Elizabeth McLaughlin – Hand of God

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) The photos and videos fans have shared is really incredible. It’s nice to see the media attention the show has been getting.

A) Especially in this day and age, with where the industry is at and where Amazon is in terms of making their stamp as their own studio, it was really exciting to see the press turn out for the premiere and the other actors in the industry who came out for support indicated the support we have with this little family.

Q) Please tell us the premise for your show “Hand of God” and about your character.

A) Judge Harris (Ron Perlman) has a religious awakening after going missing for three days. It’s very unlike him and that act alone sets off a chain of events with everyone connected in his life. The show really tackles the idea of is he insane, just inspired or both. That’s the most exciting thing about this show – that it is filled with incredibly rich, diverse three dimensional characters who are never just black or white or good or bad. They are always both. One of those characters is the one I was fortunate enough to play this season named Alicia. This church that Judge Harris finds himself in for the three days is run by this conman turned preacher and his girlfriend. They have a very much Bonnie and Clyde dyanmic, but what was really interesting is that throughout the first season that the audience is going to wonder if these former criminals are trying to turn their life around and be good while spreading happiness to people or is the whole church a con to get fame, fortune and all of the good things that come with it. These characters, like I said earlier, are good and bad within.

Q) The show begins with forcing you to jump into all these various plots. Talk about that show dynamic because normally you get one or the other, but you get a little bit of everything at one time with this show.

A) I think what is so reflective of Ben Watkins, the creator of our show, is the incredible writing team he assembled around him this season. The show is not compromising in any way. We refuse to let go of a single dynamic to aid another. I keep using the analogy that the show is a steaming train that once it leaves the station it never stops. That kind of visceral nonstop action that we experience in the pilot doesn’t stop throughout the first season with every episode. Then, somehow at the same time, these character are fully realized, interesting, diverse people. What is really wonderful is how each character obviously has their own place in this very specific world of San Vicente, California and their own purpose within this large story, but no one character is lacking in terms of development or figuring out their place in this story. For me, that was so exciting because when you watch the pilot one of the things that I enjoyed so much about reading it for the first time was the simultaneous introduction of Alicia because she has a very specific introduction and you think you know who she is, but she definitely makes her stamp on this world and yet is incredibly open ended. There was so much room to figure out who she is on a deeper level and the idea that I was able to work with Ben Watkins on the collaboration of figuring out who she is was such a joy and a privilege as an artist. Her character is really fully developed because of all the different experiences she is put through in the first season. I’m a firm believer that you find out what you are made of when you are tested and Alicia gets tested. She is forced to figure out what kind of woman she is in this world as Paul’s (Julian Morris) partner, companion and the first lady of this church and a woman in her own right.

Q) What surprised you the most when you first read the script for the show?

A) What surprised me the most about working on “Hand of God,” especially in the beginning – Ben Watkins is famous for keeping his actors in the dark for as long as possible as far as plot points and characters and storylines. What surprised me the most about working on the show was how amazing the people are in terms of our cast, our crew and our family. It sounds like such actor crap where we are just endorsing a show and pretend to love each other. I feel like it is really reflective and if you spend any time with our cast and crew you will see we are a family and we are all incredibly passionate about this project. And I’ve never had that before.  I’ve never had a cast that is so perfectly cast for their roles and incredibly talented and giving actors while also being really wonderful people and somehow we all get along. Ben creating this family and that family dyanmic made such a difference in the shooting of the show because we were all excited to come to work. An anecdote that I have been telling people is that I knew we had something special and rare when I was talking to one of the gaffer and lighting guys on the show and he said, “I’m excited to come to work. Every day I’m excited to come to work.” To me, that’s so reflective of the kind of environment that we have. We were having a good time while also working really hard towards this show that we all believe in so much. It was a really rewarding experience to be on a set that inspired and creatively charged while also hanging out with people who are genuinely lovely people.

q) What do you think it is about networks like Hulu, Netflix and Amazon that are making it such a popular place these days for shows to launch?

A) I think we’re in the most exciting (to use the quote that Ron keeps saying) time for television. I’m incredibly lucky to be on a show with Amazon studios because they took on this overall ideology of “do whatever needs to be done to make this show the best it can possibly be,” which is inspiring due to the creative freedom that they gave the creators of the show, cast and crew. There was an incredible sense of collaboration and freedom to do what needed to be done to make the show the best it is. I also think what is best about Amazon is the connection to the audience. We’re in a time in the industry where the interaction and acceptability of the fans, stars of the show and creators of the show have never been more important. “Pretty Little Liars” is a perfect example of that. They really made the industry realize how important social media really is to the success and longevity of the show. Having that transparent accessibility between the stars and the fans of the show. I feel like Amazon really puts their own niche on especially streaming services because of their pilot seasons and this idea that the viewer decides what gets made. It created an interesting dyanmic for us making the show knowing what the audience actually thought of the pilot as they watched it. They post those reviews for us and so we get first hand knowledge of what worked for the audience, what didn’t work and what the audience wants to see and are intrigued by. We’re able to create something that the audience is going to respond well to. Through the social media I have done for the show and obviously through the message boards on Amazon Prime with the shows they have on the streaming services, our show is an incredibly stirring show in terms of the debate and conversation. We deal with a lot of grand themes on the show and I know that the audience is going to have a reaction to those scenes and the content we have this first season because the cast and the crew had those same conversations. The idea that we are given a platform to actually have that conversation with the audience while they are watching our show is such an exciting thing for me.

Q) Given the recent summer finale of “Pretty Little Liars,” let’s play Two Truths and One Lie.

A) I originally auditioned and got called back for both the roles of Spencer and Ali in the pilot. In real life, I’m good friends with Janel Parrish and I worked with the costumer designer, Mandi Line, on my first job ever. Any time you see Leslie on screen without being able to see her face, it was still me.

Q) What was your reaction to the fans finding out that CeCe was A?

A) We were all very shocked and surprised by it. I, personally, haven’t seen any fan responses that have been conflicted. I don’t have cable at my apartment so I made sure to go to my parent’s house to watch the finale because like everybody else, I just had to know. I think Marlene King did a really lovely job of taking six seasons and really tying them together in an interesting and not obvious way. She really developed characters in an intriguing and mysterious way so that in the future if there is some huge reveal it will all make sense, which I think she is really talented at writing that way. I was just so surprised of how interesting the storyline with CeCe was that it made me wonder if she could have her own show. I feel like there are so many things that could still be delved into and explored deeper. Maybe that could happen? That would be cool. I was just as anxious as the other audience members and definitely had a few gasp moments when watching. Marlene is such a talented creative writer that I know the time jump is going to be just as filled with shock and twists as the other seasons. What excites me is that these characters that the audience has become so close to get to grow up into women with their own individual lives. The idea that something is going to bring them back together is such an exciting thing for the audience. I know it is going to be wild.

Q) What have you taken away from your time working on “Pretty Little Liars?”

A) I had no idea if I’ll be back with the time jump. I had such a fun time and a great experience working on the show that I certainly hope so, but this show is so incredibly secretive about the characters and plotlines (rightfully so). So, if Leslie does come back I probably won’t find out until last minute. More specifically, I think what I took away from the experience most was how dedicated and loyal the “Pretty Little Liars” fans are. I had such a great time interacting with the fans on Twitter and Instragram during my episodes. They are incredibly loyal to the shown and they are so excited that they love it so much that it was such a pleasure to be a part of. I so enjoy talking to the fans and being a part of something that they were so excited about. It was very clear that they were just as into the show in this last season as they had been from the first season. It’s always such a pleasure and delight when I’m able to work with my friends in real life. The fact I was able to work with Janel Parrish was so exciting and it was a fun working on set with her. I’ve known Lucy [Hale] for a long time and it was so great to reconnect with her. They are such a good group of friends that it is always such a fun thing for me.

Q) What else do you want fans to be sure they know about “Hand of God?”

A) With the “Pretty Little Liars” fans that may tune in, I should probably mention that it is an incredibly adult show with mature themes and content. Especially my character, she is definitely more adult than any of the other roles I have played in the past. Our show is daring, uncompromising and unafraid to really take chances and risks on telling this shocking story. That creates really binge-worthy content to watch and I know that once the audience gets into the first few episodes they won’t be able to stop watching. I’m so excited to hear the audience response for the show and hopefully we will be back for another season. I think everyone is going to be really taken in by our show and we’re all so proud of it on our end that we can’t wait to share it with the world.