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By
Suzanne

Transcript of Interview with Tiffani Thiessen of
"White Collar" on USA Network 7/19/10
I love this show, and all the actors in it. She was very
sweet on the phone! Hope you enjoy it...
SPEAKERS
Tiffani Thiessen – Elizabeth Burke, White Collar
PRESENTATION
Moderator We have our first question from Jamie Steinberg with Starry
Constellation.
J. Steinberg On White Collar, Neal, you have to say, is such a charming,
handsome man, but Elizabeth is a married woman. Do you think it’s
possible for men and women to be friends without there being a sexual
connection?
T. Thiessen I do believe so, being that I’m married myself. I think it’s
quite easy, actually. I think if your marriage is strong and you have a
good trust basis between the two, which is a lot of what we try to
portray the relationship between Elizabeth and Peter to be, then I
absolutely think you can. They’ve been married for ten years and they
have such a good rapport with each other and it’s a marriage on TV that
I really quite enjoy to watch, because you don’t see a lot of TV couples
like that.
I think it definitely shows a lot that she can be friends with someone
like Neal. He’s definitely a very charming, beautiful man, which is
always fun to look at. But I always have this funny, cute saying that I
always tell reporters that I say you definitely want to date Neal, but
you want to bring Peter home to your family. You want to marry someone
like Peter. Do you know what I mean?
J. Steinberg This show has garnered such online support, I mean, there
are so many tweets and—
T. Thiessen It’s amazing. Nowadays this whole digital media, it’s crazy.
J. Steinberg I was going to ask you, you’re a part of Twitter already.
T. Thiessen I am. I’ve been a little slow on it lately. I haven’t had
too much time but I’m going to try and start getting up on it again.
J. Steinberg I was wondering, why is it so important for you to interact
with fans via Twitter?
T. Thiessen I think it’s a definite new media that has really sparked a
whole new kind of connection between actors or musicians or anybody in
the entertainment business or even politicians. I follow Ann Curry, I
love it. I love hearing her voice. I love hearing her news, her
opinions. I think the public really enjoys that.
To me I think it’s a much more honest way to really connect with your
fan base without it being the horrible magazines out there that might
not get the truth right. At least this gives a little bit of an honest
glimpse into someone’s life without it being too overdone and too
personal. You get to control it, which is what I like about it.
Moderator Our next question is from Joshua Maloni with Niagara Frontier.
J. Maloni Obviously you are currently in the filming process, but
heading into the season what were some of the things that you were
looking forward to, that you were excited about for Elizabeth?
T. Thiessen It’s a very different season for me than it was last year. I
just gave birth five weeks ago, almost five weeks ago, so I actually
have been away. What we did was because I couldn’t travel or fly because
I was really, really pregnant when the season started, we actually ended
up shooting, which I’m sure you might have seen on the premiere episode
this season, my one scene, a lot of those episodes in the first six
episodes I shot here in Los Angeles on a studio with a green screen
behind me. The two scenes I did with Tim and then the rest of them I did
where I was pretending to be in San Francisco, that’s where you’ll start
to see my character on an event, because I couldn’t be right in New York
City to shoot with the rest of the cast.
I’m a bit away, I’m not in the first six episodes that much, but it was
really interesting to see how they can maneuver me in the sense of
making me look like I’m not as pregnant and shooting me from the waist
up and not really showing. I actually haven’t seen the cast and I
actually leave next week to go back to New York and finish off the
season with them, so I’m excited.
J. Maloni What would you like to see happen with your character as the
season progresses? I know we talked a little bit last time about maybe
some extra back story, but what are some of the things that are high on
your list for her this season?
T. Thiessen I think definitely being that I haven’t been able to get
into that back story this first part of the season because I’ve been
away, I definitely would love to explore that a lot more. I would love
to explore a little bit more of the history between Peter and Elizabeth
and how they met. And possibly maybe a little bit more, I think what
they’re wanting to do, which I’m excited about, is really starting to
see me interact more with Matt’s character as well as Willie’s
character. You saw that toward the end of last season, where I was
working a lot with Willie, which I think the audience really likes. So I
think they’re going to continue probably doing that this season when I
get back to work.
Moderator Our next question is from Jamie Ruby with Media Blvd.
J. Ruby Can you talk about how you started on the project? Did you
audition?
T. Thiessen Oh, yes, I auditioned like everybody else. It’s kind of a
funny story. It’s kind of a long process, which I’m sure a lot of actors
say is the case. But I went in and I read the script and absolutely fell
in love with it and just really was adamant about wanting to do
everything I could possible to try and get the job. So I went in and
auditioned for it and I was put on what they call a short list, but they
wanted to cast the husband first, which they hadn’t found Tim yet.
I think about a month or two goes by and they finally cast Tim, and so I
was waiting to get that phone call again to come back in, and what they
do is like a chemistry read. I never got the call, and so I called my
agent and I was like “Whatever happened to White Collar, that show? I
was supposedly on the short list.” And they said, “Oh, they actually
wanted to go a different route. They thought you were too young.” Then I
started hearing some of the girls that were actually going in and
auditioning with Tim and they were actually younger than I was. So I was
like, wait a minute, that doesn’t sound right.
So I actually thought I lost the job, but then supposedly they never
found the girl, they were definitely trying to go younger and it didn’t
work, and so they called me back again. I did a chemistry read with Tim
and we totally hit it off, and I knew it was my job, I knew I was going
to get it, I had a feeling in my gut, and I did. It was, again, like a
long process but definitely worth it because in my mind from the moment
I read the script I really wanted this job.
J. Ruby Would you ever be interested in writing or directing for the
show?
T. Thiessen I would. I’m not a writer at all, and I’ll be totally honest
with you it’s nothing that I want to pursue because I’m just not a great
writer. But directing is something that I actually started quite a few
years ago actually. I did a short film that actually got into the
Tribeca Film Festival and quite a lot of the prestigious film festivals,
and so being that it’s been a little busy working, and now with a child
it’s been kind of hard to pursue that. But I would love to, and White
Collar would definitely be on my list that I would love to do. There are
more and more women directors out there, which I love working with, and
I think we always can use more women directors out there and in every
position as well. So I think it would be really nice.
Moderator The next question is from Lena Lamoray with LenaLamoray.com.
L. Lamoray My favorite scene from last season is when you met Mozzie for
the first time. What has been your favorite scene or episode and why?
T. Thiessen Wow, that’s hard because I have quite a few that I really
like. But I will say towards the end of the season the episodes, like
the last three episodes where I did get to work with Willie and I got to
work with Matt a lot more and just all the conflict that was happening
and the suspense that was happening with the Fowler character, that was
actually probably the most fun. There was so much going on because I was
pregnant at that time and I don’t think anybody knew at that time, or
maybe my cast just found out and the producers and stuff. But it was a
lot of fun because I was working with Willie finally, which I had never
gotten to work with in the beginning of the season, and I’ve known
Willie for a while. So it was really fun to finally actually get to work
on screen with him. I definitely would say those are probably my
favorite episodes for sure. I’m in complete agreement with you.
L. Lamoray What do you think about the relationship between Peter and
Mozzie? Are you going to be interacting with them as the season
progresses?
T. Thiessen I’m hoping. Yes, I love that. I think Willie really is a
great addition to the show. He really brings a whole other side to the
show, and I love working with him. I know the guys love working with
him, Matt and Tim love working with him. So I would love to continue
working with him, and I think that’s what they’re plan is. I haven’t
been able to be in the first part of the season just because I was
pregnant and I was just gave birth almost five weeks ago, so I’m
actually leaving next week to go back to New York to finish off the
season with them. I’m really excited to see everybody and get back into
work again. It will be interesting to juggle the whole motherhood and
work, but I’m ready for it for sure.
Moderator Our next question is from Allison Toner with Poptimal.com.
A. Toner What do you like most about White Collar and your character,
Elizabeth?
T. Thiessen I think probably the biggest thing that I was drawn to her
character, even from the beginning when I read the script and even more
so now that we’ve gotten to know her a lot more on the show is that she
plays a woman that I strive to be every day. She really is a woman who
takes her marriage, it’s very important to her and her relationship with
her husband and her home life, but as well really balances her career.
And I strive to do that every single day of my life, and now that I add
the title “Mother” to it it’s even more so.
She’s very diplomatic, which I really like. She’s very reasonable. She
seems to be a person that has a sense of knowing where to go down the
middle when she’s helping the relationship between Peter and Neal, and I
like that about her a lot. She’s almost like a little therapist or
something. She always takes the middle road of really trying to get the
boys to see both sides and I like that about her a lot. She’s very
diplomatic. I like that she’s passionate. She’s extremely passionate
about everything that she does, and her marriage, her career and her
relationships and all that. I don’t know, I really admire her a lot.
A. Toner Do you enjoy filming White Collar in New York?
T. Thiessen I do. I absolutely do. I’ve always had such a love for New
York City ever since I was young and going there when I was younger, and
to be able to say that I actually live there half the year, I absolutely
love it. It was my husband that I really had to get him to fall in love
with it as much as I do. He’s from Texas and it’s very, very different
than California and Texas, but he’s actually really starting to fall in
love with it as well. And we’re excited that we get to raise our little
girl half the year in New York City and half the year in Los Angeles.
They’re two great cities and I’m excited for her to be able to really
get the culture from both.
Moderator Our next question is from Katlin Higgins with Pop Culture.
K. Higgins Earlier you just said that you nearly weren’t cast for White
Collar because you seemed young. Do you ever feel like it’s hard to
break away from your youthful teen image?
T. Thiessen I think you hit the nail on the head. I think that’s exactly
what people think of me at first. Because it was funny, when I
auditioned for it and then to hear that they were actually bringing in
girls that were younger than I was, I think people tend to forget how
old I am, and maybe it’s my good genes, knock on wood, I hope that’s
part of it too. I don’t know.
I’m 36 years old. I’m not in my 20s anymore, let alone my teens. But I
think you’re right. I think when you have a successful show, and
thankfully so far I’ve had two and going on my third, that people
sometimes have a hard time taking you out of that once it’s over. But I
worked really hard to get it and luckily I won the job. I won them over.
K. Higgins You also said that you enjoyed watching you and Neal on TV
and you said that you were a good couple to watch. Do you watch the show
yourself?
T. Thiessen I do watch the show. It’s funny, it’s actually a show that I
would normally watch even if I wasn’t on it. It’s the kind of TV that I
absolutely love. It’s the type of films that I go and see. I’m a total
James Bond fan. I love the buddy cop films. I love when you have shows
and film that have the combination between comedy and drama and
suspense, and to me when you have something that has all of that it
really makes for good entertainment.
Moderator Our next question is from Nancy Harrington with Pop Culture
Passionistas.
N. Harrington I’m actually here with my sister, Amy, who’s my writing
partner. We wanted to know, it seems sometimes like Elizabeth trusts or
believes in Neal even more than Peter does. Why do you think that is?
T. Thiessen I think it’s the case of when someone’s out of the tight
loop when a situation’s happening they can actually see it a little
clearer. I think that’s the case with Elizabeth. I think, like I had
mentioned before, I think she’s a very diplomatic, very honest woman who
can see both sides.
Last year I think you saw a lot of scenes where she was definitely
trying to get her husband to see Neal’s side, and I think you’ll start
to hopefully see a little more where I’m going to be doing the same
thing for Neal, where I’m going to get him to really see my husband’s
side on a lot of things. I think she’s that kind of woman. I do think
there’s a side of her that’s almost like a little therapist, that she’s
the voice of reason, where she sees everything a little clearer because
she’s not quite in the loop that tight.
N. Harrington We were also wondering, was there any conversation when
you found out you were pregnant about keeping the pregnancy in the
script and giving Peter and Elizabeth a baby?
T. Thiessen Yes, we did talk about it loosely. But it was really a
decision that we all agreed upon, and I was actually happy with it too,
that I think they’re a couple that, they’ve been married for ten years
and I think they’re just one of those couples that don’t have kids, that
they are very much involved in their careers and each other and they
like the way things are, and I don’t think they need to add kids to make
their marriage any more successful than it already is.
The other thing about it is that it’s a show that, I guess it’s so much
about the characters, but we never really envisioned Peter and Elizabeth
to have children. I don’t envision seeing scenes with Peter and a child
and all that, even though it’s so funny that in real life he has kids
and now I have a child. But it’s their characters. They’re so young at
heart and I don’t know, I find them to be a cool, sexy couple. They
remind me of my aunt and uncle who never had kids and they travel freely
and they get to do what they want, and that’s how I see them.
Moderator Our next question is from Matt Newlin with Starpulse.com.
M. Newlin The fans of White Collar are passionate, die-hard fans, even
after just one season. They’re really on it, and the blogs and Internet,
people are really excited about the first episode of the new season.
What do you attribute that to? Why do you think people are just so in
love with the show and why it took off so quickly?
T. Thiessen You know, it’s kind of what I had said with another question
earlier, is that it’s TV that I love to watch. It’s got a little bit of
everything. It’s very character driven, which USA strives as a station
to be, which you get invested in all different types of characters, you
have a little bit of everything. I love that you have the suspense and
the fun of the show, but you have the home life and the relationship
between Peter and Elizabeth, and you have this great, fun character like
Willie. You have everything, which I think really makes for good
entertainment. I think that has a lot to do with it. Of course it’s not
hard to look at Matt an hour every week on a show.
I think there are a lot of reasons. I really think the biggest reason of
all is the writing. Our writers are so on top of it and they really make
such great scripts that we just so enjoy portraying for them live. It’s
amazing, we have so much fun, and also the chemistry between all of us.
I’ve been a fan of Tim’s work for so long and that’s why it was really
exciting to finally get to work with him. I’ve known Willie and I’ve
been a fan of his as well. And Matt, to really see this up and coming
guy come out and break the whole entertainment business, he’s
unbelievable. He’s got that kind of charisma that we all love to see on
screen. So it’s a good combination of all of it. It’s hard to pinpoint
it for one thing, but I think it’s a combination of all of it.
M. Newlin I know you weren’t able to work with Tim Matheson so much on
the first episode of this season but having a veteran actor like that is
probably a huge catch for the show. Is he slated to direct any more
episodes this season? Can we see him come back, obviously not as a
character, but as a director?
T. Thiessen I don’t know if he’s slated for any more actually, because
like I said I’m actually still in Los Angeles and I go back to New York
next week to actually meet up with everybody again, since I just had the
baby. But I did get to work with Tim for a moment, and funny enough he
actually played my father in a movie years and years and years ago. So I
actually know Tim very well.
M. Newlin Oh really?
T. Thiessen Yes, it’s so funny, many, many moons ago. He’s a doll and
he’s such a great actor as well. He did such a great job on the first
episode directing and acting in it. We would be absolutely fortunate and
lucky to have him back. So I hope they bring him back, I really do.
Moderator Our next question is from Scotty Coppage with Cinemaniac.
S. Coppage What are the challenges for finding roles for women in their
30s? And are there more opportunities for women now than there were ten
years ago as far as programming?
T. Thiessen Absolutely. I think there’s definitely much more in 30s and
40s both. I think you’re starting to find people really seeing that –
here’s the thing. It’s hard for me to say and know the experience how it
was ten, twenty years ago because I was only in my teens and my 20s, but
I know from watching TV myself and watching film myself I see a lot more
30s and 40s on screen, which just makes me very, very happy. It’s what
we should be watching.
We’ve got different niches. We’ve got the Disney kids and that whole
teenage niche, and we’ve got the young adults, and then we have the age
of 30s and 40s, which is where I am right now, and I think it’s
important to portray those ages and those roles. And like I had
mentioned before, one of the things that I really admire about the
writers is that they’ve really made the relationship between Peter and
Elizabeth a strong marriage, and I don’t think you see that on TV very
often. I really admire them for keeping it that way.
S. Coppage With In Plain Sight and Covert Affairs is USA Network a good
place for actresses to be?
T. Thiessen Absolutely. This is the first time I’ve ever gotten to work
for a cable network, and they’ve been one of the most passionate
networks for their shows that I’ve ever worked with, and I’ve been doing
this for 26, 27 years. I hate saying that sometimes. But yes, they’re so
extremely passionate and very connected to their actors and their
writers and their shows. You can see it on screen. You can see it with
the way they really publicize their shows and how they’ve gotten very
involved with the media aspect of it. It really makes it nice for us
knowing that we’re going and doing our job and knowing that they’re
really behind us.
Moderator Our next question is from Pattye Grippo with Pazsaz.com.
P. Grippo What I was wondering is, the first season, as we’ve been
talking about on this call, did very well with the viewers and the
ratings and everything. Do you feel that that helped take the pressure
off or does it actually add more pressure on all of you to keep that
momentum going?
T. Thiessen I think there are two sides to it. I think there’s a part of
you that definitely will take a little bit of the pressure off, but then
it’s like, okay, the pressure goes right back on for second season. You
have to think about it all over again to make sure that you keep it up
and try and do even a little better. You always strive to do a little
bit better, and I think that’s definitely the case. But it was
definitely a really nice feeling to know that last season we did well
and people really responded to it and are excited to see a second
season.
P. Grippo Then as a follow up, you’ve been working in the public eye,
let’s call it, since you were very young. Have you ever wished you’d led
a more private life? And what, if anything, would you have done
differently if you could go back and re-do it?
T. Thiessen It’s funny, I thank God I came around when there was no TMZ
and no US Weekly and things like that. So I don’t feel like it was too,
too bad for me. I also feel like I’m not in a place where people bother
me too, too much. We get the occasional paparazzi outside our house and
following us, but nothing crazy, which I’m very fortunate with. Of
course that could all change, but I feel like I’ve gotten off pretty
easy, so knock on wood it stays that way.
P. Grippo It sounds like it’s not been too bad.
T. Thiessen It hasn’t been too bad.
Moderator Our next question is from Suzanne Lanoue with the TV Megasite.
S. Lanoue It struck me as you were talking about Peter and Elizabeth
having children, that actually Matt’s character is kind of like his
child.
T. Thiessen I think we definitely both feel like he’s partially our
child, yes. And at times I think we feel Willie is as well.
S. Lanoue Peter makes a great dad.
T. Thiessen Yes, he actually does, even in real life. He’s got two of
the greatest kids.
S. Lanoue I’m sure. Actually, it also struck me as you were talking
about them wanting younger or thinking you were younger, because it
doesn’t surprise me because you look so young.
T. Thiessen I appreciate that. Thank you.
S. Lanoue Is it all just genetics or what do you do to make yourself
look so young?
T. Thiessen I think a lot of it has to do with the genetics. If you saw
my mother and even my grandmother, they have great genes and they look
so much younger than what they really are. So I definitely attribute a
lot of that to that, but I try to take care of myself. Water I think is
the best medicine for anybody and I drink a ton of water and I think
that has so much to do with it. I think people walk around dehydrated
all day long a lot of the times, and we don’t really stress about how
much water intake is such an important thing in our bodies. And just
physical activity, I work out and try to really take care of myself. I
try not to over stress myself too much. It’s all of those things. I
think all of those really contribute to trying to look your best, you
know?
Moderator Our next question is from Jamie Ruby with Media Blvd.
J. Ruby What would be your ultimate dream role to have in the future? Or
maybe there’s somebody specific you’d like to work with that you haven’t
yet.
T. Thiessen It’s so hard. Back in my late teens, early 20s I always
wanted to be a James Bond girl. That’s totally different now. My life
has changed so much, my priorities have changed. I don’t know if I
really have a dream role. I think it’s more about really – and I have to
say White Collar is definitely something that I can say really kind of
fills that – is that I want to go to work every day with people that I
like. I want to go to work every day where there’s a role that I really
enjoy and I believe in.
I don’t think it’s really specific to one particular actor that I want
to work with or a particular role any more like it used to be. Like back
in the day, like I said, I wanted to be a James Bond girl and I got
really close to it too, but I didn’t. But now it’s just really about
enjoying who I work with, the kind of atmosphere that I’m working in,
and the character. That’s why I think nowadays I tend to really try to
be somewhat picky any more to what I do, not just going out to get a
job. And sometimes you have to do that, you have to work just to work.
But I’m very fortunate to say that I’m actually working at a job that I
absolutely love and enjoy and everybody there I enjoy so much and I feel
very blessed.
J. Ruby It’s always great to love what you do.
T. Thiessen You’re absolutely right, and not a lot of people can say
that so I feel very fortunate.
J. Ruby Can you talk a bit about working on Fastlane with Peter
Facinelli?
T. Thiessen Yes, Fastlane was another really fun, great show. It was
hard work, actually. We had a lot of stunts and a lot of long hours,
very different from White Collar for me. I know the boys, Matt and Tim
can’t say that, but for me I don’t work every day on that show. Fastlane
was definitely a harder show, but it was totally adrenaline, really fun,
it was great, very stylish. Stylish in the sense like White Collar, but
much more in the sense of just the drive of the stunts and things like
that. It was a great show. I was actually very sad that it went off. I
still to this day get a lot of people not understanding why FOX took it
off the air.
Moderator Our next question is from Kelly DiMarco with Series.NU.
K. DiMarco What do you think Elizabeth really thinks of Mozzie and Neal?
T. Thiessen Oh, wow. I think she thinks a lot of things. I think there’s
a part of Elizabeth that really feels a sense of, I don’t want to say
the word sorry, but she’s really trying to understand Neal’s— I think
she does understand it, but I think there’s a sense of her that feels
that there’s a part of him that really wants a little bit of what Peter
and Elizabeth have. I think he has such a hard time trying to gather
that, or even process that, that I think there’s a part of her that
feels bad for him because in her mind everybody deserves that, everybody
deserves to have a great relationship in their life.
And then Willie I think is just pure entertainment. I think she finds
him quite enjoyable to hang out with. I think they love the banter
between the two. I think they love to test each other. I think it’s
another form of the relationship between Neal and Peter and I think you
can see that a little bit with Elizabeth and Mozzie, which is kind of
fun.
K. DiMarco How do you think Elizabeth feels about Peter working with
Neal and Mozzie? They’re not your normal FBI fare.
T. Thiessen Yes, I know. I think probably in the ten or so years that
they’ve been together that she’s probably seen so many types of things
that her husband has had to go through that I think she takes everything
with a grain of salt. I think that’s actually really the smartest thing
she can do.
Moderator Our next question is from Melissa Lowery with NiceGirlsTV.com.
M. Lowery I was wondering what you thought about Elizabeth’s career, her
chosen profession? Were you involved in deciding what she was going to
do as a career?
T. Thiessen I was completely. It was my idea, absolutely. I brought that
idea to the writers and our executive producer, Jeff Eastin. In the
original pilot she was actually put as an accountant and they didn’t
like it, USA didn’t care for it, so they took that out and didn’t
mention what she did for a living in the pilot. If you go back you don’t
even know what she does. So once it got picked up we really tried to
explore what exactly would be the best fit for her and for the show, and
they went into different arenas like being an actual probably a
psychotherapist or all different types of things. I came up with the
event coordinator only because – many reasons. One was I always wanted
to do that and personally if I never acted again that was what I wanted
to do for a living.
But secondly, I thought it fit really well with the city in the sense
and also just the stylish aspect of our show and also to kind of use her
at times, to bring her in, which they have used her before, with events
and things like that. Because they’re constantly having to – Neal goes
in and does a whole fake thing half the time. He’s going in there
playing and portraying someone else with these big parties and these
beautiful events and things like that, and so she’s very aware of that
kind of social high life kind of thing in New York City, so I thought it
would fit really well and so far it fits great.
M. Lowery It really has. It was an unusual choice and one that I really
like because of course I am a closet event planner. It seems like it was
also kind of an interesting way for her to connect with Neal. Like you
said, it’s such a stylish show, in large part because of what he chooses
to wear.
T. Thiessen Right, exactly. What he wears and what he does and what he
knows about in the sense of food and wine and all that kind of stuff,
and she can definitely play into that because she knows it as well.
Moderator Our next question is from Jamie Ruby with Media Blvd.
J. Ruby You started to say how you came up with your character’s job. Do
you often stick to the script or do you sometimes improvise? Are they
real strict with that?
T. Thiessen They’re not actually real strict with it. Here’s the thing,
the funny thing is that the scripts are so good that we really don’t
need to actually change anything. But I will say our writers are very
open to our ideas and even on the day when we’re shooting and if we’re
playing around a little bit, they’re all always very cool about that.
It’s very collaborative. They really allow us to go both ways, and we
feel the same way with them, which makes, again, another aspect of the
show why it really works so well.
J. Ruby Do you have any other new projects besides White Collar coming
up? And also, I’ve got to ask, can you tell us if the rumor of a Saved
by the Bell reunion is ever going to happen?
T. Thiessen I don’t think so on the second question. I don’t think so. I
think it was really great to do that reunion last year with People
magazine and we got to see everyone – I definitely still talk to Mark
Paul and Elizabeth and Mario – but to have us all together for People
magazine last year was really fun and I think that was a reunion that we
felt was enough. We’re all doing our own projects and doing other
things, so I don’t think we’re going to see a reunion in what the public
is thinking.
Then those other projects, mother is definitely the newest project that
I’ve put on to my belt right now with my new almost five week old. But I
also am just starting designing a baby furniture line company, a bedding
company with a partner friend of mine, it’s called Petite Nest. So it’s
going to be coming out hopefully the end of this year or the first of
next year.
J. Ruby Could you tell us about something funny that happened on set?
Maybe somebody played a prank … some kind of funny, memorable moment.
T. Thiessen There’s so many it’s hard to pick one. Every day there’s
something funny. The guys, one of the things that they do constantly all
of the time is they break into song. They’re always singing and playing
around. So that’s a daily thing with them. Then any time you have scenes
with Willie you’re always laughing. The ad libs that he comes up with
and the zingers, as you would say, it’s quite enjoyable and very
entertaining. It’s hard to say specifically anything, especially these
days with my baby brain, as I call it, because I can’t remember anything
anymore. But it’s definitely a very fun set. It’s hilarious. We do tons
of things.
Here’s one thing I do remember. We have this thing where one of the
guys, I think one of our camera operators is in love with Swedish Fish,
the candy, and we would constantly try and do a take where we would hide
a Swedish Fish somewhere in one of the episodes, in one of the scenes.
Of course it would always get caught and taken away, so I don’t think
any of them made it actually to film. But we were constantly trying to
do that, whether we put it on our shirt or have it on our plate or have
it in the background somewhere or whatever. It was really funny. That
was one little thing that we used to do last year. It was just some
entertainment that we would have in between.
J. Ruby Was there ever anything that maybe got cut from the show that
you wish they’d kept in? Or maybe something that you wish they’d cut
out?
T. Thiessen I don’t think there was anything that I wished they’d cut
out. I think most actors always feel that if there are scenes that are
cut, they always tend to be a little sad about that because you usually
shoot more than you need time-wise on a show, so usually it’s always cut
down more and not added, even though there have been one or two episodes
I think where we did have to add stuff to the show because it was
definitely too short. But most of the time the shows were longer and so
they had to be cut.
I do remember that there was one scene, it wasn’t so much that it was
cut, it was changed. It was a scene between Peter and I where, and I’m
trying to remember the episode again and with the baby brain I’m not
going to remember the title of the episode, but it was a scene where it
was, it correlated with the episode with Diahann Carroll’s granddaughter
and it was a scene where after the park, at the very end of the episode
where Peter finishes his …, he’s supposed to run up and meet me in a
café and we’re supposed to play this banter where we don’t know each
other.
We ended up having to change it and put it in our home, and to me it
worked beautifully and no one would notice the difference between the
original way it was written and how it was supposed to be at a café, and
it was so beautiful. I think we both were a little sad that we couldn’t
pull it off. But again I prefaced that no one would know the difference
and the scene turned out just as great in our minds because we knew
where it was supposed to take place and how it ended up was very
different. Stuff like that happens all the time, though.
J. Ruby Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to get into acting?
T. Thiessen Really think long and hard if it’s something you want to do.
Look, any career if you’re that passionate about it and you really want
to do it, then you should go for it, absolutely. I will say it’s one of
the hardest businesses, from what I’ve been told, even though it’s the
only business I’ve been doing my whole life. But knowing other people
trying to break into it, I hear it’s one of the hardest businesses to
break into.
It makes sense, especially these days with our economy changing so much,
there’s not as much TV being made and there’s a lot more reality these
days, and not as many films being made. I find a lot of my friends who
have been acting their whole lives having a hard time finding jobs these
days. It’s a tough time right now for everybody, which is why I feel
very fortunate to have a great job right now.
But again, going back into the passionate aspect of it, if it’s
something that you’re extremely passionate about, I think you should
always follow your heart and always follow your dreams. My parents
taught me that at a young age and I think it’s so true.
Moderator Our next question is from Kelly DiMarco with Series.NU.
K. DiMarco Do you ever join in the chorus on set?
T. Thiessen I don’t think they’d want me to. The funny thing is, and
Willie doesn’t really either that much, but he does every now and then,
but Matt and Tim actually have a lot of theater background, so they
actually have good voices. It’s very different to play around like that
when you have a good voice and then someone like me who doesn’t have a
good voice at all. I’m there to listen and laugh.
K. DiMarco What’s a typical day on the set like for you? Give us an idea
of what it’s like.
T. Thiessen Last year was just I would come in to work, makeup and hair.
My average is I would work two to three days a week at the most, because
I’m a supporting character, like … character. But this year is going to
be very different. This year is going to be juggling a new baby on set,
having to go back and forth from working from the actual set to the
dressing room to make sure the little one’s okay and nursing and all of
those kinds of things. So it’s going to be a very different season this
year for me.
Moderator Christine Kovar with Maverick Media, please go ahead.
C. Kovar If you could press shuffle on your iPod or iPhone right now
which song would you be most embarrassed if it came on?
T. Thiessen Oh, gosh. Most embarrassed.
C. Kovar You’d lie about how it got there.
T. Thiessen If I had such a good memory, these days it’s so bad. I’m
trying to think. I would say any of my old 70s and 80s, I can’t think of
one specific one, isn’t that terrible?
C. Kovar I have Russian Pop.
T. Thiessen Nice. That’s actually a really great one. I was totally in
love with the Go Go’s. I was such an ’80s girl, so even New Kids on the
Block, that would probably be a little embarrassing maybe.
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