Amanda Warren Talks The LeftoversBy Wilson Morales
July 13, 2014
Currently airing on HBO is the latest production from executive producer/ showrunner Damon Lindelof and acclaimed novelist Tom Perrotta, the drama series “The Leftovers.”
Based on Perrotta’s bestselling novel of the same name, the series tells the story of what happens after 2% of the world’s population abruptly disappears without explanation. As the world struggles to come to terms with what happened, “The Leftovers” is how the residents of Mapleton, New York deal with living and being left behind three years later.
The series stars Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Chris Eccleston, Liv Tyler, Ann Dowd, Amanda Warren, Chris Zylka, Margaret Qualley, Carrie Coon, Emily Meade, Michael Gaston, Annie Q., and Max and Charlie Carver. Peter Berg directed the first two episodes, followed by Keith Gordon, Lesli Linka Glatter, and then Mimi Leder.
For Warren, who plays Mayor Lucy Warburton, this is her first gig as a series regular. The Yale School of Drama grad previously had a recurring role on the final season of ‘The Closer,’ and appeared in several episodic roles on various TV shows such as Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Good Wife, Gossip Girl, and Royal Pains. Besides TV, the New York native had roles on films (The Adjustment Bureau and Seven Psychopaths) and appeared on stage on The Classical Theatre of Harlem’s production of ‘Three Sisters,’ Terrence McNally’s ‘Golden Age’ and Lincoln Center Theatre’s ‘When I Come to Die.’
In speaking exclusively with Blackfilm.com, Warren talks about her character, explains what the show is about, and working with its cast.
How would you describe Mayor Lucy Warburton?
Amanda Warren: For me, as an actor, she’s a phenomenal woman to portray. She’s extremely confident and that’s the way it appears on the surface, but she’s a woman with many vulnerabilities, which are yet to be revealed. I would say that she’s also very guarded. She is strong. She is competent and very savvy. There’s a very metropolitan quality about her and she has a warm heart, believe it or not. She’s mushy on the inside but she has a very hard exterior.
Having worked on various shows doing episodic work, what was the attraction to doing this series?
AW: The attraction to doing this was that this was a story, to my knowledge, that hadn’t been done before on television. Perhaps there had been some attempts to do it on cinema, but I hadn’t seen something that’s “rapturesque” – which is how people have been referring to our show. That was refreshing to me, but you then wonder: how would we mount this? But when you have someone at the helm like Damon Lindelof along with the novelist Tom Perrotta and Peter Berg directing for the pilot and the second episode, in addition to Mimi Leder, who we have as our producing director, and also Lesli Linka Glatter, it’s possible. When you have artists like that who are leading the pack, that’s when you feel comfortable that you’re in the right hands and trust really becomes essential and very much the main reason for signing up for a project like this. It’s been amazing because we now see that we are capable to taking this on as a group as storytellers.
Because of Lindelof’s involvement, comparisons have been made to his other TV series “Lost,” which left some confused when that series ended. Is this a series when one will get answers to what’s going on?
AW: I think it’s premature to make comparisons to “Lost” especially when we are about to air episode three. What we need to be comfortable with is the journey of every character and understanding the humanity between each and every person. That’s what television is about. We won’t get the answers in one season as to what happens or where they will go. Perhaps there’s a lot of quality television that’s not right for the individual who needs questions answered in each episode, and perhaps reality television may be a better option. With the integrity of HBO and their drive to tell stories, it takes time to arrive at any sort of answers. You may not have read in the press what Mr. Lindelof and Mr. Perrotta have said, but the story that we are getting is of those left behind in the wake of their loved one’s departure. It’s about the grief of loss and how we struggle with the challenges of life day to day.
How was working with the cast?
AW: When you hear about people not getting along on set, that hasn’t been the case here on our show. I can say that with a huge smile on my face because I think that was our focus. Justin Theroux is the ideal team partner to have. He’s a writer. He’s a director. There’s no greater get than having someone who knows how to listen and respond. That’s also the case with the rest of the ensemble, which consists of 14 to 15 regulars. In this first season, everyone has come to work ready to listen and throw everything away to make the series work.
When you have people like Ann Dowd, Carrie Coon, and Margaret Qualley- who seems to have come out of nowhere and works with such ease and fluidity like she’s been doing this for 20 years- the professionalism and generosity that we give to one another as actors and as people and the respect that we give to one another just makes my heart swell and I pinch myself every single time that I get off that set. When I have days off, I want to be back on set, and that really hasn’t happened to me before. This is my first series regular position on a television show that’s actually been picked up. It’s just a dream come true.
The Leftovers Airs Sunday Nights On HBO at 10pm.
