Mercy's Taylor Schilling on Her Show's Renewal, Its Future, and the Best Strip Club Announcement Ever

Are you more a comedy or drama fan? Watching Veronica, I can see appreciation both ways.

I sincerely have to say both. I mean, we're all a fan of what Meryl Streep can do, and she's a great example of someone who's hilarious and can bring a lot of humor to dramatic roles. But also, I will also laugh my ass off watching Will Ferrell. That's a treat to me. The entire spectrum is really fun.

Where is your character and the show headed?

I think it's going to be exciting to see the fat falls away and the crisis of what's going on with her husband, dealing with that, the crisis and intensity of meeting Chris Sands [James Tupper] and him coming back into her life. It's going to be fun to watch her open up, and figure out who she is back in New Jersey without all of these crazy things going on, like how she navigates her life. there's a lot of humor in that, it's going to affect the way she deals with challenges. The family dynamics will also come out, and it really shows where Veronica comes from -- this ball-busting, alcoholic, Irish, New Jersey family -- and it's an important part of who she is. It'll give her fun context.

This is one of the few shows on TV that's really led by a female trio. What's that like on-set with Jamie Lee Kirchner and Michelle Trachtenberg, and what do you think it adds to television?

It's kind of like going to work with your girlfriends. I'm proud of that being on TV, because it's not really a sexed-up friendship. It's not like a glossy going-out-and-drinking-and-talking-about-boys thing. It's a little bit more about girls getting through their lives and helping each other out. I can relate to this more, that's what my girlfriends are to me. Like, "You will not believe the day I had. Can we please talk about this, and please tell me what to do." It's women supporting each other, and it's an aspect of our show I hope we continue to explore deeply.

Besides this show and your supporting role in Dark Matter a couple years ago, you're pretty much a fresh face who's already fronting an NBC drama. What experience do you draw upon when playing this role?

I took three years and I went to grad school, and I left a year early because I was super itchy for work and to be out in the world. I wanted to kind of spread my wings and, you know, enough of learning. I really studied the craft, the nuts and bolts, did a lot of theater, studied a lot, and I'm grateful for that because it's paying off tremendously in this job. I've been developing how I work. And Dark Matter I did during summer break between college and grad school, so this my first gig out in the world.

Now that the anxiety of landing a job in the real world is alleviated, do you miss grad school at all?

I don't miss it at all! I don't miss being in class. Now in the position I'm in, I appreciate the training. At the time I thought, "What are we doing this for?" It makes sense now that I'm working so intensely, and it helps a lot.

Do you have ambitions for any even stranger roles? What is your dream role? After Veronica, I wouldn't mind playing someone footloose and fancy-free. It'd be a nice break from Veronica, and with a lot of comedy, but for right now this is really the dream. And It'd be fun to play an inmate in an asylum someday, somebody who is really messy and out there.

Pages: 1 2