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Téa Leoni: Back on screen with a powerful role
(AFP)Sixteen years after her last television appearance, actress Téa Leoni is back, and strong, with a new political TV series that is trying to break down the myth of the working mother
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(AFP) (AFP)
(AFP)
Sixteen years after her last television appearance, actress Téa Leoni is back, and strong, with a new political TV series that is trying to break down the myth of the working mother.
Playing Elizabeth McCord, Secretary of State, in Madam Secretary, the shows portrays a strong woman who can balance her career with raising children and be part of a significant relationship.
'There's a portrayal that has been sort of accepted of choosing between a strong career and a successful family life, and I think we've accepted a myth. And this show is breaking down that myth,' the 48-year-old said.
Madam Secretary, which airs on Thursdays at 7:50 p.m. on Sony Channel, revolves around McCord, a brilliant CIA analyst who left her job and Washington behind to live a simpler, small town life with her husband, Henry McCord (Tim Daly), and her children.
She returns to public life at the request of the president of the United States (Keith Carradine) following the death of her predecessor.
In the show, Leoni said the realistic but fictional McCord, who deals with hostage negotiations and diplomacy with foreign despots while also handling a boisterous home life, would give an example about the kind of life that previous female secretaries of state in the US had had to go through every day.
'I was really intrigued by the idea of what's it like to go to the State Department and run it during the day and be concerned with the safety and well-being of 70,000 employees, the biggest arm of our government, and then come home at night and deal with your daughter's boyfriend's texts that broke up with her at midnight the night before,' she revealed to The Jakarta Post during a phone interview.
With no background in politics, Leoni did thorough research for her role. She read books written by former secretaries of state Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton, in addition to traveling to Washington DC and meeting with those who had remained in the state department through multiple administrations.
'I did do research because I had to know how they walked and talked. I always wanted to know, like, how did Hillary keep her feet on the floor when she got up in the morning, and the answer's probably something like just like everybody else, and we're just going to show that,' Leoni said.
Nevertheless, she refused to say that her character was based only on Clinton, as many people thought.
'I would say that my character is reminiscent more of Henry Kissinger. But I think the blonde hair makes everyone think of Hillary Clinton,' she said, laughing. 'Truthfully, my character is not based on any politicians or any previous secretary of state.'
Madam Secretary is her first full appearance on the small screen since her last series, The Naked Truth, went off the air 16 years ago.
Even though she has also been involved in several movie projects, such as Deep Impact, The Family Man, Jurassic Park III and Fun With Dick and Jane, going back to the small screen was not really on her to-do list and it was not as easy as she thought.
She hesitated a little before she took the offer as she was aware that she would have long working hours, just like her ex-husband, David Duchovny, experienced when he was filming X-Files.
But the character attracted her so much as McCord was 'a fish out of water' who thought she probably should not be in the job but was definitely working outside the box.
'The idea of coming into one of the most powerful positions on Earth and having a go at it, with thinking outside the box and not going maybe the way it's traditionally meant to be done. It is a job that suits a woman's strengths,' she says.
Moreover, she said as the shooting took place in New York where she lived with her two children, and where their grandparents also lived, she finally agreed to sign on.
Her return, she said, had been grueling, especially during the first few weeks when she got so busy that she forgot her parent's wedding anniversary until she asked Morgan Freeman (the executive producer) to leave them an apologetic voice mail.
'I've had no time for indulgences like pedicures. Now my toenails look like bear claws. And I'll tell you one thing ' my feet are killing me. There are a lot of high heels in this show,' said Leoni, who likes to go fishing during her days off.
'It has taken me a few months to get over that feeling. Now I'm over that hesitation and I found that being back on TV is really fun.'
