Archive

Interview With Saffron Burrows

This fall, openly bisexual actor Saffron Burrows stars in a new NBC series, My Own Worst Enemy, a one-hour drama about a man with two identities – one is a suburban family man named Henry, the other is a government operative named Edward (both are played by Christian Slater). Burrows plays Dr. Norah Skinner, a psychologist who treats both identities. Though Burrows is best known for her film work, including roles in Frida (2002), Troy (2004) and The Bank Job (2008), last year she played attorney Lorraine Weller on Boston Legal. She is also a stage actor, most recently starring opposite

David Schwimmer in Neil LaBute’s Some Girls in the West End. In 2002, she starred opposite Fiona Shaw, with whom she has been romantically linked, in a stage adaptation of Jeanette Winterson’s novel The Powerbook; the two played lovers.

“What drew me to this [role on My Own Worst Enemy],” she said at the Television Critics press tour, “was every aspect of the production. The writing I found to be astounding, the group of people who are creating the show, and then the cast they were assembling.

And there’s an energy to it … which I love from having done theater and having made films that shoot quickly. I love working in a way that’s full of energy and not about sitting around in a trailer.”

The series is created and executive produced by Jason Smilovic (Karen Sisco, Kidnapped, Bionic Woman) and also stars Alfre Woodard (Desperate Housewives, Cross Creek) as the woman running the government organization that employs Slater’s character. After the press conference, Burrows spoke with AfterEllen.com and a few other reporters about her work in film and theater, what she thinks of her Boston Legal character, and the TV shows she watched growing up.

Question: Do you have a favorite role out of all of the roles that you’ve played? Saffron Burrows: I’m very proud of the movie I made with Amy Redford [called The Guitar] that’s coming out here in November.

Q: And why are you so proud of that role? SB: Well, you’ll see it’s a little challenging. [laughs] The character’s in every scene of the film, and it’s just really her and these two people who come into her life during the course of the story. A woman and a man, both whom she gets to know during the story. But it’s pretty much her, every frame of the movie, so it’s a little challenging. And I’m proud of The Bank Job because I think Roger Donaldson’s made a really good film.

Q: You said [during the press conference] that you had studied psychotherapists and talked to them. What did you learn from that research that’s helped you with the part? SB: How intimate they are with their – you can call them their clients or their patients. But the degree of intimacy that they enjoy sometimes with the people they’re advising or healing, whatever you would call it. And how specific and personal they are in their approach, how different each person is, even down to the way they lay out their office and whether there are private things in the room that they work in or not.

Obviously as an actor, when you’re making something like this, just the detail is what’s really important in the beginning. … It is exciting because they’re building the set, then you’re shooting as soon as the set’s built, so you want to lay down the foundations in a way that’s satisfying, so that three episodes later you feel like there’s some solid foundations. Q: As an actress, is that kind of interesting to see somebody professional get into someone else’s head? Because that’s what you do, to a degree, every day. SB: Absolutely, it’s really intriguing. There’s one particular man I’ve met who writes books on psychotherapy. … He’s a Freudian. I’ve also talked to a Jungian, he’s very specific about what it requires, what good therapy requires and psychology and about it … involving emotional intensity. And of course as actors, we’re very drawn to people who are emotionally intense because that’s how we work, so there are some parallels there just in terms of focus that are interesting.

Q: Have you been on the other side of the couch? SB: I have not [laughs].

Q: L.A. is quite a long distance from London. Do you miss being in London? SB: You know, I just landed there the other day. I was there last weekend; I went to a festival in the Czech Republic … and I flew London and there was Big Ben and all my favorite buildings ’cause it was a very clear day [laughs]. So I had an hour at the airport, I ate an English breakfast and then I got back on another plane [laughs].

But seriously last year, I went home, I was flying all the time. And then this year I thought I would just try and settle down a little bit with all my flying around because I did a lot of journeys. I would sometimes wrap something on a Friday night and go straight to LAX. And so I’ve realized England is there. It’s my home; I love it.

Q: What do you miss the most when you’re here? SB: The media; I miss the radio. But I love NPR, I have to say. I miss BBC Radio, which you can get here. So a lot of things that I love about the culture there, thankfully are to do with the intelligence of the media, which you can access anyway. And then NPR I’ve fallen in love with, so I live with NPR.

Q: Do you have a favorite NPR show? SB: I like the morning stuff, I like the very early morning, the Rene Montaine … and then Larry Mantle. I like to go through the day. And then I’m in my trailer I get very annoyed if they disrupt me and say “come on set,” because I have the radio on in my trailer! Or This American Life, that is wonderful!

Q: Is your character employed by the agency? SB:Yes. Alfre is my boss. Alfre Woodard’s character is my boss.

Q: And what are you trying to do for Henry and/or for Edward? Are you trying to get one of them out of there? SB: In Episode 1 what I’m doing is I’m allaying his fears, and I’m in some way trying to calm his mind down, because he comes to me very troubled in Episode 1. It’s probably clear in Episode 1 that we already have a working relationship, but on this particular day, where I see him, he’s particularly troubled. So I’m … attempting to maintain the status quo.

Q: How long are your days on the set? SB: You know, I think it depends. My stuff has been gentle so far because Norah is a slow birth, so I’m building up gently, which is good. The girls – we always get to work really early, so often you’re driving in at 4:30 in the morning, starting make-up at five.

Q: What’s the most challenging part of this role so far? SB: I think just the idea that you want to lay the foundations well. That’s always the thing for the beginning. Like Alfre said, that … you turn up, here you are, whatever age you are, you’ve had a life, and that you need to know quite clearly where you are in order to have the story continue from there and then be surprised. … Jason [Smilovic, the producer] keeps throwing things at me that are a complete surprise, so that’s great, but you need to know where you’re standing first and then have those things happen.

Q: Were you happy with your performance on Boston Legal? SB: I loved it. I love working with them, and James Spader particularly became a close friend, so that’s always good. Q: TV, film, theater – do you have any preferences? SB: Well, as a friend of mine who lives in the south of France said – because I get into tears sometimes about which direction, and am I doing a play, am I doing a play in France, can I speak French? Should I be there, should I be here? He said, “Saff, just think: Add, add, add.” So far, that’s been good to have a bit of everything.

Q: Who was the first TV character or actor that you sort of fell for or had a crush on when you were young and watching television? SB: We were thinking about Chips today. I did like Chips. … Maybe even Chips! It might have been that. I also liked Michael J. Fox in that one, was it Family –

Q: Family Ties. SB: Yeah. I liked that and Willis, I loved Willis in Different Strokes. “Whatchu talking about Willis?”

Q: So you watched all these shows in England? SB: Oh my God yes, they were my favorites, yeah. Cagney and Lacey, Hill Street Blues.

Q: What was the worst career advice you’ve ever received? SB: I don’t think I’ve ever received bad advice. On a career level? I haven’t sought out much advice, to be honest with you. … I’ve had some good advice. So far so good.

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button