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.
