Bullz-Eye: So how are you enjoying “Rogue”?

Leah Gibson: It’s great! I’ve never done anything on this scale before. I’m from the west coast of Canada, so I’ve lived in Vancouver for the last five or six years and worked on different TV shows…guest stars, recurrings, whatever…and had some small roles in some big features, like “Twilight” and “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” But being a part of this show feels very different. It’s a very wonderfully written series that’s been an absolute joy to be a part of. The characters are very in-depth, and the intricacies between their relationships are just a joy to explore from script to script. Being a part of it has felt very much like being part of a 10-hour film, in a way, and I certainly have never seen anything of the like in Vancouver while I’ve been there. So being the token “foreigner” with all these Brits… [Laughs.] It’s been a whole different vibe on set and everything than I’ve been used to!

BE: Can you talk a bit about your character, Cathy Laszlo?

LG: Yes! Cathy Laszlo is…I’m the devoted wife to a hot-headed gangster, Alec Laszlo (Joshua Sasse), who’s the eldest son of Jimmy (Marton Csokas), who’s basically a crimelord. The Laszlos in general are a very infamous crime family, and my husband is very sort of… [Hesitates.] A lot of muscle, not so much brain. He often creates a mess for others to clean up, and my character sort of represents his foundation, his support network, the thought behind his action. I come to influence him in taking advantage of certain opportunities and claiming the status that goes along with those things at what turns out to be at a very high cost to our family.

BE: How much of the character was already on the page when you came to the role, and how much were you able to bring to her? Were there any aspects that were added?

LG: That’s an interesting question. You know, I went through a handful of auditions before I was booked on this job, and initially the sides for my character were sort of…I could tell that there was more being alluded to than was on the page, and as an actor with limited knowledge of where the show is going to go, you don’t want to make any really solid choices and, y’know, sort of make the wrong decision. I heard at some point that I was no longer being considered for the role, but then I got a phone call saying they’d like me for a chemistry reading with Joshua. So I went in and met Josh, and we did our thing, and we workshopped a couple of scenes with Nick Hamm, the executive producer, and…it was only then that I started to realize where they were really going with Cathy.

And then I showed up on set and, really, to be honest, I was very much informed by the wardrobe, the hair, and the makeup. It was a total transformation for this character. I’d never physically played a role like this before, so it was kind of a joy to embrace the character in a physical sense and be informed by the wardrobe, and the specific choices about the hair and makeup. She’s decked out to the nines, long nails, long, big hair, heavy makeup. I’m, like, “Okay, I get it.” So I would step onto set and just feel a different energy. And I had a few comments from…y’know, I’d worked with some of the crew members before on various different productions in Vancouver, and they’re, like, “Oh, my God, I didn’t even recognize you!” So it’s such a joy to play something like that, and to really physically feel it that way.

BE: That’s funny that you say that about the importance of the wardrobe. I’d never really thought about how much it means to an actor’s character until I interviewed Tess Harper, who just couldn’t say enough about how much the costumer meant to her role in “Crimes of the Heart.”

LG: Yeah, y’know, it really is a collaborative medium we’re doing. I think that some actors have come prepared with a very specific perspective of what their character is, and in so doing they inform wardrobe and makeup about specific choices. For me, though, it was the opposite, and I was really happy about that. I sort of just opened my eyes, saw the look, and went, “Oh, my God, I get it now.” And the whole thing took a turn from there.

BE: What’s the structure of “Rogue” like? Is there a cliffhanger at the end of every episode, or is each episode relatively self-contained?

LG: Well, I’ll tell you that I am absolutely in love with the writing of Matthew Parkhill, our show creator. Something that’s so amazing is that in the first episode…we went ahead and filmed 10 episodes without filming a pilot, but in the first episode, immediately Grace (Thandie Newton), the undercover cop, her cover is blown. I just remember finishing reading the pilot and going, “Oh, my God, so where are they going to go next?” It’s amazing. Honestly, I feel like the writing is very satisfying, in that it delivers. It delivers to the audience, it answers your questions, and it just goes in very different directions and is very surprising. There are definitely cliffhangers, but you’re also delivered the answers to the questions you’re asking.

BE: Is the sort of series where someone can come in late and still understand what’s going on? I presume there’ll be a “previously on…” intro for each episode, but…

LG: I would honestly say that it’s the kind of thing you would want to watch episode to episode. But my understanding is that, being in the format of DirecTV, that’s possible. If you miss Episode 2, and they’re on Episode 3, you can just bounce back and watch Episode 2 first.

BE: How’s DirecTV been to work with?

LG: They’ve been wonderful. Honestly! And for me, having been so far predominantly a Canadian actor, this is my first major American show, and they’ve been just wonderful. They’ve been so incredibly behind the production, and I really feel that they believe in it. And it’s just lovely to feel so supported in any project that you work on, but they’re excited. Like, they’re genuinely excited. And we’re excited as actors, too, but we read the scripts, we’re there to do our jobs, and then whatever happens after that, we have no control over it. But at this stage of the game, they’re giddy about it, which is cool. So I just hope people respond to it!

BE: As you mentioned a moment ago, one of your past roles was in “Twilight.” How has it been to be a part of that phenomenon?

LG: Ah, yes, my little bit in “Twilight.” [Laughs.]

BE: Hey, even a little bit matters in “Twilight.”

LG: I know! I was talking about it earlier today that, y’know, “Twilight” happened to me a couple of years ago, I hadn’t done all that much yet, and I was still plugging away, but then all of a sudden I was part of this beast that was affecting every corner of the globe, and I was literally traveling all over the world to be a part of the promotional excitement of the film. It was an amazing thing. It’s just incredible to be a part of something that affects so many people in so many different cultures and that everyone responds to it.

BE: Which means you’ve got a lifetime pass to attend “Twilight” conventions as a guest.

LG: Hey, who knows? [Laughs.] But I’d like to think that there are a plethora of other actors who’d fill those spots before I would!

BE: Lastly, do you have a favorite project that you’ve worked on that didn’t get the love you thought it deserved?

LG: Oh, that’s an interesting question. Y’know, I’ve always been kind of an indie darling. I’ve done a lot of indie films in Vancouver, and I’ve always sort of had the mentality that wanting to work hard and prove myself through my work, speak through my work, and have that be what speaks for me as a person…that’s all I wanted to do as an actor. And so I’ve worked for free, I’ve worked for minimum wage, I’ve worked in anything that excited me, including some indies that never saw the light of day. [Laughs.] But at the time, it was a love affair. The work was, anyway. I wouldn’t say I have any regrets about anything, though. Everything happens for a reason. You try not to think about career moves all that much and just exercise integrity to your craft, really.

Bullz-Eye: As someone who has a sister myself, how weird is it to work with your brother on a project like this?

Patricia Heaton: Not as weird as working with my husband on it. [Laughs.] Too many relatives spoil the soup! No, it was great. You know, my brother and I have… Once he stopped torturing me and pinning me down and spitting on me and things like that when we were younger, we both lived and struggled in New York together at the same time. At one point we were both working at People Magazine: he was writing and I was a copy clerk. So we’ve been down the road together, and…he’s a great story guy. He has tons of stories, partly because he’s a journalist himself and he talks to people all day long, every day, and it just generates these stories in his mind. So this movie, “The Christmas Heart,” he had in his head for many years, and we’ve been trying to get it made. We’re so grateful that Hallmark gave it a home.

It’s an unusual Christmas movie, in that it’s very dramatic and there’s very serious themes in it. So it’s a little bit unusual, but I think that’s what’s going to be great about it. You’ll want to have popcorn on one hand and a box of tissues on the other. But it was great to have my brother having written it and my husband (David Hunt) and I producing it, and seeing the whole thing come off the page…we spent hours and hours and hours on the script, so when you start watching the dailies and you see it come alive, it’s so thrilling. And that’s what makes it addictive, ’cause it’s really one of the hardest things you can do, to take something from an idea to the screen. It’s a lot of hard work, but when you see it… It’s the kind of thing that really sort of lives forever.

And, by the way, Christmas movies do live forever. [Laughs.] “The Town without Christmas” is shown 18 times a year in December, and I still get these (residual) checks. I remember when we made it, we were, like, “This thing’s never gonna go anywhere,” because it was made on a dollar up in Halifax. But it was really fun…and it still runs! So there’s kind of a legacy with Christmas movies that they run together, so it’s kind of cool when you have something that you’re so proud of that you know it’s gonna get seen a lot.

BE: You’ve obviously got your own full-time gig going with “The Middle.” How hands-on were you able to be as a producer?

PH: You know, unfortunately, I was not able to go up to Winnipeg, where we shot it, but my brother Michael was. My husband and I were both in L.A. working, so we couldn’t go. But I have to say that the Canadian crews and the Canadian actors are superb, and they really know how to get things done on a dime. We shot the movie in 15 days! That’s really short. So, y’know, I watched the dailies every day that they would send back. Unfortunately, what you’re watching is what can’t be changed. Fortunately, though, my brother and A.J. Morewitz, who runs our company, were on set to sort of be our eyes and ears there.

BE: Was there any talk of you appearing in front of the camera at all for the film?

PH: Yes, but it just turned out that it coincided with my work schedule. But I’d love to do something with Hallmark, and we’re working on doing some other things for them. I would’ve loved to have been a part of it, though. And, fortunately, we got the amazing Teri Polo and Tess Harper, who really give the most phenomenal performances. I’ve probably seen the movie six times now, and I cry every single time. And this movie…I’ve known it since page one, so there’s no surprises in it for me, and I’m still moved every time by their performances.

BE: Well, I have to tell you that I’m a huge fan of “The Middle.” In fact, I review the show every week for the Onion AV Club.

PH: [Excitedly.] Oh, you do? That’s you…? Oh, thank you so much! Those are really great reviews, because you really go through it.

BE: Well, you know, I’ve got a child. And I live a very low-to-middle-class lifestyle. 

PH: [Laughs.] Oh, okay, so you’re really connecting with it. Well, I read them every week! In fact, let me make sure I send out the link on my Twitter…

BE: How was it for you to settle back into a family-sitcom role after having had a brief-ish break to do “Back to You”?

PH: Well, it was really sad, because on “Back to You” I got to wear fabulous clothes. My character’s name, Kelly Carr, was actually embroidered into all the suits that I wore. I was, like, “Wow, yay, I finally get a fashion show!” And then that got canceled, and now I’m getting put back into the Midwest, with a family who’s on the lower end of the economic scale. So I don’t know what God’s plan for me is…but it’s apparently not for me to be Sarah Jessica Parker in “Sex and the City,” I guess! [Laughs.]

Part of “Back to You” was that you want to take a role that’s different from the one you just did, so I went from being the wife on “Everybody Loves Raymond” to being Kelly Carr on “Back to You,” which was really wonderful and exciting. Kelsey (Grammer) is a terrific person and actor. But when the script for “The Middle” came along, I immediately thought, “I’m not going to do a mom again,” but then I read it, and it felt extremely different from “Raymond.” And I had not done a single-camera comedy before, and I sort of wanted that skill set in my quiver. And as long as I could get used to the hours…I mean, it’s 12 to 14 hours a day, and I still have four kids! But it’s interesting that my children’s school schedules are such that they’re gone from seven in the morning ’til usually six at night, so they’re almost gone the same amount of time that I am. So it really worked out well that, when they were younger and they needed me there, I could have them on the set with me every day on “Raymond.” And now, when I’m working these much longer hours, they’re also working long hours, too, in their own lives, so I’m not missing too much of their lives. And the great thing about television…and I was talking to Teri about this…versus being in movies, you’re home. You come home every night and can have dinner, you have your weekends, you get some hiatus weeks off. So you can almost have a pretty normal family life!

BE: Over the course of the show to date, you’ve seen the car dealership slowly slip into the background. How have you felt about that? Certainly the home scenes are consistently hilarious. Do you enjoy being able to focus more on the family.

PH: Uh-huh. I think when the creators imagined the show, they have elements in it, and they explore those elements and see what really takes hold. And you sort of gravitate from one place to the next, and as the actors start to fill out the characters, you start to figure out what works and what seems to be resonating. Because the kids and Mike are so well-written and are so well-acted, of course, by Neil Flynn, Eden Sher, Charlie McDermott, and Atticus Shaffer, the writers and I think the audience was more interested in the family. So that’s why you tend to go there. And I think Frankie may have a change of workplace this year. I also noticed we weren’t going to Ehlert’s quite as much, and I think that’s because the characters had gotten so full, and we’ve gotten to know them so well and have started to explore different aspects of their lives at school or whatever, that it was just a natural progression to be more with the family.

BE: In fact, I think I’ve said in reviews a couple of times, surely they’re on their way to sending Frankie back to school or something. There’s got to be some way that they’re going to weed out the car dealership altogether sooner than later.

PH: Right. But she needs to be working, because they need the money, so we’ll find something. But it’d be great if I’d either go back to school or get another job…or maybe do a couple of things. You know, what’s great about the way they write the show is that it sometimes takes a couple of episodes to resolve an issue. Like the dishwasher.

BE: Uh, yeah, our dishwasher was going out right as that storyline kicked in.

PH: It did…?

BE: Yep. So thanks for that.

PH: [Laughs.] So, yeah, I think it’d be fun to see Frankie sort of searching for a job for a few episodes before landing in the right place. I don’t know if that’s what going to happen, but we’ll see.

BE: Do you have a favorite episode of the series to date? Or more than one?

PH: I have some favorite scenes. In fact, we were just nominated for a Humanitas award for last season’s opening…

BE: …when they were coming home from Aunt Ginny’s funeral (in “The Map”)?

PH: [Smiles.] Yes. The car scene. You know, we love car scenes as a cast, because we don’t have to worry about blocking, they shoot them pretty quickly because they only shoot them in one direction, so you don’t have to worry about them re-lighting so much. But it’s also fun to just get a chance to do a…that’s a very long scene. It was probably about 15 pages, or something like that. So just to have a really long discussion… And it just bounced back and forth so well between the different family members, like a real family talk, and went in all these different directions. I just thought it was so satisfying as an actor to shoot that scene. So that’s probably one of my favorite episodes. I also love anything that Sue’s involved in. You know, I’ve always said that if we ever get an Emmy nomination, it’s gonna be because of Eden Sher.

BE: If she doesn’t hurry up and get one…

PH: I know! There has to be some sort of protest if she doesn’t get one.

BE: I am 100% behind that.

PH: I think part of the issue is that there’s a lot of product out there. So we’re competing against a lot of different people, and there’s a lot of shows in the comedy category that don’t necessarily jump out at you and scream “comedy,” so…it’s a little odd. It’s sometimes like comparing apples and oranges in the comedy category, so it’s tough.

BE: Well, I feel like “The Middle” has been perpetually underrated since it first started.

PH: I agree. But I also am so grateful that the critics keep saying that. [Laughs.] And keep our name out there in the process!

BE: Do you find it hard playing Frankie as self-centered as she so often comes across?

PH: [Bursts out laughing.] Okay, you’re the first person who’s said that Frankie’s self-centered. That’s such a…it’s probably because you’re a guy. I see Frankie as completely selfless, and I think if you think she’s self-centered, it’s because she worries about everything, so… [Hesitates.] What about her do you find self-centered?

BE: Okay, well, maybe self-centered isn’t the right word. But she gets so obsessed with things…

PH: She does get obsessed. [Laughs.]

BE:  …often getting caught up in them to the point that sometimes she’s not even paying attention to the person or thing responsible for starting the obsession in the first place. If that makes sense.

PH: Okay, right. That’s different. That’s not self-obsessed. But I would definitely agree with you that she does get obsessed about things. And I think that early on in my parenting, I was obsessed with doing things for the kids and trying to make sure that this was happening and really being controlling and thinking I had to make all these things happen in my kids’ lives for them to be successful human beings out in the world. And as I’ve gotten older and just more tired… [Laughs.] I’ve just sort of realized that my children have a certain set personality that no amount of my interfering is going to change. There are certain things that you can do to sort of open them up to different experiences and see if they respond. I think that’s the most parents can do. “I notice you like to read. Try this.” “I notice you have really good hand/eye coordination. Try this.” That’s the most you can do as a parent, I think. And once I started realizing that, I was able to relax. Frankie hasn’t realized that yet. I think she knows that her family’s at quite a disadvantage financially, and she knows that she and Mike aren’t the greatest parents, and their kids aren’t going to be doing dressage or whatever.

The thing I really relate to is that they’re very busy, and they can’t be driving the kids all over the place and showing up for everything. I’ve had that in my life. I remember we had four kids in AYSO Soccer, and what it meant was all day Saturday and all day Sunday we had to sit and watch completely talentless kids run around on a soccer field. [Laughs.] And my husband, who’s British, could not stand it. He’s, like… [Adopts a British accent.] “Look at what they’re doing! The coaches, they’re ridiculous!” And we just said, “Nope, we’re not doing it.” We pulled everybody out. Same with baseball. We pulled everybody out of Little League. The kids didn’t really want to do it, anyway. And as a result, our kids are big, fat couch potatoes who only play video games. [Laughs.] So see how that worked? Really successful. So I totally relate to the Hecks in that I just can’t be that kind of parent…and yet I feel guilty that I’m not that kind of parent.

BE: Lastly, I’ve read how everyone brings their own ideas to the writers for possible story ideas. Is there anything from your own life that’s made into an episode?

PH: One of the most obvious ones was during the first season. For some reason, I thought it would really add a lot to our family to host an international student from Japan. My son was studying Japanese at the time at his high school, so they had asked if they had any parents who would be hosts. And that happened once when I was growing up, the people across the street had these Italian guys stay at their house, and I thought, “That’s one of my clearest memories from growing up. I want to recreate that for my kids!” A lot of things that parents do is because they’re trying to create memories for their kids. That’s why they involve them in all these activities. So we did that, and I just remember every day coming to the set, going, “Omigod, this Japanese kid’s just standing in the corner staring at us, and he doesn’t speak any English.” So I said, “Can you imagine if the Hecks…”

I mean, I think my life is pretty good, but when this kid’s staring at us, I’d start feeling like we’re the ugly Americans, and everything we do is awful. Can you imagine if someone came to the Heck house and watched how they operated? I said, “We have to have them have an exchange student.” So that was really taken from that. And the young man who stayed with us, who was a lovely guy, came and visited the set, so they experienced firsthand how he just kind of stood there and never smiled. We have pictures of him, and he’d just… [Offers frozen stare.] So we did that episode with Matthew Moy (who now plays Han on “2 Broke Girls”) as the Japanese exchange student, and it was just so much fun. Matthew is such a wonderful, funny actor.