Carrie Preston shocked to think this real-life crime could wind up on 'Elsbeth'
NEW YORK – Carrie Preston, the star of the CBS dramedy "Elsbeth," couldn't help herself. She's sitting in the Paste BN newsroom, mere blocks from where UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was murdered this month. The actress, who plays an attorney and de facto detective, allows an honest revelation.
"As soon as I saw that particular real-life crime, I thought, 'That's going to be an episode of 'Elsbeth' at some point,'" she says. "And then I thought, 'Oh my God, Carrie, this is real life. Don't be thinking of this as fiction.' This person got murdered, and it's horrible."
But Preston, 57, is aware of the twists and turns in the case, from the apprehension of the now-indicted suspect Luigi Mangione to the discussion that the shooting has spurred in America about the state of health care.
"As soon as I heard his name I was like, 'Wow, that sounds even more Italian than the character I'm playing,'" she jokes. (Elsbeth's last name is Tascioni). "I don't know how my character even has that last name. There's obviously nothing very Italian about me."
But there is something endearing. "Elsbeth" (fall finale airs Thursday, 10 EST/PST) is a spinoff of former CBS series "The Good Wife," from producers Robert and Michelle King. It's a character Preston has played since 2010, and won a guest-star Emmy for in 2013. Preston's past credits also include HBO's "True Blood" and the TNT crime drama "Claws."
She's "so smart, and her brain works so fast," Preston says of Elsbeth. "I want to be a person like that. I want to be somebody who is curious about life, who's present, who wants to take a bite out of things, who wants to learn about somebody that I might not normally want to talk to, you know? So that's been really fun."
The series has welcomed its fair share of guests since its premiere last February, including Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Vanessa Williams and Jane Krakowski. In Season 2, another newcomer joins with a special connection: Michael Emerson ("Lost," "Person of Interest"), Preston's real-life husband. Emerson plays Judge Milton Crawford, who finds himself at odds with Elsbeth. The two have worked together before, particularly on CBS' "Interest," where Preston played Emerson's love interest in flashback scenes.
"I was treating him the same way I would any of these other great guest stars," she recalls of working with Emerson, 70, noting that they don't discuss the show at the dinner table. "I don't know what they're going to bring to the table until we start getting to work on the scene. And so I let that happen with him, too. And that helps keep things fresh."
In addition to meeting Preston's real-life partner, we meet her onscreen son Teddy, played by Ben Levi Ross. Preston teases that later this season, a case from Elsbeth's past will come back into focus and become something the attorney has to "grapple" with.
"This was the dream, so I'm really taking it in," Preston says. "I'm trying not to compromise it and complicate it with too many other things. I really want to do this thing the best I can, because this is what I've been hoping for. And however long I get to do it, I'm really going to treasure it."
Preston speaks of the role with Elsbeth-like enthusiasm. Perhaps she's a person like that after all.