Maura Tierney Hopes She Has Main-Character Energy by Now
The actress, known for her roles in dark dramas like ER, The Affair, and The Iron Claw, is also craving a return to comedy.
One day, hopefully not too far down the line, Maura Tierney thinks she’ll return to her comedy roots. “I feel like all I do is say that, people write down that I say it, and then it doesn’t quite happen,” she tells the Cut over Zoom from Venice, California. Most television viewers will remember Tierney fondly as Abby Lockhart, the nurse-turned-doctor from almost 200 episodes of ER, the hit medical series that experienced something of a cultural renaissance when it was made available to stream on Hulu during lockdown. But longtime fans will remember that her first big television role was on NewsRadio, a hard-to-find 90s sitcom on which she co-starred with Joe Rogan (yes, that one). She doesn’t have her hopes up for a reboot, though. “Do we want to see those characters older? They were so cute. Maybe we should leave them cute,” Tierney says.
Dramatic roles came flowing in for the actress after ER, including an Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe winning turn as Helen Soloway on The Affair for five seasons, a matriarch to Zac Efron on A24’s The Iron Claw, and most recently, she stars as Grace Poe on Freevee’s American Rust. But she’s ultimately fine with sticking to the high wire emotions that she tapped into for those projects because “I’m funny in real life,” she explains, adding, “Maybe I’ll have to write something for myself.” Tierney’s witty sensibility is apparent from the moment she starts speaking, anchored by the cultural knowledge she has procured from decades of working in Hollywood. Up next, she is set to appear in Twisters, a “standalone sequel” to the 1996 disaster thriller starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos.
Below, the actress shares why she’s not a fan of the hair and makeup chair, her Bob Fosse comfort re-watch, and her fondest memories from working on ER.
You seem to end up as the main character on shows where you begin in a supporting role—first on ER and later on The Affair. Do you think you radiate main character energy?
I hope by now I have some main character energy. [Laughs]. Supporting characters are important. On ER, everybody starts out as a supporting character, it’s an ensemble piece. The writers on ER got me, and I got them, so I had an amazing journey there. But even when I was the “lead,” I still had to like, pass the clamp every once in a while. Even if you have these major storylines, all of us would have to be in service of someone else’s story sometimes. And that’s a good thing to be reminded to do.
Other than a potential third season of American Rust, is there anything on your vision board for the next few years of your career?
I’d really like to work again with the Wooster Group, an experimental theater company downtown in New York. That’s something I’m aching to do and it’s some of the most meaningful stuff I’ve done. I don’t want to call it performance art, because it’s much more cohesive than that. It’s very different from what I do on TV, deeply engaging and very challenging. It’s wild, out there stuff, so even if you make a mistake, no one kind of knows because it’s so weird.
Moving into our Taste Test—Where do you get your best culture recommendations from?
I get them from a group of my friends who are writers and directors. If there’s stuff that’s more out there I get it from my Wooster Group friends, like if there’s some really arcane movie showing only for two nights, the more obscure stuff.
Which celebrities—dead or alive—would you invite to a dinner party?
Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, Sinead O’Connor, and Kathleen Hanna from the Bikini Kill. Imagine that dinner table of fucking fabulous lady musicians from all those decades. I would just love to hear them talk to each other.
What’s the last meal you cooked for dinner?
I made a very delicious chicken dish that involves roasting the chicken, and you put butter, olive oil, and garlic on the chicken, bake it, and then you put a bunch of olives on it. Made some rice. I thought it was really good.
What is your pre-filming ritual?
I don’t like to spend too much time in the chair for hair and makeup. It throws me off to sit around and wait. It just doesn’t help my acting. Some people really luxuriate in that and they find it relaxing to have someone do their hair and their face. I just find that I’m thinking about work. I work with the hair and makeup team to figure out the least amount of time we could be effective, and then I like to go straight to set. I don’t like hanging out.
What’s the project that you’ve spent the most time in the chair?
The Affair. So much was crafted into the wardrobe, too. But actually that was fun, that was creative, it didn’t bore me. We’d go for the first half of the day as Helen’s POV of herself, I’m dressed one way, the hair is one way, and then Sara Treem, the show’s writer, always made us look better in other people’s POV. So we’d dress her up a little and try to find small but significant things to change about the hair and makeup.
What’s your comfort re-watch?
All That Jazz. I love Bob Fosse. I watch Cabaret a lot. I also watch Ordinary People, which I would say is not very comfortable. It’s probably the essence of people being uncomfortable. But I love that movie, it’s Robert Redford’s directing debut. It’s so gorgeously directed and acted, everyone in it is perfect. Ordinary People is heartbreaking and All That Jazz is so sexy.
What is something you’ll never, ever watch no matter what?
Apparently there’s this new martial arts show, Power Slap, where people slap each other in the face as hard as they can. It’s not boxing or martial arts, people just stand there and slap each other incredibly hard in the face. I feel like life is hard enough. I can safely say I will never watch that.
What’s the best piece of gossip you’ve ever heard?
I went to an all-girls Catholic high school and my married female gym teacher was having an affair with the nun who taught English. They used to go running together on the track at the school all the time and we were like, what’s up with them? And that’s what was up with them.
That sounds like the comedy pilot you should write. What’s a book you couldn’t put down?
I just read I Am Homeless if This Is Not My Home by Laurie Moore. She’s normally a short story writer. I love her writing anyway, but this novel was really exquisite. I loved it.
What music do you listen to when you’re alone?
I listen to a lot of 90s rock and roll. I love the Pixies, David Bowie. There’s all this stuff that people think is cool, but I’ll also listen to The Cult from the 80s or Nickelback. I have things on my exercise tape that I wouldn’t probably play at a party. I’ll also listen to my more dissonant PJ Harvey stuff that isn’t for everybody. So there you go, it’s Nickelback or PJ Harvey.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
I was working with James Woods on ER. He was on for a couple of episodes, but there’s this very intense scene between the two of us, and there were giant fans for a wind effect, loads of crew. We were in the ambulance bay, there was all kinds of shit going on and it’s supposed to be this emotional goodbye. I think he could tell I was wigging out. He just looked at me and he goes: “There’s no one here right now but you and me. Do you hear me?” And for whatever reason it landed. It was such a gift, and it was a very beautiful scene. So that’s not advice, but it got me out of my head. It stayed with me. I could choke up now.
If you have a partner — what show are they not allowed to watch without you?
Diarra from Detroit. We enjoyed it so much. But one time we were watching Alone, where they drop someone off alone in the middle of the wilderness and they basically starve…we were in deep COVID. We were supposedly watching it together, but then one night I couldn’t sleep and I just watched to the end. So I was pretending I didn’t know who won when we were watching together, but I totally let it slip, and it was like I cheated on him. Like, I’m a professional actor, please. COVID was tough, man.
Worst thing to do at a dinner party?
Make me a dessert. And having to remove my shoes without prior notice.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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