Being successful in business, can be very sexy.

Will the guesting of Kelly Preston as a venture capitalist who decides to independently fund Joe Dubois (Jake Weber) and become business partners with him in the last four episodes of "Medium" threaten the very grounded marriage of Allison Dubois (Patricia Arquette) and Joe (Jake Weber)?



DROWNED WORLD
5-12-08
IN THE SEASON FINALE, KELLY PRESTON’S ("THE TENTH CIRCLE," "DEATH SENTENCE") ARC AS AN ATTRACTIVE VENTURE CAPITALIST IN BUSINESS WITH JOE AND ALLISON’S INVESTIGATION INTO A HAUNTED HOUSE BOTH COME TO UNFORESEEN CONCLUSIONS -- Allison’s (Emmy winner Patricia Arquette) attempt to sooth a young couple’s concerns that their "dream home" is haunted leads to unexpected misery -- and murder. Meanwhile, Joe (Jake Weber) discovers the truth behind Meghan Doyle’s (Kelly Preston, "The Tenth Circle," "Death Sentence") plans for his solar power-based invention and their joint venture. Later, the D.A’s race takes an unexpected turn when Tom Van Dyke (guest star John Prosky, "Boston Legal") calls Devalos (Miguel Sandoval) in for a meeting. David Cubitt, Sofia Vassilieva, Maria Lark and Miranda Carabello also star.

Question:           Kelly, why do you think Megan would take the risk of flirting with Joe when she knows his wife is a psychic? I mean, is that just callous or what?

Kelly Preston:      I think because Megan is not exactly who she says she is. The - Glenn Caron is very good at writing sort of twists and turns, and multi-level characters as he’s shown with both Allison and Joe. You know, the characters are so layered. And with Megan, she’s not whom she seems to be. And so knowing that Allison is very psychic and is able to see in the future, I think it doesn’t faze Megan because she has certain motives in connecting up with Joe.

Jake Weber:        She’s a very good liar.

Kelly Preston:      Extremely good liar (such) that she keeps sort of pulling him into her web with promise of prosperity and, you know, true realization of his dream. Yet, she is sort of taking him down a slippery path.

Question:           So she’s calculating. And what I was wondering is - Medium is great because, like I can watch it with my whole family. And I was wondering, like is it a show that you were watching before you came on board, like maybe with your family? And then what did they think of you playing this kind of woman?

Kelly Preston:      Well I was a huge fan of the show before signing on to it and I, in fact, had told my agent just a few days before Glenn called met that I would be very interested in doing an arc on a show, but I said it had to be a really good show. And I felt there were a couple that I was interested in. Yet, Medium really, truthfully is my favorite show. And I love it, you know, for so many different reasons. I think Patricia and Jake, and all the actors on it are really, really good - very realistic, very, you know, just multi-layered. And the writing is so strong, as well. And I did - I watched it. My husband loves it as well. But my kids - well at least my youngest, she’s a little spooked, I think. So I don’t have her watch it. But when I ran into people, they asked me why I was (buying co A), and every single person I told that I was doing Medium said I love that show. So that was the show.

Question:           Jake, how pleased are you that the show was renewed for another season? And building on what we’re doing - building to the end of this season, what do you want to see the next year?

Jake Weber:        I want to see a healthy Glenn Gordon Caron because this show is all about him. He’s the writers and Executive Producer. So the more he’s on his game, the better the show is. And he has been writing really well in the last year, I think. And I’m real glad that the show got picked up for another year because it’s a good show. It’s a great job for me. Everybody is - gets along, enjoys working together. And that environment is hard to find over the long term in this business - and the fact that we’ve been on for four or five years - well it’ll be five years next year and no one has killed anyone else is a good sign in Hollywood.

Question:           And Kelly, for you - assuming you don’t die on Monday night, how interested would you be in returning next season for a few more episodes?

Kelly Preston:      Well they’ve joked about it. You’ll see. My character gets pretty wound up pretty succinctly. But, you know, as with a lot of the characters, they can also come back even if they - you know, ultimately she does die of some horrific death. I could also come back and potentially do something. But…

Jake Weber:        But the door is certainly open for you coming back next year. I mean…

Kelly Preston:      Yeah.

Jake Weber:        You don’t fall off a cliff or anything.

Kelly Preston:      I don’t fall off a cliff, but I do do something that’s pretty wicked.

Question:           And Jake, I know you’ve just got a movie wrap called She Lived. It sounds like a very dark episode of Medium, if I’m not mistaken. What’s the....

((Crosstalk))

Jake Weber:        ....I haven’t seen it, so I can’t tell you that much about it.

Question:           Well what’s the basic setup? What do you play?

Jake Weber:        I play the father of a teenage gal who has - what does - she has a strange sort of Jacob’s Ladder like flashback into - and you don’t know if she’s crazy or if she is becoming unhinged, or if she’s really seeing these visions. And it’s kind of a dark psychological thriller in the sort of Jacob’s Ladder vein.

Kelly Preston:      Ooh.

Jake Weber:        I hope it’s as good as Jacob’s Ladder because I love that movie.

Kelly Preston:      Yeah, it was a great film.

Question:           Just real quick - Jake, I was wondering, what exactly is your solar power-based invention?

Jake Weber:        I have no idea.

Question:           You don’t know what it is?

Jake Weber:        It’s something that Glenn came up with at four in the morning, with - it’s some sort of a solar generating system that can take solar power and magnify it or make it more efficient, make it more - so you can more, I guess - what, kilowatts or watt o kills or...

Kelly Preston:      You know, those....

Jake Weber:        You know, those units of power that we all enjoy and live with. And I - somehow it makes it more efficient. I’m not sure. I don’t think there’s an exact science in this. I think this is more of a sort of TV invention than anything that actually has utility.

Question:           Okay, fair enough. And actually for both of you - what are your personal views on this phenomenon or the paranormal in general?

Kelly Preston:      Jake? Take it away, first.

Jake Weber:        Me? Well I have more of a philistine, I think, view on this than Kelly. I - what I don’t know would fill a book. That’s all I really can say because I really - I know very little about this and I have - I know that people have had sort of paranormal and psychic experiences. I have not. But I’m open to offers.

Kelly Preston:      And for me, I just know that, you know, I’m just - spiritually I’m not my body, that I am a spiritual being and I’ve lived before, and will live again. So any sort of thing in that realm, you know, I know that there are a lot of people who are able to perceive other things. And I think it’s very cool.

Question:           I’m really curious about how you came from England to New England to study, and American Political Science on top of it, along with English. Can you tell me a little bit about why you were drawn to that or what made you want to study that? And how it’s helped you in your acting, how you’ve translated all this education into your career?

Jake Weber:        Just years of education. Yes, I’m very over-educated. And underpaid. How - my godfather - I had an American godfather and he adopted me when I was an adolescent. And he brought me over to the - to live in San Francisco. And then from San Francisco we moved to Westchester County. And I sort of reinvented myself, I guess, as sort of an American adolescent here. And I’ve always liked books and I’ve always been interested in current affairs, politics, power, the use and misuse of it. And I came to sort of acting later, I guess. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do so I sort of ended up in it. But it was not something that I always felt that I was - had a shot at doing or, you know, making a living at. So that’s basically it, I guess.

Question:           Do you feel more American or more British? Or, I mean, where do you (unintelligible)…

Jake Weber:        I’m a man without a country.

Question:           Man without a country. So I am, I said - very Neil Diamond moment.

Jake Weber:        You’re funny.

Question:           I really enjoy you in Mike Binder’s HBO series, by the way. I really thought your character was cool. You know, you were just wild and...really fun to watch. Tell me about - I know, Patricia - I’ve talked to Patricia many times and I know you guys have bonded very strongly. Tell me about how you - when you first met her and how that chemistry took off.

Jake Weber:        Oh, I don’t know. We just started teasing each other. I think that you need that chemistry on film with somebody who you hate or somebody you really like, you know. If you sort of don’t have any strong feelings about them, it gives you - nothing really pops off the screen. And luckily for me, since we’ve been doing this for four years, you know, it’s been - I’m very fond of Patricia and we’re kind of like brother and sister, you know. We tease each other and we just always made each other laugh. And, you know, she’s gorgeous. She’s so easy to just look at and kind of fall in love with, you know. And she’s an angel. She really is. She’s an extraordinary woman.

Question:           You’ve been involved in a lot of philanthropic things with her, too. I talked to her at length after Katrina and she really galvanized, you know, the crew. Your crew was amazing, by the way.

Jake Weber:        Wow.

Question:           You know, to get help to the, you know, the people…

Jake Weber:        Yeah, she was real strong. She really got front and center on that.

Question:           So did you. You were involved heavily because she thinks…

Jake Weber:        I packed a truck. I used to work as a - I used to move furniture in college for money. Used to, you know, drive a truck and pack it with ex cons. And I packed this truck so tight I got like eight flats on the way down there - to a - to New Orleans. And so that was my contribution - not exactly Patricia was out there all - Patricia was out there every weekend, you know. They didn’t ask me back there after I fucked up that - that truck. They towed it back to Los Angeles.

Question:           I have one last question for you. If you were to have a career not acting in front of a camera, but behind the camera -- and in the crew somewhere -- which career would you choose and why?

Jake Weber:        Well I think camera operator is a greater job. It’s really a hard job. But I think it’s an interesting job. Or DP is also cool.

Question:           (Unintelligible) yeah or director?

Jake Weber:        I’m not sure about that. I’m not sure I’m cut out for that. I don’t have the temperament.

Question:           Kelly, your character has taken quite some knocks on the TVGuide.com website, you know, in the message boards there from the fans.

Kelly Preston:      Uh-oh.

Question:           You know, like, you know, love to hate her type of thing. Do you chalk that up to a job well done?

Kelly Preston:      Well I guess so. I don’t ever read those things, but Glenn created a pretty interesting character that I knew the - you know, would stir up a - get an upset, especially because they have such an amazing - you know, they have a very strong, solid relationship and she threatens to jeopardize that - not really jeopardize it, but…

Question:           I know, it’s just like the worst - I think the worst thing she could do - they’re worried that she’s going to take the money and run or sue Jake for sexual harassment, or, you know…

Kelly Preston:      Yeah. You never know when Glenn’s writing and I guess we’ll see Monday night. But yeah, they’re definitely sensing what’s going on.

Question:           Is it ultimately going to come down to, you know, a woman versus woman thing - your character going up against Allison?

Jake Weber:        That would be must see TV.

Kelly Preston:      Yeah, exactly. Well you’ll see.

Jake Weber:        A cat fight.

Kelly Preston:      It’s tied up primarily between Jake and Megan. It, you know, has - it’s definitely open for some sort of craziness in the future, I guess.

Jake Weber:        I think that they should meet in the octagon.

Question:           Would you be open to a longer term TV gig, or do you like these short little visits?

Kelly Preston:      I like the short little visits. For sure. They were - I was - I had always heard that an hour drama was definitely the hardest gig in show business. And these guys really are amazing. And everybody - the cast, the crew - everybody works so hard on them. And it’s really - I mean, they’re producing these little mini movies every week and the writing is so strong. And it’s just - it’s a lot, but I hand it to them. They’re all doing, you know, really an incredible job.

Question:           Kelly, I wanted to find out what maybe was some of the acting challenges first stepping into the Megan role and what maybe have been some of the ongoing challenges in playing her in this four episode arc for you?

Kelly Preston:      I would say just not being as used to the format. They’ve got - you know, everybody was so welcoming and it’s really - you know, Jake was just wonderful and who I thought was a really incredible actor before I joined the team, as well as Patricia, I think, is just brilliant on the show. So I stepped into a really wonderful atmosphere and a crew that really works beautifully and seamlessly together. For me, it was just because of it being a little of a different format where you’re getting the pages - you know, you’re getting them sort of last minute or - because Glenn rewrites the scenes. And they’re always getting better and better. It’s just - you don’t have as much time to learn them as say I’m used to. And these guys are a lot more used to getting things, you know, with not that much time prior. So I would say that was one of the biggest challenges for me. But it’s almost like a muscle where you’re exercising it and it’s getting stronger, and you’re getting more able to do that. But ultimately, I had a really, really great time on the show - even better than expected to.

Kelly Preston:      Jake, kind of like that woman where…

Jake Weber:        Stop it.

Question:           Jake, I wanted to just get your thoughts on maybe your character’s story arc this season which has been terrific so far, and maybe what you enjoyed most about playing your character this season.

Jake Weber:        Well I always like it when he works a lot of conflict into the storylines between me and Allison because I think that even people who are just, you know, crazy about each other and have been together forever, and know each other and have worked out a lot of the kinks in their relationship - there’s still always going to be conflict. And I think that that’s always what I enjoy the most is when there’s - and he built in that sort of inherent conflict in that we’re all out of money. Nobody had a job and we were kind of at each other because we both were struggling to provide for our family. And my guy’s whole identity as a breadwinner was getting challenged. And, you know, he’s more practical than she is, so he was more comfortable with her sort of pedaling her wares as a psychic than she, perhaps, was. So I think he set up an environment where there was a lot of potential conflict and that made it fun as an actor to play. It also gives you the make up scenes which are always lovely because they usually take place in bed. And whenever I’m in bed with Patricia Arquette, it’s a good day at the office.

Question:           Well I’ve always enjoyed the relationship with your characters and I think it’s just gotten better and better this season - really strong relationship.

Kelly Preston:      Me, too.

Jake Weber:        Nice writing, man - that’s good writing.

Question:           Kelly, I know that you had mentioned that stepping into the cast of Medium felt kind of, you know, very - like a family atmosphere. Were you at all nervous, you know, coming into the show where they’ve been so tight for four years?

Kelly Preston:      No, I wasn’t nervous at all. I’ve known Patricia for years and I love her. I think she is just an amazing girl, really, really talented actress. And I was just - I was a fan of the show as well, so it’s really something that I had just recently decided that I wanted to do was do an arc on a really good show and had told my agent that, not that many days prior to Glenn Caron asking if I would do it. It just so happens that Medium is my favorite show. So it worked out perfectly.

Question:           And being a fan of the show and actually, you know, going onto the set, did you discover anything different than you thought it actually was, you know, from when you were a viewer? Like I don’t know, the props or something like that? Did you - were you surprised by anything?

Kelly Preston:      Well the one thing I discovered is my daughter - my eight-year-old daughter, Ella, came to visit the set and she - I toured her around the different sets and the DuBois home. And I know this, and Jake I was going to ask you this - there is not an older daughter bedroom. What up?

Jake Weber:        There is.

Kelly Preston:      Is there?

Jake Weber:        Yeah, but it’s built on a - in another wing of the sound stage.

Kelly Preston:      Oh, okay. Well that’s one thing - I thought hey, hum, there - is it sucked into the little vortex of Medium and I didn’t - couldn’t find that. No, nothing really that - the sets are all really, you know, just very cool and always fun to take - you’ve seen the show for years and then you go on the set, even if you’re an actor and you’re used to this. It’s always fun to actually see the actual set because, you know, you’re so familiar with them as a viewer.

Question:           Yeah, absolutely. And Jake, do you guys have any, you know, Medium hazing rituals or anything that you guys, you know, practice for guest stars coming on to your show?

Jake Weber:        Yes, I spank all the guest stars.

Kelly Preston:      Yeah, he claims to have spanked Eric Stoltz, too.

Jake Weber:        He needed a good spanking, that’s why.

Question:           Kelly, now your arc is four episodes. I was just wondering, did they leave a door open for you to return?

Kelly Preston:      They did leave the door open a crack, I guess. I mean, she does do something that’s pretty - seemingly final. But, you know, and there’s always so many possibilities in Medium, even if in the future - that it was discovered that - because I don’t die, just so you know. But in Medium, that’s never a closed door.

Question:           Good point. Yeah, on a show like that if you did die, you could…

Kelly Preston:      Exactly. It gives you another whole arc.

Question:           Jake, I’ve got a question for you.

Jake Weber:        Okay.

Question:           Have you met the real Joe?

Jake Weber:        I have.

Question:           Did you get any kind of inspiration from him at all, or do you try and separate a little?

Jake Weber:        Well, you know, he’s a real nice guy. You know, both of those - both Allison and Joe are - you know, they sort of - they’re springboards for Glenn Caron’s imagination. So they’re not sort of directly modeled off them, although their lives are sort of a framework in which he built all those stories. So, you know, we’re not actually playing real people. We’re just - we’re playing people, not those lives - if that makes sense.

Question:           Yeah, well they are - from what I can see, they are very big fans of the show and they even get a kick out of some of the things you guys get right that you don’t even know about, you know. Even as far as what side of the bed you guys sleep on - it’s even correct, as he said.

Jake Weber:        It is?

Question:           Yeah.

Jake Weber:        Well that’s kind of weird.

Question:           Except that the phone is on her side.

Jake Weber:        Right.

Question:           For obvious reasons.

Jake Weber:        Right. Yeah, Patricia just insists on climbing all over me.

Kelly Preston:      Yeah.

Question:           I think she just likes to do it, yeah.

Kelly Preston:      It makes for good TV.

Jake Weber:        Makes for a good day at the office, too.

Question:           Kelly, I’m really enjoying this story arc. It’s just really - it feels great and it’s great to see you out there again. And you’re such an evil character.

Kelly Preston:      Thank you.

Jake Weber:        She’s wicked, isn’t she?

Kelly Preston:      Yeah, I’m wicked. I love it. It’s fun. Glenn really created - when he first called me to tell me about it and ask if I wanted to do it, I said okay, so what’s the fun -what’s the interesting - what’s going to be fun to play? And when he told me, I said okay, I’m in definitely. That’s a lot of fun because I, you know, as a big fan of the show and it’s - the way his mind works, it really made for a fun character to play.

Question:           Kelly, are there any other things that you have upcoming in the near future - coming out, a film?

Kelly Preston:      Yeah. I actually have - I did another thing for television. I did a film for Lifetime called The Tenth Circle that’s out next month - June 22, based on a Jodi Picoult novel. And I play an English professor who’s having an affair with a student the night my…

Jake Weber:        Another tramp.

Kelly Preston:      Yeah, another tramp. But the night my daughter gets raped at a party and it’s - it was a really, really good story and a really well written script. And I very much - I just saw it and very much liked the way our director, Peter Markle, directed it and put it together. I’m really happy with it. It looks to me more like an independent film and it’s just - it’s sort of real and raw.

Question:           And Jake, do you have anything that is coming up or that you wanted to talk about?

Jake Weber:        No, but I’m open to offers. No, I don’t have anything.

Question:           We’ll put that in bold and italics.

Jake Weber:        Please do.

Kelly Preston:      Yeah, I also - I have a film with my husband but it’s not coming out until next year - a movie that we did with our daughter, Ella, and - so with Robin Williams called Old Dogs. But it will probably be out beginning 2009, like early 2009. Yeah, that’s for Disney.