Rebecca Wisocky – Devious Maids

By starrymag | June 20, 2016

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

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

A) Well, my wedding took up a lot of time. I did the new “The X-Files” season and I did a show called “Graves” that will happen in the Fall. I did lots of wedding stuff though because it was time to focus on that.

Q) How happy were you to pass the “murder house” title on this season?

A) I found that really delightful, in obviously a very sick way, where Peri (Mariana Klaveno) was impaled by her America’s Choice Award. It was great to have Mariana back and it was sad we had to kill her, but I’m glad we did it in such a majestic fashion. It was truly worthy of her. I love Mariana. A large portion of the season will be devoted to figuring out who killed Peri Westmore and, of course, we spent Spence (Grant Show) to jail last week. Rosie (Dania Ramirez) though is on the case and becomes the detective this year.

Q) It feels full circle for the show that there is a murder and one of the maids is being the detective like Marisol was in Season One.

A) Definitely! We keep things in order with some modicum of modesty because the Powells certainly aren’t going to do it.

Q) Adrian and Evelyn are always after each other and trying to one up one another, but end up cancelling each other out.

A) They would be a high concept video game, wouldn’t they? There is no end to the torture they inflict on one another. This season Adrian (Bill Irwin) seeks to new lows. We see for the coming episode that Evelyn’s credit card is rejected and I don’t think that’s a level of indignity that I don’t think she has ever suffered in her life. We’ll explore that theme of what it means to live a life of privilege and then have it all taken away. Evelyn comes to lean on her friends in Beverly Hills and comes to realize she doesn’t have too many of those. We do see a lot more of the friendship between Evelyn and Marisol (Ana Ortiz), which is a real friendship. We’ll see more inside that relationship and what they have in common. Of course, I love Ana Ortiz so working with her so much this season was a real joy.

Q) I have come to think that Adrian’s heart is as black as his AMEX card.

A) [laughs] Well, Adrian does have a soft underbelly, too. Otherwise, we wouldn’t enjoy seeing them come back together so often – if they weren’t softies underneath the murder and mayhem.

Q) Does this mean that Evelyn may actually get a job this season?

A) Evelyn is about to have a rude awakening and Adrian is going to enjoy every moment of it. But I think it is possible that she will actually surprise Adrian and herself with her capacity to learn and change. So, we’ll see. That will be put to the test for sure.

Q) The Powells always have a way with their maids – blurred lines in a sense. How will that continue this season with Carmen and Daniela?

A) Poor Daniela…she’s walked through the wrong set of doors. [laughs] It’s just lovely casting and they are so good together. It’s wonderful to watch that story unfold with Carmen (Roselyn Sanchez). We love Sol Rodriguez and we’re happy she joined the “Devious” family. For better or for worse, both of them are going to spend some time with the Powells this year. Boy do we have a lot of fun with them! I don’t want to spoil too much, but because of her friendship with Marisol she tends to feel like she has a sisterhood with the maids as well. I’m not so sure they agree…[laughs]

Q) There has been quite a shift in dynamics between the upstairs and downstairs characters over the seasons.

A) We’ve explored that from the get-go with the upstairs and downstairs. We’re upending peoples’ relationships to money and power left and right. There is a great storyline with Zoila (Judy Reyes). She gets put into situations where she literally gets to step into a role that is diametrically opposed to the one she is used to having her in her own life. And she takes it and runs with hit. I love that Carmen is the one that encourages her because of course no one else would. Judy Reyes has a really great fun, unexpected storyline this year. We met the cute neighbor boy and her mother last week who are so great. We’re so lucky to have Ryan McPartlin and Stephanie Faracy, who is just a comedic genius. Evelyn doesn’t have much to do with her character this year, which was a great disappointment to me because she is wonderful.

Q) Yes, there are quite a lot of new additions this season.

A) Yes, we have James Denton! If anyone can give Marisol a run for her money, it is going to be Peter. He is such a lovely man and it is wonderful that he comes from the Marc Cherry universe. The fans have been very receptive to him. He couldn’t be nicer or more talented. We have been really lucky to have him come aboard this year.

Q) It is great to see that favorite actors from “Desperate Housewives” have come to cameo throughout the years.

A) “Desperate Housewives” ran for a number of years. So, that is a treasure trove of talent to plum. I hope a lot more of those folks appear. We have all become very close on “Devious Maids” and we all love playing the characters so much and playing them opposite one another. It’s a very fortuitous situation. I’m certainly grateful to explore living in a character’s world for four years now. I think we all know how lucky we are and the fans have been so generous with us. It’s just wonderful!

Q) Each season we have gotten to see a new side to Evelyn. Last year we saw her maternal side. Will that aspect of her return that season?

A) I don’t think we’ve ever lost that. It’s just manifested in different ways. What ended up happening last year with Deon and Adrian being responsible for her losing another child gave her silence to set her free. I think that was the only thing that would have done it. So, as you see she begins this season very intent on leaving Adrian and starting a new life with some clarity and hopefully a little more peace. That all goes awry, of course. This season is about her finding herself in a new way. She’ll be in a lot of new and challenging situations. She’ll be exploring who she is separate from Adrian.

Q) Are we going to finally see Evelyn apart from Adrian? It seems that no matter what draws them away from each other they always find their way back.

A) The answer to the question is that Evelyn will try her darndest to do that. And, as is the way with most things she attempts, she gets it all wrong. She tries really hard and you go on a journey with her. She becomes kind of childlike in certain ways with the degree of desperation she tries to jump into a fresh new way of being. She spends a night in jail. She gets asked out in a date in a very surprising context. There is definitely a love interest that is not Adrian Powell this year.

Q) We also haven’t seen her in a non-controlling state. To be asked out without her having that power will be nice to see.

A) It is disarming and I think that is one of the most delightful places you can put a character – disarming them and to leave them without their usual repertoire of ways of getting on in the world and being safe.

Q) What has been your favorite part of Evelyn’s character development and growth?

A) I like that we’re malleable and changeable. Just when you think you know who she is and what she is capable of she surprises you because she surprises herself at her own reaction to certain situations. I think what the show and Marc Cherry and Brian Tanen and all the writers have done so well is to create non-satirical characters and then allow them to become real people. That has been very enjoyable to play. A lot happens this season and it’s very fast paced. The finale is explosive as last season and this will shock you. It really surprised me when I read it. There is a big surprise by the end of the season. You see all of the characters we come to know and love in very uncomfortable and unexpected situations – from top to bottom. Everyone does a little role reversal and you get to see them react to new situations.

Q) The cast gets such great love and feedback from social media. Is it as fun to watch along with fans and see their instant reaction during episodes?

A) It’s very fun! It’s so much fun. We’ve been watching the shows together as a cast and we often get together as a cast during the season. We forget a lot about what has happened over the season. Also, we’re fans of one another’s storylines as well. So, it’s just as much fun for us to watch along with everyone and it is very humbling and delightful to see all the support and involvement from the fans. There is a lot more to come! They really packed a whole heck of a lot this season so I really hope that fans keep tuning in to each episode.