Sasha Alexander interview with T.V. Guide

A Day Out With Rizzoli & Isles Star Sasha Alexander

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Sasha Alexander is nothing if not brave. After all, this is the same actress currently starring as medical examiner Maura Isles on Season 3 of TNT's smash procedural Rizzoli & Isles — who walked away from a lead role on NCIS after only two seasons. She married the son of legendary Italian sex symbol Sophia Loren, a gig not for the faint of heart. And today, Alexander, 39, is swinging upside down from a trapeze suspended far above the Santa Monica Pier her suggestion despite admitting that she's spooked by heights. We set out to investigate what fuels her fearlessness.

TV Guide Magazine: When you quit the plum part as NCIS Agent Caitlin Todd in 2005, did everyone think you were nuts?
Alexander: Yeah. People don't realize that on a network show, you make 24 episodes a year — that's 10½ months a year, 17 hours a day. It's hard core. Plus, people really loved the character, and the way they did it was really shocking...it was a bullet to the head, you know?

TV Guide Magazine: Any regrets?
Alexander: I really firmly believe in my heart that I would not be where I am today happily married, with two kids, doing things creatively that I want if I had stayed. I didn't want to wake up and be in my forties and go, "Oh, my gosh!" But people don't understand.

TV Guide Magazine: Let's travel even further back on your résumé — to a little place called Dawson's Creek. You played James Van Der Beek's older love interest! Do tell...
Alexander: I was so fascinated by how these very young people — James and Josh [Jackson] and Katie [Holmes] and Michelle [Williams] were dealing with being teenagers and going through all that. Fangirls were really jealous of me, like, "What's he like to kiss?" And I'm like, "Good?" What do you say?

TV Guide Magazine: So how'd the role in Rizzoli & Isles come to be?
Alexander: After NCIS, I wanted to be really diligent about picking characters I want to play every week and that show all sides of me. They brought me in to read with Angie [Harmon] — we'd never met, but we immediately clicked.

TV Guide Magazine: The show hinges on the chemistry between you as best friends a bond that was tested earlier this season. How would you describe the dynamic?
Alexander: There's a friction, a fieriness, that I think is good. I feel like, this season, we've really hit an amazing stride together...there's a looseness, a real synergy. Jane and Maura rebuilding their trust [after Jane shot Maura's biological gangster father] has made things much stronger.

TV Guide Magazine: Who's your real-life Rizzoli?
Alexander: She's an actress Jessica Capshaw from Grey's Anatomy. We met 12, 13 years ago because people would always say, "You remind me of my friend Jessica," and it was the same for her about me. So many people said it mutually that finally we saw each other at an audition and she said, "Hey, do you mind waiting for me? Let's go have a coffee." And that was it. She's the godmother to my daughter, I'm the godmother to her son. She's hilarious.

TV Guide Magazine: How did you and writer-director Edoardo Ponti get together?
Alexander: We met at film school at USC. He was always lovely he had a smile that gave me enormous comfort, even though I didn't know him. Eight years later, I'd worked an all-nighter on NCIS and I was sitting in a restaurant eating breakfast with a hat on, and he walked up to my table and said, "Sasha, do you remember me?"

TV Guide Magazine: What's it like having a bombshell for a mother-in-law?
Alexander: The first time we met, it was intimidating. This was six months in. But the minute I walked in, she gave me a hug and a kiss. She's an extremely warm person. She's phenomenal; she's stunning. She loves to eat and sleep and live. When we go out, we have Prosecco, chocolate and everything in between. It's funny: I took her to the airport yesterday, and she was like, "What is this book everyone's talking about?" I bought her Fifty Shades of Grey and told her she needs to read it.

Lee Thompson Young on watching Sasha Alexander & Angie Harmon work.

“This is really a treat for me as an actor, to watch Rizzoli and Isles playing off of each other, and I’ve developed this analogy in my mind that it’s like watching Charlie Parker and Miles Davis having a little improv session, because their styles are so different.”

“They’re almost like polar opposites,” he adds. “And yet they find this rhythm together so they can play back and forth, and it’s like a master class. I feel like INSIDE THE ACTOR’S STUDIO every day. I’m like,’ “Wow, how did she get there?’ It’s really a pleasure to watch the chemistry between the two [Harmon and Alexander].”

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Norman Buckley, Betty Buckley's brother, Directing episode 311 Rizzoli & Isles

Norman Buckley began directing episode 311 of Rizzoli & Isles today. Buckley has directed numerous television shows including Pretty Little Liars, The Client List and Gossip Girl. His sister is acclaimed Broadway star Betty Buckley.

From IMDB:
The OC episode "The Metamorphosis", directed by Buckley, was selected as one of the five best episodes of the series by Entertainment Weekly magazine.
The Gossip Girl episode "The Handmaiden's Tale", directed by Buckley, was selected as one of the top ten TV episodes of 2007 by Newsweek Magazine.



From the set of Rizzoli & Isles:

Sharon Lawrence talks instant chemistry with Sasha Alexander on Rizzoli & Isles

SHARON LAWRENCE
RIZZOLI AND ISLES
by: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?
A) I did the show "Rizzoli and Isles" and I am also on the show "Drop Dead Diva" again this season. I think that airs in August. I'm also in the film The Middle of Nowhere, which was just honored as one of the gala films at the LA Film Festival. It will be released by Participant in October. It won also won Best Director at Sundance for Ava DuVernay, the first African American woman to ever win that award. I also serve Women in Film, the group that's been around for thirty-five years working towards a global vision for women in the entertainment market place.
Q) What can you tell us about your character Dr. Hope Martin on "Rizzoli and Isles?"
A) She is the long lost and long discussed birth mother to Maura Isles. She is not aware that her daughter is someone who has actually enlisted her assistance in a technique to determine a murder victim. She doesn't know that the scientist working right across from in the lab is indeed her daughter. She does feel a real excitement about someone who shares her passion for this work and who respects the techniques she developed as a scientist in the 80s to determine bodies during the Bosnian War. That endeavor in her life is one that I think is very telling. She's reuniting the physical remains of people who have passed with their families. And actually, with her own story, she herself has a huge piece missing. She and Maura share that passion for the work that they do, that analytical sensibility, but they also have a big gap that only Maura knows the truth about.
Q) Were you a fan of the show before being asked to guest star?
A) Yes! And I was really a fan of the fact that it's based on a book written by a woman, Tess Gerritsen, and created as a television series by a woman, Janet Tamaro. I liked it stars two female leads and I think it very accurately shows the complexity that women have. These women are daughters, colleagues, friends and professionals and the show really does capture the modern woman's juggling act. It's very gratifying to serve their vision.
Q) What challenged you about this role?
A) Well, I think the emotional depth of a character who has lost someone is always a compelling thing to play. On "Drop Dead Diva," I also lost a daughter, but there is a much lighter and more soulful well draw from - a sense of completion. She is someone who has been able to move through her grief in a more productive way. This character is someone who is trapped in a way that she doesn't quite understand and certainly doesn't acknowledge. She is someone who lives in her mind the way Maura does. For me, as an actor, one of the challenges and one of the rewards was trying to find the way to create a realistic portrayal of mother and daughter who have never known each other, but yet share similar qualities. We physically resemble each other in a very striking way so that was easy or helpful. Then I worked to find the physical behaviors or quirks that Maura has and included them in my performance.

Q) Was there instant chemistry when you began working with Sasha Alexander?
A) Yes! Unequivocally it was great! She is an amazing actor. What she manages to balance - she's aware that she's only inches away from the woman that gave her away and who she's had all these complex feelings for. Her assumption about this woman is not true and she can't even reach out, touch her and tell her because it's literally an emotional bomb that could go off in their lives. Watching her work is just amazing.
Q) What were some of your favorite scenes to film for the show?
A) Some of my favorite moments were around a dinner table with Angie Harmon and Lorraine Bracco, who are hysterical! Sasha is so gracious, graceful and playful and seeing their bond - that was really a delight. It isn't always like that, but this is a very happy group of people.
Q) What do you think it is about the show that continues to captivate so many viewers?
A) I think we can identify them as friends. We can identify them as people who work for a living. We can identify them with what makes them driven in their duty and what parts of their lives they have to work harder at balancing. I think you can't underestimate the chemistry between those two beautiful gals who are just easy and fun to watch, especially what they bring out in each other.
Q) You are a part of the social networking site Twitter. Why is that such an important place for you to connect with fans and promote your work?
A) I don't devote my Twitter feed to just my work. It's really just as much about things I find inspiring, interesting and compelling in life. For me, it's a way to find out things that I am interested in that other people are doing and sometimes pass that on. It isn't just a tool for business.
Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?
A) I'm grateful that we live in a country where we can tell stories freely, knowing that women in Iran are killed sometimes for expressing themselves through music. We are very fortunate in this culture to have the freedom to tell our stories the way we see fit. I encourage women to understand that everybody's story is vital and valuable. You can put it out there in the world in many forms.

Source starrymag.com

Review: Rizzoli & Isles episodes 303 & 304

It seems that both of these episodes were a huge disappointment to the majority of the rizzles fans. I wasn't in the majority. Don't get me wrong, they were not the best Rizzoli & Isles episodes, by far, but I thought they were okay. They weren't spectacular where I'm chatting about them every day and watching them over and over, but they weren't so bad.

I guess to compare, I felt the same way watching the last two Rizzoli & Isles episodes as I do after watching an episode of Leverage. I like Leverage. It's funny and I like the characters, but I don't watch each episode five to ten times and I don't talk about them with friends. It's a normal television show I happen to watch and like. That's how I felt about the last two episodes of Rizzoli & Isles. (Although I'll admit I did watch them several times.)

That's why I'm reviewing both in one post. Not a whole lot to talk about.

Episode 303:

•  I love Jane and Maura. Whether they're friends, co-workers, family, or anything else. I love the chemistry, the banter, the teasing, the way they turn to each other in times of need. I love that Maura has become part of Jane's family. I simply love it every time Sasha Alexander and Angie Harmon are on screen together. Period. 
• There were a lot of great one-liners in this episode, and I found myself laughing quite a bit.
• Dennis was a nice guy. If he shows back up I wouldn't complain. I like that he was into art like Maura. She hasn't really had anyone to share that with. 
• I love Rondo in this episode. I love that they're touching on his back story. It will be nice to see that unfold.
• I like Casey. I like that he and Jane have a history and also that the storyline is progressing slowly. You know what else I like? That Angela calls him Charles. I don't know why but I do.
• I really loved that Maura was waiting for Jane at the end. I did a screen shot titled "She Waits" for that. (It's a song by Zero 1 that went through my head at the time.)
  

Episode 304:

• Again, Jane & Maura together in a scene is always great. Some cute interactions in this episode. I like how Maura kept trying to get Jane to do something active.
• Love the dog! For those that may not know she's actually Lorraine Bracco's dog and really does do those tricks.
• I like that it was Maura that brought the dog back. Nice scene between her and Casey. Naturally the first thing she wants to do is to help him, and then she tells him to talk to Jane. She wouldn't promise not to tell. Love her.
• Maura and Angela should have at least one good scene per episode. Love them together.
• Speaking of Angela, her blogging was awesome. And Angela's Guardian's, so funny. Anyone shipping Angela and Cavanaugh? I wouldn't be surprised... It could happen. "Not one word Rizzoli." Too funny.

Crime wise Rizzoli & Isles will never be Criminal Minds (my favorite crime show.) When I want a great crime show I have that to turn to. The homeless vets were sad and I liked Rondo's involvement. The dolls were creepy, but the killer was predictable. Luckily, I don't spend the time trying to figure out who did it cause I'll find out in the last five minutes anyway. I enjoy the interactions, not only between Jane and Maura, but also Frost, Frankie and Korsak. I think Angie's comment about how they could have a Frost and Frankie sitcom was dead on. They've been funny together.

I do want to know what the hell Jane does besides piece together information that everyone else gathers for her. lol Has anyone else noticed that? Even Korsak seems to be taking orders from her when he's her superior! She stands there and says "look for..." "do we have..." and everyone gives her the answers. I want that job!

All and all two okay episodes. I'm really looking forward to episode 305. Maura's family is probably my favorite storyline in the series.

Sharon Lawrence talks about working with Sasha Alexander

With "Throwing Down the Gauntlet" airing tomorrow night, the interviews with Sharon Lawrence, who plays Maura's biological mother, have begun to appear.

Here are the two most recent interviews:

Were you already a fan of Rizzoli & Isles? What attracted you to playing a role on the show?

Sharon: Yes, I was very interested in the launch of it because for years I've worked with an organization called Women In Film. We are a support network for women in the executive and creative positions in the industry. So the fact that it was a show sourced from material written by a woman and then created as a television series by a woman and it stars these wonderful actresses and is about women in the workplace, I was very interested.

What can you tell us about your character?

Sharon: I play Dr. Hope Martin who is the birth mother of Maura Isles. She is someone who we find out from Maura, not only shares the DNA of our leading lady but shares a passion for science. She herself is a pathologist and works to develop techniques to identify the remains of victims of the Bosnian wars. So she has dedicated her after the loss of a child to connecting those who have passed with their families and their stories. I think it may be a window into the psychology of loss. Especially women, are so committed to connecting, that even in the midst of their own sense of loss they may find healing in helping other people. Particularly to fill the gaps of the mystery of a story. 

So, does Hope know that Maura is her daughter?

Sharon: This whole relationship is still a mystery to Dr. Hope Martin. She is not aware that the woman just inches away from her across the lab table is indeed the daughter that she thought died at birth.

Are you in one episode or is it a longer story arc?

Sharon: It's a longer story. There are three (episodes) at this point.

Can you share any behind the scenes tidbits from the set?

Sharon: Sasha Alexander is such a great actress and such a lovely person. She has a great sense of balance in her life. I felt really compelled to find the resemblance (between the characters). I mean, we look alike which was helpful and kind of stunning how much we did favor each other but the physical behaviors is what I found really interesting. To observe her as an actor and try to incorporate that into some of my own characterizations. It was also really fun to watch Angie Harmon and Lorraine Bracco together. They're a scream. They should just take it on the road. They are really entertaining.

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PCM also did a great interview with Sharon Lawrence where she talks more about working with Sasha Alexander and Bruce McGill.

Sasha Alexander in Moves Magazine PICTURES & ARTICLE

Sasha is in Moves magazine this month. Below is the article along with the full sized pictures.

Sasha Alexander
by Jamie Cuccinelli
photography by Stephen Busken

‘… husband Edoardo Ponti, son of the legendary actress Sophia Loren. “She’s hilarious,” remarks Alexander at the mention of her mother-in-law. “She’s always making dirty jokes.”’

It’s a Bad Girls Club kind of world and we’re just living in it. Cat fight youtube videos no longer appall and no one blinks an eye at girlfriends gossiping about one another. In fact, it’s more commonplace than not to have a woman proclaim that she just can’t seem to get along with other females – that she just doesn’t enjoy their company. In this world of the backstabbing and competitive female stereotype, the portrayal of two brilliantly educated women in a positive, respectful friendship is shockingly refreshing. In TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles, actress Sasha Alexander stars as Maura Isles – one half of the badass, crime-solving female dynamic duo. “I personally don’t know what I would do without my female friends,” insists Alexander, noting how the friendship between the two main characters – medical examiner Maura and police detective Jane – is essential to the success of the show. Not only is the healthy relationship of the women a breath of fresh air in a stagnant TV line-up of distrusting, competitive ones from The Bachelor to Desperate Housewives, seeing strong, competent women in such gritty roles injects some much needed girl power in what society views as a male-driven environment.

This isn’t the first time Alexander has played a self-assertive, modern woman. Alexander played Special Agent Kate Todd on NCIS, before leaving the role in 2005 after two years. She returned to television in 2010, finding herself attracted once again to a compelling character of the epitome of feminine strength. You would be hard pressed to find anyone complaining.

However, that’s hardly all Alexander as been up to. From appearing in box-office successes such as Mission Impossible III with Tom Cruise (2006), Yes Man with Jim Carrey (2008), and 2009’s Love Happens and He’s Just Not That Into You to raising her two children with husband Edoardo Ponti, son of the legendary actress Sophia Loren, Alexander has been busy to say the least. Also a trained dancer, too busy to ever consider doing something like Dancing with the Stars. “Although, Sophia has been trying to convince me to do the Italian version,” Alexander laughs. “She’s hilarious though,” remarks Alexander at the mention of her mother-in-law. “She’s always making dirty jokes.” Not the one to stand still for a moment, Alexander is also up to producing some projects of her own.

On the brink of it’s third season, Rizzoli & Isles has found it’s footing, with one fascinating storyline after another. “I don’t think our writers can help being controversial,” she says. But the credit for the crime drama’s continued success isn’t all due to the writers, of course. Alexander also tributes the easy, natural chemistry between her and co-star Angie Harmon. However, Alexander’s dedication to the role – one that, due to the extensive medical terminology used, requires “hours of studying” – is something to be admired. It’s tough, notes Alexander. But, like her character, Alexander’s sharp intelligence is right on point. How’s that for girl power?

hair Marcus Francis @ the wall group

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Angie Harmon talks turning 40, fighting and romance

In an interview with City Times Angie Harmon talks about turning 40...

“I think my 39^th year has probably been my biggest learning year,” the actress says, “but in the end I’ve become more comfortable with myself. I realise my faults and all those things that most people are uncomfortable with in life. I’ve learned to listen to what other people are saying.

“Don’t get me wrong,” she hastens to add. “I always liked myself. I’m a huge Angie Harmon fan. But deep down I’m really starting to like who I am.”

Having to do fight scenes with Sasha Alexander...

“We left off last season with a horrible situation,” Harmon says. “We don’t do the cute little button-it-up-in-one-episode trick. Rizzoli and Isles had a horrible fight. When you love someone and fight, there are horrible things that are usually said or done. It takes a while to get over it.”

Harmon admits that it was difficult for her to fight with Alexander, her friend onscreen and off.

“The second week of filming these scenes, I couldn’t do it anymore,” she says. “I was like, ‘Let them be friends again!’

And the most romantic night of her life...

When she’s not working, Harmon keeps a low profile with her husband, former New York Giants All-Pro cornerback Jason Sehorn. He famously proposed to her on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2000, interrupting a show on which Harmon was a guest to get down on one knee and pop the question.

“It was one of the most romantic moments in my life,” Harmon says. “I was truly surprised.”

Read more on City Times.

Rizzoli and Isles Season 3 Articles, Interviews, SPOILERS Before Premiere

It's the big push before the Rizzoli & Isles season three premiere. Articles and interviews are popping up all over the net. Here's links and excerpts:

Sasha Alexander becomes more than just Angie Harmon’s partner in ‘Rizzoli & Isles’  

It's not easy to be the other woman in a cop show with Angie Harmon.
But Sasha Alexander has parlayed that spot into something impressive, playing medical examiner Maura Isles opposite Harmon’s Detective Jane Rizzoli on TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles.”
The third season launches Tuesday night at 9, and it’s a critical juncture for the gals.
They’ve been friends for years and now they also work together. Or at least they did until the last episode of season two, when Jane shot Maura’s father.

Okay, that may not be the dealbreaker it might seem to be. Maura’s father is a psychotic mobster who has killed dozens of people and is wanted throughout the civilized world.
Still, he’s her recently revealed dad, so she would have preferred Jane didn’t shoot him.
“It’s a huge ride for Maura this season,” says Alexander. “The whole mystery of her father and his past is changing her. She’s always lived in this world where she’s in control of everything, and now it’s another world she’s uncomfortable in.”
Maura’s also mad at Jane.
“She’s in total shock as the season starts,” says Alexander. “She’s very angry at Jane. It’s going to take a while for them to find their way back.”
Yet the fact there could be a way back reflects the strength of “Rizzoli & Isles,” which has clicked into place as a show that’s part cop stuff, part smart comedy and part character drama.
Taking nothing away from Harmon, whose TV legal credibility goes back to “Law & Order” and “Women’s Murder Club,” Alexander has slowly developed an intriguing presence of her own.
“In the beginning, the show was far more centered on Jane,” says Alexander. “She clearly had the advantage.
“But then as we learned more about Maura, we found it wasn’t what we expected. She has a lot of family and personal issues.”
She’s also a brainiac.
“She’s smart,” says Alexander. “She’s collected a lot of facts. But at the same time she has almost no sense of the effect she has on other people. She will say something funny and not know it’s funny. She’ll hear people laughing and not realize the joke is on her.
“It’s a challenge to play a character with no sense of irony. But at the same time, people like her.”
That part isn’t hard to understand. In one scene this season, Alexander says, Maura and Jane have to hide in a closet when they’re almost caught during an undercover operation.
“Out of nowhere, while they’re waiting,” says Alexander, “Maura starts talking about the history of leather, and its historical significance in sexuality.
“We had to stop the scene every few lines because Angie kept laughing.”
Let’s assume in this case that Harmon speaks for all viewers.
“The thing about Maura,” says Alexander, “is you never really quite know where she’s going.”

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For Rizzoli & Isles, 'The Anger Is Still Fresh' - Can a Deadly Crisis Bring Them Back Together?

“We start Season 3 maybe 20 minutes later, so the anger is still fresh, the resentment of [what Jane did],” Sasha Alexander tells TVLine of tonight’s premiere (airing at 9/8c). “For both Jane and Maura it’s very unclear – like, What just happened?”

So, things are a little complicated between the ladies? “I would say a lot,” Angie Harmon corrects us with a laugh. “But if you’ve ever had a fight with someone that you love or care about, this is the show for you. It’s very high stakes that these two are fighting for.”

As such, don’t expect tensions between the two to smooth out in a jiffy – a wrinkle that delighted the series’ leads. ”I like the way [series creator] Janet [Tamaro] wrote it, because it’s not tied up in a bow after the first episode,” Alexander shares. Adds Harmon: “It takes a little bit to bring them back together.” 

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 'Rizzoli & Isles': Sasha Alexander teases the new season

Meeting Maura’s birth mother: The season premiere sets Maura on a path to find Dr. Hope Davis (recurring guest star Sharon Lawrence), who we’ll meet in the July 3 episode. “Maura, Jane, and Angela [Lorraine Bracco] stop in their tracks when they hear this woman speak. It’s like you’re listening to Maura,” Alexander says. “And Maura physically cannot talk around her. She’s so scared to interact with her because she doesn’t want her to know [she's her daughter], so it’s actually very comedic.” Even once Maura does speak, she’ll still keep her identity a secret. “There are moments when she’ll do something that somehow moves me, and I just burst into tears. She’s like, ‘Why are you crying?’ And Jane will be like, ‘She gets really emotional when we break a case,’” Alexander says. Maura will also learn she has a half-sister (Emilee Wallace). “She’s a pretty angry 18-year-old girl, and that’s gonna be an interesting relationship,” Alexander says.

 A possible love interest for Maura: Eddie Cibrian will guest star in the June 19 episode. “Maura meets him on her autopsy table,” Alexander says. “Let’s just say his ‘special part’ gives him away.” Wait, we need her to explain that. “We think his character just had a stroke and died, so he’s still in his clothes on the table, and the girls are commenting on how hot he is when he’s on the autopsy table. It’s so inappropriate,” Alexander says. Look for Cibrian to return later in the season.

 Read more >>>

 'Rizzoli & Isles' starts season on tense note, but there should be fun to come

Maura Isles is not in a good mood as the third season of “Rizzoli & Isles” launches Tuesday.
That will happen when your father just got shot and your best friend was the shooter.
Isles (Sasha Alexander) is ordinarily the most rational and linear of people. Like a good medical examiner should be.
And her friend Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) is ordinarily the most compassionate and considerate of buddies. Like a good Boston detective should be.
In this case, however, Rizzoli didn’t have much choice, since Maura’s father is a Mob killer who was holding a gun himself.
It sounds complicated, but it’s explained well, even to someone who’s a newcomer to the show. That’s one of the reasons “Rizzoli & Isles” has become one of the best cop shows on TV.
It works as light summer drama, with lots of great banter between the women, and it works as cop drama, since it has put both of them in very dangerous situations at regular intervals.
Best of all, though, it keeps peeling away layers on both characters. Neither, it turns out, is quite as immune to men as it might seem, and both are struggling with mother issues, for entirely different reasons.
That could get trite. Here, instead, it’s fast-moving and fun. Lorraine Bracco has loads of fun as Jane’s mom and Sharon Lawrence will come in this season as Maura’s.
In fact, the whole cast gets in the spirit — and let’s bet even Maura won’t stay mad all season.

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 Rizzoli & Isles Season 3: Sasha Alexander Previews What's Next, Big Guest Stars And More

I caught up with star Sasha Alexander to hear more about how the best friends begin to repair their relationship, and she also dished about some new guest stars, including Sharon Lawrence, who'll be playing Maura's birth mother, and Eddie Cibrian, who's Maura's new love interest. Alexander also talked about her character's darker side, the show's efforts to keep the strong female characters from becoming sex objects and whether or not she would do a musical episode.
Our conversation took place on the phone during a quick break from a particularly insane day of shooting -- there was a big party scene, and things sounded like they were getting a bit out of hand.

"It's actually a very funny episode where Maura is hosting the medical examiner symposium, so all of these very nerdy doctor types come ... so it's basically all these funny guys with Maura," Alexander teased of the upcoming episode. "Let's just say a lot of different chaos ensues with Dr. Pike, played by Ed Begley Jr., which is hysterical. He's so hysterical -- he has some very funny storylines this season."
She also gave us more of a glimpse into Begley's on-set/on-screen antics: "And then Ed Begley tried to stick his tongue in my ear, but hey! No, it wasn't him, it was his 'character.' [Laughs.] Just another day at work!"
Keep reading for more on what makes "Rizzoli & Isles" tick ...

Rough start for the ladies this season -- it's obviously not an easy situation for them to deal with, since Jane shot Maura's mobster father. What can you tell us about the state of their relationship when we return?
I think it's a pretty raw moment for both of them right when we return because it just happened, so there's a lot of confusion and a lot of raw emotion for both of them. And that gets even more complicated -- for Maura, she's now got her father in the hospital and her mother, and she's dealing with the fact that Jane just shot her father. For Jane, she ends up in a bit of hot water because they're doing an investigation on this, and because she knew that Maura's father was Paddy Doyle, she's sort of implicated in it as a possible suspect.
But the show is called "Rizzoli & Isles" -- these two can't stay mad at each other for too long, can they?
No, but I love it because I think that when you see the second episode and when they do come back together, they've really earned it in a way that I think is just going to deepen their relationship. I like it -- I think conflict is good. I've loved this storyline with Paddy Doyle ... I think it's really an interesting mystery that has been sort of unraveling about Maura's life, and it's provided us with some really cool stories. So it's interesting how it's now come around to it being Jane that stops him. I think it's really paid off in an interesting way.
And now we'll also get to meet Maura's biological mom as well -- I cannot wait to see Sharon Lawrence on the show.
I know! I haven't seen the episodes, but she was really great to work with. The first time she arrives, Jane and Maura and Angela are there and this woman appears, and the way she speaks is so Maura-like -- she has this hilarious monologue talking about birchwood, which is so random. They don't know that this is her, but just by the way she speaks and her mannerisms, they're like, "There's no way this woman is not related to Maura." It's a really wonderful moment, and Sharon and I had kind of an uncanny resemblance.

 Read more >>>

Maura Could Consider a Lesbian Tryst - Sasha Alexander - Advocate.com

Great interview with Sasha on Advocate.com.

Excerpts:

The Advocate: All the girls in the office here love Rizzoli & Isles. Let's talk about your character, Maura.
Sasha Alexander: Thank you. Absolutely.

I love that she’s oddly awkward around nearly everybody except Jane [Rizzoli, the police officer played by Harmon]. What part of the character do you identify with?
[Laughs] Well, it’s funny because I so enjoy playing her, and I think as you get down the road of playing a character you start to realize what are the parts that excite you. And for her, it’s, What is she thinking about? She’s got so much going on, and I like the fact that there’s this kind of innocence, this kind of almost naïveté or sort of enthusiasm for all subjects and all things. And I’m kind of like that. I’m really interested in all things of the world, people, and cultures. I like information. I like people who have information. I enjoy talking to people like that, and my parents are like that.

And socially?
I think that we all have a little bit of that, that part of us. I am now, in this stage in my life, a much more outgoing person than I was as a child or in my teens. You know, my parents were both immigrants in this country and they spoke another language, and I remember feeling like a little bit of an outcast, like, Don’t speak any languages in front of my friends.

There’s a belief among some critics, especially lesbian critics, that Rizzoli & Isles is a lesbian buddy cop show that just doesn’t know it yet.
[Laughs] I love it.

It’s really not afraid of the lesbian label, that both these fictional characters and the real-life people behind them just don’t fear the interest or speculation about their relationship.
No. I mean, you know, it’s such a strange thing because people are always going to get from any film or TV or book or anything they want, what they want to see. And that is all of our right to do so. I mean, it’s completely subjective and that is, that is art. So that’s one part of it, but I feel like we have a unique situation on our show, which is that the books were written by a woman. The show was created and is executive-produced by a woman, and it’s starring these two women who are very different people, they’re very different characters, and so we have a lot more estrogen on our show than most shows. [Laughs] And I think that it’s a great thing because we have a woman spearheading it and she is writing these characters in a way that is just much deeper. They are, they’re deeper. Their relationship; it could be sexual one day, I mean, they’re not gay in the books. But who knows?

Well, how effortless is the chemistry between you and Angie Harmon?
It’s pretty effortless, I must say. It’s kind of one of those things that clicked from the moment we read together. And it was, it was kind of great, you know? We read together, and then when I — she was cast first — when I left the room they said, “Hang out for a second.” And within a second she came in. She said, “You know what? They want us to do it again. Could you come back in?” I thought, Really? I thought that was pretty good. And we came back in and they stood up and clapped and said congratulations, you guys are it. Like, this was it. So they, even the people in the room, understood it immediately. And I think it, you know, Angie and I are very different people. We’re raised different. In real life we’re very different, but the chemistry just works.

There is some boob-grabbing?
There is boob-grabbing. Yes.

I need to know about that immediately.
I’m going to admit to the boob-grabbing. [Laughs] Um. Yes, there’s a lot of female love. It makes the men very uncomfortable. It’s like a female locker room.

There seem to be subtle winks to the show’s lesbian fans, like Jane goes undercover at a lesbian bar, the episode where you’re in bed and Jane asks Maura, “Are we having a sleepover, or is this your way of telling me you’re attracted to me?” All those little insidery winks that lesbian fans always pick up on.
Well, I think that if Jane were open to it, I think Maura would absolutely experiment because she’s just a little bit more open-minded in that way. But Jane would never. She’s so straight.

Read the full interview

Angie Harmon Interview on Parenting.com

May 21, 2012

by Parenting Magazine

Mom of Finley, 8, Avery, 7, and Emery, 3, celebrity supercop on TNT's Rizzoli & Isles, and Kung Fu Panda lover

Describe your parenting style in one word:
Fun.

Favorite TV family of all time (real or fictional):

The Cosbys. What I learned from them is that you have to have a sense of humor to be a parent and not take everything too seriously.

What's always in your refrigerator?
Naked Pomegranate Blueberry Juice. We add it to smoothies in the morning for breakfast.

Last meal you made for your family:
Halibut provençal. Sauté some shallots, garlic, brown the fish, add diced tomatoes, capers, and olives. With some green beans and rice on the side.

Craziest thing you've done because you were sleep-deprived:
I put my keys in the fridge and the milk in the cabinet.

Behavioral trait you hope your kids don't inherit from you:
Impatience.

Best piece of parenting advice you ever got:
I'm a perfectionist, and my girlfriend once told me, “OK, so you didn't get all three girls' hair brushed or one is wearing mismatched socks. It's not the end of the world.”

Last toy/object you helped your child find:
My oldest still has a blanket, but she's always losing it. It's often not a matter of it being lost, just that “Mom, I don't want to look for it, you do it.”

Who's your celebrity crush?
Sigourney Weaver. She's one of the reasons I became an actress.

Your pick-me-up:
Kung Fu Panda. I have the opening credits on my phone, and when I'm exhausted, I'll play it and it makes me laugh.

Sasha Alexander brings out her inner lesbian on AfterEllen

Dorothy Snarker interviewed Sasha Alexander for After Ellen and Sasha spoke about the show's subtext and her own inner lesbian. It's a fantastic interview. Sasha was open, funny and insightful. There's also some spoilers for season three.

Since the first moments Sasha Alexander’s Dr. Maura Isles and Angie Harmon’s Det. Jane Rizzoli stepped on screen together, the show’s lesbian viewers have noticed something special. It wasn’t just the pair’s striking good looks together, but their genuine chemistry and frequent closeness that made our subtext-loving hearts sing. Rizzoli & Isles has amassed a large lesbian and bisexual female fanbase through its first two seasons. Now, with the show poised to premiere its third season on TNT in three weeks, we’re all anxious to see if our favorite not-gay gay cop show continues to serve up healthy helpings of LLBFF canoodling, Totally Gratuitous, Totally Gay Touching and – of course – eye sex.

Photo from TNT

 Still, when last we saw these two lovely ladies of law enforcement, things were beyond tense. During a stand-off between Maura’s biological father/gangster Paddy Doyle and the police, Paddy shoots FBI Agent Dean (who happens to be Jane’s flower-bringing possible boyfriend) and then Jane shoots Paddy. Or, in other words, it’s complicated. The cast and crew has been back filming in Los Angeles (done up to look like Boston, naturally) since March and are currently shooting the sixth episode of the 15-installment season. From the set in between takes last week, Alexander spoke with AfterEllen.com about our favorite ambiguously gayzzoli duo.

Check out the complete interview here.

Jane & Maura vs. Xena & Gabrielle

I was recently asked to be on a radio show about the show Xena: Warrior Princess. It made me go back and watch some episodes to refresh my memory. You'd think watching them over a hundred times each would burn them into the memory banks, but I needed a little refresher. That along with the new season of Rizzoli and Isles looming on the horizon made me start comparing the two "couples," Xena & Gabrielle and Jane & Maura, along with the shows they inhabit. If you follow my website rizzles.xenite.net you'll know that I'm a rizzles fan and if you've been following me long enough you'll also know I'm a huge Xena and Gabrielle fan.

I began watching Xena in the middle of the third season, January 1998. I loved the friendship and the subtext. I read the fan fiction, watched and made fan music videos, even made my own Xena and Gabrielle website. I went to most of the east coast conventions all the way up to 2007 when I finally made it to the yearly Xena con in Los Angeles. I was completely immersed in the fandom for a lot of years. To this day I still keep track of what the stars, Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor are up to.

"I Kissed a Girl"

When Rizzoli and Isles began a friend of mine tried to get me to watch it. I didn't. Finally, in January 2011 she got me to watch the episode "I Kissed a Girl" and I was hooked. Interestingly, what hooked me was the banter between Jane and Maura. It had the same feel as the banter between Xena and Gabrielle. In looking back though, I realized that these two shows are so vastly different and the magic of the Xena and Gabrielle subtext could never be recreated with Jane and Maura.

Xena was a fantasy show. There was so much they could and did do that would satisfy or entice subtext fans. Where else could they have their two female leads kiss five times in six seasons and still have people call them straight? They also did little teases that subtext fans ate up like Xena's "hickey" Joxer spots in "Been There, Done That" followed by the look Gabrielle gives as if her and Xena had just been caught.

Xena's hickey

By the sixth season Xena's executive producer Rob Tabert, knowing it was the last year, decided to simply go for it and bring the subtext more to the forefront. No one, including the stars themselves, could say that Xena and Gabrielle were not a couple by the end of the series. That is something that I feel could never be recreated with Jane and Maura.

Rizzoli and Isles is essentially a crime drama, buddy show. It's patterned more after the 80's Cagney and Lacey or the 70's Starsky and Hutch, then the fantasy, Greek gods roaming world of Xena. The subtext in Rizzoli and Isles stems from the chemistry between the lead actors,  Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. The characters themselves are based on the novels of writer Tess Gerritson. In the books Jane gets married and has a child, and Maura has an ex-husband and is having a secret affair with a priest. There is no doubt they are straight.

When the show began there was never any doubt in the creators' minds that these women were straight. That doesn't stop fandom from seeing what isn't intentionally there. Jane and Maura became close friends who are always there for each other and support each other. They laugh together, tease each other, and enjoy spending time together. Maura has become a part of the Rizzoli family with Mama Rizzoli even renting Maura's guest house. As a lesbian, when I see these things I see my relationships with both friends and lovers. They're women, and women's relationships with each other are very similar whether it be close friends or lovers. The main difference naturally being whether there is a sexual relationship or not.

Season 2 "Sailor Man"

The producers have given a couple of nods to the rizzles fandom, most notably when Jane and Maura pretended to be a couple to stop Giovanni from chasing Maura. It was a cute little scene, but that's all it was, a nod, a way of saying, "Hi rizzles fans, we know you're there, and we love ya!" Personally I thought it was very cool of them. The other things we rizzles fans see, well I'll be the first to admit could be considered "reading into it." Do they stare a little too long like lovers do? Yes, at times they do. We call it eye sex. Heck even Tess Gerritsen tweeted that she finally saw it! So I started to wonder, is that simply the way the actors are? I realized that in both Angie and Sasha's other work I see it. Sasha speaks volumes with her eyes no matter who she's working with. Angie's last show Women's Murder Club had lots of shippers because of where and how Angie would look at others. Put these two actors together and that chemistry, the sparks, that thing no one can put their finger on happens. Even so, I know they will never, could never, do for the rizzles fandom what was done for subtexters in Xena.

These shows are two different animals, yet they do have some similarities. Both have strong female characters who become really close friends. Both have leads who date men that don't stick around for long. Heck, Gabrielle's usually died! Both have actors with strong on screen chemistry that allows a subtext fan to see more than just what's being said or done. What was special about Xena and Gabrielle though was we could see that they were soulmates. The romantic, there could never be anyone else, you complete me soulmate. The kiss in season six when Gabrielle had been in a year long sleep surrounded by a

Xena's kiss awakens Gabrielle's year long slumber

protective fire that only her true soulmate could walk through proved it. Xena jumped through the flames, kissed Gabrielle and Gabrielle woke up. We could never get anything from Rizzoli and Isles that makes us feel remotely like we did when we watched that kiss and knew for a fact that what we had always believed was true: Xena and Gabrielle where true soulmates. For Jane and Maura that only comes in fan fiction and rizzles fan videos.

Had Jane and Maura been out and out gay from the start it would have been a different show, maybe more like some of the fan fiction. That could have been very cool. First season they get to know each other, become friends, maybe finally kiss towards the end of the season, and second season is they're relationship and the struggles of working together. I would have enjoyed that. But that's not what the show Rizzoli and Isles on TNT is. They can't change course mid stream and they've never indicated they would ever want to.

The good news for rizzles fans is that the chemistry between Sasha and Angie probably won't dwindle, the eye sex should continue and add to that the fact that the characters will never get married on the show (according to producer Janet Tamaro) so we'll still have our subtext. We can see whatever we wish to see.

For me personally when I really want to see Jane and Maura as a couple I enjoy fan fiction and videos. I love the friendship in the show and truly hope that doesn't change. I'm even looking forward to the conflict between them in season three. After all the show is Rizzoli AND Isles, they have to make-up at some point. I believe that it will only strengthen Jane and Maura's friendship.

There's a part of me, however, that will always miss Xena and Gabrielle. I think they were something special that could never, and should never be replaced.


Feel free to leave a comment below or contact me on Twitter. @kellyeneal