By Christina Radish
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Patricia Arquette & Jake Weber at the NBC All-Star Party held at Century Club in Century City, Calif. on July 25, 2005.
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The chilling drama series Medium, inspired by the real-life story of research medium Allison DuBois, returned to NBC this week. Emmy winner Patricia Arquette stars as the wife and mother who, since childhood, has been struggling to make sense of her dreams and visions of dead people. This season, Allison and her family’s world is turned upside down after her abilities are publicly exposed, resulting in major life changes, both professionally and personally.
For the past three seasons, Allison has served as a part-time consultant to the district attorney’s office in Phoenix, Arizona, using her psychic abilities to solve violent and horrifying crimes that have mystified authorities within the criminal justice system. Allison’s exceptionally supportive husband Joe (played by Jake Weber), an aerospace engineer, is also left looking for work after recent traumatic events.
Co-stars Patricia Arquette and Jake Weber talk to MediaBlvd Magazine about the changes in the show for the new season, their realistic portrayal of a married couple and the addition of Academy Award-winning screen legend Anjelica Huston, who is joining the show for a 6-episode arc.
MediaBlvd Magazine> Do all of the changes this season make for a better dynamic for you? Do you enjoy it that way, or you wish you had the same old show?
Patricia Arquette> I think it’s nice to change things up a little bit. The fact that Allison and Joe are both out of work at the beginning of this season and, as a couple, they don’t really have much of a nest egg to fall back on, is a situation a lot of Americans find themselves in. I think the strength of our show is the marital relationship and the real reality of that family, and how much it echoes other Americans’ experiences. So, I like that we have that chance to show the struggle of when people are out of work, and how quickly that affects you.
MediaBlvd> Are you surprised that Allison’s secret didn’t come out sooner?
Patricia> People are very good at keeping secrets when it’s in their best interests. Otherwise, people wouldn’t be able to have affairs for as long as they do. And, I think people were happy to use her information to their advantage. But, it’s a dirty secret. It would have probably come out earlier because she was so outward about it, but that didn’t make sense with the show.
MediaBlvd> The marriage dynamic seems so incredibly real on this show, and there are not that many real depictions of marriage on television. Is that your impression as well?
Jake Weber> I think there are other marriages that are real. The Sopranos had a lot of the same kind of domestic elements, thrown into their real life. Television has gotten a lot better, in that regard. I think one of the stronger suits of the show is that it portrays a marriage that is full of all the problems and challenges that real marriages have to face.
MediaBlvd> What happens to your relationship, with the stress of Allison’s abilities being public and Joe not knowing about his employment, while you have these three kids?
Patricia> Like most families, they don’t really have much of a nest egg, and suddenly they find themselves both out of work. It’s difficult for Joe’s character because he’s used to being the big bread winner of our family. He’s a Mathematician and he’s always made a fair living. He’s done a good job supporting his family. It’s very difficult to find yourself suddenly not being able to provide, so it definitely brings a lot of stress into the marriage.
MediaBlvd> If Allison is no longer working for the D.A., and her private secret is now public, where will the character go? How can she use her skills, long-term? Do her abilities become more or less important?
Patricia> We have inklings from the show creator of some places that it may end up going. But, honestly with the strike, who knows what’s going to happen exactly. And, our writers write pretty close to shooting order, so you can never tell exactly what’s really going to show up, until it’s in front of you.
MediaBlvd> Are you approaching the characters any differently now than you did initially? At this point, does that familiarity with the characters help you, or is it like coming into something new because of the break between seasons and the changes in the situation?
Patricia> When I come back, at the beginning of the season, I feel really rusty. And then, like any relationship, you find yourself encountering some of the same arguments or situations with each other, within scenes. For me, it gets like frustrating, sometimes. And then, a change will occur. It’s this ebb and flow, with change and evolution.
Jake> It really is like you’ve been away from a partner for awhile, and there’s always an adjustment period when you meet up again and start going through the routine that you’ve established. It’s not dissimilar to a marriage, in that sense.
MediaBlvd> Is your relationship with the girls changing as they get older and learn more about acting?
Patricia> I feel close to them and I always have, so it hasn’t changed, in that way. Sofia Vassilieva (Ariel) has always been interested in acting and talking about it, even more so now. And, Maria Lark (Bridget) is starting to talk about it more now as well. At first, she was just showing up to say her lines. It just seems like her interest is growing deeper for her. She’s starting to explore it a little bit more and feel more comfortable with it.
MediaBlvd> How does working with these very young actresses changes your own performances, and how you have to work around their needs as performers?
Patricia> I think the kids have changed a lot, but it’s always been great working with them because they weren’t professional actors. Sofia had done a couple of movies, but other than that they were just real kids that were very funny and fascinating, and raw and real, and inquisitive. They would just get bored of stuff and say, “Oh, you’re going to say that again? Why do we keep saying this? Aren’t we done? When are we going to be finished?” And so, you have to go with whatever they happen to say and be present in the moment. There’s been a big evolution in their own craft, but they’re still kids, at the end of the day, and so there is just an inherent reality in them. There’s certainly a lot of showboat Hollywood style acting kids, through no fault of their own, who have been over-trained in the wrong way, but these kids really are authentic.
MediaBlvd> Can you talk a little bit about the arc of the season, as far as what you were able to shoot before the strike?
Jake> This show doesn’t write itself. It’s not like you can wheel in a patient or drag in a perp to the police station, so it really is writer dependent. (Show creator) Glenn Caron has been inspired by the radical change in circumstances that these two people find themselves in, so I think he got off to a really strong start. The pace of television is such that it’s very hard to keep innovating every week, so there is some unevenness. But, on the whole, I think this show has more strong episodes than it has weaker ones.
MediaBlvd> How was it was working with Anjelica Huston?
Patricia> Oh, it was wonderful. I’ve always been such a big fan of hers and I was so grateful that she did us this honor to come on our show. But, I was kind of shy with her. I’d met her before, but I was still slightly embarrassed because, coming from the film world, the way television works is so not conducive to doing the best kind of work you can. I felt apologetic about how quickly you have to move and how little time you have to explore things.
MediaBlvd> What’s unusual about the deal that you strike with Anjelica Huston’s character?
Patricia> She comes along at a time where I continue having these dreams. That doesn’t stop just because I no longer work for the District Attorney. However, whenever I try to call people or tell them about a dream, I’m such a persona non grata that I can’t really do anything with my information. Allison and Joe are both out of work. We’re both worried about how we’re going to support our family, and she steps in and gives me an outlet and a safe place to put all this information, and help solve crimes. But, she’s also a dark character. She’s a little bit mercenary. It’s one thing to work for the District Attorney and make money through this whole network of crime-solving that’s part of the state and the government. It’s a different thing to ask families who have lost their children for reward money. And yet, you have your own family to support.
MediaBlvd> Away from work, do you continue to research this phenomenon, on your own time?
Patricia> I’m interested in this phenomenon, but I can’t say that I spend a lot of time researching it, really. I was just in India and I heard about this Indian astrologer, and I wanted to check it out. I didn’t end up getting a chance to, but I am interested in it.
MediaBlvd> What are you looking forward to the most, story-wise?
Jake> From my perspective, the stuff that is interesting is the familial relations. The more conflict that exists in Joe’s relationship with Allison, the more there is to do, and the more there is to grow and challenge the relationship. That’s what I’m into.
MediaBlvd> Jake, how does Joe handle the stress in the family, specifically with the kids, and them not all inheriting the power? Is there sibling rivalry to deal with? And, how does the stress of not having a job add to that?
Jake> He handles it with long sufferance, as all men handle challenges in family life. He’s a pretty cool cucumber. He tends to ride the highs low and the lows high, which is admirable. But, he is definitely challenged this year. His identity, as a man and as a provider, is challenged. His relationship with his wife is challenged radically because there are practical considerations that Allison is not being responsible about. It’s a real hard time for him. He has to ask his parents for money. This is a man who has always been successful and provided for his family. But, he has some cracks and those show up on screen, and they challenge the relationships.
MediaBlvd> Patricia, how does Allison deal with two of the kids having the power?
Patricia> I think she feels guilt about passing this on to her children because it can be such a grizzly thing to live with. But, on the other hand, I think she feels like she has to show them how to accept this within themselves, and to know that they can find love like this, and that they can do good for the world with this ability. She just has to be there for her children and let them know that she believes in them.
MediaBlvd> Will we see the evolving family aspect throughout the entire season?
Patricia> An important part to us is that our children are ever present. Even if they’re not in the scene, their backpacks are everywhere. You hear them. So, the kids are growing and changing, and their experiences of life and their own abilities are changing, along with the questions that they have. So, yeah, the children will always be the center of the family.
MediaBlvd> Since the writers knew that the strike was coming, is there any resolution in the nine episodes you filmed, or does it leave on a bit of a cliffhanger?
Jake> We’re not quite sure where it’s going to go. I don’t think that Glenn Caron knows exactly where he’s going to take it. He writes in storyline blocks, and this storyline has just come to an end with Anjelica Huston’s character. Chances are that he will continue to explore the challenges that the family faces with being unemployed, having real financial insecurity, and continuing to deal with the challenges of raising three children in this unusual environment.
MediaBlvd> How do you feel about returning to the original timeslot on Monday nights?
Patricia> I feel good about it. Just from running into people on the street who are fans of the show, they just seem to feel that it was a better timeslot for their schedules, having put their kids to bed and having it be the beginning of the week. So, I think it’ll be good, as long as people know when we’re on.
MediaBlvd> Do you have any favorite episodes?
Patricia> No, but there are little scenes that pop out for me. When I look back on the show, it’s not like it’s episodes. It’s like a long story. There’s no break between them because the consistency is this family experience. For me, it’s one life.
Jake> First of all, this show is hard to write. I’m always surprised at what they come up with, and the different scenarios for these characters. One of the things that they are exploring now is how Allison assumes the characteristics of somebody that she is channeling, whether it be somebody that has a hearing loss or whatever, and how that could turn into a whole world of strangeness. But, I think my favorite episode is still the one episode from the first year, where they were all going to take a trip somewhere, and Allison kept having these dreams about a plane that was going down, and so, they end up driving. It was just one of the episodes in which it really integrated her psychic visions with the practical thing that was affecting the family. I believe the show works best when they integrate those two. And, it was a very simple storyline. It wasn’t a convoluted plot. It was basically just about finding a missing gal. But, it was quite affecting because of its simplicity and the way it was all integrated. I remember a moment that I really loved where our daughter, Bridget, is talking about her friend at school and we’re just glad that she has a friend because she’s a bit of an outcast and oddball. She’s a different kind of kid. We love her, but we’re just glad that she seems to have found a friend that also appreciates her. And then, Joe shows up at school and he realizes that she’s talking to no one. She’s seeing a ghost. And, there’s just a beautiful moment of him watching her and her being in her own world and how, if he didn’t believe this or know this, he would think his daughter was insane.
MediaBlvd> Patricia, what kind of methods do you employ, as an actress, to prepare when you’re getting ready to perform as Allison?
Patricia> I did preparation early on, when we first started learning about this phenomenon, and I talked to people who had this ability, to see how it worked out for them. And then, I basically just took the material and tried to believe it. I’m lucky to work with people, like Jake, who are such solid actors, so that I really can just believe the situation when I’m working.
MediaBlvd> Patricia, have you had any funny experiences with someone wanting you to pass a message on to a dead relative?
Patricia> I’ve had a couple oddball people, but usually it’s people that have their own gifts, and they feel like they’ve never had someone to talk to about it. Or, they just want to extend their appreciation of seeing that a couple can have a relationship and a normal life with this. But, honestly, I’ve had a few oddballs from other movies I’ve done. It doesn’t seem any more than the usual.
MediaBlvd> Before you began this show, were you interested in psychic occurrences and the paranormal, or did you get interested in that while working on the show?
Patricia> I’d had a few readings from people before. When I was a teenager, I remember a guy came up to me while I was at McDonald’s and said, “Let me read your palm.” And, he said, “You’re going to be an actress. You’re going to be a star. Go down the street. I saw that they’re shooting something. Maybe you can get a job. You’re going to be a star.” And I was like, “Oh, come on!” I did dabble in being interested in that world, but I never took it all that seriously. I just took everything with a grain of salt. I feel like everything really is revealed to you as it’s meant to be revealed to you.
Jake> Sadly, I’ve never had an experience like Patricia’s. I’m so mired in Western logic. It’s very hard for me to get my head around this stuff. I did date a gal from Malaysia for awhile, and I saw some strange stuff when we went there, but I always tried to explain it, rationally, which I think is more a testament to my limited imagination than whether or not this stuff is actually out there.
