Photos By:  Roger Snider

Q.  What can you tell us about the recent projects that you've been working on?

A.  I did a short stint as a guest star on "Weeds" playing one of Justin Kirk's love interests and that was super fun.  I was playing a biker chick and that is quite divergent from the Heather we all know and love.  The sweet and innocent Heather of "Jericho."  Then, I ended up back at "Jericho" which has been great and we're shooting our seven episodes, totally given to us by the fans, which is fantastic and we're actually coming up on the finale this week.

Q.  What else can you tell us about your character on "Weeds" that you're playing?

A.  I don't know what I'm allowed to say or not say but on "Jericho" we're not allowed to say anything!  Her name is Denise and she meets Andy through a connection at the gym.  They end up hitting it off and I think it will be quite enjoyable seeing two very different characters getting along.  She kind of gets intertwined in the family business a bit. 

Q.  Is there anything about the role that you find challenging?

A.  Sure, stepping back into the shoes of a badass is a little hard.  I hadn't done that in a while, I had to get back into that mode.  Heather has become such an ingrained part of me.  It was good to flex my muscles a bit. 

Q.  What do you think it is about the show "Weeds" that continues to draw in so many viewers?

A.  It's similar to "Jericho" with the idea of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.  First of all it's hysterical and so enjoyable and there is so much talent on that show.  In addition, these are the people next door, and you can kind of see that happening in your neighborhood.  Definitely the suburban neighborhood I grew up in you could see it.

Q.  You got to work with so many amazing and talented actors on the show "Weeds."  How was getting to work alongside Emmy winner Mary Louise Parker?

A.  It was incredible, I think I was afraid to talk to her most of the time though.  She was so sweet and so kind and I was so scared and totally petrified.  Also, Elizabeth Perkins is an amazing and talented person.  She's so gracious and she remembered when I met her in Vancouver when I was twenty-two years old, she's fantastic.  It was awesome and so much fun. 

Q.  You'll soon be seen in the second season of the show "Jericho."  What can you tell us, if anything, about the show and about your character?

A.  When you have seven episodes, you gotta kind of keep everything under wraps, so I know that I can tell you a little bit about Heather.  I think last season we saw Heather the girl, even though she was twenty-five or twenty-six years old, she really hadn't experienced that moment in life that was going to bring her into adulthood.  With the audience she experienced the bomb and that's what kind of shocked her into her adulthood.  Then through her experiences at Newburn, she's really learned that she can't trust everybody.  She does still have that faith and belief that people can be good but she's a little more wary and a little more adult.  I think that this season viewers are going to be introduced to Heather the woman.  It's really exciting to play, it's really an exciting transition for me to play.

Q.  What do you think of the fan campaign that helped bring "Jericho" back on TV?

A.  It's ridiculous, so phenomenal, to be a part of a show that we're so proud of from the very beginning and then on top of it, to be part of these people's faiths, something that they believed in.  It's been incredible, you so want to do justice to the show for them, it's not longer about, "Hey, let's make something entertaining so that people will watch it."  It's not about that, it's about we have to live up to what these people think we can do, we have to live up to what they believe in.  It's so much more meaningful, for me personally, I've never had a fan reaction to a character I've played like the way people have responded to Heather.  It's been overwhelming and there is this website with this crazy, huge Heather fanbase.  I think that support has made me truly want to explore who Heather is even more than I did last year, who she is independently.  She's made me much more committed to the character.

Q.  There are lots of Heather and Jake fans out there, do you see a future for those two?

A.  There are, there are lots of them, it's crazy!  I think if we get passed a second season, I think if everybody can get their friends to watch the show, these seven episodes.  If we can get those ratings up than I think perhaps eventually that could happen.  Once Heather has now found her own two feet.

Q.  Did you expect "Jericho" to be such a success when you started working on the show?

A.  I never do a show hoping it's going to be a success.  I usually do a show hoping that we'll respect the material and therefore be respected by our peers.  That's what I try to aim for every time.  I did have a feeling that just in the way that "Over There" was too ahead of its time, and didn't resonate with people, I had a feeling that "Jericho" was going to really hit the nail on the head with what was going on in the American psyche right now.  That's a little scary, that can be very scary, that this is a possibility.  That there is a possibility with our diplomacy but people have really been open minded and have responded really well to it.  I think the best thing "Jericho" has done is create debates on both sides of the issue, I'm really proud of that.