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Molly Parker, who laughingly calls herself a "snobby independent-film type" wasn't so sure about auditioning for the part of the sedated, rich man's wife in Deadwood. "Alma didn't figure much in the pilot," she says. "The part was so small, I think she had two lines." But Parker admired the writing and the story, and with a nudge from her agent, she met with series creator David Milch about the role. "We talked a while, and David said, 'Do you have any questions?' And I said, 'Yes--who is she?"
Milch's answer was forty minutes long. "He just painted a picture of this person that was so amazing," she says. You know, women in Westerns don't always receive the best representation. But he has such immense compassion for the characters, particularly the women. I just listened the whole time. And then I read my two lines. And he said, 'That's it. That's her.'"
Now the Canadian-born Parker, at 32 a veteran of films like Wonderland, Sunshine and Center of the World, finds her Victorian society widow emerging as one of the series' most compelling characters. "Alma is such a mystery, even to herself," Parker says. "But when her husband dies, this small voice in her tells her that she could get to be a real person if she stays in this town. And that's not a possibility for her if she goes home. "
So how does Parker, who lives outside L.A. with her director husband Matt Bissonette, feel about her suddenly high-profile role? "I'm so used to doing films that not many people see," she says. "And I've not had a relationship with a character that's existed for this length of time. So it's odd to hear people talk about it...and also great." |
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