This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Eila Mell: Hi there, this is Clayborne Elder and you're listening to Behind the Awards.

[0:12] Eila Mell: Hello and welcome to Behind the Awards. I'm Eila. I am here with Bruce.

[0:18] Bruce Gotlieb: Hello, Eila. Happy holidays to you and our listeners.

[0:21] Eila Mell: Is it too early to say Happy New Year? Probably not.

[0:24] Bruce Gotlieb: No, I mean, this episode is going to come out New Year's Eve. We are recording the day after Christmas, actually. We normally don't give our people behind the curtain of what the time frame is. This week it happens to be such.

[0:38] Eila Mell: So let's do a little year in review.

[0:41] Bruce Gotlieb: Some of our favorite moments of 2025.

[0:44] Eila Mell: Okay, all right. So yes, let's talk about some of the things that we've seen, that we've watched, that, you know.

[0:50] Bruce Gotlieb: Performances we've loved.

[0:52] Eila Mell: All right, you start.

[0:53] Bruce Gotlieb: I'm going to start with one of my favorite movies and performances of 2025, which I just saw last night. Kate Hudson.

[1:02] Eila Mell: I hear she is incredible in this movie.

[1:06] Bruce Gotlieb: She is absolutely incredible. The movie is phenomenal. I didn't know what to think going in. I didn't really know very much. I knew very, very little and I tried not to unearth anything. But man, was I just blown away by it. It was so good.

[1:30] Bruce Gotlieb: I am a Neil Diamond fan, as you know, so the music and I, you know, was very close to me. But my God, she gives an Oscar-winning performance.

[1:40] Eila Mell: Oh, that's great. Good for her.

[1:43] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, she's just someone who you like to watch, you know, doesn't matter what she's in. You know, she's got that. That it factor.

[1:53] Eila Mell: Absolutely.

[1:54] Bruce Gotlieb: I guess so.

[1:57] Eila Mell: All right. So my turn.

[2:01] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, my gosh, there's so much. But I think I have to go with the cast of Liberation because.

[2:08] Eila Mell: Oh, yeah.

[2:08] Bruce Gotlieb: And it's hard to pick anyone out.

[2:12] Eila Mell: No, they're all.

[2:13] Bruce Gotlieb: Although, I mean, I have to say our guest, Dorene Sophia Lucio is amazing, but so is Susanna Flood and Crystal and Lloyd. I mean, the whole cast is just so good. You know, I think it's still going to be running for a while. So go see it if you can, because it's really I think it's a special show.

[2:31] Eila Mell: It is.

[2:36] Bruce Gotlieb: It's one of those best best plays just waiting to happen, I feel like.

[2:41] Eila Mell: It is. It is certainly. And I think that, you know, whether you decide you want to go on like just a solo day and just enjoy something thought provoking by yourself, you want to bring your mom, girlfriend, whoever, you know, people, it's just one of those pieces that you can either really absorb by yourself or you can go with a group of people to have like a huge.

[3:04] Bruce Gotlieb: A lot of people are bringing their moms who, you know, were about the age of the characters when the play took place. And that is such a crazy experience that, you know, it really it's such a good time capsule and really captures that era. So if you can go with someone who was around during that era, all the better.

[3:26] Eila Mell: Sure. Well, that was good. Now that you you said that, and I, of course, would agree with you. I'm going to stay in theater. One of my favorite performances of 2025 is our former guest, Jasmine Amy Rogers, in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. She is.

[3:50] Bruce Gotlieb: You forget it's her up there. She just takes on this elementary school character and becomes it. And having seen her in last season, just encapsulating this Betty Boop character.

[4:06] Eila Mell: Not that you wouldn't think you mean she's an actress or you would expect her to be able to do.

[4:10] Bruce Gotlieb: Right. If she could only play Betty Boop, that would be a very limited career.

[4:15] Eila Mell: Yeah. But she the range is exceptional. I mean, she is really, really something special. And I believe she was on a New York Times list also that just came out of like Breakthrough Performers of the Year type of thing, which she is so deserving of. She's great. You know, you don't want somebody to move on too quickly from doing something. But what she does makes me so excited for whatever's next. We do know that she's going to be in The Wild Party at New York City Center.

[4:52] Bruce Gotlieb: So that's exciting to see.

[4:57] Eila Mell: Yeah, that's only two weeks. What's she going to do after that?

[5:02] Bruce Gotlieb: I would assume go back to Spelling Bee. But I mean, if you're casting a show and you need a leading lady, there you go. You need to call her people.

[5:10] Eila Mell: All right. Well, I am going to segue into TV and the whole cast. Just the show. Welcome to Derry. It. Welcome to Derry. Featuring our guest Matilda Lawler, which is why I asked her, because I mean, she's she knocks it out of the park on this show. But the whole show is fantastic. I think it's better than the movies, the it movies.

[5:31] Bruce Gotlieb: I think it's better than Stranger Things. I will be so bold as to say, you know, it's it's in that family, right? It's similar in that there's kids dealing with this supernatural element. What a series coming back for two more seasons. But I don't know that Matilda is going to be in it or any of the current cast because it's going to take place 27 years prior to this season. So we'll have to wait and see. But yeah. Wow. What a show.

[6:01] Eila Mell: You know, it's kind of fun to have those time jumps because you can explore different avenues of the story.

[6:05] Bruce Gotlieb: Of course, we want the people that we want to see. We want them to remain there, of course. But, you know, it's exciting. We get a lot of conversation about IP and properties and like, why don't people think of new things? And it's hard to think of new things, I'm sure. But when you can explore a property that exists and kind of flip it around and turn it around, that's the best type of reboot, right? Because it's not it's not a rehash of the it movies. It's a prequel.

[6:33] Eila Mell: So it's new ideas with characters that we know the relatives of. So it's really interesting. And some of, you know, Pennywise, of course, isn't this and it's the same actor as the movies, which is thrilling.

[6:46] Bruce Gotlieb: Bill Skarsgård.

[6:46] Eila Mell: Yeah, it sparks, you know, it's I would assume very flattering when you get sparked, you know, when the originator gets credit for sparking somebody else's creativity.

[6:58] Bruce Gotlieb: You got one more.

[7:06] Eila Mell: I have one more. It feels a little safe. Honestly, want to change it?

[7:13] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, it feels a little safe because of the other two, which the other two were more recent viewings for me. But I am I'm going to just say as a performer in general, because I'm taking the movie that I saw and the musical that I saw, I have to give Jonathan Groff still between just in time and having seen because I missed Merrily on stage, having been able to see the pro shot that they did, man, he is just something he is.

[7:41] Eila Mell: He was great in Merrily.

[7:41] Bruce Gotlieb: Really great. But just in time, even better because he just does so much. It's crazy what that role requires of him. And he lives up to every moment of that show. There's just like I feel like when he's on, like when the material, when everything meets and is right, that lightning in a bottle moment just is electric.

[8:04] Eila Mell: It really is one of those performances. And I'm sure the understudy is great. And whoever's going to replace him, I'm sure will be fine. Now, we'll be we'll be good. But if you can see him, it's really great. And then see it again.

[8:15] Bruce Gotlieb: I just takes over.

[8:22] Eila Mell: Yeah. Since I saw it the first time, because I have seen it more than once since I saw it the first time, it's just one of those performances that I can't get out of my head. You know, you hear a song, you have a moment that kind of flashes your memory back and it is still there. And it is, you know, every time somebody talks about, oh, I want to see it with you. Everyone's date. Look at you. Why not?

[8:45] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. Well, I'm going to end with with our guest today, Carrie Preston, who continues to just be incredible as Elsbeth.

[8:54] Eila Mell: I know how much I love it. But, you know, the show would be nothing without care. I mean, listen, the supporting cast is fantastic. Wendell Pearson, I you know, that's all I have to say. But the show is called Elsbeth for a reason. She just is sure such a breath of fresh air from any other character that you see on TV. She's just you love her and she's super smart and, you know, she's quirky and she has her own style. And there's so much it's just it's such a fun show and she's so good in it.

[9:34] Bruce Gotlieb: So she's great. I'm so thrilled that she's back with us again for a second chance. So let's bring her out. I don't want to wait anymore. And also exciting is that with this episode will come out on New Year's Eve and that weekend, that first weekend in January, she's up for a Critics Choice Award. So.

[9:52] Eila Mell: Yes. So fingers crossed. That's right.

[9:52] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. Let's bring her out.

[10:02] Carrie Preston: Hi, this is Carrie Preston and behind the awards, we'll be right back.

[10:07] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, Bruce, you know that I'm just the hugest Elsbeth fan.

[10:07] Eila Mell: You certainly are. So we got the call. So we are so thrilled to welcome back Carrie Preston, who has a big, gigantic Elsbeth cup. How do we get those?

[10:22] Carrie Preston: Wow. Right. It's there was this was a crew gift this year.

[10:26] Eila Mell: Oh, Yeti.

[10:26] Carrie Preston: And I keep all I keep it full of water so I can make sure I'm hydrating all that's important.

[10:32] Eila Mell: Oh, wow. Well, welcome back to our show and season three of Elsbeth. How exciting.

[10:38] Carrie Preston: It is exciting. I know. And it's just such a gift every day when I go to set and I think, wow, this 15 years ago, I played this character as a guest spot. And now, you know, this is season three of a show called Elsbeth. It's just always a pinch me moment for me. I mean, it's really it's such a rarity for something like that to happen.

[11:00] Bruce Gotlieb: I know. I know. I mean, Sarah Steele came on the show recently and she and I were talking about how fun it is to be just a handful of people who can say that they have played the same character over three different universes.

[11:12] Carrie Preston: Yeah. And what a privilege that is.

[11:17] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. Well, what's new with Elsbeth this season? I mean, I can tell you, of course, but I would rather you say it.

[11:24] Carrie Preston: Right now, it's so fun. Well, you know, she's dealing with her best friend not being there every day. So, you know, she's been a little lonely, but Elsbeth never met a stranger, you know, so she's definitely been using this opportunity to stretch a little bit, get to know some other people. Sometimes maybe she makes her herself a little too available to some people, maybe, for example, Judge Crawford's wife, widow. Right. So we'll see how that goes. But also, you know, Elsbeth realized, you know, dating a guy who lives in Scotland might not be the best way to have a working relationship with someone.

[12:04] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, I don't know. It does have advantages.

[12:11] Carrie Preston: It doesn't get old. It doesn't get old. But I think, you know, we find out early on in the season that she and Angus, although they like each other so much, you know, neither one of them is willing to make the big move to be with the other because they really like where they are.

[12:28] Bruce Gotlieb: And so that was a bittersweet moment, you know, for Elsbeth. But her relationship, her love life is with her work.

[12:36] Carrie Preston: Yeah. I was thinking as you were saying that Elsbeth really isn't that much about romance.

[12:42] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. Her romance is with work, with, you know, reinventing herself as this detective person using all of her skills that she amassed over the years as being this ace lawyer and has really kind of found what she feels is her calling, which is trying to bring people to justice and put together all the clues that she needs to do to make that happen.

[13:09] Carrie Preston: And she could not leave her son behind anyway.

[13:15] Bruce Gotlieb: No. And she has, you know, she's really she and Teddy have really deepened their relationship, being able to, you know, see each other on a more regular basis. And, you know, Elsbeth has a hard time with boundaries, but she's getting better. And, you know, what I love about her relationship with Teddy is that it's based in love more than conflict. And, you know, yes, they do have, you know, moments where they butt heads like any mother and son or mother and child do. But ultimately, they always love and respect each other. And it's just such a sweet relationship. And I love the scenes with Ben who plays.

[13:50] Eila Mell: Yeah. Well, let's let's talk about.

[13:53] Eila Mell: Welcome back to another episode of Behind the Awards. I'm Eila Mell.

[14:02] Bruce Gotlieb: And I'm Bruce Gotlieb. Today, we have a fantastic guest joining us.

[14:10] Eila Mell: Yes, we do! She is an Emmy-winning star known for her incredible performances.

[14:20] Bruce Gotlieb: That's right! We're thrilled to have Carrie Preston back on the show.

[14:28] Eila Mell: Carrie is returning to discuss Season 3 of her award-nominated series, Elsbeth.

[14:38] Bruce Gotlieb: She'll share some behind-the-scenes secrets and insights about her character.

[14:46] Eila Mell: Plus, we're going to talk about some exciting guest stars this season.

[14:56] Bruce Gotlieb: And we can't wait to hear about her experiences and favorite moments.

[15:04] Eila Mell: So, without further ado, let's welcome Carrie Preston to the show!

[15:14] Carrie Preston: Thank you so much for having me back! I'm excited to be here.

[15:22] Bruce Gotlieb: We’re excited to have you! So, how has it been returning to the role of Elsbeth?

[15:32] Carrie Preston: It’s been amazing! Elsbeth is such a fun character to play, and this season has some really exciting twists.

[15:40] Eila Mell: I love that! Can you tell us a bit about the new guest stars joining the cast this season?

[15:50] Carrie Preston: Absolutely! We have some incredible talent this season, including Lindsey Mendez and Laura Benanti.

[15:58] Bruce Gotlieb: Wow, that’s a fantastic lineup! What can fans expect from their characters?

[16:08] Carrie Preston: Each guest brings something unique to the show, and their characters really shake things up for Elsbeth.

[16:16] Eila Mell: That sounds intriguing! I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.

[16:26] Bruce Gotlieb: Speaking of unfolding, I remember you mentioning some Easter eggs in the show. Can you share a little about that?

[16:34] Carrie Preston: Yes! There are definitely some hidden gems and references that fans should keep an eye out for.

[16:44] Eila Mell: I love that! It makes watching the show even more fun.

[16:52] Bruce Gotlieb: It really does! And I have to ask, what’s the secret behind Elsbeth’s many bags?

[17:02] Carrie Preston: Oh, each bag has its own story! They’re like little pieces of Elsbeth’s personality.

[17:10] Eila Mell: That’s such a clever detail! It really adds depth to her character.

[17:20] Bruce Gotlieb: Absolutely! And I know you’ve had some incredible experiences throughout your career.

[17:28] Carrie Preston: Yes, I’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing people over the years.

[17:38] Eila Mell: Speaking of experiences, I remember you mentioned a gender-bending performance you did years ago.

[17:46] Carrie Preston: Yes! It was opposite Vanessa Redgrave at The Public, and it was such a transformative experience for me.

[17:56] Bruce Gotlieb: That sounds incredible! What was it like working with such a legendary actress?

[18:04] Carrie Preston: It was surreal! She’s a powerhouse, and I learned so much from her.

[18:14] Eila Mell: I can only imagine! It must have been a memorable experience.

[18:22] Bruce Gotlieb: Definitely! And now you’re back with Elsbeth, which has become such a beloved character.

[18:32] Carrie Preston: Yes, I feel so lucky to bring her to life again.

[18:40] Eila Mell: We’re lucky to have you! And I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Elsbeth this season.

[18:47] Bruce Gotlieb: Me too! It’s going to be an exciting ride.

[18:54] Carrie Preston: Thank you! I hope everyone enjoys watching as much as I enjoy performing.

[19:01] Eila Mell: Thank you for staying tuned, everyone! We’ll be right back with more from Carrie Preston.

[28:15] Carrie Preston: How did that become a thing?

[29:45] Eila Mell: How did it become a thing for you, and how did it become a part of your new life in New York?

[29:50] Carrie Preston: And a reflection of that. She must have, she has to have like the biggest closet in New York, because all of her bags will stay somewhere.

[29:56] Eila Mell: Yeah, I like to think that she also, you know, bought the studio apartment next door and that's just her clothes and her bags.

[30:05] Carrie Preston: I personally transformed a bedroom in my house to be my closet. So I get it.

[30:10] Eila Mell: Wow.

[30:11] Carrie Preston: Yeah. Amazing.

[30:13] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[30:14] Carrie Preston: It's great to have that in New York.

[30:15] Eila Mell: Absolutely.

[30:16] Carrie Preston: Elsbeth like did well in her life. She did well in her career as a lawyer.

[30:22] Carrie Preston: She did well in her divorce. And she's, you know, invested, I think, well, so she has enough money to, you know, have a comfortable life.

[30:31] Eila Mell: Absolutely.

[30:32] Carrie Preston: Yeah. But also she's not extravagant in obvious ways, which is fun.

[30:36] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[30:37] Carrie Preston: I mean, her clothes are expensive, but then she also buys things that aren't, you know, she balances it out.

[30:41] Carrie Preston: She'll have a designer thing. Dan Lawson, the costume designer, does the same thing.

[30:48] Carrie Preston: You know, one day I'll be wearing Alexander McQueen and the next day I'll be wearing something tailored that was bought in Chinatown.

[30:54] Eila Mell: Right.

[30:55] Carrie Preston: So, you know, it's a nice high-low kind of thing.

[30:58] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[30:59] Carrie Preston: Which is what, you know, the most stylish people do.

[31:01] Eila Mell: Yes.

[31:02] Carrie Preston: Just this episode that we're shooting right now, Dan Lawson was asked to bid on a couple of items that Iris Apfel, who actually wore, and he won a bid for a coat.

[31:16] Carrie Preston: So I am actually wearing something that Iris Apfel wore.

[31:19] Eila Mell: Oh my God.

[31:20] Carrie Preston: And she, you know, is very much a, you know, design, you know, style inspiration for any woman over a certain age in New York.

[31:28] Eila Mell: Right.

[31:29] Carrie Preston: Right. She really likes that tone.

[31:31] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[31:32] Carrie Preston: And I think Elizabeth is, you know, definitely a descendant of that kind of styling.

[31:37] Eila Mell: Now that you say that, I can totally see that influence, but I wouldn't have thought it going in.

[31:41] Carrie Preston: Yeah. I mean, you know, Dan has been costuming Elizabeth since day one.

[31:46] Carrie Preston: So there's no one else that has seen how she dresses more than him.

[31:53] Carrie Preston: And I feel like he and I work really well together, meaning I stand there like a paper doll and I let him put the character on me and then I go, great.

[32:03] Eila Mell: How fun.

[32:04] Carrie Preston: It's pretty awesome. It's very rare that I say, oh, I'm not sure about this.

[32:08] Carrie Preston: You know?

[32:09] Carrie Preston: Oh, well, if he, he'll ask me sometimes and I always try to figure out, is he wanting me to say yes? Or is he wanting me to say no?

[32:15] Carrie Preston: You know, do you think this is too much? And I'll think it's because I will, I will wear whatever it is that he envisions for me because he's got that much level of genius.

[32:27] Carrie Preston: But generally I feel like when he says, is this too much? He's wanting me to say yes because I think he realizes that he might've gone a little overboard and he wants just confirmation.

[32:39] Eila Mell: So that's really fun.

[32:41] Carrie Preston: But lately he's been letting me wear sneakers, which has been nice because, you know, my argument to him was not only is it more comfortable for me as an actor, but Elizabeth has been living in New York enough that she is huffing it way more than she did in Chicago.

[32:56] Eila Mell: Of course.

[32:57] Carrie Preston: Yeah. She's, she's going to want something. It's going to be stylish and cute and pink, but you know, something he can stop around New York a little easier in.

[33:06] Eila Mell: Right.

[33:07] Carrie Preston: Elizabeth has long days.

[33:08] Eila Mell: Elizabeth has long days.

[33:09] Carrie Preston: She needs arch support.

[33:10] Eila Mell: Arch support, you know, a little bit of cushion.

[33:13] Carrie Preston: Yeah. I categorize my shoes by the amount of time I am able to wear them without a lot of pain.

[33:19] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[33:20] Carrie Preston: Yeah.

[33:21] Carrie Preston: So she can't be wearing like a two-hour shoe. She needs an all-day shoe.

[33:24] Eila Mell: She needs an all-day shoe for sure.

[33:26] Carrie Preston: And also, you know, all the jumping around that I do as an actor, you know, I'm really, how can I slide into this room, you know, for some way to, you know, do something like that?

[33:35] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[33:36] Carrie Preston: Yeah. I think it's more fun. Certainly more fun for me.

[33:39] Carrie Preston: And I hope it's more fun for the audience.

[33:41] Carrie Preston: And then it's fun when you get to, you know, wear a gown and dress up. It's not that often that the character gets to do that, but when it is, it's spectacular.

[33:48] Eila Mell: Yes.

[33:49] Carrie Preston: I know.

[33:50] Carrie Preston: It's all. And I think, you know, Dan, like the Halloween episode, if you saw where I'm dressed in four different looks from My Fair Lady.

[33:58] Eila Mell: Yes.

[34:00] Carrie Preston: Wow. Those costumes were extraordinary.

[34:02] Carrie Preston: And they were all hand built.

[34:03] Eila Mell: Wow.

[34:04] Carrie Preston: From scratch by John Christensen, who's one of the biggest builders of, you know, Broadway costumes and theater, film, TV in New York.

[34:13] Carrie Preston: And so, you know, they made those costumes tailor fit for me.

[34:17] Carrie Preston: And I only wear them for one episode.

[34:19] Eila Mell: The detail is just mind-blowing.

[34:21] Carrie Preston: Yeah.

[34:22] Eila Mell: Then they should donate them to some local production of My Fair Lady.

[34:25] Carrie Preston: I know, right?

[34:26] Carrie Preston: They really should.

[34:27] Carrie Preston: I mean, I don't even know where those kinds of those kind of very specific specialty costumes end up going.

[34:33] Carrie Preston: But, you know, maybe for auction or something, or maybe.

[34:35] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[34:36] Carrie Preston: Right. It's like the gown that they could put in their own, like, you know, warehouse.

[34:40] Eila Mell: Recycle that.

[34:42] Carrie Preston: Really.

[34:43] Carrie Preston: I mean, I guess they could if somebody else was doing a Halloween episode.

[34:46] Eila Mell: That's something that you only see in TV.

[34:48] Carrie Preston: Like I, Bruce and I actually get invited to an annual Halloween party and I never see that level of costume.

[34:56] Eila Mell: Oh, yeah.

[34:57] Carrie Preston: Okay.

[34:58] Carrie Preston: Got it.

[34:59] Carrie Preston: This was top tier.

[35:00] Eila Mell: Top.

[35:01] Carrie Preston: Wow.

[35:02] Carrie Preston: Yeah.

[35:03] Carrie Preston: That Elisabeth put some serious money into her costume.

[35:04] Eila Mell: That's not much.

[35:05] Carrie Preston: She loves Halloween.

[35:06] Eila Mell: That's right.

[35:07] Carrie Preston: Right.

[35:08] Carrie Preston: She's willing to invest.

[35:09] Eila Mell: I know.

[35:10] Carrie Preston: It's so cute in the episode how she said, I couldn't just pick one costume, so I'm doing Halloween.

[35:14] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[35:15] Carrie Preston: Wear one.

[35:17] Eila Mell: So she could wear one every day.

[35:18] Carrie Preston: Yes.

[35:19] Eila Mell: That's what we love about it.

[35:20] Carrie Preston: I know.

[35:21] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[35:22] Carrie Preston: Like, I just want to be friends with them.

[35:23] Eila Mell: What was it like?

[35:24] Carrie Preston: Yes.

[35:26] Eila Mell: Is Thestan the last show that you did on Broadway?

[35:28] Carrie Preston: Yeah. You're right about that. I haven't been an actor on stage in any production since then.

[35:37] Carrie Preston: And that was 20 years ago or something.

[35:39] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[35:40] Carrie Preston: Is that something that you'd like to get back to?

[35:42] Eila Mell: I mean, you're very busy right now.

[35:44] Carrie Preston: Yeah, I am.

[35:45] Carrie Preston: And I have directed a play. I directed a play. I enjoyed it.

[35:49] Carrie Preston: I also direct TV, and I like that side of it.

[35:55] Carrie Preston: Lately, I've been thinking it would be something that I would want to do again, get back on stage again.

[36:01] Carrie Preston: It has to be the right thing, of course.

[36:04] Carrie Preston: It's exhausting doing eight shows a week.

[36:07] Carrie Preston: It's exhausting in a different way than 14, 15 hours on a set is for an actor.

[36:15] Carrie Preston: And just when you're working on TV, you get Saturday and Sunday off.

[36:21] Carrie Preston: In theater, you only get one day off, and that does make a difference.

[36:26] Carrie Preston: But yes, I definitely feel like I will make it back.

[36:29] Carrie Preston: That was my first love.

[36:31] Carrie Preston: That's what I trained to do.

[36:33] Carrie Preston: I did so many classical plays in my 20s and 30s, and new plays, and go all over the country and do theater.

[36:42] Carrie Preston: So I think it would be fun, and scary, but fun to see what all of these years of doing film and TV has done for me as a performer on stage.

[36:53] Eila Mell: Yeah, because everything influences each other, right?

[36:56] Carrie Preston: Everything influences each other, yeah.

[36:59] Carrie Preston: But lately, when I go to shows, I'll say to myself, now, would I want to do that?

[37:04] Carrie Preston: And I'll say, well, if it's as good as that, then yeah, but there's no guarantee.

[37:09] Eila Mell: What was the last thing you were able to see?

[37:11] Carrie Preston: I guess the last thing was Ragtime.

[37:13] Eila Mell: Oh, okay.

[37:14] Carrie Preston: Yeah, that I saw.

[37:15] Eila Mell: But I don't do musicals.

[37:16] Carrie Preston: Okay.

[37:17] Eila Mell: So I leave that to those geniuses.

[37:24] Carrie Preston: Back when I was doing theater, it was really a lot of Shakespeare and a lot of classical work.

[37:30] Carrie Preston: And I enjoy that, and I spent many, many years training and working on that, and made my way through a lot of really great roles.

[37:43] Carrie Preston: But the thing with Shakespeare is, the roles that I loved so much when I was younger, I've aged out of, and I'm not that excited to play some of the more mature female roles in Shakespeare.

[37:58] Carrie Preston: They aren't as exciting to me.

[38:00] Carrie Preston: Now, I've played men's roles before, and maybe that could be-

[38:05] Eila Mell: Oh, that's fun.

[38:06] Carrie Preston: I played Caesar once opposite Vanessa Redgrave at the Public Theater.

[38:10] Eila Mell: Amazing.

[38:11] Carrie Preston: Wow.

[38:12] Eila Mell: How about that?

[38:13] Carrie Preston: Nancy corrected it.

[38:14] Eila Mell: Wow.

[38:15] Carrie Preston: How?

[38:16] Carrie Preston: Oh my gosh.

[38:17] Carrie Preston: And I was like Caesar, so I was completely in drag.

[38:19] Carrie Preston: I cut off all my hair, I was wearing boys' clothes.

[38:22] Carrie Preston: And it was one of those moments that not very many people can say they've had.

[38:27] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[38:28] Carrie Preston: No, that's pretty great.

[38:29] Eila Mell: Was the whole cast female, or just roles?

[38:31] Carrie Preston: No, I was the only one that was non-gender.

[38:34] Eila Mell: That's so fun.

[38:35] Carrie Preston: Wow.

[38:36] Eila Mell: Wow.

[38:37] Carrie Preston: How did that come about? Do you know why you were cast in that role?

[38:39] Carrie Preston: Yeah. We had auditioned, all of us.

[38:42] Carrie Preston: We were asked to do a monologue from the play.

[38:46] Carrie Preston: And I was auditioning to play Octavia Caesar, who is Caesar's sister.

[38:51] Carrie Preston: She doesn't have any monologues. She just had a few lines here and there.

[38:56] Carrie Preston: And then the only female character in the play that had monologues was Cleopatra.

[39:00] Carrie Preston: Well, I wasn't going to go in and do a Cleopatra monologue for Vanessa Redgrave who was playing Cleopatra.

[39:06] Eila Mell: Right.

[39:07] Carrie Preston: Get her away. I'm not going to do that, because that's just crazy.

[39:12] Carrie Preston: So I decided, okay, well, I'll just do one of Caesar's monologues, of which there are a billion.

[39:18] Carrie Preston: It's a huge role.

[39:19] Carrie Preston: And then she'll see that I can handle the language.

[39:22] Carrie Preston: And then maybe she'll let me play the woman that has six lines.

[39:25] Carrie Preston: So I went in and did the monologue.

[39:27] Carrie Preston: I was wearing a dress. I wasn't even trying to be a boy.

[39:31] Carrie Preston: But she just loved the idea so much that Caesar would be this effeminate character that Antony and Cleopatra did not see as a threat at all.

[39:46] Carrie Preston: And meanwhile, he elevates himself to be the emperor of the known world.

[39:51] Carrie Preston: So before they know it, he has taken over their empires.

[39:57] Carrie Preston: And so it worked out, I think, for her vision for the production.

[40:02] Carrie Preston: And all the guys in the cast were furious because they had all auditioned to play it.

[40:08] Carrie Preston: And then I'm this 20-something girl coming in.

[40:11] Carrie Preston: But I had already played Miranda in The Tempest with Patrick Stewart in New York City, and it had gone to Broadway.

[40:20] Carrie Preston: And so I had at least shown that I was someone who could be trusted with something of that size.

[40:27] Carrie Preston: But it was truly scary and amazing.

[40:33] Carrie Preston: And it was a very lawless production.

[40:35] Carrie Preston: I mean, to have the director on stage with you, sometimes things would get a little out of hand.

[40:41] Carrie Preston: You know?

[40:42] Eila Mell: Sure.

[40:43] Carrie Preston: Guys would forget I was a woman and roughhouse me, and I got a black eye, and oh my God.

[40:49] Carrie Preston: It was just like one of those kinds of shows.

[40:52] Eila Mell: But nonetheless, it makes for some great theater stories.

[40:55] Carrie Preston: Wow.

[40:56] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[40:57] Carrie Preston: It's incredible.

[40:58] Eila Mell: All right.

[40:59] Eila Mell: Well, unfortunately, we know you have another appointment, so we have to end this.

[41:04] Carrie Preston: I'm so sad.

[41:05] Eila Mell: But I hope that you'll come back again to talk about season four of Elsbeth.

[41:09] Carrie Preston: I hope so, too. I just love this show so much.

[41:12] Eila Mell: Thank you.

[41:13] Carrie Preston: We love having you on.

[41:14] Eila Mell: Thank you.

[41:15] Carrie Preston: If you're not watching, go start at season one and just binge your way through The Snowy Weekend.

[41:19] Carrie Preston: Oh my gosh. It'll feel like 10 minutes because it's the most fun show.

[41:22] Eila Mell: Oh, thank you so much.

[41:23] Carrie Preston: We love doing it, and I'm so glad that we've had this opportunity to talk about it.

[41:27] Eila Mell: Yes.

[41:28] Carrie Preston: All right.

[41:29] Eila Mell: Well, thank you, Carrie.

[41:30] Eila Mell: And we will see everyone next time on Behind the Awards.

[41:32] Carrie Preston: Bye-bye.