are both touchy feely. And that may translate, that comfortable part of our relationship.
AE: In July, fans are organizing the first-ever Rizzles Con, which you and several others involved with the show are going to try to attend. This is a fan-produced and fan-organized event. What is it about the series that inspires that kind of fan dedication/love? Why were you interested in taking part?
SA: Look, it’s a good question. I’ve never been in a position before of having the fans organize something themselves. So if I can, and the rest of the cast can crew can, if we can make it it’s great.
AE: Are you ready for the massive fangirl onslaught you’ll receive there?
SA: Not really. [Laughs] Do you want to come be my bodyguard?
AE: I’ll be your bodyguard. But they’re all very well behaved. You’ll be safe.
SA: I know. But I’ll need some support.
AE: Well let me tell you, lesbian fans are very, very loyal. So once they love you, they will love you forever. Ask Lucy Lawless or Jennifer Beals. The lesbian fanbase is very loyal and will stick with you through ensuing projects.
SA: Well I’m glad. I like loyalty, it is an important character trait. So that’s important to me. Everybody that I’ve met, we’ve done contests and people have come to the set, they’ve all been great. It’s also great that this show is extending to young girls who are 14-15 years old and they’re looking at a character like Maura and sayimg, “You know what, she’s not the biggest nerd in the world.” I mean, she’s a nerd, but she is OK. So they think, “Maybe I can pursue science or math or other nerdy perceived paths I want and it doesn’t mean I have to be a certain way.” So it encourages people to go in these directions and I think that’s powerful stuff.
AE: One of the other great things about the show is it has two female leads. And that is still unfortunately very rare on TV. Why do you think that is and does that add to the appeal of the show?
SA: Absolutely, it adds to the appeal of the show. The only other time we’ve seen it lately isCagney & Lacey. It shows you the power of women in pairs and even groups like Desperate Housewives and now the show Girls on HBO, which I love, and Sex and the City, of course. I think when it clicks the power of that chemistry between women is such a positive and powerful thing. Women are the future. We are so in the forefront. We are such a strong, strong sex. We can do so much. I just want to see positive female roles on television and movies. I don’t want to be the girlfriend of the whatever. I love that, when you can have those relationships represented in a way that is accurate or a way that makes other women say, “Wow, that speaks to me.”
It’s unusual, I think sometimes because the casting doesn’t work. But let me add one other thing, it is also because they aren’t written by a woman. On our show, the books were written by a woman. Our creator is a woman. A lot of times she’ll write something that some people may not see – like all the male executives in a room might think that’s weird. But guess what, when Angie and I read it, it totally speaks to us and we totally know how to act it. And that translates.
So I think it’s a combination of things. Having a producer who has a really strong vision about being honest in her writing and writing characters that are as real as she knows them. Also having that brought to the screen by Angie and I who are both very strong women. We aren’t like dancing around it, we’re in it. You can feel that when you watch the show. I really enjoy not only playing my part but also being a part of it. There’s just nothing else on television like it.
AE: So this season do you think there’ll be enough LLBFF love between Jane and Maura to keep your gay female fans happy? Is there enough subtext still to be read in, even though there will be difficult times in the beginning?
SA: There are going to be some difficult times in the beginning that everyone will sort of be uncomfortable with, because obviously everyone wants to see them getting along. But that will come fast enough. And then I think there will be a lot of cool stuff to see and watch. A lot of that camaraderie. So, yeah, absolutely.
I am voting for the flashback or more like the wet dream sequence that will somehow happen to one of us with the other. But I haven’t read it yet. What I thought was, what if Jane has like kind of a sexy dream? And in the dream she kissed Maura and something happened. And then she is so embarrassed by it, like so uncomfortable, then she can’t be close to Maura. I think Maura is more open to it, so she’d be more comfortable. She’s a little more experimental. So she’d be open to it.
AE: Get Janet on the phone immediately. Immediately.
SA: [Laughs] I’ll tell her we spoke and there was an understanding. Really there is a lot of sexy and fun stuff this year. We’ve been enjoying it. The scripts are stronger than ever. The crimes are stronger than ever. It’s unpredictable. Every episode I’m like, where is this going? So that’s fun.
Rizzoli & Isles premieres on a new night and time at 9 p.m. Tuesday, June 5, on TNT. Catch up on the series read past Rizzoli & Isles Subtext Recaps here. And then come back for Season 3 gayzzoli recaps every Thursday on AfterEllen.com.
Sasha Alexander Interview, Dr. Maura Isles
RIZZOLI & ISLES Monday Nights at 10 EST, Season 2 Premieres July 11 on TNT
July 4, 2011
Lena Lamoray
TNT Press Release: RIZZOLI & ISLES follows Boston detective Jane Rizzoli (Harmon) and medical examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander), complete opposites and good friends who solve crimes and bust some of Boston’s most notorious criminals. Growing up at opposite ends of the economic spectrum, the two remain strikingly different from one another in many ways. Jane, the only female detective in Boston’s homicide division, is a tough and gutsy cop who doesn’t let her guard down (except with Maura), dodges her overprotective mother and is better at basketball than her brother. Maura, meanwhile, is usually more comfortable among the dead than the living. She is always impeccably dressed in designer duds with a steady, sometimes icy temperament. And she is working on curbing her tendency to diagnose the people she meets – including her first dates. Jane and Maura often find themselves working together as both use their brilliant minds and expertise to figure out the “who done it” as well as the “how done it” of Boston’s most complex cases. Despite their many differences, Jane and Maura are best friends, with a quirky and supportive relationship. As Tamaro explains, “That Jane and Maura are so different and yet so effective as a team makes them unusual.… There’s something rare about their relationship that I see in the world but not enough on television: two smart, strong, competent women who instinctively drop the protective shield when they’re with each other.” RIZZOLI & ISLES also stars Lorraine Bracco (The Sopranos) as Angela, Jane’s demanding and intrusive mother; Lee Thompson Young (FlashForward) as Det. Barry Frost, Jane’s somewhat green partner; Bruce McGill (Law Abiding Citizen) as Det. Vince Korsak, Jane’s seasoned former partner; and Jordan Bridges (Dawson’s Creek) as Jane’s brother, Frankie, a patrol cop who hopes one day to become a detective.
I spoke with SASHA ALEXANDER about RIZZOLI & ISLES and the training that she went through to play Dr. Maura Isles. Sasha does an amazing job with the medical procedures and terminology featured in the show. Some of my favorite shows that Sasha has starred in are: “NCIS”, “House M.D.”, “Dark Blue” and “Greg the Bunny.” Don’t miss the return of RIZZOLI & ISLES on TNT.
Lena Lamoray: You do a fantastic job with the medical aspect of the show. Can you talk about the training that you went through?
Sasha Alexander: Thank you. Well when I was on NCIS I learned a lot from working with David McCallum who plays Ducky. We had a lot of medical examiner coroners on the set so I got to know a lot about it. We visited the coroner’s office as part of our training. So I had a lot of - I got a lot of experience there and got my feet wet and so I knew kind of what I was expecting. But we have a great tech advisor on our show named Detective Russ Grant. He’s a retired Boston homicide detective. And he helps me through the scenes and helps me understand, you know, what I’m doing exactly and if I ever get grossed out, he’s there to laugh and, you know, guide me through it. So I pretty much - I’m familiar with it but every script brings a new scene that I have to dissect and, you know, figure out how to work through.
More Conference Call Interview Highlights:
Q: When you left NCIS, there was a lot of talk about the reasons why, one of them was that you didn’t like the action part of it. And on this show you don’t do the action. You play the girly-girl but very cerebral. So was that true or do you miss the action?
Sasha Alexander: That’s absolutely not true and I love action. I’m a complete tomboy. I was an athlete growing up. I was going to the ’88 Olympics as an ice skater so I love the action part of it. That is not the reason at all. But I love the action and I get very jealous that Angie gets to carry the gun all the time. I’m teasing. But, you know, I love those scenes. I think they’re really, really fun. I’m completely teasing. I’m teasing. I had one scene last year where I got to take the gun and it was really fun to do. But, no, I love the action sequences and I’m a huge, you know, one of my dreams is honestly to do like the female version of the Bourne Identity movies. Like I love, like, action films and all of it, so, no, that’s not why.
Q: You have a new little baby at home, a six-month-old little boy, and I wanted to know how you’re juggling that with two kids and a work schedule. And also if you’ve done anything green as far as his nursery goes, anything - any green products or green things in the nursery, not the color but the eco-friendly part?
Sasha Alexander: Yes. Well juggling it, you know, I have a fantastic husband that helps and a wonderful mother and so, you know, it takes a village. But that’s really helpful because we have a lot of long hours on the show and I bring my baby as much as I can...to work. But, yes, it’s definitely tough to manage but he’s a really good baby so I’ve been fortunate. And as far as the green, yes, you know, well I like a lot of stuff. I’m very into kind of the organic cottons for some of the wipes, the ((inaudible)) products. I love - I use mostly - what else do I use? My God, there’s so many other little...The Green Cradle makes these fantastic just organic sheets, baby fitted sheets and blankies and so forth. So I’ve used a lot - I bought a lot of stuff there. Their mattresses, their - so I did a lot - yes, most of the stuff there. I’m trying to think of even our - the products. I use a lot of Kiehl’s and Mustela actually. I find them to be - to work really well. But I love the (Kiehl’s) products. They’re - you know, they’re my favorite. Yes, but everything I’ve tried to stick to as much as I can the organic cottons and things. And our crib is from - oh my God, I forget now. I just forgot.
Q: Maura has a boyfriend (in the first episode), are we going to get to see a little more of her personal life this season. What can you tell us about that?
Sasha Alexander: Well Dr. (Slecky) in the first episode does not survive very long. But we do get to know more about her dating life. There’s a lot of - she dates a lot this season, some of Jane’s friends from high school and she has kind of an interesting relationship with Jane’s younger brother who comes back, Tommy, played by Colin Egglesfield. And she also - one of the loves of her life shows up and he’s also a very interesting character named (Ian) and he shows up briefly for now. So we do get to see a lot more of her private life. There’s also Maura’s home which we see Maura’s house and office and all that but her home has sort of become this place where a lot of the Rizzoli clan is either staying at or we’re having a lot of Rizzoli dinners, not all successful I might add, at Maura’s house. So we get a lot more of that personal time with her. And what was the second part of the question?
Q: Is she looking to have her own family?
Sasha Alexander: You know what, I think that that’s an interesting sort of place that both Jane and Maura live in which is obviously finding the right person and then that can kind of lead to, you know, possibly having a family. But right now I think that it’s just finding the right person to have a family with. But, yes, I think they’re open - they’re exploring their maternal instincts and, you know, feelings about being mothers and all of that, so...
Q: You guys have an unusual rhythm in the show, which is what really makes it feel so fresh and different. Can you comment on what you feel sets the show off?
Sasha Alexander: Okay. Yes, you know what, I think that it’s interesting. I mean I think that, you know, look if you can get - if you can find a unique tone to the show, like I take that as a big compliment because it means that we have a voice that’s specific to our show. And there’s - I think that it’s an interesting thing but if you get a group of people together and you start writing for them and you sort of see the rhythms and their rhythms and you catch on to that, I think that that’s what makes things special. And, yes, we do - I was doing a scene last night with Bruce McGill and, you know, he was - has his own rhythm too and it kind of combined with the characters if you take (Corsick) or you take Maura or Jane and it’s - anything can kind of happen. Everybody has a sense of humor. There is that lightness about it, about making fun of ourselves and, you know, that part of the show and then on the other side there is the kind of heavy crime stuff. So I think that lends itself to an interesting tone. Also I think because you have so much of the personal relationships that are being developed in the characters individually and together, especially this season, I think that it’s different than a typical procedural show because you don’t actually know where you’re going every week. Not one of our episodes has been linear in its kind of way. If you start in the squad room, you end in the squad room, like that doesn’t really happen. And so it’s refreshing for us to be able to do it and I’m sure to watch it, it kind of keeps you a little bit on your toes and sort of where will it go. Yes, you know you’re going to see the same people but where will it go? What will happen? And as far as the rhythm, I don’t know. I mean, you know, my husband says that I speak in my own kind of, you know, funny rhythm in terms of how I enunciate words and so forth and I definitely think that that sort of comes across in Maura so I don’t know. It could be all of us have that.
Q: Were you a fan of the books before you signed on to the series? And do you think that the show has a responsibility to stay true to the characters that Tess created?
Sasha Alexander: I was - I did not read the books before I did the show but I have read them since and I am a huge Tess Gerritsen fan. I write her constantly about just ideas, you know, that I’ve read that have stayed with me. As I was reading the books I would just be totally moved by a scene and, you know, write her about it. I think that the books are fantastic. I think that they are much darker than the show. To me they are in the vein of like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. And that’s really hard to bring to television because it’s a totally different series. So I think that the characters are true in their essence, mean - I just think that they’re emotionally they are true to what the books are. And there’s a lot of different characters that are showing up this season like (Ian Falknor) who is one of Maura’s long-lost loves. He shows up. In the books he’s - and it’s similar to the books but it’s not exactly the same. So I do think that there is some responsibility to stay close to the books. I absolutely think so. But I think like anything if you bring something to a different medium, you have to adjust to that medium. And in this case we’re making a television series that people watch every week, clearly the books are going to be - you’re going to have to stray away from them in order to create content and to create and expand on characters and in this case lighten it up a bit because I love the books to read but I think in a television show it would be pretty dark.
Q: I think it would be too controversial because in the book she actually is involved with a priest.
Sasha Alexander: Yes. That’s one of my favorite storylines ever. You know, I hope that when we’re in Season 5 of our show they will, you know, have the guts to sort of figure out how to write that and work that in because I think those are the mysteries of the books that are incredibly unique and intriguing and would make incredible storylines if we could find a way to do them on the show. But I think that right now the show is still early, you know, we’re just entering the second season and there’s amazing characters like even Maura’s hit man father. You know there’s a lot of darkness that comes in particularly for Maura on one side of like I think her family life and I think the mystery of her family life is much darker than, you know, sometimes her sunny side at work. So that’s kind of a light and dark thing that Tess Gerritsen plays with a lot. But, you know, it’s a great storyline. She has amazing storylines. I’d love to be able to do them on the show.
July 4, 2011
Lena Lamoray
TNT Press Release: RIZZOLI & ISLES follows Boston detective Jane Rizzoli (Harmon) and medical examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander), complete opposites and good friends who solve crimes and bust some of Boston’s most notorious criminals. Growing up at opposite ends of the economic spectrum, the two remain strikingly different from one another in many ways. Jane, the only female detective in Boston’s homicide division, is a tough and gutsy cop who doesn’t let her guard down (except with Maura), dodges her overprotective mother and is better at basketball than her brother. Maura, meanwhile, is usually more comfortable among the dead than the living. She is always impeccably dressed in designer duds with a steady, sometimes icy temperament. And she is working on curbing her tendency to diagnose the people she meets – including her first dates. Jane and Maura often find themselves working together as both use their brilliant minds and expertise to figure out the “who done it” as well as the “how done it” of Boston’s most complex cases. Despite their many differences, Jane and Maura are best friends, with a quirky and supportive relationship. As Tamaro explains, “That Jane and Maura are so different and yet so effective as a team makes them unusual.… There’s something rare about their relationship that I see in the world but not enough on television: two smart, strong, competent women who instinctively drop the protective shield when they’re with each other.” RIZZOLI & ISLES also stars Lorraine Bracco (The Sopranos) as Angela, Jane’s demanding and intrusive mother; Lee Thompson Young (FlashForward) as Det. Barry Frost, Jane’s somewhat green partner; Bruce McGill (Law Abiding Citizen) as Det. Vince Korsak, Jane’s seasoned former partner; and Jordan Bridges (Dawson’s Creek) as Jane’s brother, Frankie, a patrol cop who hopes one day to become a detective.
I spoke with SASHA ALEXANDER about RIZZOLI & ISLES and the training that she went through to play Dr. Maura Isles. Sasha does an amazing job with the medical procedures and terminology featured in the show. Some of my favorite shows that Sasha has starred in are: “NCIS”, “House M.D.”, “Dark Blue” and “Greg the Bunny.” Don’t miss the return of RIZZOLI & ISLES on TNT.
Lena Lamoray: You do a fantastic job with the medical aspect of the show. Can you talk about the training that you went through?
Sasha Alexander: Thank you. Well when I was on NCIS I learned a lot from working with David McCallum who plays Ducky. We had a lot of medical examiner coroners on the set so I got to know a lot about it. We visited the coroner’s office as part of our training. So I had a lot of - I got a lot of experience there and got my feet wet and so I knew kind of what I was expecting. But we have a great tech advisor on our show named Detective Russ Grant. He’s a retired Boston homicide detective. And he helps me through the scenes and helps me understand, you know, what I’m doing exactly and if I ever get grossed out, he’s there to laugh and, you know, guide me through it. So I pretty much - I’m familiar with it but every script brings a new scene that I have to dissect and, you know, figure out how to work through.
More Conference Call Interview Highlights:
Q: When you left NCIS, there was a lot of talk about the reasons why, one of them was that you didn’t like the action part of it. And on this show you don’t do the action. You play the girly-girl but very cerebral. So was that true or do you miss the action?
Sasha Alexander: That’s absolutely not true and I love action. I’m a complete tomboy. I was an athlete growing up. I was going to the ’88 Olympics as an ice skater so I love the action part of it. That is not the reason at all. But I love the action and I get very jealous that Angie gets to carry the gun all the time. I’m teasing. But, you know, I love those scenes. I think they’re really, really fun. I’m completely teasing. I’m teasing. I had one scene last year where I got to take the gun and it was really fun to do. But, no, I love the action sequences and I’m a huge, you know, one of my dreams is honestly to do like the female version of the Bourne Identity movies. Like I love, like, action films and all of it, so, no, that’s not why.
Q: You have a new little baby at home, a six-month-old little boy, and I wanted to know how you’re juggling that with two kids and a work schedule. And also if you’ve done anything green as far as his nursery goes, anything - any green products or green things in the nursery, not the color but the eco-friendly part?
Sasha Alexander: Yes. Well juggling it, you know, I have a fantastic husband that helps and a wonderful mother and so, you know, it takes a village. But that’s really helpful because we have a lot of long hours on the show and I bring my baby as much as I can...to work. But, yes, it’s definitely tough to manage but he’s a really good baby so I’ve been fortunate. And as far as the green, yes, you know, well I like a lot of stuff. I’m very into kind of the organic cottons for some of the wipes, the ((inaudible)) products. I love - I use mostly - what else do I use? My God, there’s so many other little...The Green Cradle makes these fantastic just organic sheets, baby fitted sheets and blankies and so forth. So I’ve used a lot - I bought a lot of stuff there. Their mattresses, their - so I did a lot - yes, most of the stuff there. I’m trying to think of even our - the products. I use a lot of Kiehl’s and Mustela actually. I find them to be - to work really well. But I love the (Kiehl’s) products. They’re - you know, they’re my favorite. Yes, but everything I’ve tried to stick to as much as I can the organic cottons and things. And our crib is from - oh my God, I forget now. I just forgot.
Q: Maura has a boyfriend (in the first episode), are we going to get to see a little more of her personal life this season. What can you tell us about that?
Sasha Alexander: Well Dr. (Slecky) in the first episode does not survive very long. But we do get to know more about her dating life. There’s a lot of - she dates a lot this season, some of Jane’s friends from high school and she has kind of an interesting relationship with Jane’s younger brother who comes back, Tommy, played by Colin Egglesfield. And she also - one of the loves of her life shows up and he’s also a very interesting character named (Ian) and he shows up briefly for now. So we do get to see a lot more of her private life. There’s also Maura’s home which we see Maura’s house and office and all that but her home has sort of become this place where a lot of the Rizzoli clan is either staying at or we’re having a lot of Rizzoli dinners, not all successful I might add, at Maura’s house. So we get a lot more of that personal time with her. And what was the second part of the question?
Q: Is she looking to have her own family?
Sasha Alexander: You know what, I think that that’s an interesting sort of place that both Jane and Maura live in which is obviously finding the right person and then that can kind of lead to, you know, possibly having a family. But right now I think that it’s just finding the right person to have a family with. But, yes, I think they’re open - they’re exploring their maternal instincts and, you know, feelings about being mothers and all of that, so...
Q: You guys have an unusual rhythm in the show, which is what really makes it feel so fresh and different. Can you comment on what you feel sets the show off?
Sasha Alexander: Okay. Yes, you know what, I think that it’s interesting. I mean I think that, you know, look if you can get - if you can find a unique tone to the show, like I take that as a big compliment because it means that we have a voice that’s specific to our show. And there’s - I think that it’s an interesting thing but if you get a group of people together and you start writing for them and you sort of see the rhythms and their rhythms and you catch on to that, I think that that’s what makes things special. And, yes, we do - I was doing a scene last night with Bruce McGill and, you know, he was - has his own rhythm too and it kind of combined with the characters if you take (Corsick) or you take Maura or Jane and it’s - anything can kind of happen. Everybody has a sense of humor. There is that lightness about it, about making fun of ourselves and, you know, that part of the show and then on the other side there is the kind of heavy crime stuff. So I think that lends itself to an interesting tone. Also I think because you have so much of the personal relationships that are being developed in the characters individually and together, especially this season, I think that it’s different than a typical procedural show because you don’t actually know where you’re going every week. Not one of our episodes has been linear in its kind of way. If you start in the squad room, you end in the squad room, like that doesn’t really happen. And so it’s refreshing for us to be able to do it and I’m sure to watch it, it kind of keeps you a little bit on your toes and sort of where will it go. Yes, you know you’re going to see the same people but where will it go? What will happen? And as far as the rhythm, I don’t know. I mean, you know, my husband says that I speak in my own kind of, you know, funny rhythm in terms of how I enunciate words and so forth and I definitely think that that sort of comes across in Maura so I don’t know. It could be all of us have that.
Q: Were you a fan of the books before you signed on to the series? And do you think that the show has a responsibility to stay true to the characters that Tess created?
Sasha Alexander: I was - I did not read the books before I did the show but I have read them since and I am a huge Tess Gerritsen fan. I write her constantly about just ideas, you know, that I’ve read that have stayed with me. As I was reading the books I would just be totally moved by a scene and, you know, write her about it. I think that the books are fantastic. I think that they are much darker than the show. To me they are in the vein of like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. And that’s really hard to bring to television because it’s a totally different series. So I think that the characters are true in their essence, mean - I just think that they’re emotionally they are true to what the books are. And there’s a lot of different characters that are showing up this season like (Ian Falknor) who is one of Maura’s long-lost loves. He shows up. In the books he’s - and it’s similar to the books but it’s not exactly the same. So I do think that there is some responsibility to stay close to the books. I absolutely think so. But I think like anything if you bring something to a different medium, you have to adjust to that medium. And in this case we’re making a television series that people watch every week, clearly the books are going to be - you’re going to have to stray away from them in order to create content and to create and expand on characters and in this case lighten it up a bit because I love the books to read but I think in a television show it would be pretty dark.
Q: I think it would be too controversial because in the book she actually is involved with a priest.
Sasha Alexander: Yes. That’s one of my favorite storylines ever. You know, I hope that when we’re in Season 5 of our show they will, you know, have the guts to sort of figure out how to write that and work that in because I think those are the mysteries of the books that are incredibly unique and intriguing and would make incredible storylines if we could find a way to do them on the show. But I think that right now the show is still early, you know, we’re just entering the second season and there’s amazing characters like even Maura’s hit man father. You know there’s a lot of darkness that comes in particularly for Maura on one side of like I think her family life and I think the mystery of her family life is much darker than, you know, sometimes her sunny side at work. So that’s kind of a light and dark thing that Tess Gerritsen plays with a lot. But, you know, it’s a great storyline. She has amazing storylines. I’d love to be able to do them on the show.
Sasha Alexander
Sasha Alexander popped onto many people’s radar with her role as Kate Todd on NCIS. Now she’s back as Dr. Maura Isles on the TNT hit series Rizzoli & Isles. And she’s making pathology look good.
Born to Serbian parents in LA, Ms. Alexander is a graduate of the prestigious USC School of Cinema and Television. Like Quincy, Bones, and CSI, among others, Sasha is helping to make visible the sorts of jobs available to students who want to pursue science as a career, especially young ladies. We were able to reach her by phone as she drove to the set of Rizzoli & Isles before starting an all-night, marathon filming of an episode. She talked to us about student attitudes, making classes real, and what she really thinks of teachers.
Forensic Teacher Magazine: Let me begin by asking you to tell me about your parents and their views on education. Was education important in your household?
Sasha Alexander: In my household when I was growing up, or in my household now? [laughs].
FT: When you were growing up.
SA: Very much so. Both my parents are European so education is obviously very important. I come from a family that speaks multiple languages. My mother is the sort of science-math brain of the family which I’m not. I actually wasn’t as strong in science and math as I was in English and history. So, education is very important in my household.
FT: What were your favorite subjects in high school?
SA: English, history, anything having to do with the creative arts.
FT: What about the other courses? What sort of science courses did you have? And I’m guessing they weren’t happy memories.
SA: No, they were because I had really great teachers for biology and chemistry. I liked it. I think that if there’s a subject that’s not coming to us as easy as some other areas a teacher can really open up and inspire us, if we have a good teacher. I had really good teachers so I have good memories. Math, not so much [laughs].
FT: You had different strengths than the math kids.
SA: Yeah.
FT: Me too. Now, I am not that familiar with the USC School of Cinema and Television, but did they require science courses there?
SA: As part of your general education, yes, but once your general ed is done your main focus is in film and television production and critical studies which is basically the study of films and how to make them. Everything from editing to sound to everything you would take from the time you write a script to shooting it.
FT: Neat.
SA: Yeah. It’s more focused on the actual making of films and studying them.
FT: So, it’s more about doing than book-learning?
SA: Yes, it is. Exactly.
FT: What were your favorite classes there?
SA: In critical studies where you take different classes based on the history of comedy, or documentaries, and so forth. I found myself very intrigued by documentaries in a big way and I found myself taking lots of courses in those because every semester was a different set of movies to watch and review and speak about. I liked documentaries. I like their style and learned a lot from them. In general I think there’s something to be learned from all of it because you get to learn how to just have your opinion and see what moves you. Just studying cinematography and studying the looks of films and the choices directors make and how to shoot it. And also the different phases we’ve gone through in the history of filmmaking and cinema. Just different phases of how movies have aged and how technology has influenced it. So, all of that was really fun to study and I have lots of great memories from there.
FT: That’s great. Now, let me ask you about your current role, Dr. Maura Isles. What kind of background preparation did you have to do? Did they ask you to bone up on anatomy or anything like that?
SA: [laughs]. No, they didn’t. I got my feet wet when I was on the show NCIS. I got to sit in on a lot of training and a lot of discussions that were going on with Ducky who is played by David McCallum. I learned a lot about it there first and foremost. And that kind of got me comfortable with the whole area of it so it wasn’t completely foreign to me. My biggest thing as an actor in understanding a character is to understand why somebody would choose a certain profession. Whether that is being a medical examiner, or whether that is being a detective or whatever. What is it about that person’s character that chose this, because Dr. Maura Isles went to school to work with Doctors Without Borders. She has the background of doing so many things. She could have chosen to do just about anything in the medical field, but she chose this, to hang around dead bodies every day. So, why?
And what I found from really working on the character, as well as in discussions with a coroner who came to the set and worked with us, was that at the end of the day what they love is getting to the truth.
FT: I’ve heard that. I’ve also heard the pathologist has all the answers, but is too late to do anything about them.
SA: Right. And you know, I think for Maura, it’s interesting to do a huge study in human psychology and a way of understanding how people live their lives, what they did to their bodies, how they age, their bones—I think that she’s just an incredibly scientifically minded person and loves the whole thing. She loves the idea of all of it. And in this particular case I think it’s just getting down to the truth and being able to use the science to solve the crime.
FT: Do you watch forensic shows on television?
SA: I do.
FT: Which ones do you like?
SA: I loved CSI when it first came out. I found the original CSI very intriguing, and I liked that. NCIS, which I was on, I found really fun. I thought that David McCallum’s character was a quirky and interesting way of getting into science. I think Bones is a great show. And of course Rizzoli & Isles [laughs] is a fantastic show.
FT: It’s one of the best on TV! I’m looking forward to the upcoming season.
SA: Thank you.
FT: Let me take a moment and bring the conversation back to the original reason I wanted to talk to you: Do you remember the show Quincy with Jack Klugman?
SA: Nope.
FT: It was the mid to late ‘70s, and he played a pathologist. It was the first medical-legal crime drama show of its kind to even venture into the autopsy room. And it was fascinating because a lot of people used that to follow their interests into that career. And the reason I asked Tess Garretson’s help in contacting you was because you and Tess are special. I have girls come into my classroom who have been told their entire lives, “you can’t do science.” And it’s crushing because they have the drive and the desire, but they’ve heard this BS for so long. Believe it or not you and Tess and Pauley Perrette are role models for a lot of girls in schools. So, how does it feel to know you’re a role model?
SA: Wow. I love Pauley Perrette. She’s one of my very dearest friends in real life. And Pauley, this is her passion; she studied criminology before she got the role as Abby [on NCIS].
And you know what? I am so proud of that and so honored to have the opportunity to find a role that is able to inspire people and girls to pursue this because what I have learned in playing this role is how vitally important it is. We think, oh yeah, doctors are important, but to have doctors who use this kind of science to do this, they uncover so much and go to places that we, that most of us don’t ever go. And they can tell such stories and know so many things. And I just have so much respect for it and I think that anybody who could possibly have the inclination or talent or ability or drive to go in that direction should absolutely pursue it. So, I really respect it, and I feel really honored that I’m part of something that can reach girls and speak to them and give them the confidence that they could potentially be doing this because I love it.
FT: Well, you are. Are you familiar with Dr. G on the Discovery Health Channel?
SA: Yes.
FT: She’s a person who does it. Tess was a physician and now she’s an artist. You’re an artist playing a physician. But to the kids at home, what they see is Sasha Alexander going out and really making a difference. And that let’s them believe in themselves a little bit more. There are a lot of girls who would thank you for doing what you’re doing.
SA: Wow. Thank you very much for saying that. That means a lot to me.
FT: What, in your opinion, could teachers do to make their lessons more exciting to their students?
SA: I think first and foremost is the attitude of the teacher. Like anything else in life, when people have a passion for something it becomes sort of an infection in a way, and everyone can get it. People like that can be infectious and can lure you into their passion, teach you about it, excite you about it because they’re enthusiastic about it. So I think its attitude first. Next is finding a way to speak to the students to involve them in things that are out of the norm. Sometimes when you do things out of a book it doesn’t open students’ minds as well as if you have them experience. Field trips were always a very big deal to me; guest speakers mattered a lot.
I remember we had this amazing man who used to come around every year and talk about adventures he had taken or whatever interesting trip he documented that year. He talked about it and I remember being so inspired and remember thinking, ‘oh my goodness you can travel the world, you can do these things that are not part of your everyday life because there’s so much to see on this planet. And so, I know I was personally influenced a lot by alternative ways of reaching students without making them read textbooks.
FT: I feel the same way. Now, earlier we discussed your patents’ views on education; what are your views on education for your family?
SA: It’s the same thing. My husband is French-educated, he was raised in Paris and Geneva. He went to predominantly American high schools. Before that he went to English-speaking schools, not American schools. My husband speaks three languages, I speak three languages. Culture and language are a huge part of what I believe is important. I don’t think it’s being book-smart, I think it’s being world-smart, understanding our planet, understanding what’s happening in the world. History is important.
So, in addition to hopefully putting my daughter in a school that has the kind of teachers that will speak to her, and my son, but he’s only five months old. But putting my children in schools that will have the kind of teachers who will speak their language. I think every child is different, so we have to find a place that has the kind of curriculum and mentality you want, but is also able to speak to the children in a way that they can hear it.
In addition to that I hope to travel with them and I hope to send them to places that are outside of their everyday life so they can see that not everyone in the world lives the way we do. I learned so much by traveling with my mother to poor and poverty-stricken places around the globe. And what I remember having a conscious understanding of is that there were kids that did not have food, and they did not have their own bedrooms in their house, and they didn’t have the things that I had. I remember being very conscious of this, and it has affected who I am forever. So, I hope to instill the same things in my children.
FT: That’s neat. Do you have any advice for students today who are stuck with a teacher who is boring about how to stay interested in something they know is important, but is really poorly taught?
SA: My feeling is, that’s kind of the way the world is. Not every job we have, or every situation we’re in is going to be up to the standard of being entertaining for us. But we have to make our way through it and, hopefully, look at it as a challenge to find a way to make it interesting for ourselves. To dig underneath the surface of things. Sometimes it takes a little bit more attention on our part to make something work. Maybe it’s going to the teacher, maybe it’s asking questions, and maybe it’s digging deeper. It’s certainly not giving up and chalking it up to it just being boring, forget about it.
FT: You know, this is the 17th interview we’ve done, and I ask that same question every time, and that’s the neatest answer I’ve ever gotten.
SA: Thank you.
FT: And that answer makes the most sense of anything anybody’s ever said to that question.
SA: I think it’s easy when we’re young to say, ‘that bores me and I don’t want to do it,’ instead of ‘well, this isn’t the most exciting class I have during the week, but I’m here for an hour, and I’m here for the whole semester, and I really would love to be able to…some of this interests me so why not benefit from that?’ I think every job we go into in real life requires an understanding of human behavior and psychology. And so, if there’s a teacher who doesn’t communicate in the best way for us to hear, maybe we have to find a way to hear them better. And we have to listen more, and we have to encourage ourselves to take part in something. If not your whole semester and your whole life will be boring [laughs].
FT: That’s true. Hey, something just occurred to me: when I was in high school we had to learning typing on a typewriter and we had rotary phones and there was no Internet. Today’s kids are growing up in a world we never imagined. Do you have any thoughts about where education could be going? There are some cyber schools where kids don’t leave the house; they just get on the computer for a few hours. Do you have any idea what’s coming?
SA: I don’t. The only thing I hope for now and that I wish was different was that our country, and our states, and our counties treated teachers with a higher regard than I feel they do. When you go to other parts of the world, being a teacher is one of the most valued professions, I mean it’s higher than being a president or anything else because you are dealing with the next generation. You are teaching them everything. And I feel here in this country we don’t treat them the same way. And that makes me sad because I think that, ‘how are our children going to learn anything if we don’t value our teachers and pay them well and treat them well and make their lives easier so they’re comfortable so they can go to work happy and be able to do their jobs?’
So, my only hope for education is that we begin from the top treating the most important jobs, that would be teachers, better. And I think if we do that then everything else will fall into place. And I hope it’s not that our children are locked in a room with a computer by themselves. That would be an unfortunate situation. SA: I mean it. Growing up in the LA unified school district, it was foul to me. It really was because these are the people teaching the next generation. And they’re the best. Why aren’t they treated better than anyone? Why aren’t they valued?
FT: Absolutely. I’ve often thought teachers are like nurses and firefighters: you can cut their salary and cut their benefits and they’re still going to do their jobs because they care.
SA: I agree.
FT: Thanks. Now, just out of curiosity, how far do you live from the set [of Rizzoli & Isles]?
SA: About twenty minutes.
FT: In LA?
SA: Yes.
FT: I know nothing about the television industry. How long does it take to put together one episode?
SA: It’s complicated. Our writers and producers work year-round. It normally takes six weeks to make one episode, or even longer. And it depends on how long it takes them to write it, and then it takes the director a few weeks to prep the episode, then it takes eight days to physically shoot the episode, and then it takes another few weeks to edit it and do the sound and the whole production.
FT: Wow. I had no idea.
SA: Nobody does. The average on these shows, and ours is pretty good, the actors work 13 to 17 hours a day.
FT: I didn’t know that.
SA: Acting is tough because the schedule is quite brutal. When you’re working you’re there and you’re on set and you’re on camera. You’re not behind a desk or at a computer.
FT: When you film an episode, do they film the scenes in order or out of sequence?
SA: Totally out of sequence, and they usually shoot the scenes in place at the same location all together. So, it makes sense in terms of scheduling. If not it would take too long moving back and forth all the time. Listen, I’m about to walk onto set. Is there anything else you wanted to ask?
FT: No, we’re good. Thank you again for your time and for being both honest and charming.
SA: Thank you very much.
Born to Serbian parents in LA, Ms. Alexander is a graduate of the prestigious USC School of Cinema and Television. Like Quincy, Bones, and CSI, among others, Sasha is helping to make visible the sorts of jobs available to students who want to pursue science as a career, especially young ladies. We were able to reach her by phone as she drove to the set of Rizzoli & Isles before starting an all-night, marathon filming of an episode. She talked to us about student attitudes, making classes real, and what she really thinks of teachers.
Forensic Teacher Magazine: Let me begin by asking you to tell me about your parents and their views on education. Was education important in your household?
Sasha Alexander: In my household when I was growing up, or in my household now? [laughs].
FT: When you were growing up.
SA: Very much so. Both my parents are European so education is obviously very important. I come from a family that speaks multiple languages. My mother is the sort of science-math brain of the family which I’m not. I actually wasn’t as strong in science and math as I was in English and history. So, education is very important in my household.
FT: What were your favorite subjects in high school?
SA: English, history, anything having to do with the creative arts.
FT: What about the other courses? What sort of science courses did you have? And I’m guessing they weren’t happy memories.
SA: No, they were because I had really great teachers for biology and chemistry. I liked it. I think that if there’s a subject that’s not coming to us as easy as some other areas a teacher can really open up and inspire us, if we have a good teacher. I had really good teachers so I have good memories. Math, not so much [laughs].
FT: You had different strengths than the math kids.
SA: Yeah.
FT: Me too. Now, I am not that familiar with the USC School of Cinema and Television, but did they require science courses there?
SA: As part of your general education, yes, but once your general ed is done your main focus is in film and television production and critical studies which is basically the study of films and how to make them. Everything from editing to sound to everything you would take from the time you write a script to shooting it.
FT: Neat.
SA: Yeah. It’s more focused on the actual making of films and studying them.
FT: So, it’s more about doing than book-learning?
SA: Yes, it is. Exactly.
FT: What were your favorite classes there?
SA: In critical studies where you take different classes based on the history of comedy, or documentaries, and so forth. I found myself very intrigued by documentaries in a big way and I found myself taking lots of courses in those because every semester was a different set of movies to watch and review and speak about. I liked documentaries. I like their style and learned a lot from them. In general I think there’s something to be learned from all of it because you get to learn how to just have your opinion and see what moves you. Just studying cinematography and studying the looks of films and the choices directors make and how to shoot it. And also the different phases we’ve gone through in the history of filmmaking and cinema. Just different phases of how movies have aged and how technology has influenced it. So, all of that was really fun to study and I have lots of great memories from there.
FT: That’s great. Now, let me ask you about your current role, Dr. Maura Isles. What kind of background preparation did you have to do? Did they ask you to bone up on anatomy or anything like that?
SA: [laughs]. No, they didn’t. I got my feet wet when I was on the show NCIS. I got to sit in on a lot of training and a lot of discussions that were going on with Ducky who is played by David McCallum. I learned a lot about it there first and foremost. And that kind of got me comfortable with the whole area of it so it wasn’t completely foreign to me. My biggest thing as an actor in understanding a character is to understand why somebody would choose a certain profession. Whether that is being a medical examiner, or whether that is being a detective or whatever. What is it about that person’s character that chose this, because Dr. Maura Isles went to school to work with Doctors Without Borders. She has the background of doing so many things. She could have chosen to do just about anything in the medical field, but she chose this, to hang around dead bodies every day. So, why?
And what I found from really working on the character, as well as in discussions with a coroner who came to the set and worked with us, was that at the end of the day what they love is getting to the truth.
FT: I’ve heard that. I’ve also heard the pathologist has all the answers, but is too late to do anything about them.
SA: Right. And you know, I think for Maura, it’s interesting to do a huge study in human psychology and a way of understanding how people live their lives, what they did to their bodies, how they age, their bones—I think that she’s just an incredibly scientifically minded person and loves the whole thing. She loves the idea of all of it. And in this particular case I think it’s just getting down to the truth and being able to use the science to solve the crime.
FT: Do you watch forensic shows on television?
SA: I do.
FT: Which ones do you like?
SA: I loved CSI when it first came out. I found the original CSI very intriguing, and I liked that. NCIS, which I was on, I found really fun. I thought that David McCallum’s character was a quirky and interesting way of getting into science. I think Bones is a great show. And of course Rizzoli & Isles [laughs] is a fantastic show.
FT: It’s one of the best on TV! I’m looking forward to the upcoming season.
SA: Thank you.
FT: Let me take a moment and bring the conversation back to the original reason I wanted to talk to you: Do you remember the show Quincy with Jack Klugman?
SA: Nope.
FT: It was the mid to late ‘70s, and he played a pathologist. It was the first medical-legal crime drama show of its kind to even venture into the autopsy room. And it was fascinating because a lot of people used that to follow their interests into that career. And the reason I asked Tess Garretson’s help in contacting you was because you and Tess are special. I have girls come into my classroom who have been told their entire lives, “you can’t do science.” And it’s crushing because they have the drive and the desire, but they’ve heard this BS for so long. Believe it or not you and Tess and Pauley Perrette are role models for a lot of girls in schools. So, how does it feel to know you’re a role model?
SA: Wow. I love Pauley Perrette. She’s one of my very dearest friends in real life. And Pauley, this is her passion; she studied criminology before she got the role as Abby [on NCIS].
And you know what? I am so proud of that and so honored to have the opportunity to find a role that is able to inspire people and girls to pursue this because what I have learned in playing this role is how vitally important it is. We think, oh yeah, doctors are important, but to have doctors who use this kind of science to do this, they uncover so much and go to places that we, that most of us don’t ever go. And they can tell such stories and know so many things. And I just have so much respect for it and I think that anybody who could possibly have the inclination or talent or ability or drive to go in that direction should absolutely pursue it. So, I really respect it, and I feel really honored that I’m part of something that can reach girls and speak to them and give them the confidence that they could potentially be doing this because I love it.
FT: Well, you are. Are you familiar with Dr. G on the Discovery Health Channel?
SA: Yes.
FT: She’s a person who does it. Tess was a physician and now she’s an artist. You’re an artist playing a physician. But to the kids at home, what they see is Sasha Alexander going out and really making a difference. And that let’s them believe in themselves a little bit more. There are a lot of girls who would thank you for doing what you’re doing.
SA: Wow. Thank you very much for saying that. That means a lot to me.
FT: What, in your opinion, could teachers do to make their lessons more exciting to their students?
SA: I think first and foremost is the attitude of the teacher. Like anything else in life, when people have a passion for something it becomes sort of an infection in a way, and everyone can get it. People like that can be infectious and can lure you into their passion, teach you about it, excite you about it because they’re enthusiastic about it. So I think its attitude first. Next is finding a way to speak to the students to involve them in things that are out of the norm. Sometimes when you do things out of a book it doesn’t open students’ minds as well as if you have them experience. Field trips were always a very big deal to me; guest speakers mattered a lot.
I remember we had this amazing man who used to come around every year and talk about adventures he had taken or whatever interesting trip he documented that year. He talked about it and I remember being so inspired and remember thinking, ‘oh my goodness you can travel the world, you can do these things that are not part of your everyday life because there’s so much to see on this planet. And so, I know I was personally influenced a lot by alternative ways of reaching students without making them read textbooks.
FT: I feel the same way. Now, earlier we discussed your patents’ views on education; what are your views on education for your family?
SA: It’s the same thing. My husband is French-educated, he was raised in Paris and Geneva. He went to predominantly American high schools. Before that he went to English-speaking schools, not American schools. My husband speaks three languages, I speak three languages. Culture and language are a huge part of what I believe is important. I don’t think it’s being book-smart, I think it’s being world-smart, understanding our planet, understanding what’s happening in the world. History is important.
So, in addition to hopefully putting my daughter in a school that has the kind of teachers that will speak to her, and my son, but he’s only five months old. But putting my children in schools that will have the kind of teachers who will speak their language. I think every child is different, so we have to find a place that has the kind of curriculum and mentality you want, but is also able to speak to the children in a way that they can hear it.
In addition to that I hope to travel with them and I hope to send them to places that are outside of their everyday life so they can see that not everyone in the world lives the way we do. I learned so much by traveling with my mother to poor and poverty-stricken places around the globe. And what I remember having a conscious understanding of is that there were kids that did not have food, and they did not have their own bedrooms in their house, and they didn’t have the things that I had. I remember being very conscious of this, and it has affected who I am forever. So, I hope to instill the same things in my children.
FT: That’s neat. Do you have any advice for students today who are stuck with a teacher who is boring about how to stay interested in something they know is important, but is really poorly taught?
SA: My feeling is, that’s kind of the way the world is. Not every job we have, or every situation we’re in is going to be up to the standard of being entertaining for us. But we have to make our way through it and, hopefully, look at it as a challenge to find a way to make it interesting for ourselves. To dig underneath the surface of things. Sometimes it takes a little bit more attention on our part to make something work. Maybe it’s going to the teacher, maybe it’s asking questions, and maybe it’s digging deeper. It’s certainly not giving up and chalking it up to it just being boring, forget about it.
FT: You know, this is the 17th interview we’ve done, and I ask that same question every time, and that’s the neatest answer I’ve ever gotten.
SA: Thank you.
FT: And that answer makes the most sense of anything anybody’s ever said to that question.
SA: I think it’s easy when we’re young to say, ‘that bores me and I don’t want to do it,’ instead of ‘well, this isn’t the most exciting class I have during the week, but I’m here for an hour, and I’m here for the whole semester, and I really would love to be able to…some of this interests me so why not benefit from that?’ I think every job we go into in real life requires an understanding of human behavior and psychology. And so, if there’s a teacher who doesn’t communicate in the best way for us to hear, maybe we have to find a way to hear them better. And we have to listen more, and we have to encourage ourselves to take part in something. If not your whole semester and your whole life will be boring [laughs].
FT: That’s true. Hey, something just occurred to me: when I was in high school we had to learning typing on a typewriter and we had rotary phones and there was no Internet. Today’s kids are growing up in a world we never imagined. Do you have any thoughts about where education could be going? There are some cyber schools where kids don’t leave the house; they just get on the computer for a few hours. Do you have any idea what’s coming?
SA: I don’t. The only thing I hope for now and that I wish was different was that our country, and our states, and our counties treated teachers with a higher regard than I feel they do. When you go to other parts of the world, being a teacher is one of the most valued professions, I mean it’s higher than being a president or anything else because you are dealing with the next generation. You are teaching them everything. And I feel here in this country we don’t treat them the same way. And that makes me sad because I think that, ‘how are our children going to learn anything if we don’t value our teachers and pay them well and treat them well and make their lives easier so they’re comfortable so they can go to work happy and be able to do their jobs?’
So, my only hope for education is that we begin from the top treating the most important jobs, that would be teachers, better. And I think if we do that then everything else will fall into place. And I hope it’s not that our children are locked in a room with a computer by themselves. That would be an unfortunate situation. SA: I mean it. Growing up in the LA unified school district, it was foul to me. It really was because these are the people teaching the next generation. And they’re the best. Why aren’t they treated better than anyone? Why aren’t they valued?
FT: Absolutely. I’ve often thought teachers are like nurses and firefighters: you can cut their salary and cut their benefits and they’re still going to do their jobs because they care.
SA: I agree.
FT: Thanks. Now, just out of curiosity, how far do you live from the set [of Rizzoli & Isles]?
SA: About twenty minutes.
FT: In LA?
SA: Yes.
FT: I know nothing about the television industry. How long does it take to put together one episode?
SA: It’s complicated. Our writers and producers work year-round. It normally takes six weeks to make one episode, or even longer. And it depends on how long it takes them to write it, and then it takes the director a few weeks to prep the episode, then it takes eight days to physically shoot the episode, and then it takes another few weeks to edit it and do the sound and the whole production.
FT: Wow. I had no idea.
SA: Nobody does. The average on these shows, and ours is pretty good, the actors work 13 to 17 hours a day.
FT: I didn’t know that.
SA: Acting is tough because the schedule is quite brutal. When you’re working you’re there and you’re on set and you’re on camera. You’re not behind a desk or at a computer.
FT: When you film an episode, do they film the scenes in order or out of sequence?
SA: Totally out of sequence, and they usually shoot the scenes in place at the same location all together. So, it makes sense in terms of scheduling. If not it would take too long moving back and forth all the time. Listen, I’m about to walk onto set. Is there anything else you wanted to ask?
FT: No, we’re good. Thank you again for your time and for being both honest and charming.
SA: Thank you very much.
' Rizzoli & Isles' fits Sasha Alexander perfectly
Sasha Alexander likes surprises. So the role of forensic pathologist Maura Isles on TNT's crime series Rizzoli & Isles is perfect for her.
"She's a big mystery," Alexander says. "I like that I don't know where the scripts are going. I like that her character can go from light to dark very quickly. That's fascinating to me."
But it was no surprise that R&I would be returning for a second season (premiering Monday, 10 ET/PT). "We were pretty strong out of the gate," Alexander says by phone from Los Angeles.
Perhaps it was fate. Alexander says the chemistry between her and co-star Angie Harmon was there from the audition. "We clicked. … I really, really felt like it couldn't have been better."
Harmon teased her by saying, "'You know, they want us to do that first scene again,'" Alexander recalls. "So I walked back in the room, and all the executives stood up along with Angie, and they started clapping and (told me) 'Welcome to the team.'"
The moment stood out for Alexander, 38, who was a regular on CBS' NCIS. "They make you come back a million times, and then they think about it, and you have to hear from your agent whether or not you got it." Finding out on the spot after a reading "has never happened to me, and it's very rare that it'll happen to anyone. It was pretty special."
Alexander hadn't read the Tess Gerritsen book series, on which the show is based, before reading the pilot script. "I have since," she says. "Now I write her quite often as I'm reading them. … I love the books."
So much so that Alexander is quick to point out the differences between the two Mauras. "The Maura in the books is this Goth-like creature. 'Queen of the Dead' is what they call her. Putting that aside, there's a sensibility that we have in common."
As a working mom of two (Lucia Sofia, 5, and Leonardo, 6 months), she likes cable TV's shorter season.
"The most difficult thing for any working mother is that you're never turned off," she says. "It's been a crash course in learning to be organized and managing my time."
But "when I'm at work, I'm at work, and (when) I'm at home, I'm at home with my children and my husband, and I'm not thinking about anything else."
Alexander's husband understands the nature of the industry, because he's in the business, too. She met Edoardo Ponti, 38, son of Sophia Loren and Carlo Ponti, at theUniversity of Southern California's film school, where they were students.
When her mother met Ponti at a screening, she told Alexander afterward, "'I met the nicest boy. … You should go out with a great guy like that.' I said, 'Mom, you know who his mother is?' (She replied) 'Oh, no wonder he was well-raised.'"
The couple teamed for Coming & Going, a romantic comedy airing on TNT (Friday, 10 p.m. ET/PT). He directs. She stars.
The film was a first of sorts. "There was so much freedom that I was allowed as an actor, and I knew I was looked after because it was my husband making me look great."
How was it working with him? "That was kind of amazing. It made me want to do it again and again."
By Lorena Blas, USA TODAY
"She's a big mystery," Alexander says. "I like that I don't know where the scripts are going. I like that her character can go from light to dark very quickly. That's fascinating to me."
But it was no surprise that R&I would be returning for a second season (premiering Monday, 10 ET/PT). "We were pretty strong out of the gate," Alexander says by phone from Los Angeles.
Perhaps it was fate. Alexander says the chemistry between her and co-star Angie Harmon was there from the audition. "We clicked. … I really, really felt like it couldn't have been better."
Harmon teased her by saying, "'You know, they want us to do that first scene again,'" Alexander recalls. "So I walked back in the room, and all the executives stood up along with Angie, and they started clapping and (told me) 'Welcome to the team.'"
The moment stood out for Alexander, 38, who was a regular on CBS' NCIS. "They make you come back a million times, and then they think about it, and you have to hear from your agent whether or not you got it." Finding out on the spot after a reading "has never happened to me, and it's very rare that it'll happen to anyone. It was pretty special."
Alexander hadn't read the Tess Gerritsen book series, on which the show is based, before reading the pilot script. "I have since," she says. "Now I write her quite often as I'm reading them. … I love the books."
So much so that Alexander is quick to point out the differences between the two Mauras. "The Maura in the books is this Goth-like creature. 'Queen of the Dead' is what they call her. Putting that aside, there's a sensibility that we have in common."
As a working mom of two (Lucia Sofia, 5, and Leonardo, 6 months), she likes cable TV's shorter season.
"The most difficult thing for any working mother is that you're never turned off," she says. "It's been a crash course in learning to be organized and managing my time."
But "when I'm at work, I'm at work, and (when) I'm at home, I'm at home with my children and my husband, and I'm not thinking about anything else."
Alexander's husband understands the nature of the industry, because he's in the business, too. She met Edoardo Ponti, 38, son of Sophia Loren and Carlo Ponti, at theUniversity of Southern California's film school, where they were students.
When her mother met Ponti at a screening, she told Alexander afterward, "'I met the nicest boy. … You should go out with a great guy like that.' I said, 'Mom, you know who his mother is?' (She replied) 'Oh, no wonder he was well-raised.'"
The couple teamed for Coming & Going, a romantic comedy airing on TNT (Friday, 10 p.m. ET/PT). He directs. She stars.
The film was a first of sorts. "There was so much freedom that I was allowed as an actor, and I knew I was looked after because it was my husband making me look great."
How was it working with him? "That was kind of amazing. It made me want to do it again and again."
By Lorena Blas, USA TODAY
Sasha Alexander Interview RIZZOLI & ISLES
On the new TNT drama Rizzoli & Isles, Sasha Alexander plays Maura Isles, a Boston medical examiner who is usually more comfortable among the dead than the living. Her devotion to logic and science leads to her tendency to diagnose the people she meets, which makes for some socially awkward situations.
Despite their many differences, Isles and her best friend, Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon), are two strong, brilliant women who work together to solve some of Boston’s most complex cases. During an interview to promote the series premiere, actress Sasha Alexander talked about what made her want to return to series television and how much she enjoys working with co-star Angie Harmon. Check out what she had to say after the jump:
Question: How were you approached to be on this show and what made you want to get involved?
Sasha: What made me want to be on it was reading a really good script, and being compelled by and attracted to the characters. I really loved Maura Isles, who was very fascinating to me. I was very compelled by a woman who would choose this profession. She came from a very highly-educated, wealthy background and could have chosen to do a lot of other things, and has this uber-feminine, modern woman mentality, but works this job. There was just something intriguing about it. I also really loved the friendship between these two women, and watching these two very different women working in this gritty male environment. That was really the reason that I wanted to be a part of it. And, I went in and met with the producer and the director that did the pilot, Mike Robin, and read with them. And then, I did a read with Angie Harmon, who was already cast. From the moment we read together, it just clicked. It was as easy as that.
Was your chemistry with Angie Harmon just instant?
Sasha: It was instant. It really was. We had never met before, and we went in to do this read together and, the moment that we read it, we had very different energies, and I think that that translated. The thing that we do have in common is respect for each other, and we both have the same sense of humor. We definitely can make each other laugh a lot. Those things show on screen. Angie is a beautiful and stunning woman, and we both have really good qualities that complement each other. We both look very different and we have different energies, but it really works. We’re lucky. When we do scenes together, I do feel like there’s a certain magic that you can’t always say happens.
What made you decide to wait to take another lead role on a television show, after doing NCIS?
Sasha: I had a child, who’s now four years old. I did a show called The Nine on ABC. I did a pilot. I worked here and there. I did a House episode and Dark Blue. I made eight movies. I did a film called Yes Man, and I did He’s Just Not That Into You. I made a lot of independent films, one of which was called Tenure, with Luke Wilson. Some of those films got distribution, but maybe weren’t in the theaters and didn’t have a huge commercial flash. So, I have been working as much as I want to be working, but I haven’t taken on a lead in a series television show since then. This is my first.
What drives you to succeed, in your work and in your life?
Sasha: I don’t know. I think you’re born with that. I’ve always been somebody that enjoys life. I want to be happy in it, and I’ve always been that way. Since I was a kid, I really was somebody that was active. It’s just an inner drive, and a willingness to lead a good life
Had you read any of the Tess Gerritsen books before you were cast?
Sasha: No. I have read some of them now, but I haven’t read all of them. I did not read them before doing the pilot. I was going to, and then Tess and our executive producer, Janet Tamaro, said, “You know what? We’d prefer that you just do your own take and interpretation. Take this script and make it your own, instead of trying to emulate something that’s in the book.” Whenever you take something from a book to the screen, it’s going to have a slightly different interpretation. In this case, I don’t physically look the character of Maura, in the book. She has a very short, black bob and she’s a lot cooler in personality than the Maura that I’m bringing to the screen.
Are you a fan of mystery fiction?
Sasha: One of the things that did intrigue me about when I read the pilot – because I had not read the books before doing the show – was the mystery aspect of it. I didn’t feel that it was just a crime-based story. It really does have that mystery element, and it felt like a throwback to other shows in the past that had a bit more of that. There was something iconic about it. The fact that it’s set in Boston gave it a feeling that was different to me. So, I am definitely more of a fan of mysteries than I am of a circular crime-based genre.
Do you have any favorite authors?
Sasha: Aside from John Grisham, there isn’t really anybody besides Tess that I’ve truly gotten into. But, I do like them. When I have more time to read, I will absolutely look for some more authors. It’s just about finding a world and a character that you’re intrigued by.
Do you think working on a show with two lead female characters makes it different from other shows?
Sasha: I don’t know that you can compare it to another show because each show has its own individuality. But, when you have two different women coming from two very different backgrounds, it’s fun for us because we get to explore how each one of them approaches their job and how they bring their own experiences to it. In this case, Jane and Maura don’t always agree on how to go about solving something. They both are very different in their approach and, a lot of times, that can lead to potential conflict, and then a debate in figuring out who and what is the right way to do it. I just think that we have more opportunity to have a bit more of that banter between each other. And, given that the two women are so different, there’s really something to play with.
How are you most different from your character?
Sasha: I was never very good at math and science, to be honest, so it’s fun to play a character that is so scientific and mathematical, and whose brain functions at such a high pace. The biggest difference is that Maura is very linear in her thinking and very logical. I’m not quite like that. I’m much more laid back and not quite so type A. That’s the big difference.
How has motherhood changed your approach to acting?
Sasha: I think that becoming a parent absolutely changes your entire life and certainly changes your work, and it has changed mine. It just allows you to have access to your emotions, even more than you already did. You’re watching this little person grow in front of you, and you realize that you’re seeing how precious life is and how quickly it goes. You get to things faster, even emotionally. I’m not as timid about reaching into some areas in myself and bringing that to my work.
Are you able to bring your child to work?
Sasha: Yes, I can bring my daughter, any time I want. But, given that we’re working with a lot of corpses, she doesn’t come that often. I think that might be a little traumatic.
What’s it like to have Sophia Loren as a mother-in-law?
Sasha: The best thing about it is that she is the most normal person, and I have the utmost admiration and love for her. I know that she is an icon and an absolute legend, but as a family member, the most beautiful thing is that she is really, really normal.
Posted:July 12th, 2010 http://collider.com/sasha-alexander-interview-rizzoli-and-isles-angie-harmon-tnt/37129/
Despite their many differences, Isles and her best friend, Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon), are two strong, brilliant women who work together to solve some of Boston’s most complex cases. During an interview to promote the series premiere, actress Sasha Alexander talked about what made her want to return to series television and how much she enjoys working with co-star Angie Harmon. Check out what she had to say after the jump:
Question: How were you approached to be on this show and what made you want to get involved?
Sasha: What made me want to be on it was reading a really good script, and being compelled by and attracted to the characters. I really loved Maura Isles, who was very fascinating to me. I was very compelled by a woman who would choose this profession. She came from a very highly-educated, wealthy background and could have chosen to do a lot of other things, and has this uber-feminine, modern woman mentality, but works this job. There was just something intriguing about it. I also really loved the friendship between these two women, and watching these two very different women working in this gritty male environment. That was really the reason that I wanted to be a part of it. And, I went in and met with the producer and the director that did the pilot, Mike Robin, and read with them. And then, I did a read with Angie Harmon, who was already cast. From the moment we read together, it just clicked. It was as easy as that.
Was your chemistry with Angie Harmon just instant?
Sasha: It was instant. It really was. We had never met before, and we went in to do this read together and, the moment that we read it, we had very different energies, and I think that that translated. The thing that we do have in common is respect for each other, and we both have the same sense of humor. We definitely can make each other laugh a lot. Those things show on screen. Angie is a beautiful and stunning woman, and we both have really good qualities that complement each other. We both look very different and we have different energies, but it really works. We’re lucky. When we do scenes together, I do feel like there’s a certain magic that you can’t always say happens.
What made you decide to wait to take another lead role on a television show, after doing NCIS?
Sasha: I had a child, who’s now four years old. I did a show called The Nine on ABC. I did a pilot. I worked here and there. I did a House episode and Dark Blue. I made eight movies. I did a film called Yes Man, and I did He’s Just Not That Into You. I made a lot of independent films, one of which was called Tenure, with Luke Wilson. Some of those films got distribution, but maybe weren’t in the theaters and didn’t have a huge commercial flash. So, I have been working as much as I want to be working, but I haven’t taken on a lead in a series television show since then. This is my first.
What drives you to succeed, in your work and in your life?
Sasha: I don’t know. I think you’re born with that. I’ve always been somebody that enjoys life. I want to be happy in it, and I’ve always been that way. Since I was a kid, I really was somebody that was active. It’s just an inner drive, and a willingness to lead a good life
Had you read any of the Tess Gerritsen books before you were cast?
Sasha: No. I have read some of them now, but I haven’t read all of them. I did not read them before doing the pilot. I was going to, and then Tess and our executive producer, Janet Tamaro, said, “You know what? We’d prefer that you just do your own take and interpretation. Take this script and make it your own, instead of trying to emulate something that’s in the book.” Whenever you take something from a book to the screen, it’s going to have a slightly different interpretation. In this case, I don’t physically look the character of Maura, in the book. She has a very short, black bob and she’s a lot cooler in personality than the Maura that I’m bringing to the screen.
Are you a fan of mystery fiction?
Sasha: One of the things that did intrigue me about when I read the pilot – because I had not read the books before doing the show – was the mystery aspect of it. I didn’t feel that it was just a crime-based story. It really does have that mystery element, and it felt like a throwback to other shows in the past that had a bit more of that. There was something iconic about it. The fact that it’s set in Boston gave it a feeling that was different to me. So, I am definitely more of a fan of mysteries than I am of a circular crime-based genre.
Do you have any favorite authors?
Sasha: Aside from John Grisham, there isn’t really anybody besides Tess that I’ve truly gotten into. But, I do like them. When I have more time to read, I will absolutely look for some more authors. It’s just about finding a world and a character that you’re intrigued by.
Do you think working on a show with two lead female characters makes it different from other shows?
Sasha: I don’t know that you can compare it to another show because each show has its own individuality. But, when you have two different women coming from two very different backgrounds, it’s fun for us because we get to explore how each one of them approaches their job and how they bring their own experiences to it. In this case, Jane and Maura don’t always agree on how to go about solving something. They both are very different in their approach and, a lot of times, that can lead to potential conflict, and then a debate in figuring out who and what is the right way to do it. I just think that we have more opportunity to have a bit more of that banter between each other. And, given that the two women are so different, there’s really something to play with.
How are you most different from your character?
Sasha: I was never very good at math and science, to be honest, so it’s fun to play a character that is so scientific and mathematical, and whose brain functions at such a high pace. The biggest difference is that Maura is very linear in her thinking and very logical. I’m not quite like that. I’m much more laid back and not quite so type A. That’s the big difference.
How has motherhood changed your approach to acting?
Sasha: I think that becoming a parent absolutely changes your entire life and certainly changes your work, and it has changed mine. It just allows you to have access to your emotions, even more than you already did. You’re watching this little person grow in front of you, and you realize that you’re seeing how precious life is and how quickly it goes. You get to things faster, even emotionally. I’m not as timid about reaching into some areas in myself and bringing that to my work.
Are you able to bring your child to work?
Sasha: Yes, I can bring my daughter, any time I want. But, given that we’re working with a lot of corpses, she doesn’t come that often. I think that might be a little traumatic.
What’s it like to have Sophia Loren as a mother-in-law?
Sasha: The best thing about it is that she is the most normal person, and I have the utmost admiration and love for her. I know that she is an icon and an absolute legend, but as a family member, the most beautiful thing is that she is really, really normal.
Posted:July 12th, 2010 http://collider.com/sasha-alexander-interview-rizzoli-and-isles-angie-harmon-tnt/37129/
Rizzoli & Isles with Sasha Alexander, Angie Harmon.
When it comes to bringing criminals to justice, the new TNT series Rizzoli & Isles takes the same approach as just about every other TV cop drama.
But Rizzoli & Isles, based on the novels by Tess Gerritsen, has one major twist: the respect and friendship of the two female leads.
As in Gerritsen’s novels, Boston police detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles respect each other’s insights and skills. They don’t always agree and sometimes are at odds, but that doesn’t affect their relationship. The two characters genuinely like each other.
Call it the female buddy syndrome, or a realistic glimpse at women’s friendships. Whatever.
This relationship is paramount to the inner workings of Rizzoli & Isles, which airs on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET and PT; 9 p.m. EST.
Angie Harmon as Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as Isles make the viewers believe that these two women would bond over a crime scene, talk about their personal lives in the morgue and, if time ever permits, get together for drinks, dinner, or to help clean up a trashed apartment.
During a recent conference telephone interview with several journalists around the country, the actresses’ chemistry with each other was one of the first subjects that cropped up.
“When we were trying to find the woman to play Maura, it was kind of like a no-brainer when Sasha came in [to audition],” said Harmon. “We just knew it was her right then.”
Alexander agreed: “From the moment we read together, it just sort of clicked.”
Part of the appeal for both actresses also were the surface differences between the characters – the blue-collar Rizzoli is more comfortable in jeans and a sloppy shirt while blue-blood Isles’ ideas of dressing down is flat shoes.
“I really loved the friendship between these two women and watching these two very different women working in this environment, on this kind of gritty male environment,” said Alexander. “That was really the reason that I wanted to be a part of it.”
Both actresses are more than a little familiar with crime drama. Harmon became a household name playing ADA Abbie Carmichael on Law & Order from 1998-2001. Alexander played Special Agent Caitlin Todd on NCIS from 2003 to 2005.
“What stands out [in Rizzoli & Isles] the most is that there’s a lot to these characters,” said Harmon.
“We see their back stories. We see their present situations. To me, that was a lot more interesting than just the regular procedure with four heads standing around a body spelling it out for you. Rizzoli & Isles definitely has got a lot more grit to it. It’s not just a typical procedural show. Our cast will show the different colors of the characters,” said Harmon, who added she spent time preparing for her role by spending time with the actual homicide unit in Boston.
Alexander echoed those sentiments.
Sasha Alexander plays Dr. Maura Isles on Rizzoli and Isles
"I really love Maura Isles; she’s very fascinating to me,” said Alexander. “I was very compelled by a woman who would choose this profession. [She] came from a very highly educated wealthy background and could have chosen to do a lot of other things. She is this uber-feminine kind of modern woman [who chose] to work this job."
Gerritsen’s novels not only provide the foundation for the series but they also inspire Harmon, who says she is a fan of mystery fiction.
“I hadn’t read Tess’ books until we started playing the characters and now I’m obsessed. I come home, I’m exhausted, but I am ready to read more. I just finished The Sinner, and I’m getting ready to start The Keepsake,” said Harmon.
In a way, the novels are enhancing the way Harmon approaches her character.
“It’s like I’m getting a prequel and a history to these people in the book,” Harmon said. “Here I am shooting the history of these two characters and I’m reading their future. You’re sitting here watching these two characters live, but if you know the books you know what happens to them before they know what happens to them,” said Harmon, who added that the series does not always follow the novels’ storylines.
“I’ve never actually had that happen before in a character that I play. I am shooting a scene with Billie Burke (who plays Gabrielle Dean) and here I am reading about our future.”
Although Harmon has had many roles in the past decade, including a year on The Women’s Murder Club, she will always been Abbie Carmichael, thanks to the endless reruns of Law & Order. Indeed, most of us said we were also watching an episode of that recently canceled drama during the interview. Harmon looks back on those days with fondness.
“I learned some wonderful things from that show. I learned it doesn’t matter how tired you are, you always hang up your wardrobe. I learned from Sam [Waterston] that you never come to the set without your ties. [The Law & Order set] was a wonderful, wonderful place for me. I really thought that the revolving door of Law & Order would sort of going.”
“I would sit in my dressing room and stuff my envelopes with my save the date cards and my wedding invitations,” said Harmon who is married to former football player Jason Sehorn; the couple has three daughters.
But now there is Jane Rizzoli for Harmon to concentrate on.
“Jane is witty, she’s funny. It’s been a fun time playing her humor and playing her attitude. She’s also very serious about her work. And you know she’s a complete tomboy and that’s very different from me. I love playing her.”
Rizzoli & Isles airs on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET and PT; 9 p.m. EST.
But Rizzoli & Isles, based on the novels by Tess Gerritsen, has one major twist: the respect and friendship of the two female leads.
As in Gerritsen’s novels, Boston police detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles respect each other’s insights and skills. They don’t always agree and sometimes are at odds, but that doesn’t affect their relationship. The two characters genuinely like each other.
Call it the female buddy syndrome, or a realistic glimpse at women’s friendships. Whatever.
This relationship is paramount to the inner workings of Rizzoli & Isles, which airs on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET and PT; 9 p.m. EST.
Angie Harmon as Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as Isles make the viewers believe that these two women would bond over a crime scene, talk about their personal lives in the morgue and, if time ever permits, get together for drinks, dinner, or to help clean up a trashed apartment.
During a recent conference telephone interview with several journalists around the country, the actresses’ chemistry with each other was one of the first subjects that cropped up.
“When we were trying to find the woman to play Maura, it was kind of like a no-brainer when Sasha came in [to audition],” said Harmon. “We just knew it was her right then.”
Alexander agreed: “From the moment we read together, it just sort of clicked.”
Part of the appeal for both actresses also were the surface differences between the characters – the blue-collar Rizzoli is more comfortable in jeans and a sloppy shirt while blue-blood Isles’ ideas of dressing down is flat shoes.
“I really loved the friendship between these two women and watching these two very different women working in this environment, on this kind of gritty male environment,” said Alexander. “That was really the reason that I wanted to be a part of it.”
Both actresses are more than a little familiar with crime drama. Harmon became a household name playing ADA Abbie Carmichael on Law & Order from 1998-2001. Alexander played Special Agent Caitlin Todd on NCIS from 2003 to 2005.
“What stands out [in Rizzoli & Isles] the most is that there’s a lot to these characters,” said Harmon.
“We see their back stories. We see their present situations. To me, that was a lot more interesting than just the regular procedure with four heads standing around a body spelling it out for you. Rizzoli & Isles definitely has got a lot more grit to it. It’s not just a typical procedural show. Our cast will show the different colors of the characters,” said Harmon, who added she spent time preparing for her role by spending time with the actual homicide unit in Boston.
Alexander echoed those sentiments.
Sasha Alexander plays Dr. Maura Isles on Rizzoli and Isles
"I really love Maura Isles; she’s very fascinating to me,” said Alexander. “I was very compelled by a woman who would choose this profession. [She] came from a very highly educated wealthy background and could have chosen to do a lot of other things. She is this uber-feminine kind of modern woman [who chose] to work this job."
Gerritsen’s novels not only provide the foundation for the series but they also inspire Harmon, who says she is a fan of mystery fiction.
“I hadn’t read Tess’ books until we started playing the characters and now I’m obsessed. I come home, I’m exhausted, but I am ready to read more. I just finished The Sinner, and I’m getting ready to start The Keepsake,” said Harmon.
In a way, the novels are enhancing the way Harmon approaches her character.
“It’s like I’m getting a prequel and a history to these people in the book,” Harmon said. “Here I am shooting the history of these two characters and I’m reading their future. You’re sitting here watching these two characters live, but if you know the books you know what happens to them before they know what happens to them,” said Harmon, who added that the series does not always follow the novels’ storylines.
“I’ve never actually had that happen before in a character that I play. I am shooting a scene with Billie Burke (who plays Gabrielle Dean) and here I am reading about our future.”
Although Harmon has had many roles in the past decade, including a year on The Women’s Murder Club, she will always been Abbie Carmichael, thanks to the endless reruns of Law & Order. Indeed, most of us said we were also watching an episode of that recently canceled drama during the interview. Harmon looks back on those days with fondness.
“I learned some wonderful things from that show. I learned it doesn’t matter how tired you are, you always hang up your wardrobe. I learned from Sam [Waterston] that you never come to the set without your ties. [The Law & Order set] was a wonderful, wonderful place for me. I really thought that the revolving door of Law & Order would sort of going.”
“I would sit in my dressing room and stuff my envelopes with my save the date cards and my wedding invitations,” said Harmon who is married to former football player Jason Sehorn; the couple has three daughters.
But now there is Jane Rizzoli for Harmon to concentrate on.
“Jane is witty, she’s funny. It’s been a fun time playing her humor and playing her attitude. She’s also very serious about her work. And you know she’s a complete tomboy and that’s very different from me. I love playing her.”
Rizzoli & Isles airs on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET and PT; 9 p.m. EST.
Spanish interview to 13th Street
Basada en las historias de la novelista Tess Gerritsen, ya tiene confirmada una segunda temporada, que llegará a EE UU el próximo 11 de julio. En ella, Alexander da vida a la forense Maura Isles, una mujer muy femenina, bastante frikiy adicta a las compras que resuelve crímenes en Boston con la ayuda de la detective machorro Jane Rizzoli (Harmon). No te pierdas esta entrevista, donde habla de la química con su compañera de reparto, del caos que supuso aprenderse palabras técnicas y hasta de su relación con los cadáveres. 'Rizzoli & Isles' promete atarte al sillón con con historias de asesinos en serie, maratones con riesgo de avalanchas humanas y muchísimo, muchísimo humor.
En primer lugar, enhorabuena por su bebé.
Muchas gracias. Nació hace cinco meses y es un niño. Su nombre es Leonardo.
¿Cómo es su personaje en 'Rizzoli & Isles'?
Se llama Maura Isles y trabaja en Boston como médico forense. Es muy fuerte, muy inteligente y bastante excéntrica. Proviene de una familia acomodada con mucho dinero y ha tenido la mejor educación, ha viajado por el mundo. Habla varios idiomas y no sé... Es como el patito feo del grupo.
Pero no hay nada de malo en ser el patito feo, ¿no?
No, no... Me encanta interpretarla porque es muy divertido. Como actriz no es fácil encontrar un personaje que sea tan fuerte e inteligente como ella y que también tenga otras aristas que explorar. Por ejemplo, tiene un montón de citas y siempre diagnostica a los hombres con los que sale. Siempre le pasa algo nuevo... Cuando leo el guión, primero me da un poco de respeto. Me rio con ella y también me supone un reto. Así que es bastante divertido.
¿Se le ha hecho difícil aprender todos los términos médicos y estar rodeada de tanto cadáver?
Sí. Los tecnicismos siempre son complicados. He buscado muchas palabras en Google y también he tenido que preguntar a los guionistas y pedirles ayuda sobre el significado de algunas cosas. Les decía: "¿Y cómo se dice esto?". Había veces en las que decía la misma palabra de tres maneras distintas. Grabábamos una escena y alguien me decía: "No Sasha, lo tienes que decir así". Y yo era como: "No me confundas. No sé cómo decirlo". He metido mucho la pata con ese tema. Y lo de los cuerpos... Es verdad que puede ser un poco asqueroso. Me visitaba al rodaje algún familiar y no es que pensara que fuera real pero... Me decían algo así como: "No puedo, no puedo". Luego echaban a correr. Y yo les tenía que gritar: "No, no... ¡¡Es un actor!! Mira, está bien. Si se está comiendo un bagel y todo". Los muertos son actores pero con el maquillaje y los efectos especiales... Quedan muy bien.
¿Y no es un poco sangriento también?
En ocasiones puede serlo. En esta temporada [la segunda] he tenido unas escena que fue muy divertida... No me acuerdo en qué capítulo era... Yo le sacaba los órganos a un cadáver y estaba totalmente congelado. Así que todos los órganos también lo estaban. Cogía el corazón del cuerpo y se lo enseñaba a alguien diciendo: "Mira, es un corazón congelado"... Lo improvisé. Me salió solo.
¿Cómo trabaja la química con Angie Harmon, que interpreta a la detective Rizzoli?
Bueno, ya sabes... Creo que tengo mucha suerte en tener a una compañera de reparto con la que la química es natural. Hay veces en las que tienes que construir esa relación y otras, como esta, en la que no es necesario. Con Angie tengo química fuera y dentro de la pantalla. Y eso es lo que es divertido: aprovechar esa química para crear nuestros personajes. La conocí justo cuando empezamos la serie y conectamos de inmediato. Ella es el tipo de chica con la que me hubiera abrazado y pasado notas en el colegio. Las dos tenemos sentido del humor y carácter.
¿Trata 'Rizzoli & Isles' sobre mujeres que intentan equilibrar su vida laboral con la personal?
Es uno de los temas que abordamos, claro. En estas profesiones [policía y forense] no hay muchas mujeres y siempre es un reto enfrentarte a un mundo dominado por hombres. Es muy interesante ver cómo tienen citas, cómo conocen a los hombres y cómo hablan de ellos. Y a veces lo hacen delante de un cadáver. Es lo divertido de la serie: escuchar conversaciones normales en situaciones atípicas.
Lo mejor de los personajes es que son muy diferentes pero aún así son amigas.
Sí. Jane Rizzoli es policía, se ha criado en Boston y es un poco machorro. Y Maura Isles no sabemos todavía de dónde proviene exactamente pero sí que la ha criado una familia rica y de clase alta. Es femenina, refinada y bastante extravagante. Y es verdad... Son distintas, pero también amigas y compañeras de trabajo y resuelven muchos crímenes en Boston.
Y Maura, además, es muy 'fashion' y siempre va impecable.
¡¡Tiene el mejor armario de la serie!! Me encanta la ropa que me tengo que poner. Tiene un gusto exquisito. Es muy chic. Le queda todo perfecto y sabe llevar unos tacones incluso cuando tiene que analizar un cuerpo. Fashion en todo momento. Aunque también lo intentamos hacer lo más natural posible. Es su manera de atar cabos y encajar todas las cosas que tiene en la cabeza. Es rara y un poco cerebrito, pero también muy profesional.
¿Tuvo que prepararse mucho el papel?
Sí. Lo bueno es que ya sabía mucho de forenses por mi trabajo en 'NAVY: Investigación criminal'. Allí había un personaje llamado Donald Ducky Mallard [David McCallum] y pasábamos mucho tiempo en su laboratorio. Lo que quería entender de Maura era por qué eligió su profesión. Qué hacía que ser forense fuera tan apasionante. Entonces etendí que en realidad quiere comprender las vidas y las historias de la gente. No sólo examinar los cadáveres, sino también descubrir qué les pasó y darles un poco de paz aunque ya estén muertos. Además, un forense que tenemos en el plató me ayuda a desenvolverme de una manera natural y a coger las herramientas. Es de una gran ayuda.
¿Hay muchos personajes femeninos fuertes en televisión?
Los hay, los hay... Y en 'Rizzoli & Isles' tenemos la suerte de que la historia se basa en los libros de una mujer [Tess Gerritsen] y que otra llamada Janet Tamaro[también guionista de 'Bones'] ha sido la encargada de adaptarlos. Aquí no somos la típica chica bonita o la mezquina. Podemos ser todo lo que queramos. Mi personaje es divertida, rara y muy sexy un minuto, y al siguiente es muy polémica y airada. No siempre te dan esa oportunidad y la televisión cada vez nos está abriendo más puertas.
Danielle McGimisie
En primer lugar, enhorabuena por su bebé.
Muchas gracias. Nació hace cinco meses y es un niño. Su nombre es Leonardo.
¿Cómo es su personaje en 'Rizzoli & Isles'?
Se llama Maura Isles y trabaja en Boston como médico forense. Es muy fuerte, muy inteligente y bastante excéntrica. Proviene de una familia acomodada con mucho dinero y ha tenido la mejor educación, ha viajado por el mundo. Habla varios idiomas y no sé... Es como el patito feo del grupo.
Pero no hay nada de malo en ser el patito feo, ¿no?
No, no... Me encanta interpretarla porque es muy divertido. Como actriz no es fácil encontrar un personaje que sea tan fuerte e inteligente como ella y que también tenga otras aristas que explorar. Por ejemplo, tiene un montón de citas y siempre diagnostica a los hombres con los que sale. Siempre le pasa algo nuevo... Cuando leo el guión, primero me da un poco de respeto. Me rio con ella y también me supone un reto. Así que es bastante divertido.
¿Se le ha hecho difícil aprender todos los términos médicos y estar rodeada de tanto cadáver?
Sí. Los tecnicismos siempre son complicados. He buscado muchas palabras en Google y también he tenido que preguntar a los guionistas y pedirles ayuda sobre el significado de algunas cosas. Les decía: "¿Y cómo se dice esto?". Había veces en las que decía la misma palabra de tres maneras distintas. Grabábamos una escena y alguien me decía: "No Sasha, lo tienes que decir así". Y yo era como: "No me confundas. No sé cómo decirlo". He metido mucho la pata con ese tema. Y lo de los cuerpos... Es verdad que puede ser un poco asqueroso. Me visitaba al rodaje algún familiar y no es que pensara que fuera real pero... Me decían algo así como: "No puedo, no puedo". Luego echaban a correr. Y yo les tenía que gritar: "No, no... ¡¡Es un actor!! Mira, está bien. Si se está comiendo un bagel y todo". Los muertos son actores pero con el maquillaje y los efectos especiales... Quedan muy bien.
¿Y no es un poco sangriento también?
En ocasiones puede serlo. En esta temporada [la segunda] he tenido unas escena que fue muy divertida... No me acuerdo en qué capítulo era... Yo le sacaba los órganos a un cadáver y estaba totalmente congelado. Así que todos los órganos también lo estaban. Cogía el corazón del cuerpo y se lo enseñaba a alguien diciendo: "Mira, es un corazón congelado"... Lo improvisé. Me salió solo.
¿Cómo trabaja la química con Angie Harmon, que interpreta a la detective Rizzoli?
Bueno, ya sabes... Creo que tengo mucha suerte en tener a una compañera de reparto con la que la química es natural. Hay veces en las que tienes que construir esa relación y otras, como esta, en la que no es necesario. Con Angie tengo química fuera y dentro de la pantalla. Y eso es lo que es divertido: aprovechar esa química para crear nuestros personajes. La conocí justo cuando empezamos la serie y conectamos de inmediato. Ella es el tipo de chica con la que me hubiera abrazado y pasado notas en el colegio. Las dos tenemos sentido del humor y carácter.
¿Trata 'Rizzoli & Isles' sobre mujeres que intentan equilibrar su vida laboral con la personal?
Es uno de los temas que abordamos, claro. En estas profesiones [policía y forense] no hay muchas mujeres y siempre es un reto enfrentarte a un mundo dominado por hombres. Es muy interesante ver cómo tienen citas, cómo conocen a los hombres y cómo hablan de ellos. Y a veces lo hacen delante de un cadáver. Es lo divertido de la serie: escuchar conversaciones normales en situaciones atípicas.
Lo mejor de los personajes es que son muy diferentes pero aún así son amigas.
Sí. Jane Rizzoli es policía, se ha criado en Boston y es un poco machorro. Y Maura Isles no sabemos todavía de dónde proviene exactamente pero sí que la ha criado una familia rica y de clase alta. Es femenina, refinada y bastante extravagante. Y es verdad... Son distintas, pero también amigas y compañeras de trabajo y resuelven muchos crímenes en Boston.
Y Maura, además, es muy 'fashion' y siempre va impecable.
¡¡Tiene el mejor armario de la serie!! Me encanta la ropa que me tengo que poner. Tiene un gusto exquisito. Es muy chic. Le queda todo perfecto y sabe llevar unos tacones incluso cuando tiene que analizar un cuerpo. Fashion en todo momento. Aunque también lo intentamos hacer lo más natural posible. Es su manera de atar cabos y encajar todas las cosas que tiene en la cabeza. Es rara y un poco cerebrito, pero también muy profesional.
¿Tuvo que prepararse mucho el papel?
Sí. Lo bueno es que ya sabía mucho de forenses por mi trabajo en 'NAVY: Investigación criminal'. Allí había un personaje llamado Donald Ducky Mallard [David McCallum] y pasábamos mucho tiempo en su laboratorio. Lo que quería entender de Maura era por qué eligió su profesión. Qué hacía que ser forense fuera tan apasionante. Entonces etendí que en realidad quiere comprender las vidas y las historias de la gente. No sólo examinar los cadáveres, sino también descubrir qué les pasó y darles un poco de paz aunque ya estén muertos. Además, un forense que tenemos en el plató me ayuda a desenvolverme de una manera natural y a coger las herramientas. Es de una gran ayuda.
¿Hay muchos personajes femeninos fuertes en televisión?
Los hay, los hay... Y en 'Rizzoli & Isles' tenemos la suerte de que la historia se basa en los libros de una mujer [Tess Gerritsen] y que otra llamada Janet Tamaro[también guionista de 'Bones'] ha sido la encargada de adaptarlos. Aquí no somos la típica chica bonita o la mezquina. Podemos ser todo lo que queramos. Mi personaje es divertida, rara y muy sexy un minuto, y al siguiente es muy polémica y airada. No siempre te dan esa oportunidad y la televisión cada vez nos está abriendo más puertas.
Danielle McGimisie