Attention Deficit Delirium

Reiko Aylesworth, who plays Rachel Tobin on the new season of "Damages". (Photo ©2010 by Bryan Reesman.)

She’s played an intelligence agent on 24, a member of the Dharma Initiative on Lost and co-starred in AVPR: Aliens Vs. Predator – Requiem, among many other credits over the last 17 years. Now Reiko Aylesworth is portraying Rachel Tobin, a member of a Madoff-like family that is under siege from the public and Patty Hewes’ law firm on Damages. In late January a small press gaggle got to quickly chat up Aylesworth on the red carpet just prior to the Damages Season Three premiere, and here’s what we got.


How does it feel to play a blonde?
You know, I’ve been adjusting to playing a blonde for about six months, and I’m not used to it yet. I don’t think I’ll ever be used to it. But I had a breakup, and it’s break-up blonde. It was either shave it all off or go blonde.

So this wasn’t for the show, but for you?
Yeah, it was totally for me. So I’ll see how it goes.

Do blondes have more fun?
No, I just broke up.  But I’m on Damages, so I am having fun. As I go darker, you’ll see my heart’s mending.

Are we going to see your character get to tango with either Ellen or Patty?
Possibly. I’ve heard rumors. We’re only about midway through [shooting] the season right now, so I’m hoping. Both of them are such great actresses that I would love to do a little two-step [with them].

Aylesworth as Michelle Dessler on "24".

Who do you think would win in a battle, Jack Bauer or Patty Hewes?
That’s a good question. It depends on what the playing field is. I think Patty would drink him under the table. I think if it’s germ warfare it’s going to be Patty. If it’s heavy arms artillery, it’s going to be Jack. They’re bad asses. I think they could do a Hart To Hart series.

What is it like on set to see Glenn go from being in character as Patty back to her normal self?
It is weird, and almost creepier because she’s so nice that you’re thinking, “Where do you pull that from?” Not that her character is. Her character has a higher purpose. What I love about Glenn’s work is that you don’t know what’s going to happen because she hasn’t judged a character, so it keeps it a surprise.

Have you ever seen Glenn use the Patty Hewes look on set?
No, I haven’t, and I hope I never do. I never want to be in the way of that look. She’s amazing.

What’s it like to have all these comedians on the set of Damages? Are they cracking everybody up?
Yeah, they are. It’s funny because you’d think when you meet comedians in person that they would be serious or cranky, but they’re funny. They’re just naturally funny people and sweet as can be.

The show is very dark and serious, so what is the atmosphere like on-set?
It’s really fun. It’s the same with 24. You have such earnest characters that you have to crack up at it, and so it’s easy to laugh at, which makes it easy to shoot.

Who has the hardest time keeping a straight face?
Me.






The cast of "Damages" faces the flash of the red carpet. (Photo ©2010 by Bryan Reesman.)

For fans of Damages, the long-awaited Season 3 premiere airs tonight at 10 PM on FX. And it’s a hell of a way to start the season. But I won’t spoil anything.

Last week I attended the party for the Damages Season 2 DVD release and Season 3 premiere. My coverage of the event is linked to below (including three stories for AOL and two for ADD), followed by a photo gallery.


Tate Donovan Talks Life On And Off ‘Damages’ (January 21, 2010)
Despite Three Shows, Ted Danson Only Works Six Months a Year (January 22, 2010)
Michael Nouri: More Sci-Fi, Please (January 23, 2010)
‘Damages’ Season 3 Preview: Ripped From the Madoff Headlines (January 25, 2010)
Reiko Aylesworth: Break-Up Blonde (February 9, 2010)

Tate Donovan, who plays Tom Shayes. (Photo ©2010 by Bryan Reesman.)

Martin Short, who plays Leonard Winstone. (Photo ©2010 by Bryan Reesman.)

Michael Nouri, who plays Phil Grey. (Photo ©2010 by Bryan Reesman.)

Reiko Aylesworth, who plays Rachel Tobin. (Photo ©2010 by Bryan Reesman.)

Michael Nouri at the "Damages" party in NYC, Jan. 19th, 2010. (Photo © 2010 by Bryan Reesman.)

People probably tell Michael Nouri all the time that they loved him in Flashdance. Well, I loved him in The Hidden, the cult sci-fi film from 1987. Co-starring with Kyle McLachlan, Nouri tackled what has become a standard genre premise (cop helps alien track down an alien menace on Earth) and elevated it to high art thanks to his stellar performance. Nouri sold that movie. Why he didn’t become a star in that genre, I don’t know. When I mentioned that film and Nouri to Kyle McLachlan after an interview last June, he concurred with my assessment.

I recently met Michael Nouri on the red carpet for the Damages Season 2 DVD/Season 3 Premiere party in NYC. He has a supporting role on that FX show as the husband to high-powered lawyer Patty Hewes (Glenn Close). Nouri and I chatted very quickly, as usually happens under such circumstances. And it was entertaining.


Would you and Tate Donovan ever consider doing an O.C. reunion?
I think that would be great. I think it would be a lot of fun. I love working with Tate and with Ted Danson and Bill Hurt, although we have not scenes together in this show [Damages]. It’s great fun to be working with all my buddies.

You have a movie project coming up, The Sinatra Club. What can you tell us about that?
I do not play Sinatra. I did that last year. I play a gangster. It’s a movie about how John Gotti became John Gotti. I play one of the guys in his story.

Nouri's greatest performance?

You can’t talk about it too much for, err, legitimate reasons?
I can’t because I’ve forgotten.

You were in The Hidden, which was a great sci-fi film.
[smiles] That was a good movie.

I always thought it would have been a good launching pad for you to do sci-fi blockbusters. Have you ever wanted to do something in that vein again?
Yeah, I love sci-fi, and I particularly liked that movie. I understand they did a sequel to it which did not do well.

Would there be a particular kind of sci-fi movie that you’d want to do? A disaster movie maybe?
A disaster movie? No. I’m not keen on disaster movies. I’d like to do a romantic sci-fi comedy. Musical.

Do you have good jazz hands?
Yes, but you can’t see this [waves hands] in print.



My Dick Wolf interview in the December 1, 2009 issue of American Way.

Attending last year’s Monte-Carlo Television Festival for the first time was rather surreal, particularly seeing so many television celebrities doing interviews with multiple international media outlets. And it was a lot of fun. On top of attending various press conferences for stars of shows like Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty and House, I was able to snag interviews with Naveen Andrews and Jorge Garcia from Lost and Alana de la Garza from Law & Order. (And later, I watched Dana Delaney dance in a disco. Swoon…) My various Monte-Carlo news reports for E! Online can be found here. (As it was for her column, Kristin Dos Santos had the byline and wrote the intros, but I got the reporting credit.)

During my visit to Monaco I had the pleasure of meeting Law & Order creator/executive producer Dick Wolf and his producing partner Arthur W. Forney. I also lucked out and was able to chat with Wolf himself, twice. The first time was a minute long chat as he walked between a press conference and an interview, and the second when he was leaving one interview and going to his car. That lasted five minutes. There was enough material from those two quick chats to write a full feature for American Way (text reprint here – PDF here). Having armed myself with good questions, many from L&O aficionado/fellow writer Gail Flug, I landed a good story that touches upon many interesting aspects of this long-running franchise.

"Law & Order" star Alana de la Garza and creator/executive producer Dick Wolf answering press questions at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, June 2008. (Photo ©2009 by Bryan Reesman.)