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| Rebecca Wisocky (photo by Glen Campbell) |
Celebrity Extra: Last we saw Evelyn Powell, she was flying through the air from the explosion of her house.
Rebecca Wisocky: Yes, and I did my own stunt, thank you very much (laughs). That was a fun night. That’s the kind of thing we all geeked out on. The house, Powell Mansion, literally ends — it exploded. And I think it’s a great metaphor for what happens to Evelyn. The world she is used to is gone; you’ll watch her go on a very surprising and new journey this season.
CE: Jog my memory for me: Adrian’s fate is up in the air — literally and figuratively, yes?
RW: Yes, Adrian went back into the house after I told him in no uncertain terms that I wanted a divorce. And then all of this happened with Sebastien. So he goes back in to get a prized family portrait of Adrian, Evelyn and Barrett. And his fate remains unknown. Dun, dun, dun. I’ll tell you this, whether he’s dead or whether he’s alive, Adrian Powell looms large in season four.
CE: For my own sake, I have to believe that Adrian is still alive.
RW: Well, you’ll find out in the very beginning of the season. And it’s worth tuning in for, for sure.
CE: Another surprise from the end of last season, this one being an awesome surprise, was the reappearance of Peri at Spence’s bedside.
RW: I know. I love Peri. I love Mariana (Klaveno, who plays Peri) so much. We’ve become good friends. I can’t get enough of her. It’s a shame, though, that Evelyn and Peri never cross paths. Although I don’t know if that much evil can exist in the same room.
CE: I know you are saying “evil” in the context of a joke, but one of the things I really love about Evelyn is that she isn’t merely evil. In these past few seasons, we’ve really seen her grow. She’s complicated and vulnerable, and she has a reason for her sharp tongue, but she’s not your two-dimensional “evil” character.
RW: She will always have that edge and that defense and that wit. But I do feel that not only has she filled in and become more dimensional — so thank you for saying that — but she’s actually downright adorable in some ways now. Because she’s not afraid of being foolish. Well, she doesn’t necessarily realize she’s being foolish, but she’s softened. I think the journey that you saw last year with (Evelyn trying to adopt) Dion, that’s who she really is. That’s who she wants to be. She’s just had to defend herself from the onslaught of her marriage and the loss of her child and everything else. But she’s pretty lovable.
CE: Exactly. And we really saw that this past season, as you said, with Dion. I loved seeing that side of her.
RW: And, as is often the way with Evelyn Powell, she often gets it wrong. But her intentions are good. And so she’ll find new ways to muck it all up this year, I’m sure. But the hair will be down, so to speak. Yeah, she has every privilege afforded to her, and she still manages to be tortured and miserable. But she’s trying. She’s just blind to the obvious in many ways.
CE: It’s been such a delight to watch Evelyn grow and develop over these past three years. How much fun is she to portray?
RW: I’ve enjoyed playing this character immensely, and I’ve felt so lucky to have a real family develop with this cast and with this crew. I couldn’t be happier. I could play this character for years. And I hope we get the opportunity.
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| Rebecca as "Evelyn Powell" (photo by Danny Feld) |
RW: You will definitely see a new side of Evelyn. There will be some struggles of identity, and she will go on a journey this year that you wouldn’t have expected. The very things that define her will be taken away. Evelyn is going to get a little taste of — you know how we explore the upstairs-downstairs motif? Well Evelyn is going to get a little taste of downstairs this year.
And she’ll develop a friendship with Marisol. You’ll see a lot more of that this year, which is delightful. I love working with Ana (Ortiz) so much. And I think people really enjoy Evelyn and Marisol together. And there will be a new man for Evelyn before the end of the season. I think the overarching theme continues to be that Evelyn has and gets precisely what she wants, and it still manages to make her miserable.
CE: I’m glad you mentioned Evelyn and Marisol, because I love watching them together.
RW: You actually feel a real relationship and friendship develop between Marisol and Evelyn. They become compatible in ways that make perfect sense that I think people will find enjoyable to watch.
CE: Please, I just can’t imagine a world without Adrian, especially Adrian with Evelyn. Tell me that he survives the explosion.
RW: I’ll just say, dead or alive, once again, he looms large.
CE: You just finished up shooting for this season. Tell me what this year’s shoot was like.
RW: It’s a little bit shorter this year — we have 10 episodes instead of 13. But we’re escaping the state of Georgia before the year is rained out. We’re very happy about that. But it’s been wonderful. Most of the whole of our crew has returned — and I’m not just saying something pat when I say that they’ve become family, but we’re all very tight. And that’s lovely. It’s really wonderful to enjoy your job so much and to be surrounded by people who are this talented and this committed. It’s a fantastic place to work. And it just keeps getting better — this year in particular. We’re having a blast. Couldn’t be better.
CE: Will we see more random, ridiculous moments for Evelyn, like last year when she found a body part in her garden?
RW: Evelyn continues to get herself in completely ridiculous situations. I won’t tell you why or how, but Evelyn ends up in jail at a certain point. There is lots of ridiculousness happening. And the cliffhanger this year will knock your socks off, for sure. It’s our most shocking. It’s not as explosive as last year’s, but it is definitely our most shocking. I wish I could say more, because there are so many more juicy things that happen.
CE: I was thrilled a few months back to see you guest-starring on an episode of “The X-Files.”
RW: How much fun was that? I was so excited to be asked to do that. I was so, so, so excited. They are legends and, yeah, I was thrilled. I was happy that people responded well to it.
CE: I know I would probably fangirl out a bit, if even for a moment, on that iconic set. Did you have a little moment of awe?
RW: Oh, I had a little fangirl moment. I definitely asked for a selfie. How could you not? I mean, that show is iconic. That show changed everything. I was thrilled to have a tiny part in that. And they were both lovely and gracious.
I think Gillian (Anderson) ended up tweeting about this, but when my character threw that apple at the cat — and in my defense, the window was very, very small, and there was a camera right there in between Gillian and David (Duchovny) — I really nailed Gillian in the chest with that apple once. But to her credit, she dissolved into a pile of giggles on the floor. Because it was a ridiculous situation. But that was a lot of fun.
CE: The character you played was just so tortured — I really felt for her.
RW: I would imagine you certainly would quite literally lose your mind at the loss of a child in that way. But then also to be conspired against to the degree where you are in such a heightened place of grief, and you’re told by everyone around you that you are crazy and are going to be locked up for the rest of your life. She’s a shattered woman. And very different from Evelyn Powell. To get any chance to play a role that is painting with a different palette than Evelyn Powell’s, I’ll do it. It adds to all the fun.
CE: I read that you’re also going to guest-star in a series called “Graves.” What can you tell me about that?
RW: I think it’s going to air on Epix in the fall. I’m not sure exactly when. I had a great time. It’s an incredible script, and they got an amazing cast together. I look forward to watching the show. I’m only in one episode — episode six. I think it’s a 10-episode season. I had a great time. I mean, it’s Nick Nolte! Nick Nolte plays the former president of the United States (named Richard Graves) and is working out a lot of demons. His wife (played by Sela Ward) is contemplating getting involved in politics and having a life of her own. And they have children who have suffered the consequences of having been in the public eye. The writing is incredibly sharp and funny. I think people will really love that show. Again, I have a really small part in it — I’m in one episode — but I was so happy to go play with them.
CE: What else do you have going on?
RW: I don’t know if it’s still in the theaters (it premiered April 1), but people should go see “Hello, My Name Is Doris.” It stars Sally Field. Again, I play a small part in that, but I was so excited to get to play with those people.