Although I’ve been interviewed a lot since July 2020, only once has an interview been in person—my sit-down with George Stephanopoulos on July 16 of last year. That changed on November 16, 2021 when I met with Mary McDonnell at the Lucerne Hotel on the Upper West side in Manhattan.
The first time I saw Mary McDonnell as an actor was in the sitcom E/R, which aired from 1984-1985. I watched the re-runs in 1992 when I was living in a studio apartment on the Upper East Side. I liked the show but there was something about Mary’s performance in particular that intrigued me. I think I’ve seen most of the movies and TV shows she’s been in since.
When one becomes that familiar with somebody’s work it’s hard not to make assumptions or draw conclusions (no matter how erroneous) about what kind of person they are. This is especially true of an actor like Mary who has played characters like Elma Radnor in Matewan and May-Alice Culhane in Passion Fish,* President Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica (one of the five best television series ever made) and Captain Sharon Raydor in Major Crimes—all complex, sometimes contradictory, fully-realized strong women.
*I don’t think I fully understood what chemistry was until I watched the scenes between Mary and Alfre Woodard in this extraordinary film.
I’m not just an introvert, I’m also quite shy, so I always get a bit nervous when meeting someone for the first time. That morning I was very nervous. I chalked it up to COVID isolation. I’d been to the Lucerne many times, though, because my best friend used to stay there whenever he came to the city, so that familiarity helped me feel grounded. Mary’s wonderful producer, Mina Sharpe, met me in the lobby which defused my anxiety a little more.
All of the normal things that we used to do to break the tension, such as shaking hands, weren’t available. (I had discovered this truth in September 2020 when I met a couple of close friends for the first time in over six months. Vaccines were still months way, we were well into the second wave, so we sat outside and, of course, couldn’t hug. The small bit of tension that comes whenever you’re first meeting someone or reuniting after a long time never dissipated because we were denied that hug.) So, I waved and took off my coat. After exchanging some pleasantries we sat down and as soon as we started to talk in earnest I realized this interview was going to be different from all of the others. It wasn’t simply going to be about my books or politics or the state of the world, but would instead be a give and take between two people who shared many of the same concerns, passions, and struggles.
In fact, it felt less like an interview than a conversation with an old friend. Mary McDonnell isn’t just somebody whose work I greatly admire, she is also a genuinely kind, giving, and, yes, strong woman, who makes you feel understood and valued.
If you listen to part one and part two of our wide-ranging interview, I think you’ll understand exactly what I’m talking about.
Part 1
http://ladybampodcast.com/2021/12/16/lady-bam-podcast-with-mary-mcdonnell-episode-16-mary-trump/
Part 2
http://ladybampodcast.com/2021/12/16/lady-bam-podcast-with-mary-mcdonnell-episode-17-mary-trump-part-2/
I’d love to hear your thoughts. .
Mary McDonnell