Geoffrey Arend – Madam Secretary

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

A) Right now I’m working on “Madam Secretary” and it premieres Sunday, September 21st on CBS.

Q) How was your character Matt Mahoney on “Madam Secretary” originally described to you?

A) They told me that he was a speech writer who worked for the previous administration and he was a little bit of a cad and smart  aleck. He’s a guy who is not sure if his job is secure or not so he’s already started clocking the exit to stay ahead of the game.

Q) What was it about the role or show that made you want to be a part of it?

A) Honestly, it was a combination of everything. The script was excellent. It  was one of the best pilot scripts I had read this past year and it was because of Barbara Hall who is the series creator and writer that I greatly respect. Also, the cast was shaping up to be phenomenal with Bebe Neuwirth, Tea Leoni and Tim Daly. I’m fans of all of those people so I was excited to get to work with them. Then, it was shooting in New York. Even though I had been in Los Angeles for almost ten years, I started out in New York and it was always a dream of mine to get to come back and work on a show like this.

Q) Was there anything you added to the role that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) It’s like the scripts are so full that you are trying to find a way to add things that are not extraneous, but are staying within the scoop of the actual character. So, any of the things that I have added have been fully in that vein; fleshing out and embellishing the pieces or seeds that are already implanted in there. It’s not like I walked in saying I was a huge hang glider and now Matt Mahoney is a huge hang glider. It’s the nature of television (unlike in movies) where you get one script at a time and with each script you get more and more information about who your character is. After having a couple TV shows now I’ve learned you don’t want to make really hard choices that define your character from the get-go because those things could easily shift from one episode to the next. You sort of take the information you have, flesh that out and build from there. The last thing you want to do is be walking into a room with this backstory that your entire family died in a car crash and then two episodes later you meet your mother and father. It’s something you have to be careful with. So, there is nothing really that I have sort of created that has been added to the actual story. It’s more of a discovery process. I perform in an episode that has already been written and the writers watch that episode and they pick up on little things and decide to enhance. It’s exciting and super frightening as an actor. But exciting!

Q) There is such great on-screen chemistry between you and Téa Leoni! What has it been like working with her?

A) I’m very lucky! Téa is such an incredible natural actor. She has this way about her that is so easy going, but at the same time is so focused. There are times when we are working really late when I forget that she is not the Secretary of State. I will look at her and think, “She’s in charge of so much!” But it’s just Téa Leoni. I get to work with Patina Miller who plays Daisy. Daisy and Matt butt heads a lot and our relationship goes much deeper than it originally appears in the pilot. That’s a really interesting dynamic that we are getting to discover and play with. I also get a ton of scenes with Bebe Neuwirth, who I have been a fan of since I was much younger. I remember one of the first Broadway shows I saw was Damn Yankees and she was on stage doing these high kicks. I haven’t told her yet that I am a super fan. I’m going to keep that under wraps so I seem cooler to her, but it is amazing to get to work with a performer of that caliber. Everybody on set is so adept at comedy and drama that it is so fun to go in every day and discover these scenes with these people. You come in with your own ideas, but then Bebe Neuwirth points something out and you’re like, “How did I miss that?!” But that’s why she is who she is. Then, Téa will point something out and you’re like, “That’s even better!” The more these people speak in rehearsals the more you realize you don’t know. It keeps you on your toes and I like that.

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

A) I am that guy who is on set going, just after filming a few takes, “Can you believe we’re filming in New York?!” Everybody kind of looks at me like, “Yeah, buddy. Let’s just keep going.” Even though I’m thirty-six years old, I still feel like this new kid on set, which is a great feeling to have. Memorable moments? I would say that it is all so much fun. We have an upcoming episode where we are doing this function for a visiting ambassador and it is a big gala, black tie affair. Eriq LaSalle directed it and we got to do some dancing, which I don’t think will make the cut because I ended one take with Matt Mahoney twerking. I can only imagine people sat back in horror watching and thought, “We’re going to find a way to cut around that.” It was memorable for me and the rest of the cast because of how insane it got, but I don’t think anyone in the public is going to get to see that.

Q) What do you think it is about the show that will make it a quick fan favorite?

A) CBS has been very kind and placed us before “The Good Wife.” I think our show tonally shares a lot with that show. We have these serialized storylines that connect episode to episode and the drama really strays as far as cliché as possible. Every script is exciting and ends with an unexpected turn, a really intelligent one though – nothing cheap. Then you have all these performers that are so adept at comedy. So, we’re playing these small comedy moments within the drama, which seems to be working and balancing it out. If you are a fan of “The Good Wife,” you are going to really dig this show.

Q) You are new to social media. Are you looking forward to the instant fan feedback you will be receiving when the show premieres?

A) I am so terrible at the whole social networking thing. I know that if you are born today that you sort of come out of the womb and they hand you a Twitter account and a new iPhone. And you become incredibly adept it. I remember before iPhones and Twitter and I find it still to be a strange companion to my life. I will be live tweeting during episodes because I want to support all the fans of our show and the people who are tuning in for the first time and want to know more about it. I am not huge on Twitter. I have been getting more into Instagram. I like the pictorial element to it because you can take a photo and don’t have to come up with something snarky or witty to say. I think I’m also a more visual person to begin with. I don’t know how you would live Instagram a show. Me eating french fries during “Madam Secretary?” I don’t know what kind of potential there is.

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

A) Thank you! I don’t really expect anybody to be a fan of mine, but I appreciate it. I hope they give “Madam Secretary” a chance. The first episode, in my opinion, is exceptional. I think “Madam Secretary” is one of those shows where if you miss it that you have missed out. Then, three years from now you’ll go on Netflix and see “Madam Secretary” and you’ll see like three seasons of it, watch the first episode and it will make you binge watch the rest of the episodes. That’s how I watch television now and I think a lot of people share that. So, I’m excited. I was really excited when I watched the pilot and couldn’t wait to see the next episode, even though we hadn’t filmed it. I think really just watch and see for yourself. I’m pretty sure you’re going to like what you see!