Vanessa Ferlito – Graceland

Q) “Graceland” is an intense show both mentally and physically. What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced as an actress doing “Graceland,” and without giving anything away can you tell a particular scene that you’re proud of this season?

A) I did one the other night. I can’t give away too much because it’s the one right before the finale. But there’s a scene between Daniel (Sunjata) and I. It’s probably one of the best scenes that I’ve ever done in my – I mean I haven’t seen it but it sounds like – it felt like magic. Without giving away too much – Daniel and I are together a lot this season and at this point by the end it’s just a mess and there is this scene between us that involves an animal and something bad happens. And it was just such an emotional scene, so emotional that I couldn’t – I got so emotional and so upset that it was hard for me to come down from it. But Daniel stopped then came over and was like kind of taking care of me because I just got so worked up and felt sad. So yes, I think that is one of the best scenes that I’ve ever done in my life.

Q) Can you say a little bit about what we can expect for Charlie this year?

A) The first couple of episodes she is kind of like – because she’s traumatized from last year – last season, from her life last year. I’m saying last season but Charlie DeMarco is traumatized from last year. I mean the whole Jangles thing. But she doesn’t know that; she tortured herself. So second season Charlie is a little unsure of herself which is crazy because she’s one of the best agents. She’s a really good agent. She has been doing it a long time. She’s really dedicated to her job. She actually loves what she does. She doesn’t do it for a paycheck. So when you see Charlie kind of backing down and not wanting to go undercover and she goes undercover. She’s keeping really low-key. So she comes back – so Mike tries to get her to do some stuff and she sort of like she’s not getting the job done. Finally Briggs confronts her and he’s like, “What is your problem, what’s going on?” She’s like, “How can I do this? How can I do this anymore? I can’t trust myself. I was so wrong.” The sad thing about that is she was so right, but Briggs will never admit to it. He’s so worried that she’s going to judge him or look at him in a different way, not look at him the same. It was really intense relationship. So the whole beginning of the season is it’s really just Briggs and Charlie and then we’re back together again because in the second season – in the first season we mess around. We make mention of him and I having fun in the past and being together.  So it’s an ongoing thing. They can’t be with each other; they can’t be without each other. When they are with each other it’s like so intense. So, they’re giving it another shot and they’re both trying to be kind of low-key but in my opinion it’s not really in their character. So it eventually all just breaks loose. Things start to happen. Stuff from the first season come out and it blows up. I don’t think anybody should be too comfortable with the lovey-dovey stuff because what happens is heart-wrenching. Still when I read the script I’m like, “Oh god!” It’s really, really intense.

Q) How does Charlie react to Mike taking point, coming back to Graceland and kind of leading things?

A) Yes. I don’t think she likes taking orders from anybody other than Paul Briggs and herself. So Mike was the rookie last season. All of a sudden he comes back and he’s trying to run the house and tell everybody what they have to do and blah, blah. I don’t want to say problem but it’s interesting for her. She’s not used to that. Last year she was like his – he is like, she is the mom of Graceland. She like took my kind of under- but she really likes Mike and he was like a rookie and she would help him out with things and he comes and he’s like you’ll all be working for me. So it doesn’t go over too well with Charlie. She still tries to push her weight around with Mike. He’ll give her an order and she still does what she wants to do. So it doesn’t go over too well with her.

Q) We’re here locally in Florida and we know that the show gets filmed here as well and the location for the show, “Graceland,” seems to kind of be at times a character in itself. Can you talk a little bit about that?

A) Well, the show is supposed to be set in California so a lot of the exterior stuff, well, like Hector’s Tacos is stuff that we made up, but its location is in Florida. So with that we’re very lucky to be here. We love Florida. Everybody is so great. They just gave us the key to Fort Lauderdale, like they treat us so well. We try to make it look as much like California as possible and I think they’re doing a great job of that. We all love to surf. It was like so funny in Graceland like the surfing, the soft night, the beach. I guess they want to show because we live such crazy lives and this is not – this is all real. This is based on a true story and everything that goes on like everything that happened with Jangles and thinking – and agents that are crooked and all of that is real. So I think they love to incorporate the beach and the sunny weather and all of that beauty and set her out because it’s like we have to find some kind of relief. That’s what I love about the show, like when you watch your show and not the procedurals, it’s all about the clime.  You know there is sea. You want to know more about the agents, want to know what they do outside of work, where they go to sing, where they go to unwind, what do they do. That’s what I love about Graceland. We surf, we soak, we drink and there’s romance in the house. So, yes, the beach, the sun, everything about where it is is a huge part of what the show is, what really fills the cupboard. We love Florida though.

Q) Jeff Eastin does an amazing job of treating strong female characters for the show both on “White Collar” and in “Graceland.” And I’m wondering what do you take from your character when you first read the script?

A) Exactly that. I knew, I just knew it was special when I read it. You know, me, Vanessa, I always say I would have been a great cop, I would have been a great FBI agent, great undercover. I just love all that stuff. By just growing up in Brooklyn, tough neighborhood, I just would have been a great cop. Maybe that’s why I’m always drawn to those roles. So when “Graceland” came around what I loved most about it was that Charlie is such a strong woman, so independent, one of the best in her field. And you also get to see into her life. It’s not just about crime, it’s not just about case resolving; you see into her life, her love life, her struggles. Her father is in jail; he is Mafia. You get to feel that and that’s what I thought was unique and special about Graceland when I read it. I mean when I read it obviously and I got the role, Jeff Eastin contacted me and he pitched the whole thing to me and he told me what it would be. And it turned out exactly like that. So, I, yes, I get to live vicariously through Charlie which is I get to be an FBI agent and be in love with the most beautiful man on the planet which is Paul Briggs. You don’t really get that stuff on procedural shows. You don’t get to see what their struggles and what they go through and you don’t really get to see that. That’s what I love about “Graceland.”

Q) Why are your viewers going to want to tune in to Season 2 of “Graceland” and why will returning viewers love Season 2?

A) It’s way darker than the first season and if you want dark and you like dark that’s what you’re going to get. A lot of stuff between Charlie and Briggs really crazy I think people are going to fall off the chair when they see what happens. That’s what happened when I read the script; I almost died. And just everything, it’s violent, there is sex, there is love, there are fights. The house is kind of – there’s like a divide in the house; there are soft nights. It’s really crazy and really dark, really dark So if you thought last season was heroine, me shooting heroine and all that crazy stuff was dark, then you have to be prepared for this season, yes. Honestly, I have the best time. I have to be honest this is like one of my favorites. I don’t know if it’s just that, when you’re in the business a quite a while you get a little more comfortable. I mean, I’ve worked with Tarantino, I’ve worked with Oliver Stone and I’ve worked on great things and I loved all of them. This is one of my favorite jobs. I’m having the best time of my life. Really, I love my cast members. That’s so rare, okay, everybody just gets along all the time. The writing is fantastic. I love the creator of my show. I am having the best – I have the best time. We joke around a lot. It’s a really great set.

Q) Can you just talk about working with Daniel Sunjata?

A) Oh, do you have enough time? Because I’m obsessed with him.  Working with Daniel Sunjata, honestly — and I get to work with him the most. I’m the luckiest girl on the planet. Obvious reasons, he’s one of the most beautiful men on the planet. But, honestly, that’s such a small part of who he really is. He is one of the smartest, most considerate, giving, selfless human beings I’ve ever met in my life. I adore him. I’d like to say that I can call him a close friend. I love him, I do. He’s the best. He’s a tremendous actor, he’s giving in every way, in real life and on TV. Most of my scenes are with him this season. Charlie and Briggs are facts together, stronger than ever, and there’s a lot of twists and turns. He’s like one of my favorite people in the world. I love him.

Q) What would you tweet if you had Twitter?

A) I don’t want to sound corny or anything, but if I was out there tweeting, I’m one of those people that if a fan started talking to me and might want my advice — always starts — it would become like a Dear Abby line, I swear to God. That’s why. I couldn’t like ignore certain people. I’ll tell you why I don’t have Twitter. I’m not really good with — this is going  to sound crazy — I’m not really savvy with new technology and I kind of like to keep it that way, nice and simple outside of the acting. And acting is, outside of my son, acting is my passion, my joy, and that’s really what it is for me. But outside of acting I live a very normal life. I’m a single mom. I have to take care of my son, which many, many women out there, I’m sure, do.  So I kind of made the choice to not get involved in anything like that that might – I don’t know, take me away from what’s really important in life. But I would probably tweet that I love all the fans and I’m so grateful to all of them. And that’s the truth.

*CONFERENCE CALL*