Parade Magazine: MEET ER'S NEWEST STAR - In Step With Maura Tierney (March 2001)

by James Brady

The highest-rated drama on American TV, ER, first aired Sept. 19, 1994, on NBC. Since then, George Clooney, Julianna Margulies and other audience favorites have left. So how does the drama remain atop the ratings? One reason: Whenever they lose a major player, they come up with another just as good if not better.

Take Maura Tierney, who plays the nurse and struggling resident Abby Lockhart. In just over a season, she has won not only audience raves but also reviews like this from TV Guide: "With a minimum of fanfare, Tierney has become the drama's heart and soul."

When I interviewed Ms. Tierney during her lunch break from shooting ER, I worried whether she'd have enough time to eat. Maura reassured me, "Listen, I'm a tough broad." So, how did she get cast on ER? "The sitcom I was in, NewsRadio, had just been cancelled," said Tierney, "and they thought about me at ER. So I met with the writers and producers. There was no audition, because there wasn't a character yet. They had an idea, and we developed it. They're secretive. For example, one day they told me Abby's mother was coming on-a woman with 'a problem.' Can you imagine? It was Sally Field! They want to show our more personal side."

So, does Abby have ER's cutest boyfriend? "Yes, he's the cutest," she said, referring to Dr. Luka Kovac (played by Goran Visnjic). "But the boys are all cute." And does the "ghost" of George Clooney haunt the ER set? "I've not yet seen his ghost," said Tierney, "but there are those who say they have."

On the big screen, Maura starred with Jim Carrey in Liar Liar. "I was intimidated," she said, "because he was this big fat star. But he's a sweet guy and wonderfully professional." She also worked with John Travolta in Primary Colors, about a Clintonesque Presidential candidate. "I loved the movie," she said. "I was so surprised when it didn't do well. The Monica Lewinsky story broke right around the release, so maybe that hurt it."

Does she have any insider information on plot lines for ER? One sure thing, Maura said: "My 'mother' is coming back."

Brady's Bits:
• Maura Tierney is a native Bostonian, educated by nuns. Her mom is a real estate agent. Her dad was a politician for 16 years. Maura studied drama at NYU. "I did my whole four years but didn't attend graduation," she said. These days, Maura and her actor/director husband, Billy Morissette, live in New York and Hollywood (no children yet but one pug dog). When we spoke, her plans for the summer hiatus from ER were uncertain: "Maybe a movie with my husband," Maura said.
• The two already had completed the film Scotland, PA., a rendering of Shakespeare's Macbeth written and directed by Morisette, which made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival last month. "It's set in a fast-food restaurant in Pennsylvania in the 1970s," Maura said. "I play Lady Macbeth, and James LeGros, a great actor from "Ally McBeal", plays Macbeth. I am really proud of it as a comedy, and the audience reaction was good. We hope to have it released by the end of the year. It was Billy's first directing job, and he was wonderful. I'd work for him anytime."

  Thanks to Sar at the Luka and Abby Group for transcribing the text.

  

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