Taylor Schilling is relatively new to mainstream acting, but her character on NBC's Mercy, the harried protagonist Veronica Callahan, is an utter advancement upon recent female roles from romance-infected hospital dramas. As an Iraq War veteran who vaunts Irish anxiety and aggression with a top-note of cynicism, Nurse Callahan functions as a steely yet shaky hub for Mercy's den of nurses. And she's actually funny, too. Though she struggles to own her past and work through the less-than-stable present, she has led Mercy into becoming a success story; the show was just picked up for a full season. Schilling spoke with us about her role, her ambitions, and why Mercy is her dream project.
Mercy has been picked up for a full season. What was your reaction upon hearing the news?
It's such a lovely vote of confidence in the show, and it just gives everybody a boost. With each go-around, with each show, it's just getting better. We're learning more about it, and it's an upward climb. It's like something is working here, and we're going with it, you know what I mean? And it means people are watching it too, and that's always fun. [Laughs]. You know, when you're not working in a vacuum.
Have you been back to set yet since the big announcement?
Actually, when they told us, our entire crew was at a strip club. We were filming, and our producer got in the DJ booth, and I don't know how they did it, but they connected us with L.A. And it was very muffled, but everyone just kind of heard "Wah, wah, Mercy, wah, wah, wah, back nine," and we were all sitting around in the strip club, and it was pretty divine.
That sounds like an ideal location to find out the news.
I think so too. I don't think it could've been better, I really don't. Maybe it would've been better if we weren't working and could've had a round of cocktails, but that could happen another day.
Your character on Mercy, Veronica Callahan, is both serious, sarcastic and a little scary -- with her lingering Iraq War trauma sometimes coming into play. Tell us your feelings about the character when you first read the part.
She is scary! I was totally thrilled. She's kind of a dream to play because she's so complicated and there's so much to explore. It's what you want. There's a lot of stones to overturn with her. When I first read the script, I was completely enthralled by the whole thing, and she had me.
Did her Iraq War background make the character difficult to connect with?
You kind of work to figure out how you can identify a part with yourself. But it is daunting, and it required a lot of prep. And as the show goes on, I think we're going to see her soften with it, and grow from the experience. When we first meet Veronica, she's only been back for three months, and so it's an intense time for her. What I'm so excited about now that we have more episodes to explore it is how she's really coping with it on a daily basis, how she's moving forward. It just softens as it gets further away.
Veronica is also very funny, which I think might be her most interesting attribute.
That's exactly what I'm talking about, it's what's exciting about playing her. Her humor and her way of dealing -- I mean, she's good at deflecting, which can be kind of hilarious. When I first read the script, I wasn't sure how much that would get a chance to live, and now that that's been given some air, it's fun. It's a part of who she is. She's tough, and she's been through a lot, but she's a girl who can play. The humor of many of these situations is not lost on her.
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.