TORONTO - She's ba-ack.
Jessalyn Gilsig, who plays thorny ex-wife Terri Schuester on the hit high school musical "Glee," hasn't been seen much during the second season. Just don't think she has gone peacefully off into the sunset. The character comes storming back on the next episode (Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET on Fox and Global).
The Montreal native was in Toronto several weeks ago to promote the series. As relaxed and friendly in person as Terri is tightly wound, Gilsig admits it's not always fun playing the bad girl.
"I didn't anticipate that people would have such a strong reaction to her," she says, referring especially to all the name calling on the Internet. "Man, people really wanted to put me out of work."
Terri really put her high school sweetheart hubby Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) through the emotional wringer in the first season, faking a pregnancy for months just to keep him keen.
When the ruse was discovered, it immediately led to the most visceral marital meltdown scene this side of "The Good Wife."
The character returns in this season's seventh episode, "The Substitute," which features guest star Gwyneth Paltrow. The Academy Award-winner plays a substitute teacher who takes over Will's glee club after several members of the faculty go down with the flu.
Jealous Terri manages to get in Paltrow's character’s face as she works her way back into Will's life.
The joke on "Glee" is who hasn't guest starred on the series. Britney Spears, Javier Bardem and, later this month, Carol Burnett (as Sue Sylvester's mom!) all crash the series this season. Asked who's next, Gilsig says, "I don't think Obama, although he did invite the cast to the White House."
The phenomenal popularity of the series has been a bit "surreal" at times, she says. She was humbled when Tom Hanks paid a compliment at a recent award show.
"It's amazing how many people come out as fans of the show. I'm proud to be an advocate of it — I know I'd be a fan if I wasn't on the show."
She's equally proud of fellow Canadian Cory Monteith. The young actor was an unknown from Vancouver before winning the role as high school football hero Finn Hudson. This weekend, he's hosting the Canadian version of the Emmys, The Gemini Awards, in Toronto. (The main gala airs Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET on Global and Showcase)
"He's a good actor too, he's nothing like that character,” she says.
Monteith's Finn often appears lost and naive.
"You have to be smart to do that," says Gilsig, also a fan of Heather Morris who has broken out this year as dead pan Cheerio Brittany Pierce. "It’s hard to play a dumb blond," says Gilsig. "It's a science."
Gilsig, who starred in "Glee" executive producer Ryan Murphy's previous series, "Nip/Tuck," says her boss has her back and is committed to keeping Terri in as part of the mix.
"He didn't really want to apologize for this character we created," she says. "His philosophy is that this is a marathon and you have to see these characters through to the end."
The 39-year-old actress says working on Murphy's darker cable series "Nip/Tuck" helped her "let go of likeability. I feel I have outgrown that need to be the nice girl."
She does get some sympathetic shout outs on the street. Her character's ex-husband Will was, after all, cheating on her.
"You should hear my mother on that one," jokes Gilsig.
Terri will be back full time through the rest of the season, which may not give Gilsig much time to work on a pet project, a book of sketches and paintings. The McGill grad also studied Fine Art at Dawson College in Montreal and breaks her sketch pad out whenever she has down time in her trailer on the set. She's even done a few oil paints as well as portraits of fellow cast members.
"I doodle them all the time on the set," she says.
The title of the book? It will likely be called "Hurry Up and Wait," a mantra most actors and actresses can relate to while working on a series. Gilsig has a spicier, alternate title, however, if she can sneak it past a publisher: "I'd Like to Start with the Orgasm."
There is an explanation. Gilsig says she went in for an audition once and the scene called for a couple to be making love. The director turned to Gilsig and said, "I'd like to start with the orgasm."
"Not only did I have to do that right then," she says, "he gave me notes on the fake orgasm."
Jessalyn Gilsig, who plays thorny ex-wife Terri Schuester on the hit high school musical "Glee," hasn't been seen much during the second season. Just don't think she has gone peacefully off into the sunset. The character comes storming back on the next episode (Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET on Fox and Global).
The Montreal native was in Toronto several weeks ago to promote the series. As relaxed and friendly in person as Terri is tightly wound, Gilsig admits it's not always fun playing the bad girl.
"I didn't anticipate that people would have such a strong reaction to her," she says, referring especially to all the name calling on the Internet. "Man, people really wanted to put me out of work."
Terri really put her high school sweetheart hubby Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) through the emotional wringer in the first season, faking a pregnancy for months just to keep him keen.
When the ruse was discovered, it immediately led to the most visceral marital meltdown scene this side of "The Good Wife."
The character returns in this season's seventh episode, "The Substitute," which features guest star Gwyneth Paltrow. The Academy Award-winner plays a substitute teacher who takes over Will's glee club after several members of the faculty go down with the flu.
Jealous Terri manages to get in Paltrow's character’s face as she works her way back into Will's life.
The joke on "Glee" is who hasn't guest starred on the series. Britney Spears, Javier Bardem and, later this month, Carol Burnett (as Sue Sylvester's mom!) all crash the series this season. Asked who's next, Gilsig says, "I don't think Obama, although he did invite the cast to the White House."
The phenomenal popularity of the series has been a bit "surreal" at times, she says. She was humbled when Tom Hanks paid a compliment at a recent award show.
"It's amazing how many people come out as fans of the show. I'm proud to be an advocate of it — I know I'd be a fan if I wasn't on the show."
She's equally proud of fellow Canadian Cory Monteith. The young actor was an unknown from Vancouver before winning the role as high school football hero Finn Hudson. This weekend, he's hosting the Canadian version of the Emmys, The Gemini Awards, in Toronto. (The main gala airs Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET on Global and Showcase)
"He's a good actor too, he's nothing like that character,” she says.
Monteith's Finn often appears lost and naive.
"You have to be smart to do that," says Gilsig, also a fan of Heather Morris who has broken out this year as dead pan Cheerio Brittany Pierce. "It’s hard to play a dumb blond," says Gilsig. "It's a science."
Gilsig, who starred in "Glee" executive producer Ryan Murphy's previous series, "Nip/Tuck," says her boss has her back and is committed to keeping Terri in as part of the mix.
"He didn't really want to apologize for this character we created," she says. "His philosophy is that this is a marathon and you have to see these characters through to the end."
The 39-year-old actress says working on Murphy's darker cable series "Nip/Tuck" helped her "let go of likeability. I feel I have outgrown that need to be the nice girl."
She does get some sympathetic shout outs on the street. Her character's ex-husband Will was, after all, cheating on her.
"You should hear my mother on that one," jokes Gilsig.
Terri will be back full time through the rest of the season, which may not give Gilsig much time to work on a pet project, a book of sketches and paintings. The McGill grad also studied Fine Art at Dawson College in Montreal and breaks her sketch pad out whenever she has down time in her trailer on the set. She's even done a few oil paints as well as portraits of fellow cast members.
"I doodle them all the time on the set," she says.
The title of the book? It will likely be called "Hurry Up and Wait," a mantra most actors and actresses can relate to while working on a series. Gilsig has a spicier, alternate title, however, if she can sneak it past a publisher: "I'd Like to Start with the Orgasm."
There is an explanation. Gilsig says she went in for an audition once and the scene called for a couple to be making love. The director turned to Gilsig and said, "I'd like to start with the orgasm."
"Not only did I have to do that right then," she says, "he gave me notes on the fake orgasm."
source: metronews.ca
0 commenti:
Post a Comment