Interview with Christine Ebersole of "Royal Pains" on USA - Primetime TV Show Articles From The TV MegaSite
 

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By Suzanne

Christine Ebersole

Interview with Christine Ebersole of "Royal Pains"

I enjoyed speaking about the show with Ms. Ebersole. Unfortunately, there was a rather low turnout for the conference call. I think probably since she plays a fairly minor character, that might have something to do with it. I don't know, but it was entertaining.

Moderator Our first question comes from Suzanne Lanoue with The TV Megasite.

S. Lanoue Christine, thank you for joining us today.

C. Ebersole Hello.

S. Lanoue Hello. I was wondering if there’s anything you could tell us about the upcoming stories involving your character and any other characters on the show that you can share with us?

C. Ebersole Tonight is a show called Strategic Planning, and the show is about Hank treating a prospective Notre Dame football player who comes down with slurred speech and vision. And Evan, in the meantime, is entertaining ladies in the grotto. And I come on briefly tonight because I think this is where they establish their sort of concierge system where I sign on to have a doctor at my beck and call.

S. Lanoue All right. Thank you.

C. Ebersole And then July 16th, I give a bark mitzvah to my dog. My dog has a bark mitzvah, and all the guests come down with a mysterious ailment … then hijinx ensue. This is comedy at its finest.

S. Lanoue Thank you. I enjoy the show.

Moderator Our next question comes from the line of Chandra Williams with TV Jots.

C. Williams Hello, Christine.

C. Ebersole Hello.

C. Williams Thank you for answering our question today.

C. Ebersole Sure.

C. Williams How did you get the role of Ms. Newberg on Royal Pains, and what about the series convinced you to accept the role?

C. Ebersole Well, I was offered the role. I didn’t have to audition, which is always nice. And what drew me to the role is, I think she’s a very outspoken and kind of larger than life character, and gets to play somebody rich. That’s always fun, and the great thing about doing the show is the locations that we get to visit are really just extraordinary. I get to see all these beautiful things, and to be a part of a comedy and to be working with the people that I’m working with is just a really rarified air, so it didn’t take much convincing. When I read the script, I saw that it was such an intelligent, funny script, and with really well developed characters, and so it was kind of an easy decision.

C. Williams Thank you.

Moderator Our next question comes from the line of Troy Rogers with Deadbolt.com.
T. Rogers Hello, Christine. How are you?

C. Ebersole I’m good. How are you?

T. Rogers I’m great. Thanks for taking the time.

C. Ebersole Sure.

T. Rogers I was wondering. Do you have any experience dealing with concierges doctors?

C. Ebersole No, but I can say that, you know, because I’m 56, when I was in the 50’s, that’s when doctors made house calls.

T. Rogers Right.

C. Ebersole Doctors did make house calls back then. You didn’t have to be rich to get them either. So, in a way, this is sort of like the old days, but now it’s just only afforded to the rich. But you also have to remember that Hank Lawson is a very sort of reluctant to be a concierge doctor because he really – his job is to really service the people, I mean, all people, not just rich people, so that’s why he’s sort of reluctant, but that’s what I think is great about the series is that it also shows you, you know, his humanity in terms of those people that can’t afford that kind of thing. He serves them as well.

T. Rogers Okay. You just mentioned that your character is going to be having a bark mitzvah for your dog.

C. Ebersole I know. It’s so funny. It’s such a great episode. And the dogs are so cute in their little yarmulka’s.

T. Rogers So I guess you could say she’s a little bit eccentric.

C. Ebersole She’s very eccentric, yes.

T. Rogers And now is she going to be like one of his clients, like consistent client?

C. Ebersole Yes, yes, hopefully. In this episode tonight, I sort of sign onto that.

T. Rogers I also thought that your singing tribute to Bush in the Colbert Report was really funny.
C. Ebersole Thank you.

T. Rogers Is there any chance we’ll see you singing on Royal Pains?

C. Ebersole Well, put in the order. I’d love to. Are you kidding?

T. Rogers Okay. Thanks a lot, and good luck with the series.

C. Ebersole Thank you.

Moderator Our next question comes from the line of Rebecca Miller with PopCultureMadness.com.

R. Miller Hello, Christine.

C. Ebersole Hello.

R. Miller So where do you draw inspiration from for the character of Ms. Newberg? I know you’ve had like lots of Broadway roles and stuff. Do any of those help you out with this character?

C. Ebersole Well, I think there are people in life that are sort of wealthy, eccentric, that you sort of draw from your imagination, and I think that’s really kind of what acting really is. It’s imagination, and I can certainly draw on a couple of people that I know personally that I won’t mention any names, but people that are very wealthy, and sort of eccentric. And I think money allows that sort of eccentricity because you can do things that other people normally can’t do, like have a bark mitzvah for your dog and have hundreds of people come over, and sit poolside, and have the rabbi read from the Torah. So, yes, I think it’s from life. It’s just sort of drawing from life and my imagination.

R. Miller Okay. Well, cool. Thank you.

C. Ebersole Sure.

Moderator Our next question comes from Kendra White with Side Reel.

K. White Hello. Ms. Newberg is kind of mysterious to us so far. I was curious if there was anything you can tell us about her personal life beyond the fact that she has a dog and a lot of money.

C. Ebersole Well, I found out – you know, these kinds of things you find out sort of piecemeal because when they draw up the characters, they don’t – you don’t necessary always have all the information about the back story on the character, and these things sort of unfold as the episodes are presented. But I do find, I did find out that I have a 22-year-old granddaughter, and I’m a dowager, I believe. In other words, I believe I’m a widow, and my husband was Jewish and had a lot of money. So we had agreed to raise all the children Jewish, and I guess the dogs are included.

K. White Great. Thanks. Also, how did you enjoy filming in the Hamptons?

C. Ebersole You know, fantastic. Can you imagine? I mean, it’s such a fun fantasy fulfilled where you have a location of a house that sits on the ocean, and it’s just this big mansion with a private beach, and it’s mine for the day, you know. So it’s pretty great.

K. White All right. Thank you.

C. Ebersole Sure.

Moderator Our next question comes from the line of Eddie Varley with BroadwayWorld.com.

E. Varley Hello. How are you, Christine? Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us today.

C. Ebersole Sure.

E. Varley I wanted to say, well, of course, we’re Broadway World, so we loved the show, and I love the character, and how great. It’s always a treat to watch you perform, but we get you at night in the show, and then on TV, you know, in Royal Pains. How are you balancing that schedule?

C. Ebersole Well, it’s pretty intense because I think really pretty much for the last month, I’ve been working literally seven days a week, so my next day off is June 22nd, which is my daughter’s 13th birthday, so I’m really looking forward to that. But when I haven’t been doing Royal Pains on my day off, and then also too, where I go do the show at night, finish around 10:30, and then go to the hotel. Get there by 11:00, and then get picked up at 6:00 to be taken out to Long Island to work all day, and then come back in and do the show at night. So it’s been pretty intense. But all great stuff, so I’m very, very grateful that I’m able to participate in these different venues, but it doesn’t come without its challenges.

E. Varley Right. Sleep is something you’ll get later.

C. Ebersole I haven’t had a day off, so I’m really looking forward to June 22nd.

E. Varley Well, we’ll smile on that day knowing you get a break.

C. Ebersole Thank you.

E. Varley Thank you. Bye.

C. Ebersole Bye-bye.

Moderator Our next question comes from the line of Suzanne Lanoue with TV Megasite.

S. Lanoue I noticed you had such a great career. I noticed that you were, a long time ago, on Ryan’s Hope.

C. Ebersole Yes.

S. Lanoue And I’m a big soap opera fan. I loved Ryan’s Hope, and I was wondering if you have anything interesting, any anecdotes or anything interesting that you remember from being on that show.

C. Ebersole Well, it’s again, it’s kind of – it’s almost like – it’s a funny pattern, I think, that’s been set with me because when I was doing Ryan’s Hope, I was doing Oklahoma. So I would get up and shoot the soap opera all day long, and then go and play Ado Annie on Broadway at night, and that was 30 years ago, so I’m still doing the same thing.

S. Lanoue Maybe you had more energy back then, but—

C. Ebersole I don’t know.

S. Lanoue Wow. That’s great. You must see some of those actors still? They were all Broadway actors, weren’t they?

C. Ebersole Yes, I don’t know. I haven’t seen anybody from Ryan’s Hope.

S. Lanoue All right. Well, thank you.

C. Ebersole Thank you.

Moderator our next question comes from the line of Kirstin Heinle with E! Online.

K. Heinle Thanks for taking the time today.

C. Ebersole Sure.

K. Heinle I was wondering if you can tell us about anything besides the bark mitzvahs of Ms. Newberg’s other medical conditions – why she calls Hank?

C. Ebersole Well, as you know, in the pilot … because I had a flat tire. Those have been my only medical conditions, although a medical condition rises out of the bark mitzvah.

K. Heinle Right.

C. Ebersole That’s in the episode that runs in July.
K. Heinle Right, and do you know of any others yet that you can tell us about?

C. Ebersole I don’t. I don’t. Again, that’s the thing about these characters. These things unfold as the episodes come, so you don’t really have all the information at the top.

K. Heinle Great. Then do you think that there’s going to be – you’re going to be calling Hank for things other than medical drama? I mean, the flat tire wasn’t super medically related. It kind of was, but do you think you’ll be calling him for like emotional things too?

C. Ebersole I hope so.

K. Heinle I hope so too. Thank you.

C. Ebersole Thank you.

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