Post by Forever Xena on Jan 17, 2006 15:47:48 GMT -6
www.suntimes.com/output/television/cnt-news-cindy15.html
Television
Skeptical Arquette infuses role with believability
January 15, 2006
BY CINDY PEARLMAN SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Advertisement
Patricia Arquette isn't sure she believes. And that's a problem when you're TV's top psychic. "Do I believe in psychic phenomenon?" the "Medium" star says during a recent chat. "I haven't had any really strange experiences that make me want to turn on the lights in the middle of the night."
The hit NBC-TV series adds another dimension to Arquette's already full life with actor Thomas Jane, daughter Harlow, 3, and 14-year-old son Enzo.
"I wasn't sure where I stood on these matters when I first met with Allison DuBois, the real-life medium I play on the show. Then I figured it out. Between rolling and cut, I have to believe 100 percent. In real life, the role has made me more self-doubting and skeptical of my own belief system. Honestly, I'm not so sure where I stand."
Arquette, nominated for the Golden Globe for best actress in a TV drama, has a lot in common with her character, as they're both working moms balancing career and family.
I've been offered TV series before, but I didn't want to just do a by-the-books, procedural show.
I'm a medium, but it's also about this character being a soccer mom and having a happy marriage. But she has this macabre, dark and gory other life that always butts in. But I also love the fact that this medium has a great marriage on the show.
To learn the psychic's life, I spent time with the real Allison DuBois. The beauty of Allison is she encourages people to be skeptical. She just hopes they can keep an open mind and simply entertain the idea that anything is possible.
You can be a full-on skeptic and still enjoy the series.
Some of it has bothered me. I asked Allison about the missing children's cases. When she's called in to help the police, whose perspective does she see things through, the missing child or the perpetrator? She told me she sees the perpetrator because the child is too little to send a message, plus they miss their moms and are often crying. They're trapped. It's so very sad.
I was never trapped by the idea of having to enter what some call my family business. Yes, we have a huge family of actors known as the Arquettes, but it wasn't pushed on you to act. It just felt like the natural thing to do.
It would have been easier to just take what Hollywood had to offer. Material always drove my choices.
The funny thing is now I'm doing what's usually the guy's job on a movie. Usually the female on a movie has a few more days off. She's the secondary player. Now, I'm always on call, which is actually a great problem to have as an actor.
But I also have to balance motherhood and my personal life. When you're done for the day, you're absolutely done. You leave the work behind and go home so you're all there for your family. My family is the light of my life.
Skeptical Arquette infuses role with believability
January 15, 2006
BY CINDY PEARLMAN SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Advertisement
Patricia Arquette isn't sure she believes. And that's a problem when you're TV's top psychic. "Do I believe in psychic phenomenon?" the "Medium" star says during a recent chat. "I haven't had any really strange experiences that make me want to turn on the lights in the middle of the night."
The hit NBC-TV series adds another dimension to Arquette's already full life with actor Thomas Jane, daughter Harlow, 3, and 14-year-old son Enzo.
"I wasn't sure where I stood on these matters when I first met with Allison DuBois, the real-life medium I play on the show. Then I figured it out. Between rolling and cut, I have to believe 100 percent. In real life, the role has made me more self-doubting and skeptical of my own belief system. Honestly, I'm not so sure where I stand."
Arquette, nominated for the Golden Globe for best actress in a TV drama, has a lot in common with her character, as they're both working moms balancing career and family.
I've been offered TV series before, but I didn't want to just do a by-the-books, procedural show.
I'm a medium, but it's also about this character being a soccer mom and having a happy marriage. But she has this macabre, dark and gory other life that always butts in. But I also love the fact that this medium has a great marriage on the show.
To learn the psychic's life, I spent time with the real Allison DuBois. The beauty of Allison is she encourages people to be skeptical. She just hopes they can keep an open mind and simply entertain the idea that anything is possible.
You can be a full-on skeptic and still enjoy the series.
Some of it has bothered me. I asked Allison about the missing children's cases. When she's called in to help the police, whose perspective does she see things through, the missing child or the perpetrator? She told me she sees the perpetrator because the child is too little to send a message, plus they miss their moms and are often crying. They're trapped. It's so very sad.
I was never trapped by the idea of having to enter what some call my family business. Yes, we have a huge family of actors known as the Arquettes, but it wasn't pushed on you to act. It just felt like the natural thing to do.
It would have been easier to just take what Hollywood had to offer. Material always drove my choices.
The funny thing is now I'm doing what's usually the guy's job on a movie. Usually the female on a movie has a few more days off. She's the secondary player. Now, I'm always on call, which is actually a great problem to have as an actor.
But I also have to balance motherhood and my personal life. When you're done for the day, you're absolutely done. You leave the work behind and go home so you're all there for your family. My family is the light of my life.