Mastermind
LADIES
Actress NATALIE DREYFUSS is at ease with her small stints in TV shows and being a series regular in some. But now, her role as Esther, the mother of vampires in the CW show The Originals, may have power over her destiny that may be better than the original. By Kitkat Ramos Photographed by Shanna Fisher
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laying Cassie was a big change for me because I usually play a teenager–but this teen was possessed by a 2,000-year old woman,” Natalie tells us of her most recent role on TV, the character Cassie in The Vampire Diaries spin-off, The Originals. “I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to play adult characters, let alone a mother and an extremely powerful witch!” she exclaims, eager for her steady growth in playing the character of a young witch possessed by the spirit of the mother of the New Orleans vampires, Esther Mikaelson, the nucleus that started what eventually became a coven of purveyors of evil. But we don’t want to spoil you from the exciting series, now that it’s picked up from the first half of the second season and where Natalie’s role takes more shape in the world of the bloodsuckers. Natalie tells us about how the season is going saying, “This season is awesome. I love getting to know so much about the history of the original vampire family. I think it’s really cool to understand how all these characters came to be.” Digging past the vampire history, Natalie’s long list of TV roles include New Girl, House M.D., 2 Broke Girls, and True Blood, as well as a character in the film National Treasure: Book of Secrets along with the magnanimous Nicolas Cage. “I do love the fast-paced
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nature of TV,” she shares. “But one day, I will move more into films and be able to spend longer amounts of time rehearsing and playing with the other actors, which would be a big change for me.” From playing an angry college girl with Nick, a fake friend to an ex-heiress, to being a fairy in the blood-spattered HBO series, there is no way to box her in one genre. When asked about her preferred box she says, “I really like sci-fi. One of my favorite fantasy series would have to be Battlestar Galactica. I thought it was incredible. I would have loved to be a part of that. Outside of the fantasy genre, my favorites are all Aaron Sorkin. I love The Newsroom, Studio 60, and The West Wing.” Having played side-by-side with a lot of big names in and out of airtime, she says the advice that stuck with her came from Tim Roth in the film Lie to Me. “He was amazing to watch and film with. He brought something new and different to every single take, no matter how late it was in the night. He taught me it was possible to push your creativity and always come up with something surprising and unique.” Beyond the craft and for all these wants, when it comes to acting, there is mostly one thing that continually tickles her fancy. “I love comedy and would be thrilled to be a part of something Judd Apatow would direct or a women-driven film like Bridesmaids,” she says. “I hope to continue what I’m doing with TV for as long as possible, and I am definitely happiest doing comedy in front of a live audience. So I hope people know me mostly for my comedy chops!”
@NatalieDreyfuss