Rose Byrne interview
By Sally Macmillan
September 17, 2007 09:24am
IT'S mid-evening here in The City That Never Sleeps and the in-demand Aussie actress is utterly bent on matching its adrenalin-coursing pace.
She's been on set since the early am, has just nailed a strenuous last take and is still raring to go - out on the town.
"No worries,'' the buzzy brunette laughs.
"It's all just so awesome - the show, the amazing cast and the city. Totally, totally awesome... and sooo addictive.''
The 'show' is the fast-paced, twist-turning, on-the-knife's-edge, legal thriller Damages - described by one US critic as "John Grisham's The Firm meets Murder One'' and "the most seductive legal series since LA Law''.
The 'amazing cast' includes such luminaries as Glenn Close, Ted Danson and Zeljko Ivanek. The 'city' is, of course, Manhattan where Byrbe has been ensconced in a "totally fantastic'' apartment in the West Village on and off, since first hitting town in January to shoot the pilot.
Right now they're half way through the first season shoot with a wrap due mid-October. As the 'must-watch' accolades mount for Damages in the US - auguring well for a second season - will Rose Byrne be back on board? "You bet!'' she states emphatically. "I honestly love it all and it's such a great thing to be working with such unbelievable actors. Glenn... well she rocks! Ted is awesome. And they're not only legendary actors but great, great people - humble, you know. Extremely humble people who give you so much and make you feel so welcome. It's a great learning curve and I feel truly blessed to be here.''
Here, is Byrne as Ellen Parsons, a somewhat naive rookie legal eagle (but blessed with huge potential and heaps of ambition) making the rounds of the top flight NYC law firms. She's offered a job by Hollis Nye (Philip Bosco) but when she mentions she's also interviewing with arch rival high stakes litigator Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) - a fire-breathing dragon, both revered and reviled - the offer is rescinded. Later Nye has Parsons sign his business card which he hands back with the ominous words 'I was warned'.
As Patty marshals her troops to take on arrogant, cold, unscrupulous corporate fat cat, Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) and his lawyer henchmen, including Ray Fiske (Zeljko Ivanek), Parsons soon comes to question whether she's made a pact with the devil and fallen into a poisonous pit of asps. Everyone here has an agenda.
Byrne who had been watching "a lot of shows like The Sopranos, Rescue Me ("love, love, love that'') Curb Your Enthusiasm and Big Love'', felt Damages was of that genre on first read - pushing the boundaries, producing edginess and high tension with a taut gripping script.
"I love film but really feel television at the moment has this great experimental, edgy stuff. Films now are much more homogenous. And I loved this interesting character. A lot of her is not me - she's naive and idealistic, carrying over a lot of stuff from college and school. I'm much more cynical than her. Ambitious? Oh yeah, if you're in acting you have to be but I'm also thankful and philosophical about it all. I'm fatalistic - you have to be otherwise you'd go mad!''
As the drama of this legal-psychological thriller unfolds - in the present and gripping flashbacks - and the tension and twists zap in, Byrne concedes she's on even more of a rollercoaster than the audience. The viewers actually have more information than her character has - "but she still figures out some things for herself'', she adds staunchly, and then giggles.
As for a real life mentor, the just-turned-28-year-old nominates Robyn Gardiner, head of RGM Associates in Sydney and Byrne's beloved agent. Anything like the Machiavellian Patty? "Oh no! Robyn's on my side!''
With recently wrapped roles - an indie black comedy Just Buried, playing a scheming embalmer; The Tender Hook, our own Aussie boxing drama with Hugo Weaving; another FX pilot production Pushing Daisies and sci-fi thrillers Sunshine and 28 Weeks Later - Byrne is definitely on a roll.
She has lost out on some she dearly wanted - Superman Returns and Casino Royale - but Rose reckons that's just fate. Devastating at the time but something else always comes along - like Damages.
"I thank my lucky stars every day. I'm the luckiest girl in the world right now - working in New York City on a fantastic show with Glenn Close and Ted Danson.''
And while she'll be home to Sydney and family for Christmas to recharge the batteries, she's definitely hoping the New Year sees her back in Manhattan for a second adrenalin-packed gig.
DAMAGES
WED, 8.30PM, NINE/WIN
People suggested her for Lois a million times 
Still, there's got to be lots better choices out there.
