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Chloë Sevigny talks about her on-set family, jealousy and a kinder,
gentler Nicki |
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HBO
So Big Love can be hard to characterize. How do you describe it to people?
SEVIGNY
I always say, well it's a family drama, but there are three wives. [Laughs] So everything that you would see in a family drama, the love and hate and sex, is there in three generations, which I think is one of the strong points about our show. You have the elders and their storyline, then you have the sister wives, then you have the teenagers. So there is just so much there - it's so dense.
HBO
When you were first reading the script, did you always see yourself playing Nicki and not the other wives?
SEVIGNY
Oh, yeah. I spoke to Mark and Will, the creators, early on, and they said they had me in mind for the part of Nicki when they were actually conceiving the project.
HBO
That was kind of ambitious of them, since you had never committed to a television series before.
SEVIGNY
No, but I was the first person cast. For me, the hardest part was having to sign on for a possible six seasons, especially because I live in New York City and the thought of having to be in Los Angeles six months a year was really disheartening. That was also the hardest part of shooting the series — having to be out here.
HBO
So has it been worth it, so far?
SEVIGNY
I think it's been the most fulfilling acting experience I have ever had in my life. I'm really excited about going back and doing more. But the California part is hard.
HBO
What made it so satisfying?
SEVIGNY
I think having a different director every episode. And also just the nature of the character and how complex she is. For half of the season my character is manic and I have never been anything near to that before. So it was very challenging.
HBO
Can you talk a little bit about what life was like on the set for you?
SEVIGNY
I actually became very close with Ginnifer and Jeanne, my sister wives on the show. And the younger kids kind of come to me for advice, about different aspects of their life. So it did feel like a family. The writers and producers' rooms are right next door to the stages, so they were always right there on hand if we needed any insight into any scenes or anything, which was very comforting, especially since we had a different director for every episode.
HBO
What kind of stuff did you talk to the younger actors about?
SEVIGNY
Well with Amanda, who plays the teen daughter, we talk about her career and being an actress in Hollywood, and all the difficulties that go along with that — auditioning and that sort of stuff. And Doug (Ben) and I talked a lot about music, 'cause he is getting into all kinds of different music, and I am a big fan, so we traded CD's and talked about his love life and things like that.
HBO
So is there anything about a polygamist family that you think is appealing?
SEVIGNY
[LAUGHS] Um... I think having other women around would be really appealing to me. Sharing the child rearing and chores and whatever else. Just to always have companionship with other women would be nice. But if people want to practice polygamy, who am I to say anything? I think that's what's great about America, is you can practice any religion. It's unfortunate though when it's forced upon young people, and that's when I really have the biggest problem with it.
HBO
Aside from the abusive types, what do you think would be the hardest thing about that lifestyle?
SEVIGNY
Well, sharing your man. [LAUGHS] I could never do that, I am too jealous. In my own life, I'm incredibly jealous. And I think that comes through in Nicki.
HBO
Yeah, Nicki is kind of scene stealer.
SEVIGNY
Is she? I don' t know. She definitely likes to [LAUGHS] stir the pot. I used to hear about actors saying stuff like 'the part was torturing me, I couldn't do it anymore.' And I was like, 'Oh, whatever.' But by the end of the season, Nicki was just driving me insane. She was just so manipulative. I felt like, can't you just be sympathetic for once?
HBO
[LAUGHS]
SEVIGNY
I was having breakdowns on the set, saying 'I don't want to do this anymore. [LAUGHS] Can't you write me a nice scene?'
HBO
So do you think we will ever see a Nice Nicki?
SEVIGNY
I am looking forward to more of a softer side of Nicki... We'll see.
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