ER HEADQUARTERS.COM // Chat Transcripts
 

AOLiveMC4:  Hi, everyone, and welcome to AOL Live! We're chatting tonight with ER's Maura Tierney! Any opening remarks for our members, Maura?

Maura Tierney:  Hello!

AOLiveMC4:  We'll start with our questions!

Question:  Maura, are you excited for your film?

Maura Tierney:  Yes, I'm very excited, because my husband wrote it and directed it. We had a lot of fun making it, and it was a lot of fun to do. And I'm curious to see if people respond to it.

Question:  How do you like working with all those hhhhooooottttt actors, like Goran and Eric and Noah?

Maura Tierney:  I love all the hot actors. And don't forget Tony Edwards and Paul McCrane, who is also very hot. They are excellent. I love all the actors I work with. They were all working together, except Goran, before I got there, and they were all so nice to me and welcoming and encouraging, and it's a great place to work. And, of course, they're hot!

Question:  Hiya, Maura. What was working with Sally Field like? The scenes between you two were intense. Thanks.

Maura Tierney:  It was intense, but in the best kind of way. She's such a smart woman and just a great woman, first. Then, she's also a really generous actress, and she's very generous with her knowledge, her experience and talent. She was intense, but it wasn't scary, because she cares so much about acting, but she doesn't take herself too seriously, so it was a great experience.

Question:  What is your movie about?

Maura Tierney:  My movie is about -- it's called 'Scotland, PA,' and it's the story of Macbeth, as in William Shakespeare. It's set in rural Pennsylvania in 1972, and it's a comedy. And it's funny! I play the lady, James LeGros plays Macbeth and Christopher Walken is Macduff.

Question:  Maura, I hear you are going to be in 'Insomnia' directed by Christopher Nolan. Did you see his other film, 'Memento'?

Maura Tierney:  Yes, I did. I loved 'Memento,' and Christopher Nolan is such a great, great director to work with. I had kind of a small role in 'Insomnia,' but it was still a great experience, because I was working with Al Pacino. But I would work with Chris Nolan any day. He's very impressive.

Question:  What was the most embarrassing moment of your acting life?

Maura Tierney:  LOL. OK, I have to think. One time in an audition, I was reading for some movie that I don't know if it ever came out. I had to, in my audition, pretend I was reading with Eric Stoltz. And in the scene, the character I'm playing is supposed to be having an orgasm, and the director made me pretend I was having an orgasm -- and I did it. I pretty much think that was the lowest of low.

Question:  Can you tell us what's going on with Abby and Dr. Carter?

Maura Tierney:  Nothing right now. Dr. Carter is pursuing other avenues, and Abby's out in the cold.

Question:  There have been a lot of cast changes already this season. Can we expect more?

Maura Tierney:  I think it's pretty much finished with. Some people have still yet to leave who are leaving this year, but nobody new is coming on. Oh, I'm wrong. There will be one new cast member, but not until the very end of the season, and I don't know all the details.

Question:  Where did you go to college, and why did you want to become an actress?

Maura Tierney:  I went to NYU and I still [haven't] quite figured out why I wanted to become an actress. LOL. I'm still working on it.

Question:  What's the wildest rumor you ever heard about yourself?

Maura Tierney:  You know, there haven't been too many wild rumors about me, I have to say. I keep a pretty low profile.

Question:  Do you enjoy being in such a drama-filled show?

Maura Tierney:  Yes. This season they've written sort of lighter for my character, so I get to be a little more humorous. But I like being in a dramatic series, because I did a sitcom for four and a half seasons before this, 'NewsRadio,' and it's a nice change.

Question:  What's going to happen this year with your character and Luka?

Maura Tierney:  I don't know. I wish I knew more to say, but the writers don't tell us. I think we're broken up, but it seems like they are exploring the friendship between the characters, because when we got together last season, it was more about easing the loneliness. And it seems this season, the characters are sort of getting to know each other as friends. It's still not an easy relationship, but they are keeping it interesting, even though it is undefined.

Question:  How many takes has it taken you to do one scene at the most?

Maura Tierney:  I think on 'ER' probably the most takes I've ever done is probably 21, which is a lot for 'ER,' because we move really fast. But sometimes they'll be very elaborate shots where the camera has to follow characters through several pages of dialogue, and if there are 14 people in the scene, it's hard for everyone to get it right. And you don't want to be the last person to talk in one of those scenes, because it is a lot of responsibility. But I think either 19 or 21 tries.

Question:  What do you like best about the show?

Maura Tierney:  I like the people I work with. I mean, I am so appreciative that the character is so interesting, and they take good care when they write for me. But it's a great place to go to work every day. But the cast and the crew -- it's a really fun place to work, and they are all nice people.

Question:  Do you have fun with that bloody stuff and everything else?

Maura Tierney:  LOL! Yeah, actually. Sometimes it looks so real it's a little bit gross. But usually it's interesting, because there are real doctors there who are showing us what we are supposed to be pretending to do. And, you know, it's interesting because you learn stuff and you have to concentrate. So it's usually fun.

Question:  What was the first movie or show you were in?

Maura Tierney:  The first job I ever had was in a TV movie called 'Student Exchange,' and I played the mean, misunderstood head cheerleader.

Question:  Do you have any more movies in the works?

Maura Tierney:  No, just 'Scotland, PA' and "Insomnia" that are coming out, and my husband and I hope to make another movie this summer.

Question:  What direction would you like to see your character go?

Maura Tierney:  You know, I don't know. I usually sort of just put it in the hands of the writers, because this [is a] show of 12 characters that they are working with, and how they juggle these stories and how everybody fits together with that... So I just don't think about what I want to have for Abby. And they've done really well for me so far, so I trust them. I wanted to see the character actually be a little less suffering, and she has this season, so that's been nice.

Question:  How do you keep a straight face when filming?

Maura Tierney:  Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes it's really hard. But again, there's so many people that work on any given scene, you just have to pull it together, because there are 25 people there waiting for you to do your job, so there's usually that kind of pressure of feeling a little giddy. But it's OK to laugh. Everybody does it. It's just you don't want to do it for six takes.

Question:  How was the experience working on the set for the television sitcom 'NewsRadio'?

Maura Tierney:  It was fun. It's very different. We were all in it together. The writers were really young, the cast really young. We were sort of like underdogs and kind of did whatever we wanted without a lot of interference from the network. It was much faster and looser than 'ER.' And a sitcom is different.

Question:  What do you like to do in your free time?

Maura Tierney:  I like to read, and I like to go to the beach.

Question:  If you could choose any other show to be on, what would it be and why would you have chosen it?

Maura Tierney:  I wish I could be on 'Absolutely Fabulous,' because I think it's the funniest show on television. Or, I don't know -- I think I'm pretty happy with my job.

Question:  The first season you were on the show, your character was in med school. Is Abby going back to med school?

Maura Tierney:  I don't think so. Maybe. Maybe. But I think the writers and me are all sort of happy with the character being a nurse. Plus, every other actor on there is a doctor, so I like being a nurse.

Question:  What is your favorite part about acting?

Maura Tierney:  I think it's the people I get to work with, because I've met some really extraordinary people over my years of doing this. And you learn a lot of stuff.

Question:  Did enjoy working with Jim Carrey in 'Liar Liar,' and did you laugh a lot?

Maura Tierney:  Yes. But Jim Carrey -- the interesting thing about him is he's very focused and very serious about his work. Although he is a very, very funny guy, when it came time to actually do the scenes, it was a very focused... He's hard-working, which you might not guess about him, given his public persona.

Question:  Does the cast visit ER rooms for material?

Maura Tierney:  Yes. Well, I don't know if the cast does so much anymore. There are -- we have one writer on staff who is a doctor, and then there are two technical consultants who are practicing ER doctors. So I think they get a lot of actual stories from the doctors that work in the ERs. And I think the writers sort of occasionally go to hospitals and observe. As far as I know, the cast doesn't do that now, anyway.

Question:  What's the most surprising comment someone has given you when you're off from acting?

Maura Tierney:  Well, there are two. The first one is, "I don't watch television," which you would be surprised how many people say that to me, and I'm left to wonder, well, if you don't watch television, how do you know who I am? LOL. And people also make comments on my physical appearance, and I don't know quite how to take it -- like, "You're more attractive in person." But I think it is meant as a compliment.

Question:  You must have a new view of doctors. Do doctors now give you some new opinions you didn't before receive?

Maura Tierney:  I guess I do. I do sort of have a lot more respect for doctors. I always did. But to really know firsthand the vast amount of knowledge they keep in their heads is impressive.

Question:  They do appear to downplay your physical appearance on the show. Is that intentional, to make you look lonely and sad?

Maura Tierney:  LOL. See, that's one of those comments! No, I don't know if it's exactly that they downplay it; it's more that the show is a reality-based show, so we don't spend a lot of time in hair and makeup, and they [spend] a lot of time writing us. We're not supposed to be glamorous. So I think it's not the downplaying as much as it's supposed to be real, which is important to me too, because nurses, the ones that I know, don't have a lot of time to make their lipstick perfect.

Question:  When you're at home during the evening on Thursday, do you ever turn on 'ER' to watch it from the other side of the camera?

Maura Tierney:  Yes.

Question:  Do you find there is an extreme difference to working on a drama as opposed to working on a sitcom? Other than the difference in subject matter, of course.

Maura Tierney:  The main difference is the rehearsal time, because on a sitcom you rehearse for three or four days before you shoot it. On a drama, there's not that kind of rehearsal time. But then, as they say, the content -- you get more rehearsal time on a sitcom, but the material is sort of richer in a drama.

Question:  Will Dr. Malucci be back, or is he gone for good?

Maura Tierney:  I think he's gone for good, which makes me very, very sad. He's going to be a movie star.

Question:  Do the writers have any plans of playing up Dr. Weaver's interest in other women more, or is that pretty much a dead issue?

Maura Tierney:  No, it's not a dead issue. I think this season there's going to be something going on for Weaver. I'm not exactly sure what it is.

Question:  If you could be a real-life doctor, would you?

Maura Tierney:  No. Too much responsibility. I couldn't take it.

Question:  What's the most fun acting you have ever done?

Maura Tierney:  The most fun was the movie I made with my husband. We just had a great time. It was a really fun cast and everybody clicked, and that was a lot of fun. And you know who else is fun? The director of 'Liar Liar,' Tom Shadyac. He's a lot of fun. We had fun.

Question:  I want to ask you a question. If I wanted to get into acting, how would you tell me to start?

Maura Tierney:  I wish I knew more particulars. I guess just start doing it any way you can, wherever you can, 'cause I really think the experience is a great teacher. It helped me so much. The more you do it, any way you do it, is going to be a good thing -- in your school, in your community.

Question:  What is 'Insomnia' about?

Maura Tierney:  It's about a detective, who is Al Pacino, who has to go to Alaska to solve a crime, and he has some sort of moral ambiguity in his past. And so while he's solving the crime, he's sort of working out this personal problem from his past. And that's what it's about. It's a thriller.

Question:  Who is your best buddy on the show?

Maura Tierney:  Hmmm. I don't know. Maybe Anthony Edwards or Laura Innes.

AOLiveMC4:  And our last question of the evening:

Question:  What's the hardest thing about acting?

Maura Tierney:  Overcoming fear, for me. I've always been sort of a fearful person, so it's still kind of about that for me after all these years, being sort of committed and concentrated in spite of that.

Question:  If you weren't an actress, what would you have become, do you think?

Maura Tierney:  Either a lobbyist in Washington -- sounds fascinating to me -- or I have a true talent for flower arranging. I'm very good at it. So maybe one of those two things.

AOLiveMC4:  Maura, thank you so much for being with us tonight! Any closing comments to our guests?

Maura Tierney:  Thank you! Have a great evening!

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