Not many folks seem to know this top secret answer when I ask it, but since you are one of major stars of Damages, I figure you've gotta know. Do you how this season is going to wrap up? Are viewers going to be even more shocked and blown away than in past seasons? How far in advance do you get do you and Glenn get to see a script?
Don’t even talk about the scripts for this show! [laughs] It’s like a joke around the set, because you don't get them until the day we starting shooting it. Not even a rundown, a synopsis -- nothing.
Really, you don't know what scenes you're going to film until that day? That's really taking script secrecy to a new extreme.
You're not joking. It can get a little crazy, sometimes, that's true. [laughs] For instance, I didn't know what the ending of Season Two was until we filmed it. But the show is so different, because it is a complete creation of something great for this medium. Honestly, I can say it has been a strange experience being on a show like Damages. I trust them implicitly, though, because they are very smart, creative guys.
Did your film work in such pictures as Troy, Wicker Park, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and the highly-rated English TV series Casanova help you out in not having to go through a ton of auditions before you landed the role on Damages? Did you have a better number in line, so to speak?
No, not really. I came in very late in the process. I read a few times, and then I auditioned with Glenn and then came back in. I came in kind of late, so I was lucky.
What has it been like playing American women and speaking in convincing Yankee accents – not just in Damages – but in your most recent movies Knowing and Adam?
Well, most people think I’m American, anyway. [laughs] They’ll be like [in a heavy NYC accent], ‘You’re from England? Oh God!’ And when I say I’m from Australia, they can’t believe it.
When you work on a project and your co-star is considered a Hollywood A-lister or celebrity, actors like Glenn Close in Damages or Brad Pitt (Troy) or Nicolas Cage (Knowing), do you ever use your time time together as learning experience for you?
Yeah, absolutely, I think that I am a very observant person... So I definitely watch how they work and ask them questions. People like Glenn, Nic, Brad Pitt or some of the huge actors that I’ve worked with, are really hard workers. They are incredibly hard workers and they don’t just show up unprepared, they are all determined to make it as good as they can. And, I think that when something is resting on you, as well, that’s a lot of pressure, too. They have all be extremely determined, diligent and dedicated to their work.
What are some of the biggest ways that Ellen Parsons has evolved during her time with Patty Hewes (Close) on Damages?
In Season Two, she was basically a different character, so there has been absolutely no danger of any monotony from the way she acted in the first season. But she was in a lot of danger in the second season. I met with a trauma counselor, I met with an FBI woman who was undercover, and I did a bunch of research for Season Two. Obviously, with TV, your schedule is going to be the same, so you have time to do as much research as you want. And with Season Three, so far, it has been really fun and keeps you guessing all the time. I think with someone like Glenn attached, there is always going to be at a certain standard, because she is a first-class actress. And she is inevitably going to make everyone else around me -- especially me -- strive to be a better actress and learn as much about my craft.
Where does your passion and energy for acting come from?
I guess I have yet to find anything that is as fulfilling as a career. I definitely have my moments... You have to have a thick skin because you get rejected on a daily basis. But at the same time, you have to remain very sensitive so that you can access all of yourself for your roles on TV or the screen. I‘ve just always been drawn back to it. I have been acting in Australia since I was thirteen, so I have been doing this for over half my life.
All in all, has the quality of the projects gotten better with the things you are being offered when you are on hiatus from the show?
Yeah, in a way, but I still have to audition and still fight to get into rooms for things. I understand that it’s a very competitive industry and I’m just happy to be working. I’m happy to be one of the two percent. I’m very grateful.
Do you have a five-year contract with Damages?
Yeah, I do.
Hopefully you’ll be there even longer.
If Ellen can stay alive for more than five seasons, I’ll be there. [laughs]
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NOTE NEW TIME: Damages airs Thursdays at 10pm ET/PT on Showcase.