Mira Sorvinohad the time of her life playing Rosemary onShining Vale.
Somewhat ironically, her character is dead, but she so desperately wants to live.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So, first of all, what was it like haunting Courteney Cox?
Courteney Cox and Mira Sorvino in ‘Shining Vale.'.Kat Marcinowski/Starz
MIRA SORVINO:It was a privilege and an honor.
She’s so wonderful in this.
And getting to have her as a scene partner and play with her was a delight.
Courteney Cox and Mira Sorvino face off in ‘Shining Vale.'.Kat Marcinowski/Starz
She’s really present, and she’s really vulnerable, very reactive, very responsive.
It reminds me of the vulnerability of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in the childhood Claymation special.
It’s basically a seduction.
And it was so much fun.
I mean, it couldn’t have been more fun and creative.
You play a ghost on a show that is both a horror and a comedy.
Are you yourself a fan of horror?
I’m a fan of being scared, but not to the point of nightmares.
So when I was a child, too early, I saw two really scary movies.
I sawScannersby David Cronenberg.
I was like, “That’s it.
I’m out.”
And I left the theater.
I just can’t watch the blood and guts part.
So how doesShining Valefit into that for you?
It’s not sadistic.
It’s so entertaining.
And it’s got so many relatable themes.Shining Valeis so relatable to anyone who is re-examining their life.
Whether it be a woman or a man, I think people do relate toGreg Kinnear’s Terry.
Where am I right now?
I wrote her hit novels many years ago.
I’m trying be a mom.
My kids sometimes hate me.
I don’t know who I am.
And how do I establish a life that I feel good about right now?
And I think that’s really what this is about.
How do I battle depression?
How do I define myself?
How do I live authentically?
Rosemary is quite complex.
How should we have a go at understand her?
Good or bad, she has that lust for being alive.
She really didn’t have it.
Her husband took it all and then he mistreated her.
He was brutal and disloyal.
And she felt so lost in her life and was so miserable.
And then Rosemary, the spirit, is the apotheosis of Rosemary the person.
She’s bolder and better and more glamorous than Rosemary ever could be in life.
She’s talking like a character in a ’50s movie, she’s dressing like a siren.
For her, this is the high life.
And everything is like, it’s like this delight.
And then whether she’s going to create some mischief, it’s not really her fault.
Will we learn the true nature behind Rosemary?
The fact that she’s taking the pills and she’s drinking again and she’s getting more sexual.
She has sex in the tub with her husband.
All of these things are being urged on by my character.
How far that goes is where this season takes us.
So you’ll see.
In episode five, Pat goes to see a Wiccan, who’s an expert on all things occult.
And then we see where that goes.
But on some level, she can’t help herself because it’s also what she wants.
She is the pure want.
It’s not about what’s a good idea, it’s about what I want.
You’ve said this role is the most “fun and range-y” you’ve ever played.
Do you still feel that way?
And that was one of those roles where I got to play multiple people.
So that was fantastic, but that was in 2000.
Our whole writers room is female except for Jeff.
I also get to sing and dance in the show.
That’s coming up.
But there’s also the historic Rosemary under it.
It’s really a fascinating, fun role to inhabit.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
