We’ve all been loving that Felicia has been on-screen a bunch lately.
“Me, too! It’s nice to be working consistently and be a part of the show. I really love it, and I always have. When we did the Nurses’ Ball, the directors were putting me at different tables and I don’t know if I was actually on camera that much, but I had this opportunity to really reach out and meet a lot of the cast members that I didn’t know. It was such an epiphany for me of love and acceptance and just gratitude to be there.”
What was your reaction when you opened up your script and saw that Mac and Felicia were going to be engaging in some afternoon delight in the park?
“I thought, ‘Oh, great!’ I mean, any time I have an opportunity to do some comedy, especially with John York [Mac], I know that it’s going to be a fun day on set. And it turned out to be pretty fun. And Vernee [Watson, Stella] is spot-on with her comedy, for sure.”
I had almost forgotten that Felicia is funny!
“Yeah, right? I was working the other day at the Floating Rib, and I thought, ‘Oh, yeah. I worked here before. Am I still working here?’ Every time I show up for work, it’s a reminder of, ‘Oh, this is who she is.’ Because it’s been so long; so much time went by because I left the show and I went to school and had another life for a while, so coming back on a more consistent level has been really enlightening. I didn’t know that she was actually working as a P.I. until it actually said those words in the script when Bobbie asked her to investigate Nelle.”
How do you feel about Mac and Felicia’s status as the token happy couple in town?
“We get to kind of do that happy couple stereotype stuff, and it’s kind of fun to play because you don’t really see as much of that anymore. We were just shooting a scene the other day and it starts off with us in a kiss walking into this room. I was like, ‘Argh, always kissin’, always kissin’!’ And Frank [Valentini, executive producer] says, ‘Well, somebody’s gotta be happy on this show!’ I thought that was pretty cute.”
Has it been a challenge to wrap your mind around the dialogue, since you’re being given more to say?
“There’s more to say, more to memorize, more to think about. But for me, personally, it’s much easier to do more of it. Coming in every five or six weeks to work is more of a challenge, because your instrument isn’t attuned, really, as an actor, and you really have to study harder or work harder before you show up for work. It’s much easier to do it every day and be consistent.”
