Q) I’m excited that we get to talk about Home For Christmas Day. And, of course Jennifer, you told me a little bit of information about the film but this is like your baby. This is like your other baby. You have a baby, but you have another baby which is a film.

Jennifer: Yeah, creative baby.

Q) And you talked to me a little bit about writing the film in this hotel room while you’re working on another project and I wanted to ask you about kind of constructing the movie and putting it together. Where did the idea spring from and how did you put the pieces of the puzzle together with how you came about the concept?

Jennifer: It just was in my hotel room and emerged in Virginia, as an actor on this movie of the week with Garth Brooks. It was a movie based on one of his songs called Unanswered Prayers. And was born in Richmond, Virginia. It was my first time back in Richmond, Virginia and I was just in a very good creative space. I just was looking out of my hotel window and I just thought, “This would be a very good idea for a movie.” You know what I mean? Just out of nothing, that’s the thing that kept amazing me. I kept saying to Catherine, “This is from nothing.”

Catherine: Wow.

Q) It’s your “Seinfeld!”

Catherine: I love that.

Jennifer: It did. And then I had this idea as an actor, “Well gosh, writers just make stuff up.” They just make stuff up out of nothing so I can make something out of nothing. Like I can do the same thing. So, that’s what happened and I put together the outline of the story. I have to say the writing of this script which is so good and it is by David Golden and we worked together definitely to make the script what it is. But I would not have been able to write a full script as well as he did. And Catherine is in another movie that he wrote.

Catherine: Yeah, I did two Christmas movies for Hallmark, back to back. David Golden wrote both of them. The other one comes out in November and it’s called Christmas In The Air. And that is more of a light, romantic comedy. I mean I was amazed by Jen and this is all her story her baby she really broke down the acts and the scenes. David got it. David Golden just got your concept, your vision, the whole feel and when he turned in the script it was like, oh this is good, you know?

Jennifer: His real name isn’t even Golden. That’s how his writing is, it has a warmth to it, right?

Catherine: Yeah it really does. He’s the golden boy at Hallmark right now. He’s writing all their beautiful scripts and it’s a perfect last name.

Jennifer: It was this idea that I brought to Hallmark and pitched them. I don’t even know if they were that interested in having me come in and pitch, but they took the meeting anyway and they really liked this idea. Then sat on it for about a month and you know I’ve known Catherine for 20 years, maybe more. And I knew that she had “The Good Witch coming out.” This was right before “The Good Witch” was about to premiere and I knew that it was going to hit. I absolutely knew it, I just felt it. And I thought, “If she really loves this I know that we can make this movie together and how incredible to make a movie with someone I’ve known so long, that I trust so much and I believe in so much.” Because you know Catherine, she’s amazing.

Catherine: Aww. You know I can hear you, right?

Jennifer: She’s shooting “The Good Witch” in Toronto during the week and flying home every single weekend to be with her family, which is something she does all the time when she’s on location which I think is amazing. See, if I talk about you, it’s really glowing.

Catherine: Aww.

Jennifer: You’re not going to say how amazing you are, I’m going to say it. And I said can I pitch this to you and she was like, I don’t really have any time and then what did you see?

Catherine: It went on for a while and it was like I’m not brushing you off, I swear. Jen and her beautiful, not pushy way but just with this clear intention that she knew that I would love this story if I heard it. She would just kind of check in every once in a while, there was one weekend where she said, “Are you going to the airport this weekend.” And I was, I had flown in on Friday and going back on Sunday and she said, “How about I drive you to the airport on Sunday? And I can tell you the story and I get to see you.” I hadn’t seen her in a while and she drove me to LAX, very slowly and carefully I might add. She was telling me her beautiful story which was very beautiful and I still got to the airport in time and I fell in love instantly. The rest is history.

Jennifer: Yeah, but I’m going to also say that Catherine saying that this is the movie I want to do is what made this movie happen. Yes, my idea was great and the story is wonderful and all of those things. But there’s a reason why she’s done so well in our industry and it’s because when she believes in something, she’s all for it, she’s all in and she makes sure it happens right. Once she attached herself, then we really moved and it has been awesome.

Catherine: Such an amazing, awesome ride. So much fun. Developing it, working together, getting it into pre-production and then getting to go up to Vancouver to get together and make this movie was just unreal.

Jennifer: It is so much fun! And it was so last minute too, we didn’t really even have time to celebrate. Like oh my god we’re going to do this in two weeks? Okay. And I think the first time we saw each other in Vancouver she had to rush through a fitting, it was just rushed.

Catherine: We should have gone out and celebrated!

Jennifer: And you wouldn’t have had to wear the gown, or the floor length jacket comforter thing.

Catherine: That’s right.

Q) I was going to ask though, Catherine, I don’t know if you felt more pressure working with a friend and wanting to get the character right?

Catherine: My initial reaction was to say no, just that it was so amazing to work with someone that I love so much and respect as an actress as well as someone who came up with this beautiful story. But then, yeah, I guess a little bit having started in acting class together so long ago there was that moment of I have to do this right, I better really not disappoint because it was such a passion project for Jen. But then once we got there and once we started filming, everything was just so perfect. I can’t stress enough how everything just felt right, the character felt right, the story felt right, all the casting was perfect and everything came together so beautifully. It was really kind of a magical experience, I know for me and from what Jen and David told me.

Jennifer: I have to tell you, Catherine is so great in this movie. Her performance is so moving and I’m going to tell you, my husband who also produced this movie with me, and has known Catherine for twenty years too and we would watch her at the monitor and every take she meant it. Every time! She never phoned this in and to be honest she could have gotten away with phoning it in, not that this is something she would do or does, but she meant it. She meant every word and she meant every moment and we would look at each other and just be like freaking Catherine Bell.

Catherine: Honestly, I didn’t even have to try. It was really so special, the lines and the scenes with my daughter, it reminded me so much of my own life and my own daughter. So many similarities in my life, now dealing with my fourteen year old daughter and changes that we were going through as a mother/daughter relationship. And it just all came to me, I didn’t even have to try. I couldn’t have phoned that in if I wanted to. It was just like emotion would come and feelings  and tears and so much. It was so good.

Jennifer: As we were developing this story and I knew that Catherine would be playing this and I promised Catherine at the beginning that I would make sure there was a role for her to play. So, as I developed this character for Catherine, because I know Catherine’s daughter really well. I’m like a huge fan of Gemma’s. I love this child, I think she’s so special. And so I put a lot of what I knew Catherine could speak about honestly into that character. I definitely did that on purpose.

Catherine: Aww. And I didn’t know it would be as good as you said. Like you actually fulfilled that promise, it was really amazing.

Jennifer: Thanks! If I didn’t I would feel so bad.

Catherine: Oh no. It’s a great story and I didn’t know it would be this amazing. You guys went above and beyond.

Q) We’ve talked about the film but we haven’t really discussed the theme or the premise. If you could talk about some of the prevalent themes of the film and where that came from, too.

Jennifer: I would say that from the beginning of it, I was very interested in our Armed Forces and what it means to fall in love with someone from the Armed Forces, I think about those women a lot. And men too, who have a woman or a wife or a partner that’s in the Armed Forces and what that means as a love story. I also really cared about mothers and daughters, this mother and daughter have two different visions of what love and life should be like and can be like and they are very far apart in that idea. And I wanted them to learn from each other and ultimately both be able to love fully again or for the first time in the case of the daughter. Those were the things that were important to me.

Catherine: Beautiful. You said it way better than I could have. But, yeah for me too, figuring out this character and their relationship, I relate so much to wanting things to go so well for your child or your children, having them not be hurt or to not make the same mistakes that you’ve made. You try so hard to give them your lessons that you’ve learned in life, while you can certainly share some of that, they have to go through life. They have to live and learn their own way and certainly love plays a huge part in that, wanting to love again. So, my character allowing her to learn and get hurt in the process or maybe not, that’s going to be her journey.  There’s some pretty cool themes there.

Q) I was going to ask where you connected or saw yourself in your character or at least saw some aspects of yourself. Obviously, Jen is writing this and she’s having you as a vision but at the same time creating a brand new character too.

Catherine: Right. Exactly. I connected some ways of course with having my own teenage daughter that I’m dealing with and yet it was a whole different character. She’s lost in her life and she has shut down a big part of herself. And now her daughter is doing her own thing and she’s so not okay with it. How do I come to terms with that?

Q) Do you see some of these things in Gemma and in your kids as well?

Jennifer: Part of Jane, which is Catherine’s character is inspired by my own mother and my relationship with her. We’re very, very different people and you know my mother never found love again from the time I was ten years old, still hasn’t. So, I think part of me making this story is sort of a hope for her. Wow I think I’m going to cry.

Catherine: I know.

Jennifer: I never said that, but I think in looking back at it that there’s some truth there to that. I wanted the daughter in this piece, was inspired by Gemma. And Gemma is an intelligent young woman with thoughts of her own and Matreya Fedor, who plays this character. She’s incredible.

What a find! She beat out so many talented woman. I wanted a girl that that’s kind of thoughtful in that generation, which I think has a special rarity. A young woman as a teenager that is thinking about love as a special thing. Which I don’t see that much of but I know Gemma is that kind of girl, so she definitely inspired this type of young lady for sure.

Catherine: Aww. She’s going to love hearing that. I don’t think she knew that, I’m going to watch it with her this weekend. Wow, that’s beautiful.

Q) We talk about Matreya, Bailee [Madison] and Hallmark now has this great wealth of young actors as well as veteran actors. I wanted to talk to you a little more about the casting of the younger characters. What stood out about these individuals? What it’s like for you seeing these young girls acting alongside you and your thoughts on that?

Catherine: Matreya and Bailee, they are amazing. Hallmark is great because they bring in so many strong women, including the teenagers and the kids, which is so incredible. And both of them very grounded, very smart girls, very down to earth. Bailee has been acting since she’s been very little and she’s got like 1.8 million follows on Instagram. She is someone who when asked if she’s hot and I ask for water and ask if she wants one too, she will actually say “my mother would kill me if someone brought me water.” She’s so appreciative, thankful and grateful. And Matreya is like a double major in college I can’t even imagine something like engineering and architecture.

Jennifer: They are so impressive! We were like, I didn’t even know what that is. I’m not even smart at all. It’s this crazy mechanical engineering thing and I’m like what?

Catherine: She was studying for finals while we were filming, it was incredible. She is really, really impressive to be working with someone like her.

Jennifer: I would say that because Hallmark does all their movies in Canada pretty much and the young women talent that came in to audition for this role were unbelievable. Every single one of them, I was a fan of so many young women after that session and I just thought wow it is smoking up here in Canada. And I’m wondering if places like Hallmark whose really brought up that casting has really challenged that strong female group and boy they are just on fire. On fire.

And we cast Matreya and she was just stupendous, totally forgetting that the character is supposed to sing by the way we were so blown away. Yeah number one, didn’t even check if she could sing. We were besides ourselves, we hire her and a few days later were like, “Did anyone check if Matreya could sing?” We texted her and she sends back this recording. We’re likes, “Is this you?” Beautiful. She says I’ve never sung in pubic before and she sings in this movie. When we recorded this song it was the first time she’s ever done that.

Catherine: That’s amazing. Remarkable.

Q) What have you taken away from your experience being part of the film and what do you hope viewers take away from watching?

Catherine: Certainly everything I’ve said from the beginning, the experience and working with both Jennifer and David. And the script, the story, the characters and the actors. It was just one of the most magical, it’s real magic. I just can’t say enough about it and I’m so excited to share it with people on Sunday.  Really, truly and genuinely cannot wait to share it and hope that people are as touched and as moved and as inspired as I have been making it and even going through that experience of looking at all those moments of motherhood and love and not being afraid to live again even if you’ve been hurt no matter what. And hopefully people will go on that journey with us.

Jennifer: I really want everyone to see what you’ve done here so bad, Catherine. I can’t wait for Gemma to see this. It must be uncomfortable for Gemma if she actually knows how much I worship her.

Jennifer: No she loves it, she adores you. She’s great and I’m not just saying that in front of her, I’m telling you she is just she knocked my socks off. I’ve been around the block, I’ve seen a lot of acting and I’ve seen a lot of people on set and sometimes it will take several takes to get right and the performance ends up being great. But I’m telling you every time it was just remarkable, every time it was awesome. She’s been the star of a successful serious for over 20 years in a row.

Q) She has this Hallmark of immense talent, I mean we watched her on “JAG,” “Army Wives” and “The Good Witch.” There is never a show that she doesn’t fully engross you in, and fully embrace. Twenty years of getting to watch and love her.

Jennifer: The way she handles herself, she’s so incredible. She’s an incredible professional and then to top it all of, she is stunningly gorgeous. She’s really got it.

Q) With this film you juggle all these different hats with the writing and the producing every single aspect. What was the most challenging thing you learned or the most challenging part?

Jennifer: I want to be careful to delineate that I was responsible for the story, the writing was David Golden. I wrote all the characters and the outline, but the actual crafting was David Golden. So, my credit is based on a story by, I work the story through each draft and the notes and the solutions with David and the network. But I want to be careful and put the due where it is due.

But I think honestly what I learned the most was it’s okay to not know what you’re doing. Like, when I went in to pitch this I didn’t know what I was doing. When I went to pitch to Catherine while driving over the 405, I had no idea what I was doing, I’ve never done that before. When we went up to Canada, the very first thing I did was go into a casting session as executive producer I didn’t know what I was doing. And I was okay with not knowing the first time because everyone has a first time where they don’t know what they are doing.

I was open about it and I didn’t try to pretend that I knew what I was doing. I would say at these big production meetings with all the departments around this huge conference table, when I introduced myself I said, “This is my first time doing this if I have a blank stare on my face when you’re talking to me. It means I have no idea what is happening, so please call me out on it and explain because I really don’t know.”

Now I feel like I really know what I’m doing because I’ve done it and I did a great job. I feel like we made sure to make a Hallmark movie that doesn’t feel honed in or rushed or any of those things. But being cool with learning is what I learned. And that everybody starts from nothing. This idea started from nothing. And you know what, so did the big masterpieces of all time. They weren’t there and then somebody had an idea out of nothing and then made something.

But really, ideas are incredible and then you do have to push them through and they won’t happen unless you do that first. Unless you’re every day going what do I do to move this ball forward? What has to happen today to get to the next step? And finding out what that is and knowing what it is that you want to do. What is important to you? And what was important to me was to make a quality movie. And I did. It means something. So, I didn’t let myself askew from what I knew was right.

I really think the biggest thing I learned is that it is okay to jump into something even if you don’t have a degree. I don’t have a degree film making or story development. But I know how to tell a story as an actor, that’s how I always approach my work. It’s definitely storytelling and I’m an avid reader and I always have been. It’s just about how the story goes. It’s okay to not know.

Q) Besides the hallmark of Hallmark, the movies that they make has a great balance of romance, heart, and humor in them. I wanted to ask about how working with David about balancing all that or pay homage to Hallmark movies went.

Jennifer: It is definitely in the box and that is why I knew this idea was perfect for them. I don’t know why, but so few people make romance movies anymore. Like be it a romantic comedy which a lot of their channel is or things about love. I’m a sap. I’m like a that person that loves it. I just knew with this idea that there isn’t really anyone else making this kind of stuff. That’s why they are so prolific at it. They understand that sometimes people want to watch a movie and not watch heads roll. And I’m one of those people. I had to stop watching “Game Of Thrones” when I had a young baby because they were killing babies.

So, there’s room for that kind of wonderful charming glowing escapism. Because we are so inundated with bad news all the time, all the time. And so Hallmark has been so great about making this pristine Hallmark bubble where you know you are going to watch something charming and you know someone is going to fall in love and you know you’re going to smile and you will probably cry a little bit. Your heart is going to be moved and so I really respect that. I come from “Party of Five.” We were that heartwarming family that was crying every week kind of show. It’s a similar sensibility. I respect it, I really do.

Q) You talk about the pitch that you made for the network, did they ever give back any notes or feedback? Or were they all in.

Jennifer: Development, that is the constant. So, it’s like I came in with a pitch and Mark Fisher who will always be my first, he’s the executive at Hallmark he was like that’s really, really good. And he was sort of stunned, he didn’t really have anything to say.  He didn’t expect it to be good, I guess. And so once we made a deal and attached Catherine into it, we started working with the writer and the outline that is when questions and notes and back and forth. It’s a part of the process.

When I first pitched it, it was a Christmas movie and then they didn’t want it to be a Christmas movie so it wasn’t a Christmas movie for a long time and then it was a Christmas movie again. As you go along, the network’s needs may change and you may need to adjust. So, things that are important for them to see you have to change and I’m cool with that. It’s their movie, they are paying for it. If you want to make a film and have no notes and nobody has any say then raise your own money for the film and make an independent film.

I think because I’m from the world of TV I’m much more used to notes. A lot of notes. It’s like a normal thing. They are doing so much of this movie that I’m not doing: they have the money, they do the advertising, they do the press releases and they market the film. It’s all them. They also have to look after Hallmark and I respect that. So, if they are really firm about something I may say this is why I think it’s important and sometimes I would get my way and other times they are like we are really firm on this point and I just respected that.

Because they have to look out for themselves and they at the end of the day are writing the checks. So, when I’m paying for a meal I want it to be the way I want it. They have the same rights to do that.

Q) Well the film is Home For Christmas Day and we’re watching in July but when we watch Hallmark movies it doesn’t matter the time of year in reality as opposed to when the films are centered around. What makes this sort of a special for you like Christmas in July?

Jennifer: I didn’t know that Christmas in July was a thing until a few months ago and I was so confused when they said it would be airing in July. Christmas in July.

I thought I misheard it because I didn’t know. But oddly enough, I was rewatching something and my character mentioned Christmas in July. That’s how in character I am when I do that, I didn’t even know anything about Christmas in July yet my character talked about it two or three years ago. I didn’t know anything about it and apparently people are getting a Christmas itch at this six month mark and so I guess they’ve done this the last couple of years, Christmas in July. It’s very successful for them. So, kudos. I don’t know where Hallmark movies stream but they must have a lot of Christmas movies.

Q) I don’t know, but they must have the vault!

Jennifer: Yes, the vaults are big! But yeah I don’t know who came up with it but then someone else was telling me that some people actually start like a Christmas in July thing, where people exchange gifts. It’s like a whole counter culture that I know nothing about but I hope I helped you!

Q) I wanted to ask you about the role of Tyler that you said was inspired by the actor that played Pastor Tudor in “GCB.” You talk about how he was in the army and how if you had any questions about the Armed Forces he would really be of great help. Were you working on “GCB” and this character came to you after but constructing him specifically what was that like?

Jennifer: Well, Tyler the person is the actor who plays Pastor Tudor. His name is Tyler. I met him in the makeup trailer. I remember he came in and I hear him talking and I asked if he served and he said “Yes ma’am.” I just said, “Thank you for your service and I know we all say that and we mean it.” The fact that people enlist and they go fight in very far away places and their loved ones are here, holding down the home and not knowing if their loved ones are going to make it through the day, it really is something.

Politics aside, of rightness and wrongness and the I don’t like war, which I don’t. But the Armed Forces are extraordinary people. I’ve never met one I didn’t like. So, Tyler just blew me away. We spent a lot of time together and he was so lovely to work with. He would just laugh at me all day long which makes me feel great.

Part of his charatcer, Tyler is obviously named after him and that great guy is a great guy. He is in his twenties. But a great guy is a great guy and a girl if she finds a great guy she will just snap him up, who cares how old they are. Him as a person, inspired Tyler the character and I told him I’m sorry I can’t cast you because you are in your 30’s.

Any time there was like a technical question that was important to me to get right because I don’t want someone watching this and being like that is not how it works. I didn’t want that to happen. So, he would always answer back right away. He definitely saved me from make a fool of myself in reference to this young solider’s storyline.

Q) When we watch the film this weekend what do you really hope that viewers take away form it?

Jennifer: My original title for this movie was “Love Finds Its Way.” We had to change the title because it’s a Christmas movie. But that was the original title and the reason why I called it that my point in telling the story is that no matter how old you are, whether you’re young or whether you’re old whether it’s the first time whether you never want to experience love again, it’s never too late and its never too early to find true love. That’s what I wanted people to walk away with. It’s an essential part of your life and I have friends that are a bit older and divorced, like my mom who has never found it again. Or a young woman who people say, “Oh, you are too young to fall in love. I don’t believe in that either.” I believe that you can find true love at any time and I want people to be open to that in their lives. This is a thing that you build your foundation of, for your life in that partner. And it’s very lovely. Love. So that’s what I hope people walk away with.

Q) Anything special planned that you have for watching the movie?

Jennifer: I know Catherine is watching it with her daughter Friday night. But myself, my husband, Catherine and a few other people are going to watch it live on the West Coast at Catherine’s house on Sunday night. And we will be live tweeting of course. I just can’t wait for the actors in this movie to see their performance and what they did because they’re all so good. They’re so good!

And I would say, I’m just so grateful for the talent to show the way they did. It is so moving that Catherine, Matreya, Victor [Webster] and Anthony and every single person in this movie showed up and they gave a heartfelt beautiful performance. You know I’m going to be able to tell if you’re not. I’m Jennifer Aspen. I know a little bit about acting and I’m going to be able to tell if you show up with some horse shit. And you know on a movie like that we shoot it really quick, three weeks, we don’t have time to pull a performance out really.

The thing that I’m most grateful for are the artists, the actors in this movie they came to tell my story. To tell this story that means so much to me, they showed up and acted it so beautifully. I could go on and on about all of them. And that’s the thing that means the most to me, that moved me every single day and every day after editing. By the way, producing is much more difficult than acting. It’s a lot more time consuming. It just was thrilling to watch these people do this work. Very moving.

Q) Is there anything else you wanted to mention?

Jennifer: Home On Christmas Day was inspired by Kristin Chenoweth’s Christmas album. That’s how personal this work is for me. A little piece of everybody is in this movie I think. My cousins are named in it. I kill off the name of a high school friend in this movie and I hope she doesn’t see it. It just happened, I was desperate for names and then she dies in the movie. Anyway, it is very personal and I could probably talk about it longer than any of my acting stuff so I appreciate you listening to me give you a novel about this experience.

Q) Are there any other projects that you are working on?

A) It’s pretty much been “Riverdale” since we started since location wise we’re in Vancouver shooting. So, it kind of limits your abilities on your days off.

Q) What kind of response have you received to the show?

A) It’s been really great! Just utter enthusiasm for the show and support. It’s been pretty unreal! 95% of the reviews I read are positive, which is kind of unheard of – especially when taking on something so iconic. It’s been pretty awesome. [laughs] I can’t lie.

Q) It’s a great take on the Archie series and I find it can be watched by both older and younger audiences.

A) It’s been really, really great. I love that as the series go on that the adult storylines get more involved and more heated as well so that it is not just one particular audience. It really does and can appeal to a broad spectrum of audiences, which is nice.

Q) The series has a dark, almost “Twin Peaks” feel to it and there seems to be this instant magnetic pull to the show. To what do you attribute that?

A) That’s a great question. I attribute to a couple things – First, the writing and developing something so much that people care about the characters. That is everything at the end of the day, good writing so you invest in somebody’s story. The second is the actors because they pull it off so well that you honestly care about them, what happens to them and what they are fighting for. What they are fighting for is universal. With the pilot, everyone can relate to having the boy you love not feel the same way as you do – no matter what your age. I think it is just clever writing and excellent execution and that boils down to any show or any film.

Q) A lot happens in each episode as well.

A) We’ve gotten scripts that were so involved that we needed to reread them again to just absorb what happened. Hold on, what just happened?! I love that. It’s text full. You’re not going to be bored ever! It’s been a really fun experience to tell these experiences and explore these characters. Hermione moves into more and more danger and trouble – whether that is good trouble like starting to fall for somebody or bad trouble because she is still married and her husband is not the kind of guy to quietly walk away. There are all these juicy stories for Hermione and I’m really excited to take them on.

Q) Will we see any relationships cultivated for Hermione outside of her daughter?

A) Absolutely! Completely! I promise you. It was one of the reasons why I took the show besides the fact I really loved the pilot. It was because Hermione had so much to do. I love a plain old love story so any time I can explore that and play that I’m very pleased. Hermione definitely evolves to more than just a mother. That, to me, is very important to show that you can be a parent and still have a life. It’s not over by a mile! Investing in making sure your children, at whatever age, are doing well in life is vitally important as well as exploring being a parent as a full human being. Life doesn’t end when you have kids. So, it was very important for me to show Hermione as more than just a one dimensional life. I hope that viewers stay tuned and see that. Obviously, our first few episodes are exploring our main, iconic characters. But as the series goes on you’ll see not only Hermione, but other parents as well  and what they are struggling with, which is really nice. Also, our director, Lee [Toland Krieger] came with us and developed these characters in the pilot so well and helped us really find things that grounded each of us. When you’re doing a pilot, you don’t have thirty episodes behind your belt that you have your character already developed. You kind of already have to have it already there. So, Lee helped us get there with not only the first episode, but with the first three. Now, he’s back for the season finale, which is amazing!

Q) There is such a rich, development and depth to each character. What do you enjoy most about Hermione?

A) I think what I enjoy the most about her is her strength, which you don’t always see because she is going through a really big struggle. But the fierceness and the strength with which she will fight to survive for her family and fight for her daughter is something that I admire in anybody. It’s tenacity. Even though you might fail and it may not be easy, that continue to fight and go towards your goals and what is right – I love that. That is probably the most thing I admire about Hermione.

Q) Part of the great tale of “Riverdale” is the darkness that is there in the cinematography, making it feel like its own character – a hallmark of serial mysteries.

A) One hundred percent! That also is our director and our show creator. Lee and Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa] (our show creator) – together you are one hundred percent in calling the atmosphere and environment of “Riverdale” set its own creature in itself. To me, it really set itself apart with the initial scene where you think, “Oh, we’re in a different world here!” It’s not a world that maybe viewers thought it would be when you mention an Archie series. It’s definitely its own animal. It lends itself to the drama and the mystery that is in this town, which I love!

Q) I think it does still hit on the iconic parts of the Archie series. It’s a great hat tip to the series!

A) I agree! Especially the last scene of the second episode where you see Betty (Camila Mendes) and Veronica (Lili Reinhart) sipping milkshakes. It’s beautiful! Then, the other two come in. I love it! They have done such a good job I felt of balancing the history of these characters that certain generations know and love, but bringing it into today’s world. I really thought it was an expert balance and articulation of that.

Q) Being on The CW helps push these extra boundaries as well, where you can talk about the added serious, darker aspects to the show. How does the network help to push those boundaries?

A) I have been really impressed with how The CW has supported and embraced our show. I feel like the network has branched out so much from where they started with other shows like “Jane The Virgin” and “My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” It’s really on par with the big three networks and now television has changed so much that we can explore different avenues with TV that you couldn’t a few years ago when there were only your major networks. So, now I feel we’re competing with Netflix, Amazon, A&E and FX – all these different cable shows and outlets that have been really expand these shows where a major network couldn’t. And I feel The CW has been stepping up with that in that genre.

Q) It is that darkness that makes you instantly invested.

A) That’s the only way I think people will tune in to a show. You can have all the flashy things you want, but if you don’t care about the character in front of you then you have lost everything. To me, at the end of the day, it’s about telling great stories.

Q) We’re just getting to see the mother-daughter dynamic of Hermione and Veronica. What can you share about how their relationship might progress?

A) I can tell you that originally in episode two (and I just saw that it was cut out) there was an entire scene with Hermione and Veronica where Hermione explains to her that the only place that will hire her is Pops so is that okay with Veronica? It might be hard on her and what does she think. Veronica gives her blessing and then we see her at Pop’s. I was disappointed to see that cut because to me that really establishes how close these two have become because of what they have gone through together. Hopefully, we’ll still see that as it goes on. I know what we’ve filmed, but you never know what is going to end up in the final cut. Their relationship has very much been two people thrown into this situation where they had to survive and they clung to each other. So, it’s been a very respective, mutual mother-daughter relationship, even sort of a friend basis where each one cares about the wellbeing of one another. I’m glad that we see that and it is not just, “Here’s your lunch” or “You shouldn’t do this.” It is really developed in a beautiful, depthful way. It was really important to me. I’m a mom. It’s really important to me (period) in life that my kid is doing well, just like any other mom. Also, that there is this relationship there that is going to last all the way through their teenage years and so on. So, I feel like I brought a lot of that to Hermione and Veronica. It was REALLY important to me that they have that relationship and they are close. It’s not just she’s the annoying mother in the corner.

Q) How have you worked to connect to that familial bond with Camila?

A) It’s been great! Camila and I have been very, very close. We talked and both said our favorite scenes have bene with each other because there has been some real stuff there. Again, I hope it comes through in the series. But we definitely care about each other. Not just me – but also her – wanted to show a really great mother/daughter relationship. Camila is very close with her parents and she wanted that as well. It’s been great! She’s wonderful to work with. She’s brand new, which is astonishing to me because she is so good! And she is willing to go there with me! There is certain places where I have added a bit of humor that maybe wasn’t written and she love sit! She is like, “Let’s do it! Let’s go!” It’s been very rewarding.

Q) The cast seems to genuinely appear to be connected to this new fandom. They share Snapchats, behind the scenes videos and sharing photos.

A) Yeah! It’s a different world these days than say when I was on “24.” You can connect with your fans immediately and they can tell you what they like and (unfortunately) what they don’t like. For the most part, it’s been nice to get that feedback and that enthusiasm where in the past you didn’t have that so you were sort of removed so much so that you don’t know if people like it. You had the ratings, but you still didn’t really know. Now, you can really, really feel that immediately and communicate with them directly, which I really like!

Q) So many fans remember you from your previous work. You must get asked about it quite often.

A) It’s been really great! The fans have been like, “Hey! Can you do ’24: Legacy?’” I have no control over that, but it would be awesome. Other people ask if I’m coming back to “Teen Wolf” and I have no idea. Some people are like, “Bring ‘GCB’ back!” [laughs] I love that! A lot of people say, “I loved Vegas Vacation! Can you do a reunion?” Those were tweets I got within the last week. I love that there are people out there who care about what I’m doing or the characters that I played and don’t want to let it go. I understand! I never want a job to end. I want to keep going or go back to a job that ended so I can revive it again. I love that. I fall in love with the characters I play and it is hard to let them go.

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure your fans know?

A) I have a nonprofit called SlaveryFreeWorld.org. It’s on human trafficking and it is something that once I learned about I couldn’t unlearn about it. I couldn’t shut it off or ignore it. I ended up doing work in that field for the last three or four years and finally started my own nonprofit organization and partnered with other organizations that do truly heroic work in the world. If I had it my way, we would be marching in the streets for human slavery and human trafficking like we did the Women’s March.

Q) How does new political climate effect your outreach and efforts?

A) I don’t know. Part of me is really pleased that people are looking at human rights as an issue. That, to me, is what modern day slavery is. It is an egregious human rights violation that needs to end. It will only end if people demand it ends. But it is very noisy out there. It’s very noisy. So, it’s hard for me to find what is true and what is not true, what is a political agenda and not. I try to steer clear and focus on what has my passion and my gut. That is what I’m trying to fight for.

Q) How can people get involved with your organization?

A) they can go on the website and learn about what I have been doing. We’re updating the website. I’ve spoken at a roundtable on human trafficking in Washington, D.C. It was wonderful to see how many groups were there and what we can do together. People can go on there and read about what we’re doing. Please donate! We need all the help we can get. And just research! I was astonished and about what is going on in the world and then horrified that people don’t know about this. They have no idea it is even going on and it is so prolific and so huge. It’s such an atrocity. I don’t understand it is allowed to occur. Unless good people learn about it and fight against it, it will not go away.

Q) As an actress, mother and activist, how do you manage to balance it all?

A) I try to make sure that I don’t lose the time I have with my daughter as a parent by not spending enough quality time with her. It’s been a very delicate balance between filming, being there for my daughter and trying to raise her. She’s here with me and my husband is in Los Angeles so it has been a lot to manage. It effects every state in America. If someone is really trying to get involved, don’t worry about my organization. Just Google what your local state is doing because the good news is that most states have local organizations that are fighting this and working with rescued girls to rehabilitate them and some are working on awareness. Those local organizations need support and they need people. So, Google is your friend right now! You can always find what you can do and plenty of organizations are out there that need your help .

A) I don’t know what is next for me. I have a little indie film that I have been working on and I don’t know when it is coming out. It’s a smart little sci-fi piece that I quite like a lot. Right now, all of us on “Devious Maids” are in a holding pattern because we won’t find out for at least a couple weeks whether or not the show gets another season. Then, as individuals, we won’t find out if our contracts are renewed until around September. The axe can fall any time with a show like this.

Q) What have been some of your most memorable moments from filming “Devious Maids” this season?

A) The pilot was fun just because we were thrown into the fire, especially the new cast members. The first day of shooting was the middle of the winter, that horrible East Coast winter. We pulled an all-nighter. We were shooting on the bridge where Dahlia first fell off (I should say pushed). We were there at four in the morning and it was like, “Hi, nice to meet you. I’m freezing.” It was a nice trial by fire. It was great to see Eva Longoria again. I loved the second episode too because that’s when Ana Ortiz and I really began to cover what our relationship was. It wasn’t the most exciting episode for my character, but I thought for Nicholas I didn’t want him to just be this creepy guy who may have killed his first wife or more. It wasn’t because I wanted the audience to like me. I don’t mind playing an unlikable character. I felt that I didn’t want to do a disservice to Marisol, Ana’s character, because we have to believe that she is in love with this guy. And we have to believe he is in love with her. We have to catch glimpses of what she sees in him otherwise she’s a fool. Otherwise, we literally disconnect from her and think, “She’s an idiot for being with this guy.” So, Ana and I worked very hard to find what the very real aspects of that relationship were. What is cool is that now I think people look at Nick and think, “Yeah, he’s shady and he is hiding a lot and lying. But I get the relationship. I am not confused about that. I understand how much they love each other and I see that.” I like that and what we have found in that. I love episode five when Marisol was meeting with her editor Kim and I got to be jealous. That was really fun to show a different side to Nick and the dinner scene was really fun. I got to play it in this fun cat-and-mouse game where I want to win the bet. I want to catch him hitting on her so I can say, “Ha! Ha! I won!” So, it was a very playful episode, which I love. I also loved episode seven just because I love shooting stunt sequences. It was so much fun with that car crash and I loved our stunt coordinator and that whole team. That was an all-nighter, which are never easy, but it was fun and worth it.

Q) What did you add to the role of Nicholas that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) It was very important to me for Nicholas to be a three dimensional character. Sometimes when you are playing someone who doesn’t seem to have a dark side, you have to look for one. As an actor, you have to say, “What are this persons’ secrets?” I think all of us, as human beings, have things that we keep from other people. They aren’t necessarily evil, but they are things that are possibly embarrassing or something like that. With Nicholas, the darkness and the secret were right there at the beginning. When I signed on, all I knew was that he was wealthy, mysterious and may have killed his first wife. I didn’t know what his further backstory was, which we are going to find out in the finale. I only found that out maybe when we were shooting our second episode. His past is pretty bad. It’s pretty black. I realized I had to play against that, but I had to honor that. It had to be something that haunted Nicholas all the time, but he had to fight against that. When you are playing a tragedy, you can’t play the tragedy all the way through. That’s not how people live their lives. People look for the light. Even if they know they are doomed, they look for the lightness, humor and the love. Even a really simple trick as an actor is that the best way to play drunk is to play hyper-sober. Rather than giving into it by acting like, “Look at me! I’m so drunk!” The smarter way to act it is that you are really trying your damndest to be sober, but it is not quite working. I always enjoy that. I always enjoy seeing fighting against that tension. It gave me a template to look for and I realized that Nick is (if I can steal from “Breaking Bad”) a guy who is trying to “break good.” He is a guy who is trying to desperately be a good guy. That’s what he wants. I was always looking for those moments and always looking despite his horrible past for what his integrity was in the current moment. It was very important for me to have Nicholas’ love for Marisol be very pure, strong and real. That was very important to me. That was the spine that I built on. No matter what, he absolutely adores her and is completely devoted to her. That was something I could really hold on to through the crazy process and new scripts. Then, I tried to find moments (which I always try to do as an actor) where I could infuse some of my own personality into the character. Just in subtle ways. Obviously, I’m not Nick and my circumstances are very different.

Q) You have teased a bit as to what fans can expect from the finale for your character. What else can you share will be in store?

A) I can tell you that we will get a big mea culpa moment from Nicholas. He is going to have a real “come to Jesus” moment. I don’t know how that is going to pan out for him, but definitely all the things you have been dreading and avoiding are going to come back to him in a big way. I think we all knew that. I think it was inevitable. I think Nick has been on that train for most of the season. We know he is headed towards the skeletons in his closet coming back and wrapping their boney arms around him. The cool thing though is that in my attempt to find what is human and what is actually decent about Nicholas…In spite of everything he has done, let me make it clear that I [Mark] do not condone what Nicholas has done, but as the actor I have to find what is human about him. So, one of the things that I tried to find was a journey of an attempt at redemption, an attempt at Darth Vader (which may be a silly template to use). In the first Star Wars movie Darth Vader was just this villain – the bad guy. But by the time all the movies came out, it became this journey of a guy who accidentally (through some bad choices) became evil and lost his soul completely; yet through the love of his son, he manages to become a human being again and get his soul back. He has to pay the price by dying minutes after getting his soul back, but he gets it back. So, in some ways, that is how I tried to look at my journey with Nicholas. This is a guy whose soul is crying out for some kind of redemption and he might have to suffer to get that redemption, but I think there might actually be hope for him in the story. He may lose everything and he may suffer horribly, but he may in the process regain his humanity. It’s going to be interesting where or if they can go on with his storyline after this.

Q) You also had some incredible scenes with Joanna Adler who plays Opal. What was it like working with her?

A) She is amazing! I adore Joanne. She is one of my favorite people. We hit it off immediately. We are both New York theatre people. That’s where we come from. So, immediately we had so many friends in common and we had common lexicon and reference points. We’re both sort of bookish, nerdy people. We would often laugh that we had so much of the same reference bank. I could make some obscure arcane pop culture reference from the early 1970’s and she would just grab it. So, we hit it off right away. It’s sort of saddens me a little bit that people think Opal is so creepy. Talking about mixing up characters with actors…Actually, I guess it doesn’t sadden me because it is a testament to how good Joanna is because she is supposed to be creepy. In real life, she’s not creepy. She’s one of the most delightful people I’ve ever worked with. She’s smart, clever and kind. I know that everyone from cast to crew really loved working with her. We just had a lot of fun. The first couple episodes, we had the template of “Rebecca” to work from (where she was Mrs. Danvers). We had that to work off of. Then, for me, part of my journey was humanizing Nick. So, when we first meet him, he is a little bit creepy because he has been living in this mansion with this creepy maid for fifteen years, cut of from all human contact. Part of what I did with the first few episodes was that I found ways to shake off those cobwebs and make him more coming back into the current world of humanity because of his love for Marisol. He’s becoming a human again. Like I said, we just had so much fun together and she is so fun to go head-to-head with. I can’t say enough good things with her.

Q) Was there anyone you didn’t get to work with much or at all that you would like to have scenes with in Season 3?

A) I also knew from New York the same scene Rebecca Wisocky. Again, like Joanna, we know all the same people and come from that same world. In fact, Rebecca and I were supposed to do a play together about twelve years ago. We were supposed to be touring Europe doing this riff on “Dangerous Liaisons,” but it didn’t work out. So, I’ve known Rebecca for a really long time and I just think she is tremendous. I only met Tom Irwin this year, but I’ve known his work and I think he is tremendous, too. The two of them together have created this fantastic couple. I would hang out with them a lot. We had a little group that would go out to dinner and have drinks. We became pals and we would always lament (Ana Ortiz, Rebecca Wisocky, Tom Irwin and I) that the Powells and the Deerings didn’t have more scenes together because we always had so much fun when we were out and were dying to see more interaction between those two couples. We will get a little taste of it in the finale, though. I’ll tell you that! Not enough though…I’d love to do more work with them. I can say that about a lot of people from the show. Gideon Glick, another creepy character, is really this wonderful guy in real life. Grant Show is a wonderful guy, but we didn’t have any scenes together. Drew Van Acker is a great guy and we didn’t have any scenes together. Susan Lucci is as lovely as can be. There are just so many different storylines that they don’t always intersect, even though this whole thing makes this tapestry. I didn’t get to work with most of the maids either. They are all so wonderful. I didn’t really get to work with any of them, but I would love to!

Q) Is there any chance we’ll be getting to see you in our mutual friend Jennifer Aspen’s hit webseries “Los Angeles: RIGHT NOW?”

A) I haven’t been asked. I don’t crash parties where I haven’t been invited! And if you’re quoting me, you can put that in your snootiest British accent. Would I if asked? Of course! I love Jen, she’s such a hoot! She is so much fun to work with and almost intimidating. When I first met her, I wasn’t sure I liked her (and I mean this as a compliment) because she is so sharp and intimidatingly funny that I had this feeling like, “Gosh, I don’t even know if I can keep up with her!” Then, fortunately, there is a lovely human being underneath all that and we became good friends. I adore Jen! If invited, I would RSVP promptly.

Q) What would you like to say to the Devious Army and fans of your work?

A) I really would like to thank the Devious Army. They are quite an incredible fanbase and I love live tweeting. It’s been so much fun and it’s so great. Thank you for embracing this character who on the page is sort of a charmless character. I didn’t expect him to be quite so well received. The fans have just been fantastic and it’s been a great ride. I hope it can continue. I don’t know where or if Nick’s storyline can go, but that is partly in the hands of fans. I hope they tune in, love it and enjoy it. It’s been a real honor to go on this ride with the cast, crew and fans.

A) I’ve been told several times throughout the years, “You’ve got to do your own webseries!” So, I would think about what it could be. I could never find an idea and there was never an idea that was pitched to me that aligned for me, in my mind. I do a Christmas benefit show every year and I was directing this year. I was coming up with sketches and they were like, “You have to be in the show. You can’t not perform!” I thought about what I could do and we came up with this sketch within an hour, performed it and it killed! About a month later, I saw everything with clarity how this could be a webseries. I figured out how I could do it simply, do it my way, do it a way I thought was really funny and use all the original people that were a part of the sketch. I could pick what the storylines would be and what I wanted to do. It was just totally obvious to me that this was it. It was really just an easy thing. With the Internet, it’s so amazing that you can do anything that you want. It’s the Wild West and if you decide you want to make something, you can totally do it! I had this wonderful writer named Christopher Smith and I said I wouldn’t do it without him and, luckily, he was interested! My husband has an online production company called Captive and I told him we could shoot this, do all the music and edit it. I made it easy for everyone. I call it a mini-webseries because it is six episodes with its own arc. They are only three to four minutes in length, each one. They have a very specific, quick editing style that is really funny and simple to watch and share. And I break into song every episode!

Q) You didn’t get to sing on “Glee,” but you at least get to sing on your show!

A) I’m friends with some really incredible singers. I can sing badly in a really funny way. My costar on the show, Kelly Meyersfield, is a trained soprano and a gifted comedian. She can actually sing well. We do a duet every episode.

Q) Please talk about the creation of your character Evelyn Stanhope.

A) Even though I wasn’t thinking of creating a character that was like this person or that person, I think when you see her all together she is like a combination of Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy and Annette Benning of American Beauty. Not that I was thinking that, but as we were doing it, a lot of the camera crew would say, “She’s like a combination of…” Certainly there is a lot of self importance and glamour about what she is doing that you could see in a Kathy Lee Gifford and certainly there is some Barbara Walters in there.

Q) How can fans provide their support to get more than six episodes?

A) This is a real test for this. I can easily make more series. This six episode format worked really well with the songs that I wanted to sing. I had a list of songs I thought would really go along with the story that we tell over the six episodes. It was really a complete season the way the story read. To me, I think this is so funny and so great that I am just going to put them all out there at once. They are all going to be available Wednesday, May 28th. Then, I’ll see. If people love it as much as I do then I will completely make more. I feel like I am making this out of the joy of making something funny that I want to humor people and I hope they really find it funny. I hope they want their friends to see it because it just makes you laugh. If it is like that, then I will completely make this until eternity. I can play Evelyn Stanhope all day long.

Q) Where can people go online to watch episodes?

A) It’s just on YouTube! I have taken some meetings with some other companies to host it. What they kind of wanted in exchange or what would have to happen in exchange for it I wasn’t wanting to do because I wanted this to sort of be for the fans. I didn’t want to have to put advertising on it. I didn’t want to do all those things. I just wanted it to be an accessible thing for people to enjoy. We did so much in house that the people who are doing it are all people I know, love the project and just want to be a part of it. The way I shoot it is in such a way that it doesn’t take too much time from their lives so people can do it out of passion and not worry about money. The monetary part of it is taken out of the equation. It’s just something truly fun and creative. I wanted to keep it like that. Also, if you would distribute it on certain channels that would have done it I don’t think their programming or content really felt like a fit for it. It just made sense to independently stick it up on YouTube.

Q) The show even features a cameo from Catherine Bell!

A) When she heard I was doing this, she called me up and said, “Please can I come be on the show!” I told her, “Absolutely!” So, we found a really funny thing for her to do. She is so funny in this part that it made for a really, really fun episode. I think it’s the fifth episode. She just wanted to do it for fun. Everyone who wanted to be a part of it just did it for fun. I did just hear from Kristin Chenoweth and she asked, “When can I be on?” She wasn’t in town while we were shooting. So, maybe in season two. I promised her that I could make it happen. Kristin winces every time I sing though. She says to me very nicely, “Please don’t sing.” I don’t know if she’ll be able to do an episode during this thing where I sing as loud as I can right in her ear.

Q) Besides the humor, what else do you hope fans take away from watching the series?

A) I just want people to laugh until they cry. I want it to be that they just have to show it to other people because it’s just so good. It’s like that panda sneezing. I watched it over and over again and laughed harder each time. I couldn’t stop talking about it to others. The reason I wanted other people to watch it is because I wanted people to enjoy laughing as hard as I was laughing. I think that for this mini webseries I really wanted to make something that was so easy to enjoy, in terms of telling a story. It was quick, easy to enjoy, really fun and easy to share with other people. I wanted to capture how we share funny videos with each other, but in a webseries way that tells a story. That’s really what I wanted to accomplish here.

Q) What are other upcoming projects you can tease fans?

A) I’ve done two pilots in the last couple pilot seasons. We just got word that the last one that I did will not be a series. Though I’ve been shooting television for people, it isn’t making it to air. Then, I have two films that are going into festivals. So, a lot of the work I have been doing is not easily accessible. That’s another great reason to have this webseries. I have to follow up with the film Home and the movie Nowhere Girl. Both of those films should be going into festival circuits. They could end up in a format that people can watch!

Watch The Teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOogHt4fiD4