Geneva Carr – Bull

By starrymag | October 1, 2018

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

 

A) Filming Season 3 of “Bull” is pretty time consuming!!!  But I had a small part in the film, All the Little Things We Kill, that stars Danielle Brooks and Elizabeth Marvel.  It’s a timely and compelling film and I am extremely proud to be a part of it.  I am also planning a couple of projects for hiatus with some theater friends.  I started out in in a small theater company with Joseph Lyle Taylor (“Justified,” 100 Centre Street) and he and I are collaborating on a project this upcoming Summer.  He’ll be directing and we’ll be acting together.  It’s an adaptation of a play by Sharr White involving two isolated people who find a unique connection.

 

 

Q) What can you tease is new this season on “Bull” and with your character Marissa Morgan?

 

A) On September 24th, Season 3 began with Marissa announcing to Bull that she got married while he was away taking care of himself.  She remarried her first and only husband after she reached out to him on a whim.  It begs the question, can you go back and make something right?  This season you’ll learn a lot about Marissa’s foibles and what love can overcome.  And her BFF, Bull, will be there to guide her.  Get out the tissues now…

 

The whole season is amazing, the surprises are epic and the questions the stories ask us about ourselves and where we stand are profound.  The shades of gray make every episode worth watching again and again.  I can’t wait for viewers to see this new chapter for Bull.  Surviving a heart attack has changed him and all of us at TAC.  And the show embraces all of it.

 

 

Q) How was Marissa originally described to you?

 

A) In the original character breakdown, Marissa was described as a psychologist, sex therapist and former homeland security operative who developed the matrix TAC uses to identify and study mock jurors.  I’m in front of those monitors every episode interpreting the data, but sill waiting for some sex therapy to take hold.  Kidding aside, Marissa is Bull’s right hand and that’s a great place e to be!

 

 

Q) Was there anything you added to Marissa that wasn’t initially scripted for you?

 

A) The exciting thing about developing a series regular role on a television show is that you create the character over time and with other people. The other actors, the writers, the directors, everyone helps you find out who you’re playing.   Sometimes you make suggestions, but when you have a showrunner like Glenn Gordon Caren, you just sit back and let him go.  I’ve asked if he’s had me followed since he writes things that are so close to me that no one could possibly know!  He has this way of seeing through the actors and seeing what we are truly about and then writing from there. It’s why each of us has had such detailed character development these last 2 seasons.  And wow, Season 3 is a doozy for all involved….

 

 

Q) Moreover, do you get much input into how Marissa continues to evolve throughout the seasons?

 

A) The input is doing every scene to the fullest and knowing that Glenn and his team of writers and directors are watching.  I recently shot an episode called “Fool Me Twice,” with director Mike Smith whom I had worked with on “Bull” and on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” back in the day.  There’s a level of trust that happens when you know you’re in good hands and you’re being guided by someone you trust and know well.  I cannot wait to see the episode.  We got caught in the rain one night during filming and despite the extra work it took (thanks to Ashley who does my hair!), Mike assured us that the rain added 10% more romance to the scene!

 

 

Q) Talk about working alongside costar Michael Weatherly.

 

A) Working with someone you admire both professionally and personally is a gift!!  Michael is such an incredibly talented actor. I learn from him every single day.  He’s also the most generous actor.  He works hard to make everyone better in a scene.  The most fun on set is when I have a scene with Bull and Marissa because Michael raises the bar in terms of acting and yet somehow manages to make it so loose and fun and silly.  Its heaven playing pretend with him!

 

 

Q) With Michael’s penchant for comedy, is there much room to ad lib or improv at all during scenes?

 

A) Oh, he has a penchant for comedy alright!  Words never vary, we stick to the script, but Michael has this way of making every take new.  Last week we were filming a scene where I hand him an envelope.  He would take it from me a different way each time and sometimes grab it a little violently, making me jump.  He thought it was hysterical to get me every time.  That’s Michael in a nutshell; he does the unexpected to get the unexpected out of his scene partner.  And he knows I’m easy to scare!

 

 

Q) What is your favorite aspect of Bull and Marissa’s friendship? 

 

A) I love that Bull and Marissa are besties.  They’ve never had a thing, so their intimacy is pure and unfettered by romance.  We can be truly honest with each other since there is no hidden agenda.  It’s still a complicated relationship and there’s real love there.  I’m loving exploring a man/woman friendship like ours in front of viewers. Some interesting comments have come up on social media…

 

 

Q) Was there any backstory provided to you about how they initially met?

 

A) No, but I created one for myself.  If you haven’t noticed, Bull is pretty irresistible to the ladies.  So, in my backstory for Marissa, I imagine that he seduced a number of my colleagues at Homeland, but that I never succumbed to his charms.  And I suspect that’s what Bull loves about Marissa.  I mean, being objectified has to get tiring, right?!

 

 

Q) Marissa has been keeping things about her and Kyle on the down low. What is it that is keeping her from opening up about their relationship to Bull?

 

A) That’s interesting that you ask.  Last season when Kyle (Gary Wilmes) did a number on Marissa the team went to bat for her, particularly Danny (Jaime Lee Kirchner) and Cable (Annabelle Attanasio).  I think Marissa is embarrassed for Bull to see that she’s not in control of personal life despite the fact that she runs a tight ship at TAC.

 

 

Q) What have been some of your most memorable moments from filming “Bull?”

 

A) Speaking of the whole Kyle debacle, going undercover as a man in the episode where we catch Kyle trying to flee the county, now THAT was fun.  Glenn warned me that I was gonna love the scene and he was right!  I’ve always wanted to see what I looked like as a man.  Though I did wonder why they hired the tallest actors in the biz to stand at the airport with me.  I looked like a preteen boy in the lineup of limo drivers!

 

 

Q) We touched on Michael’s sense of humor, do you have any behind the scenes stories you can share that have stood out to you?

 

A) One day, Michael thought he’d jump out of the hair and makeup department and scare me as I was walking past to get to set.  Um, yeah. He did that once.  I screamed so loud and for so long that he had to comfort me and calm me down for a looooong time.  He loves to tease me, but jumping out and scaring me?  Not so much anymore.

 

 

Q) What do you think it is about “Bull” that has made it such a fan favorite series?

 

A) I think the series hits home with people because of the genuineness of Michael and his approach to Bull.  On our first day of filming the series, Michael asked me, “Who is Marissa Morgan?”  I was prepared to give him a list of things I’d made up about my new character, but he stopped me short and gave me some awesome advice.  He said, “Marissa Morgan is you, Geneva.  Be yourself and viewers will believe you. Television is in peoples’ homes and they can see through anything that isn’t true.  So be yourself and they will let you in.”  And they have and I’m grateful.

 

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive to episodes?

 

A) Oh my gawd!!  I love it!  I was watching the opening episode of Season 3 with my friend, Megan, and I was responding to tweets and IG comments in real time.  And Megan said, “What’re you doing? Don’t respond right away, you gotta be cooler than that!”  It’s a thrill to know fans care so much about the people we create and the stories we’re telling.  I’ll trade that for cool any day.

 

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and the work that you do?

 

A) Thank you for caring.  It means more than you know.  I put my heart and soul into Bull and so does a team of people that you don’t see.  Knowing that fans are into the show and the stories we’re telling?  Best feeling in the world.  Thank you.