Conversations with Téa Leoni of MADAM SECRETARY

thank you all for coming out tonight and watching this um raising series I'm chief of backstage magazine and i am ecstatic to be sitting on stage tonight with Tay Leone who is starring as Elizabeth McCord of meadow secretary so come on out did you find your mark yes well first of all congratulations on getting an early renewal this year for season two I'm curious were you still filming when you found out about the the renewal yeah we were we were yes we were shy is it okay okay that was creepy um yeah we were actually still filming so it was that was a and we were tired a little bit it was January so that was really good news that kind of gave you a little kick in the butt to make it to the finish line he's great well did that I mean was the season already set or did the renewal kind of give you some liberties give you permission to take some liberties with the storyline in terms of setting up knowing that you're going to have a season two no not at all all right then I can be more helpful but no it really didn't I mean I think we were just you know you start thinking about this idea of a what the next arc is going to be and we knew already that we were going to sort of finish with the marsh story and I don't even think they know what they're gonna do yet well you had been away from TV for a while so what what about madam secretary was said this is the project that I want to come back with well I think you know I think in hindsight it was a little crazy but at the time I thought it was a good idea I'd been doing I'd been doing film and sort of working you know film you'd wrap it up in a couple of months and and then you go back to your life and I think the kids were getting older and I sort of thought they were ready and then my son can firmed it for me when I said I'm you know I'm thinking Miller about going back to work but this is going to be kind of could be a long gig I mean I could be going a lot it was like mom please we got this go like wow really and yeah he was he said we were getting kind of sick of you that's leave it to 12 year old boy to rock your world which he did and I kind of realized my god they really are they're ready and and television is so I can't say more exciting than it was because I thought it was pretty thrilling back then but I think the opportunities for female characters for sure and when yeah I mean there's there's there's a lot of great work being done and and this character if she had been a lifetime politician he they probably would have cast me and be it wouldn't really have interested me I I like kind of the fish out of the out of water I like the idea that I could play with how good at it she was and I was fully intrigued by this and actually the Henry role was something that made me really know that I wanted to do it because I thought I wanted to be a part of an opportunity to show men on television relating to women in a much more positive way well I think also what's really refreshing about this series is that she Elizabeth is totally not cynical she's not a cynical politician and she is our gateway into this world of DC politics and she is someone who is morally sure that we can identify with who's going to kind of lead us in and explain how the system works a little bit which is totally totally different from the rest of the DC shows that are on the air right now yeah without and that was intentional I mean I think you know there there's a plethora of shows that will tell you what's going wrong but there are people who are giving their lives to service for our benefit and I think that certainly deserves to be celebrated and on television no doubt but I think I mean III a little bit treat Elizabeth's hopefulness as a bit of a dirty secret because I think that it if she really is to show that too broadly well I'm gonna hate her because there's there's something about I don't know there's something about keeping it a little bit of us say well I just told you I was not a secret get that but but but I just mean that that in in that character there was something I was very intrigued with this idea yes of her being hopeful you know yeah well certainly she can't show it too much around her staff who are pretty critical of her throughout the season but I have to say all of you have the best chemistry and those are some of the funniest scenes of the series and what I mean really good time everyone in this has like what what's the set like it seems like a really fun so I mean if you really look at it we pretty well hired all comedians I mean we did and that was not sort of by accident I I think that if you can really pull off comedy you've got a pretty good shot at drama not always true the other way and and we were very interested in the idea of you know having characters that could spar and have some great energy and spunk when you're also producer so were you involved with the casting at all weird you have some say I I mean I did they mostly I mean all I did was mostly just say yes because it was like oh my god they want to do it yes hurry there's like down literally like just like this it was really exciting I have to say you know being in New York this was my thing was that it had to be shot in New York and I'm sort of laughing because I look like I just walked out of the Sundance catalog I don't even know how this happened I I didn't have my classes open and I was like well I like red and so I was anyway and then I walked out and I was like oh my god you idiot anyway but I'm not really like that I'm a New Yorker and um so anyway it was like oh yeah so I wanted to shoot it in New York because I wanted access to the greatest pool of actors I mean that was very intentional and we got a lot of them well how did the decision to be a producer come about was that something that you were looking to do uh yes I mean I think that the idea that you're going to commit so much of your life to something and being in this position I think it's it would be weird not to be a producer in a sense you know I think it's it was great because it meant that there were there was a lot of meeting ahead of time and conferring with Barbara hall and Morgan Freeman and and Lori McCreary and it's at times I'm honestly too tired and I am a very lame producer and someone will say well what are we going to do about we can't get the 60 you know coils of electric into the Waldorf because I I don't care I don't care don't don't don't light it Laurie so that's happened and I confess I that's happened what what did they say when you do that she's dying but we have fun we have fun a lot of fun on this job well I was going to ask what is it like to be a producer and number one on the call sheet but I think you just power beds our um I mean we again we have a really good time and I and to me I think that if if you're number one on the call sheet or orient a producer you know there's something about setting the tone and I I would rather be lucky than good and I would rather have fun than have a job I I just it's just too important I'm too old I don't want to screw around with not having fun and and not being turned on by it you know so so we do and the show has a lot of actors who direct episodes Eric Stoltz has directed a couple of episodes to Donovan has directed a couple of episodes is there a difference when you get someone directing you who has been an actor for a period of time yes I mean I don't think that it excludes the possibility that you get a director who's never acted who's of course a great communicator and will communicate in the language that we know but I think the funny thing is that when Eric came on I was so kind of starstruck and I thought this is sort of weird like it's Eric Stoltz and then I got really used to him and now it's like whatever but yeah the first day was like and he is the most down-to-earth enthusiastic guy and that that goes for a lot on a on a set because these are these long hours and days and Eric remains always full of energy and and he's he's just so good I mean he's really good I know ru is season 2 just gonna be a one-woman show are you gonna start directing episodes in addition to storing and producing well I I do want to direct at some point definitely um I I figure that's the coma episode right so uh yeah that'll be mine mm-hmm some of my best work I'm picturing just lots of lingering loving close-ups of you in your coma yeah just sleeping just looking ready so now that I mean that is gonna be I actually I did fall asleep in one scene and it was hilarious because I was just like that we're in the bedroom and the master bed and I was like this and Tim was just talking away and it was so soothing and and I just remember kind of doing that and Tim goes oh my god I sort of came around and I was like no no no no no no no here we go here we go but you know that's a great testament again to how comfortable everybody is or that's a lovely spin on you falling asleep during a scene well I have asked because we are here with the SAG Foundation and sag AFTRA members uh how did you first get your sag your sag card I guess it was called it's so funny I'm going back my my own thing he did I just wanted to please God did I cheat we would have to kick you out um no I did I you know I don't know I don't know I didn't cheat but I don't know I I think I did and you know I remember actually thinking when I talked to somebody about they said well the thing is you do two jobs and then you get your sag card okay but if you don't have your sag card you can't get a job I was like is this a trick question so and then I there was something like there was a commercial and I think it was four oh my god it was for Massachusetts mass lottery and and it was ridiculous and they were like basically if you had legs we're putting you on the beach and you just run across in a like a ducky kind of a thing around your waist a bunch of you and and I said that is ridiculous they said you'll get it'll can as a job towards your sag I do you want me to do it again so I do remember that was one and then I don't remember how I got that second job that you can't get without a sag card to get your sag card but um I got I guess I got it I think I need to see it I'm not sure I believe you and I really wish this is one of those shows where I could say cut to the YouTube commercial and I have it on YouTube but as less it's not I'm not that together well I meant to ask earlier because you are number one on the call sheet and because it's madam secretary and you're in almost every scene how do you because I'm fascinated by how actors memorize and what methods people use how are you memorizing these pages and pages of dialogue every week I don't know um is it just prayer you know I mean I haven't resorted to like writing them on somebody's forehead yet yet but I will tell you when we were doing the pilot we had had five weeks from knowing that I was going to do this to shooting and it took me five weeks to memorize the pilot and all I could think was I am screwed like I am screwed and I called David and I said I do not remember on the x-files how did you do this like how did you do this and he said well you'll see you get better at it you'll be fine I thought that was like the worst advice it was like you you know it's like you're my one help you know like I called you and you're like don't sweat it this is it'll just happen so then the crazy thing is it just starts to happen you actually it's like a muscle and by the I will say by the last episode what was what's great about getting that power that muscle really working is that I could I was then free to just go over and over the script and think about it less in terms of holy God this needs to be said tomorrow and more in terms of well what's what are we going to do here what's Elizabeth let me take her through and I could really I could relax into it better I think in the beginning I think you can see the whites of my eyes in the first four episodes because I'm just like I mean I after every line I'd sort of look at something like so but by the end my god I was like yeah nailed it um and and I'm my only fear is that over the summer like I don't know this muscle I'm just wand but I just mean I don't know this I don't know this muscle I don't know how long this lasts so I was actually thinking like I said to my daughter is she's doing her finals and stuff and I said oh I'm gonna study with you for your finals and I'm gonna cram and I'm gonna see if I can memorize your finals by Thursday uh how did that go uh I am glad that she is taking and not me I was like wait wait what guy you know she it's chemistry it's totally unfair why would you do that to yourself just because I thought that I need to keep it alive you know like keep that muscle going keep flexing it so then I tried poetry because I thought well that's more sort of my line of stuff and I thought I would go and no offense to him seriously but Frost cuz I figure he's kind of a little bit like Neil Young like you kind of know that like what the next line is gonna be a little bit like it's no no no I it's just familiar and it's like Dylan you know what I mean you like he really liked it I mean I know and so I I set out with a couple of Frost poems and know that appears to be yet another muscle his poetry so this has basically become a fabulous party trick which is that I can memorize Elizabeth McCord but fast I just can't and that's not poetry not chemistry nothing else and that's the drift David was rough you talked about doing the pilot with the whites of your eyes showing what was it like revisiting Elizabeth after what was it five months between filming the pilot and going back for the series yeah that's it that's interesting why I yeah that's very interesting actually because I had some time to kind of rethink some of the choices that I've made in my head that luckily maybe you didn't see so I did I kind of I tweaked her a little bit and I sometimes this is a little thing underwear is very important to me in a character it just is I got to know that I have on the right skivvies before I walk out I got to know it I got it not like now I just mean I mean you know whether this is a Hanes person or uh you know those Brazil back ones I haven't really played one of those gals in a long time but III will tell you I'm not gonna tell you what I went to but I changed her underwear I did I did hopefully on a weekly basis weekly just little secrets but other than the underwear because I'm just really really living with her for five months man doing anything not performing her yes so what were you what were you rethinking well I I it's not even so much that I mean I think you know if I'm gonna do a character I like to have a few congruent truths about them and it may be a gesture or the underwear or a stance or some way that I can rock back into them because let's face it not every day is like oh I feel like going to work I feel great have no problems and I have kids I mean I've like there's a full thing happening and and with Elizabeth I have to say was kind of interesting to me I got to put it to the test because in film you don't you know you sort of like drop it unless you did a sequel why am I even going there I don't even know but so for this it was a little bit it was a strange experience but I found that that technique really helped like I could find her by just kind of adjusting my body back and sort of you know you kind of feel it and he said there she is and I don't know I need that I need that did Yuri watch the pilot before filming started again that's funny no I don't do that I don't like to I I think this the strange thing it's sort of like listening to your voice on your voicemail or whatever that is now that they kids call it outgoing message something anyway and you know it's awkward and it's not how you see it and I I think it's very difficult for actors I mean if I'm ever going to critique something or edit it I watch it three to four times back to back right through like this and get out all this like wow my teeth are huge like just get it out just like get past it and then you can start to see you know the whole project and now that happened that did that happened I was i that was what happened I saw Family Guy when it was a family man not Family Guy it was totally different uh I remember when I saw a family man for the first time and and it was this beautiful movie and all I could think was my front teeth are enormous I'd never had that thought and anyway pose a question no you answered it but this is the last question because we have to leave um what do you wish you had known about action before you started um well uh gosh so much I mean I think the crazy thing about what we do is that you can't kind of log your hours you can't take those great classes and work with those great abusive coaches who really get you in there and strip you down raw naked build you back up put it up be tinfoil none of it really does the trick you know you get out there and every day I feel aware of how vulnerable we are it's a very vulnerable and ironically lonely artistic profession we're surrounded by people we need at least one other guy to do it unless you're going to be a monologuist again why why do I go on these tangents but you always find your way back though I so I I think in some ways I wish I'd known that I'd known do I wish I'd known to expect that that that to be proud of myself for being willing to stand up there and do it and be judged not my canvas over here or my book that I wrote there or my sculptor but me my instrument I mean it is it is a scary path that we have I I was you know the younger people will say I I'm really thinking about becoming an actor like to have any advice and I say have you tried everything else first and and yeah no that's it that's it that's all we have time for Thank You de Leone for coming thank you guys for coming thank you guys everyone have a great night

Channel: SAG-AFTRA Foundation

Views: 73,835

Rating: 4.9438376 out of 5

Keywords: Foundation, Screen Actors Guild Foundation, Téa Leoni (Film Actor), Acting, Madam Secretary, SAG-AFTRA, Actors, SAG Foundation, Q&A

Id: PatQjpaSBZ4

Length: 26min 9sec (1569 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 09 2015