as they go through deeper experiences, not just personal, but with work, too. The bond between the characters seems to have created a huge lesbian fan following that’s growing each season. Does that ever get discussed by the network or the writers?
They do now. I mean, they didn’t go into the show that way at all. In the books, these two women are friendly, but they’re not close. They were written as two separate entities— you’re following the detective and you’re following the medical examiner. I think for the series, our creator brought the girls together, and when she saw that we had this wonderful chemistry together, I think [the writers] started to build on that, adding some humor and human moments along with the crimes, so all those elements came together. But, I think the first season—no, nobody really expected that or noticed but it just sort of happened, and they absolutely took notice. There was a lot of press about it. I remember The LA Times did this huge article about it, like “More Than Friends...?” People were just so curious to know if these characters were really in some sort of a relationship. It was interesting for me because they’re not lesbians in the book, they’re not in a [same-sex] relationship—so I don’t think they’d go there with the TV show. However, it was interesting to kind of study in terms of not just what people take from it subjectively, but that female relationships when they are close, for whatever reason, seem to excite not just women, but men as well. I think it’s the relationship/friendship the two characters share that really appeals to us girls, (and the secret hopes they’ll get together), really!
I remember the first episode when we were in bed together, I thought “You know, look, as girls, we start having sleep overs when we’re really young, so whether the relationship turns sexual or not later on, girls are close. This is how they speak to each other and how they interact with each other.” So, I find it very realistic. Angie and I don’t shy away from playing things in an organic, natural way, whether that’s hugging or a touch, a look. Whatever it is, we’re both very comfortable with that and we don’t play that for the audience, this is how we really feel and feel it’s right for the characters. But it is always fun to see how people will turn that into something more, and that’s the fun of entertainment, in general, which is that you can make what you want out of it. I mean,
let it be fun for you. I’m proud of the fact that our show represents two strong women, who are very different, in a positive light. I mean, look, I was raised by a single Mom, and female relationships are very important to me.
To be honest, I work Monday through Friday, 12 hours a day, 6 months a year in TV. With the success of the show, they’ve got us doing 15 episodes a season—that’s brutal. Whereas in a movie, you can work for three months, different hours, but be done—but then there’s location shoots—so you may be completely away for 3 months. But with a TV show, I’m in LA, and I’m based here, so it’s no travel, really, but its long hours. I mean sometimes it’s 15-16 hours a day. I’m at work by 5:30am and sometimes not home until God knows when. Really, it’s a rough schedule for Angie and I. We both have kids. Are either of you surprised at the instant success of the series?
you’ve got over 76,000 followers in twitter and you frequently interact with them. How important do you think that’s become for actors now?
I started doing it for the show. Initially, I was on the fence about it because I’m not really the type of person who thinks about telling the world what I’m doing moment to moment! (laughs) So, I found it a bit silly. I guess I don’t really have that voyeuristic gene that some people have who want to know those things about someone. But then I started to realize how it gives a certain accessibility to our fans, you know, in terms of being able to keep up with stuff, being able to dialogue about the show and how they feel about it. We have a huge female following and really, it’s like they’ve all become friends. For some reason, these characters Angie and I play have reminded them of something or someone that they can relate to—whether it’s their best friend, a sister, or a lover—they feel close enough to us, to write to us, tweet to us, or about [the show]. In a couple weeks I’m using Twitter to raise money for charity in Ethiopia and try and raise awareness and hopefully $80,000—so I’m going to be reaching out to my fans and letting them know that instead of gifts for my birthday, they can send a donation. So, yeah, it’s good and can be used in a number of positive ways. (Follow her: @ SashaAlexander1 ) You’ve been in some blockbuster films, like Mission Impossible III, He’s Just Not That Into You, and Yes Man. How big of a change is steady TV work from a part in a film for a working mom and wife?
It’s always a surprise. TV is such a difficult medium and highly competitive, so you do the best you can, and hope for the best. We did hit it right out of the gate, and we’re very grateful for that. And I think this year, season three, the writing is much stronger and I feel like the overall depth of the characters are really getting explored now. Is there anything that you want to happen with your character, Maura, as an actor?
I get to play a lot of different colors as it is. There’s drama, there’s comedy and especially this coming season, there’s a lot of comedy, yes, but there’s a lot of tears. So I’m lucky. Our writers really do take us all over emotionally. It changes a lot, it’s never predictable, and I love that! What can we expect in season three?
I can tell you that season three starts just a few minutes after the season two finale ended, so you’re still right there in the moment, and Maura is still reeling from the turn of events, and the intensity of it all. I can tell you that, obviously, the girls aren’t in the best place in the series opener, but it’s that’s important. The conflict is important to deepen their relationship; it’s going to make them stronger and definitely much tighter, moving forward. And, Maura gets to find her biological mother played by Sharon Lawrence. That’s an intense storyline. You know Jane & Maura get back on track after that opening episode, and they come back together in a really organic and interesting way. It’s all really cool stuff and I’m so thrilled with it. You’re going to love it. I’m so glad we got to do this (interview)! rizzoli & isles airs on tnt every tuesday at 9pm. Www.tntdrama.com
SHE - 19 - 06/12
shep18_19_Sasha.indd 2
5/31/2012 10:45:22 PM