From CBS This Morning:
The hit CBS series “Under the Dome” is based on a Stephen King novel and was last summer’s number one program with 11 million viewers. Emmy Award-winning actress Helgenberger is a new addition to the show. She joins “CBS This Morning” to discuss her new role and her return to the CSI franchise for a TV movie.
As a long-time fan of Marg Helgenberger’s, 26 years and counting now, it’s safe to say that I’ve seen nearly everything she has ever done on both the big and small screen. I clearly know what an incredibly talented actress she is. And yet, somehow, I was still completely unprepared for just how much she would blow me away with her performance in “The Other Place”. I’m not a professional reviewer, nor do I know much about theater, so I’m just going to write about how it felt to watch my favorite actress up on stage, probably less than 20 feet away from me.
Surreal is probably the best word to describe the experience, especially that first moment when she appears on stage. As Dr. Juliana Smithton, Marg commanded the stage from the moment she appeared. Her voice filled the room and I instantly had that flailing fangirl moment of “I cannot believe I’m actually sitting here watching Marg Helgenberger on stage right in front of me!” Once I recovered, that feeling was immediately replaced by a tremendous sense of pride. I had already read the play and know that it’s a great role, but that it’s also a very challenging one, and I’m just so proud that she chose to tackle it. And she just looked so damned good up there. So poised and confident, like she was just ready to kick the role’s ass. And she did. She absolutely nailed it.
Because “The Other Place” is a puzzle play and it’s all about the journey to discover what is really going on with Marg’s character, Juliana, it’s impossible to go into any specific details without spoiling the plot for others, but I can say that what impressed me most about Marg’s performance was how effortlessly and convincingly she moved through the wide array of emotions that her character Juliana displays throughout the play as we take this journey to the truth. Early in the play, at any given moment, Juliana could be frustrated, sarcastic, argumentative, downright cruel, sassy and flirtatious, almost deliriously happy, and even humorous. As she begins to move closer to the reality of her situation, she then transitions to confused, emotionally distraught, vulnerable, and finally, once she accepts her reality, determined and resilient. It was just such an incredible experience as a fan to be sitting so close and being able to watch all of those emotions play across Marg’s face. And it’s such a different viewing experience from what I’m used to seeing on TV or on the big screen. There’s no director to yell ‘Cut!’ and do another take and what I’m watching has not been edited to piece together the best takes. It was completely organic – just Marg creating all of these pure, raw emotions and it was beautiful to watch her work her magic. I lost track of how many times my breath just caught in my throat while watching her. It was truly spellbinding.
I was fortunate enough to be invited backstage for a few moments to say hi to Marg after one of the performances, and if my brain hadn’t completely left me, I would have loved to ask where she was pulling from for inspiration for a couple of the more emotional scenes of the play because they were just so intensely moving. Alas, fangirls and intelligent questions just don’t seem to go together, at least for me anyway, so I blanked out and didn’t ask. A huge thanks to Marg though for graciously spending a few moments with a couple of crazy fangirls. Her kindness made what had already been a perfect experience, truly unforgettable. Thank you, Marg! xo
Me posing with Marg after the June 6 performance of “The Other Place”. (Please do not re-post without permission. Thanks!)
Note: I didn’t mention the performances of Marg’s costars, Katya Campbell, Adam Donshik, and especially Brent Langdon, who played Juliana’s husband, in this write-up since my site is all about Marg, but I do want to give them a shout out as well because they were also outstanding in their roles.
Here’s another inspiring interview from Marg that recently appeared on spryliving.com:
June 1, 2014
by Paulette Cohn
Itās been three decades since Marg Helgenberger landed her first TV gig, on the soap opera Ryanās Hope, and sheās worked steadily ever since, on series such as China Beach, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and the CBS drama Intelligence. Like all long acting careers, itās had ups and downs. But the 55-year- old actress says age has definitely brought perspective.
āI remember losing out on roles that were written for women in their 30s to women in their 20sāwhich is out of my control, but it used to bother me,ā she says. āNow I wouldnāt really care. I know something better will come along.ā
The native Nebraskan reveals other advantages of having a few more years behind her, how losing her father to multiple sclerosis (MS) gave her a mission and the ways Hollywood has changed since her soap opera days.
There seem to be more great TV roles for women nowadays. Is that a change since your career began in the ā80s?
My experience in television has always been positiveāIāve played a variety of strong and unique roles. Whatās changed more is the film business, which makes fewer female-driven films. I think thatās why more traditional film actresses are coming to television. Itās rare for women to find a good film role after age 40.
At 55, do you still feel pressure to look a certain way in order to get work?
In some ways, I feel less pressure than I used to. I felt it in my 30s because thatās a crucial decade for women in the film business. But Iām much more comfortable with myself now. Itās about accepting who you are. I donāt think that means giving up. Acceptance means acknowledging what is, and what goals you have, and taking the necessary steps to achieve those goals.
Whatās your key to maintaining good health?
Being disciplined, which most successful actors are, because we have to be in front of a camera. I donāt eat dairy or a lot of processed foods or much dessert. But French fries are my weakness. I do think a buddy system is very helpful for people who are just starting to maintain some sort of a diet or exercise program. A great fitness class and instructor can be really inspirational.
How did you get involved with advocating for multiple sclerosis research?
My dad died of complications from MS when he was quite youngāage 50. He had progressive MS, which is tricky, and there were very few medications he could take back then. Mostly, they would just shoot him up with cortisone and hope for the best. Now, there are a lot more medications. Peopleās lives are extended and dramatically improvedāthe funding and research pays off. So Iāve recently gotten involved with Race to Erase MS, a Los Angeles-based foundation. Itās been very successful in getting doctors from all over the country to share their research and ideas.
And your mother is a longtime breast cancer survivor.
Yes, it was one right after the other: My mother got breast cancer, then my father got MS when she was still in recovery. I was in college. It was devastating. But theyāve made so many advances in breast cancer research, too. Every year, I do something for that cause, like the Revlon or Susan G. Komen walks.
Any advice for caregivers?
I think it is important that it becomes a family affair. Hopefully, if there is more than one child in the family, everyone can get involved. If not, reach out to volunteers in the community. Itās very challenging to do it alone.
Source: spryliving.com
As they prepare for opening night of “The Other Place”, which is less than two weeks away, Marg and her director Christoper Innvar took time of their busy schedules to meet with the media. Here’s an excerpt from their dialogue, which has been posted on wwwberkshirefinearts.com, along with many photos.
Marg and play director Christopher Innvar
Christopher Innvar: The play is about loss. Itās a family situation with a very powerful woman whoās great at her job in a world where mostly men are dominant in the profession. Sheās at the top of her profession and suffers a loss. Itās about her family relationships and what sheās lost. At the end of the play sheās found. Through her family and revisiting ghosts in her life sheās able to be found and anchored again. Thereās a lot of water imagery in the play. Talking with the set designer, Brian Prather, we kept saying untethered and lost at sea. Thereās no anchor for her.
She ends up on Cape Cod surrounded by water on three sides. She ends up being found.
I really donāt want to say much more because it would spoil it for you when you come to see the play.
Marg Helgenberger: That was so well said that I donāt know how to follow up on that. The role that Iām playing, Juliana Smithton, could fall under the category of tour de force. When you get the opportunity to play a role as complex as this woman is, as an actor, why not jump at the chance.
I was available. (Her voice rose emphatically implying irony.) I was familiar with the playwrightās writing. I was very interested in his Annapurna. Someone had suggested it to me. After my run on CSI I had wanted to do a play. It was already snatched up by someone who wanted to produce it in Los Angeles. Thatās the production which is now in New York.
I never heard of Sharr White before. In fact I did know that The Other Place was on Broadway. I think at the same time when I became familiar with Annapurna. So when the play came to me in February or March I was eager to read it because heās so talented. When I read it or give it to other people to read, the one word that always comes out of them is Wow. (soft laugh). For so many reasons. Sheās such a highly, highly intelligent woman. To a fault. Sheās smarter than most. Sheās a woman in a manās profession dominated by men. She has to be stronger and tougher to assert herself. Because of her intelligence she has an impatience with everyone. She has cut herself off a little bit from her emotional side. And because of something that happens but Iām not going to give it away. A family situation that was quite devastating and dramatic to her.
In order to continue with her life she has to bury those feelings very, very deep. That allows for all these different sides of her to come out in odd ways. Unpredictable ways. Itās probably the most challenging role Iāve played. (nervous laugh) Itās interesting to play such a complicated role at my age rather then when youāre younger. You donāt have the energy to bounce back. Itās mid week in the rehearsal process and already Iām like, oh shit, thereās three more days of this.
Question Are you the only actor?
CI: No thereās three other actors (Katya Campbell, woman, Adam Donshik, man, and Brent Langdon, Ian.) I was doing a Sharr White play in Manhattan The Snow Geese. Julie (Ann Boyd artistic director) talked about this slot being open for me to direct a play. We all read the play and thought it was fantastic. We went into casting in New York. Our casting director Pat Mc Corkle said that Marg Helgenberger wants to do theatre. (Incedulously) OMG we thought she would be prefect. (Marg laughs) We all looked at each other, oh my goodness, she would be absolutely perfect. We did a skype session. Then I went to LA and we talked. Yeah, this character who is brilliant, sharp, funny, sexy has all of these strengths. At the top of her profession and we were all just such fans of hers.
MH: Gee Chris. (laughing)
CI: Absolutely. The way we talked about this play made me feel that we could help each other out and make this play come to life. Marg was excited about doing it.
MH: Yeah. Very much so. You sent me an e mail with an interview that Sharr had done about the genesis of this play. His father being a scientist and his brother or brother in law also being a scientist. He just wanted to floor someone who seemed to always have an answer for everything. Somethings are (emphasis) unexplainable. Things of the heart.
CI: What happens to someone who all their lives have all the answers. What happens when they start not having the answers? What does that do to someone? That metaphor of being lost at sea. For the first time not knowing where you are or what direction to go in. Thatās a challenge.
MH: Sure is.
Charles Giuliano Doing research for this interview I was astonished by the depth of your resume including film and television. Also I was intrigued that early on you deboned meat in your fatherās butchery. That would seem to presage CSI. I am interested in how artists evolve.
MH: Yeah. I did that.
CG: Iām also interested in Chrisās evolution from leading man and actor now to director. So the question is about how you evolve as artists. Why for example are you stepping out of the national spotlight of television and film to come to a small, regional theatre and perform in a play? How are you guys staying alive as artists by doing these kinds of things?
MH: I have been wanting to do a play for a very, very long time. For various reasons it just didnāt quite work out. For CSI I was tied up for twelve years and the hiatus is two months. That doesnāt leave you a whole lot of time to do a play. Also I was raising my son in LA. So I just really didnāt want to be away. But, having said that, since I left the show in December of 2011, I went around and met with producers in New York. Of course Los Angeles too and Chicago. I expressed my interest in it. (Theatre) They were all eager to meet with me. They would say letās find something, letās find something. (exasperated gasp and self amusement) A few things came along but nothing I really wanted to do. So, I donāt know, it really kindah has to do with the part. It was one of these roles that I really couldnāt not do. It was so amazing. It is amazing. I felt if not now when? I felt once Iāve done with this Iāll be so proud of myself. (soft laugh of relief then outburst of laughter)
*******
To read the rest of the dialogue and view more photos, please visit wwwberkshirefinearts.com.
Before I jump into my recap and review of the Intelligence season one finale, I just want to take a moment and say a huge thank you to everyone involved with Intelligence, but especially to those who are active on social media: Michael Seitzman, PJ Byrne, Michael Rady, Aaron Ginsburg, John Dixon, Lance Reddick, Tomas Arana, Faye Kingslee, Octvavius J. Johnson, and last but most certainly not least, my favorite leading lady, Marg Helgenberger. The social media tie-in, the sharing of behind-the-scenes photos and script pages, and the interaction with the fans through live tweets really enhanced my viewing experience — it’s, by far, the most fun I have ever had watching a television series. Thank you so much for all of your efforts. And now on to the recap…
If you’ve come to expect heart pounding action and plot twists galore, you will not be disappointed with the Intelligence Season 1 finale. āBeing Humanā delivers a full order of both as Lillian and her team set out to clear Gabriel’s name by finding who is really responsible for the murders that he has been framed for.
Part 2 picks up immediately where we left off last week — with Gabriel, Riley, and Mei Chen fleeing from their would-be assassin. They have no idea who they can trust at this point so they’re trying to stay off the grid, but at the same time, they also know Gabriel needs medical attention. Gabriel knows one person he can definitely trust and directs Riley to drive to his mother’s house. Mary Vaughn, played by the fabulous Debra Mooney, is a retired Army field nurse who is full of spitfire and vinegar and knows her way around an operating room. As Mary and Riley prep Gabriel for surgery, he loses consciousness and Mei Chen seizes the opportunity to get into Gabriel’s head and cyber-render with him.
Mei Chen has decided that she needs to educate Gabriel about the truth, specifically the truth about the people he works for. In their cyber-render, she tells Gabriel that a potential candidate for the Presidency, Governor Christy Cameron, is being targeted for assassination. According to Mei Chen, the conspirators are the same people who hired her to kill those men and frame Gabriel and who then tried to murder both Gabriel and Mei Chen. She knows that they are U.S. government employees but says she doesn’t know specifically who because whoever it is has been very careful. After telling Gabriel she doesn’t care if he believes her or not, Mei Chen exits both the render and Mary Vaughn’s house.
Back at CyberCom, while trading barbs about who is responsible for what happened at the park, Lillian and Jeff Tetazoo brief the Director of National Intelligence Adam Weatherly about the attempt on Gabriel’s life and the fact that he is now on the run with both Riley and Mei Chen. Tetazoo vows that he will find them and reiterates to the CyberCom staff that they are to find and bring in Gabriel, Riley, and Mei Chen dead or alive. Lillian questions the logic of Tetazoo’s orders, especially now that they know there’s an unknown shooter out there who could prove Gabriel’s innocence. She says that we shouldn’t be killing our own people and looks to Weatherly for support. To her dismay, Weatherly sides with Tetazoo and says that Gabriel is a threat due to those vulnerabilities in the chip that were documented by Dr. Cassidy. They all must be brought down.
“We can’t be killing our own people.”
While recovering from surgery, Gabriel asks Riley if she thinks one of their own is behind the shooting. They immediately rule out Lillian but say they wouldn’t put it past Tetazoo. As they discuss the possibilities Mama Vaughn points out the obvious — that someone should warn Governor Cameron that her life may be in danger. Riley’s ex, played by Michael Trucco, is in charge of Governor Cameron’s security detail and Riley convinces him to give her an audience with the Governor.
Lillian convenes a second secret meeting with Jameson, Nelson, and Dr. Cassidy to relay to them everything she knows about ‘The Flood’, an Iranian program designed to recruit high ranking U.S. Government officials and turn them into sleeper agents for Iran. Lillian shares her belief that Colonel Hatcher discovered the identity of one or more of these sleeper agents and was turning their names over to the FBI when he and the FBI Deputy Director were murdered. Dr. Cassidy pieces together that they then framed Gabriel to get him out of the way because they knew that Gabriel and the chip would be the best way to find and stop the sleeper agents. The team concludes that Gabriel and Riley’s lives depend on them finding out the identities of the sleeper agents and to do that, they first need to find Gabriel and Riley. Jameson thinks this will be nearly impossible considering that since he wiped Gabrielās hacking of the minivan computer off the grid, the entire Intelligence apparatus has been tracking Gabriel with no success. Nelson reminds them that Gabriel needs medical assistance and Dr. Cassidy and Lillian remember that Gabriel’s mom is a former Army nurse. They surmise that Gabriel very likely would have sought her help.
Lillian educates her team about ‘The Flood’.
Lillian and her team, however, arenāt the only ones who come to this conclusion. The assassin also figures it out and before Riley returns from the governorās office, makes another attempt on Gabrielās life. With a little help from Mom in the form of a can of hairspray and a ācannonā of a gun that she keeps in her nightstand, Gabriel takes out the assailant and using facial recognition technology, he identifies the man as Thomas Olivier.
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