Maura Tierney Interview 2023: From ER to The Iron Claw

I have eight random questions here. You'll pick three numbers and whatever they correspond to, that's where we start. Three. There is a zombie outbreak. You can pick two co-stars from the Iron Claw to team up with. Which two do you choose that you think would give you the best chance of surviving? Tough. I think I would pick Harris and Zack. Okay, how come? Well, because Zack was built like a brick huge. He was gigantic. That first shot of him. So like that person's going to be competent. Holt, I don't know. I feel like Zack and Harris would listen to my needs. So that's and I think Harris is very sensitive and Zack was very strong. So that seems like it would be a good match. Right, I think that's a solid plan. What is your second number? Seven. This is one of my favorites. This one's called Scream. And if it's Scream, it can only be one question. What's your favorite scary movie? Oh, I don't watch them. Any of them? I'll tell you. I mean, they scare me. It's not fun for me. I'm like, I'm actually afraid. Like I get afraid because it's like some people don't like roller coasters. I do. This is going to really date me. I mean, The Exorcist. Oh, no, that's a fair pick. Yeah, that scared me. That scared me when I heard about it when I was a kid in school before I even saw it. I was afraid of the devil and stuff like that. So that would have to be it for me. I mean, still to this day, that same movie so many decades later is still so effective that people newly see it and call it the scariest movie they've ever seen. Because it's so grounded in reality. She's like this actress and it's so it's a gorgeous movie plus very scary. Yes, I will confirm you are right on that. All right, you have one more pick. What you got last? Oh, two. So I picked this one up from an interview I watched of yours where you were talking about having a fear of saying Macbeth because you didn't know if the interview. Well, we're not in a theater. You didn't know if the interview was being conducted in a theater. And because I'm a fairly superstitious person, I was wondering, do you have any other acting superstitions that you abide by? There was a certain person who was president at a certain time in our country's history, recent history, who I was not a big fan of. Who I read was very, very superstitious. And I thought to myself, I don't want to be like that. And so I had to like force myself. It was very hard, like no salt over the shoulder. No, like none of these superstitious things that I had been relying on for a long time. I was like, cut it out. And I did. So I think pretty much I've freed myself from that kind of compulsion. But it wasn't easy. Yeah, that might give me the nudge that I need to stop. I was just like, I need to be better than that. So, you know, but I've tried very hard to let them go. Hello, everyone. Welcome back for a brand new edition of Collider Ladies Night. Very excited to welcome Maura Tierney to the show. Thank you. Been a fan for such a long time. I was so happy when this came together. What is the movie you saw, the performance you saw, personal experience you had, you name it, that first made you say to yourself, I absolutely have to be an actor? Well, the first movie I saw that made me sort of enchanted, like and I went back to the movies, like the second day was, I think, Hair. Like it was in the set. I had never seen anything like that in the choreography. And they were all so sexy in the singing. And, you know, it's Miller's form. And I thought I was probably 13. I don't know how old I was, but I was so completely involved in that film. And then I think really it would be Francis watching Jessica Lange in that movie. I just thought if I could ever come close to doing that, it just I was just so deeply moved by that performance and film. So I felt like I was, you know, I was a dance major, I think, at the time in school. And I switched. Both are solid picks there. Yeah, yeah. So that is where you identify the dream to become an actor. But then it's a different thing to actually believe that you could do it. So do you remember the first moment where you stopped and said to yourself, like, I'm actually really good at this and I can make this happen? I don't know. I mean, I don't personally know if it's safe to just ever say I'm actually good at good at. You've got to walk the line right between confidence and stopping being inquisitive. So I feel like in a lot of my TV shows, I especially Eeyore and then The Affair, like I did them for so long at a certain point, I had to have faith and believe, you know, so that I think with each successive sort of major character that I played over several seasons, I felt like I knew what I was doing. And that, you know, gives you a lot of juice to do more. But then, you know, I did experimental theater and I had no experience in that. So then I had to learn how to do that, which now I think I'm pretty good at, too. But that took a while. OK, I'm going to follow up on that briefly. When did you realize you were good at experimental theater? Is there a certain like technique that kind of clicked in place that's made you say to yourself, like, I work here as well? I'm even afraid to say I'm good at it, but it's all technical. So I work with this theater company called The Wooster Group, which is a very sort of iconic downtown theater company in New York. And that it's like the director, Liz, will always say too much acting, too much acting because it's very technical work. And it's completely the opposite of what I do on television. And so there isn't a technique. The thing is about being massively technical and whatever task she's giving you, there's no freestyling in there. So I love the discipline of that. So I think I'm better equipped at it now than I started 10 years ago. That's a fascinating space. I imagine doing them side by side. I feel like maybe doing them side by side, one could wind up enhancing the craft in the other, maybe in ways that you don't even really actively realize. I think I don't actively realize it, but I think there's a spontaneity that anyone will tell you in theater that you don't have in film and television. But also just getting a break from that. I play like my characters are emoting a lot on the shows I do. So to get a break from that, I'm sure allows me a fresh sort of palate cleanser to come back to the other part. I love that. Going back to film and TV, of all of your earliest credits, which one would you say most put into perspective your goals in terms of the kinds of stories you were most interested in telling and also the kinds of on-set environments you most wanted to be a part of? I would have to probably say ER because I loved news radio. I did news radio for four years. I loved it. I loved that set. We had a blast. I think it's a totally uniquely funny show. But when I got into ER, they just offered me a role. After doing comedy, which I would kill to do comedy right now because I haven't in 20 years, it felt really, again, it was a super fun atmosphere, but they were really taking time to tell stories that were really reflective of what was going on in the world, society. I'll jump to my ER questions. Okay. It was a big deal for me all throughout my life. I feel like it was probably one of the first times I vividly remember just being utterly devastated when a show ended. It was just appointment viewing with my family for so long that when it ended, I felt that gap in my life, which I think is a special thing ultimately. I agree. And I think it's a special thing that people watched it. A lot of women will come up to me and say, I used to watch The Ortman. I used to watch that with my mom. And I feel like that is a nice aspect of the show that parents watched it with their kids. It really is. It's something I hold near and dear. So when you were first brought onto that show, I believe initially it was offered to you as a guest starring role. When you got... No. It was as a regular? Yeah, I was offered as a regular. But the way they did it, which was really interesting, was I did my first... I first appeared in it in October of 1999, I think. And I played Juliana Margulies' OB nurse. And then several episodes go by and then I come back as a med student. So they planted that sort of on purpose for the character. They wanted to show that she was a nurse who was transitioning into med school. So it wasn't really a guest star. It was sort of like the way they introduced my character, which I do believe had to do if Juliana stayed or left. Because if Juliana left, I'd be a nurse. And if Juliana stayed, I'd be a med student. Oh, that's fascinating. I mean, that's my guess. I don't know. Her arc is really probably... And that's a show with a whole bunch of exceptional characters. I think Abby's arc is probably one of the strongest of the bunch. And one particular addition I love to her story was when Sally came into the show. So when she was added and you started to learn more about her relationship with her mother, how did that reshape the character for you? I give Sally credit for the character, period. I do. I think they were writing great things for me. But once Sally came on and she's this powerhouse performance, I think everyone was like, oh, now we understand Abby. Like, because of the strength of Sally's performance, you just felt for this woman as a young girl. And it informed it for me about how tough I needed to be. And I really do credit her performance with giving a lot of shape to my character. Oh, my God. So much. To build on ER a little bit, but to teeter into getting your first Emmy nomination, because I'm always fascinated in this industry about hearing about the experience of, you know, breaking out in Hollywood or getting an award nomination and how that could change things for someone. So when you got that nomination, what would you say is one misconception about what happens after you get nominated for an Emmy? But then I also want to know something that really did change for the better because you were recognized in that way. It was a very tricky time. Well, one, I don't think it was great that I was the only one. I was the only nomination for ER, me and Sound, that year, which I don't think people were thrilled with. I mean, John was like, thanks for bringing it up. But that felt a little weird. But it was 9-11. What was that? 2001. And so literally everything just got shifted into perspective about winning an Emmy or not. And I was literally getting so that happened. And then I was getting dressed. And then we were bombing Afghanistan, I think. So they canceled the Emmys. It just didn't seem to matter as much given what was going on in the world. So I have a unique time frame of when I was first nominated. It's perspective shifting. Yeah. Has the perspective shifted with the gap between ER and the affair? Yeah, because I felt like I'm a very shy person and I can tend to be English. You've been talking a lot today. I have. Promoting a movie, which you should be doing. I respect that. So again, it was the second time around I was like, I'm doing all the things. I'm going to the luncheon. They never happen again. Like the first time, I wasn't thinking every single year now, but my nerves overcame my fun experience of it. So when it happened on the affair, I just ate it up. I just did all the things and it was really fun. Good for you. You should. You just brought up the idea of being anxious. And I love asking this question because I'm an anxious person. I'm a little OCD with everything that I do. When you put in a lot of prep work for a role and maybe feel a bit nervous when you hit set, what is a technique you use to kind of quiet your mind? Let the prep and the nerves fade away and keep the focus on losing yourself in a scene. I don't know. It's an interesting question because I've recently weirdly sort of suffered this bout of stage fright. Not on stage, but I would just get on set and the words would leave my head. It was definitely weird. I don't know what, you know, things can trigger these things. Right. And there would be a panic, like a stage fright. So I'm trying to think of the way I got around it. I think I just actually worked harder so that if I was thinking the lines, whatever I was thinking, there was so much prep that went into it. I would be able to say to myself, there's no way you can focus up. You're ready. And breathing is always a really helpful thing. It's underrated. My watch reminds me to breathe. Oh, does it? It's good. It does. I need it. And also overly prepped so that I can relax. Just be in the moment a little more. Exactly. This is a really, really big question. But just in an effort to hit a couple more of your credits here, of all of the actors you've worked with ever in any project you want, can you name someone with a very similar process to your own, where the second you met, you two were immediately in sync? But then I also want the opposite. Someone with a different approach to the work who challenged you to adapt and maybe try something new and for the better. Well, I would say lately, Dom West, it wasn't immediate because the show evolved over, you know, four years, five seasons. But I think we came to work very similarly at that stage. Like I wasn't over preparing. We would run lines in the trailer. We just had a very similar attitude towards there was a room for looseness in whatever scene we were doing. And he's so funny. So that's, he's hilarious. And just we would have so much fun in the trailer. And Ruth too and Josh, but I mostly worked with Dom. So that felt very, very easy. You know, once we got into it, a whole different thing. Because he's a one of a kind force. Just even from my limited perspective, I feel that. Yeah. And he likes to talk a lot. I don't like to talk about the work. I like to do the work. He likes to talk out the scene a lot, a lot with the director. He has a lot of ideas about how the scene should go. And I think he's a very hard worker. But do you know what I mean? To over talk, I need some space to do my thing without any expectations around it. Then you can say whatever you want. Give me a few takes. So that, very nice man. And I think we ended up doing okay together, but really different, really different approaches. Exceptional together. This whole cast is something else. All right, I'm going to lean into the Iron Claw full force now. First, beginning with signing on for the film. Is there anything about the role of Doris that felt necessary for you to do right now? Where there was something about you as an actor, evolving your craft that felt like it would be valuable to do? I really wanted to work with Sean. I don't blame you. That's the thing. I loved his films. And I thought I really jumped at the chance of that. I mean, is this the media's character? It was the process that I was really drawn to. I wanted to see how he worked. I knew he was shooting it on film. I was really curious about that process. So that's what mostly drew me to the project. Is there anything about that process that took you by surprise? You appreciate it and want to experience more in the future? I don't know how much more I'd want to experience it. But I mean, meaning it's tough. You know, it was an independent film. So we did not have a lot of takes. And he would very creatively work out things so that they could be wonders. Do you know, he'd do a lot of choreography so that the camera was in one place. Again, Holt did not like that. He liked coverage. I love the challenge of like, OK, so you need me to go over there, touch that chair, turn around, come back, sit here, whatever, in one take. I get that from experimental theater. I'm like, I'll make that work. So I was surprised by how few setups there were, which also meant you had to be ready. You had to sort of deliver and pay attention, which I really enjoyed. Those choices are so effective, too, from the audience perspective, where I think that those longer takes make it feel more lived in and envelop us in that world. Yeah. Like, he'd shoot a dinner scene and we'd be like, that's it? That's all the coverage? But it worked. Yeah. Going back to the beginning of the movie for her, at the start, what do you think Doris's greatest strength as a person and a mother is? But then I also want to know what she might think her greatest weakness at the start of the film is. I mean, I think her biggest strength was her stoicism, but ultimately, that didn't serve her. I mean, it's tough to be that stoic, but it doesn't work or last, especially with someone that's going to experience that much tragedy. So I think it's impressive that she had that faith in God and she was going to move on, carry on, do the things for the rest of the kids. But it ended up being, I think, a great weakness. I think she was unhappy for a long time before she made a choice. All too often, I feel like one's greatest strength is also a double-edged sword and their greatest weakness, in a sense. Right, exactly. I don't know what she would have thought. I think she was a very obedient woman. From all intents and purposes, everything I've read or seen, which is not a lot, is that she towed the family line. I don't know how much backstory work you like to do on your own, but one thing I was curious about, because especially earlier on in the movie, there's that particular moment where Zach comes to the door and he essentially asks her for help. And she's like, that's what your brothers are for. What kind of backstory work do you maybe need to do to justify those choices? Because that kind of interaction happens a couple of times throughout the film. Right, she doesn't step in. And I think this woman got married when she was 20, and so when you say prep work, it's like, all she knows is that this guy has to take care of them. I don't think she's about to step in and challenge his authority on any level. So that was more like the story I said. It was like, she's afraid. She's not an abused woman, but she's not emotionally equipped to interfere with her husband. She can't handle it. She does a little bit, I feel like, in the, I guess it was a lunch with the clarinet speech. I like how it's not overt, but you could kind of feel what she's getting at without actually saying it. Really? What was she, what do you think she was getting at? I think that she was getting at the fact that she more so appreciated who he was when he was pursuing music. And all of a sudden he veered in a direction and it probably changed him for her. She was like, that's who I met. Right. That's a particularly beautiful performance. Yeah. Thank you. And there's a scene that didn't make it into the movie where she says to him, you know, she says it, which might be too on the nose, which is why it didn't make it to the final, but she says, you push them too hard and I let you do it. Like she cops to it. So that was in there. And I don't know if it maybe wasn't necessary to have, but it was explained a little bit more. I definitely want to highlight more of the cast here because like the four of them are just something else. Maybe can you tell me something unique about the way each of them approach their work that, you know, maybe you appreciate it as a collaborator, but also just wowed you in terms of how they brought these people to life on screen. Well, I mean, I'm trying to think of each of one of them. Clearly Zach was so committed physically. I've seen a lot of his work. I've never seen anything like this from him. And that's, and it really speaks through the movie. Like you can, sometimes just that physical transformation is the thing that's, it's the gateway drug into, so the being involved with the character. And that was really just very impressive. They were all really committed and really sweet to each other, really sweet to Stanley that played the youngest boy, really, he was very sweet cause he had, he was so open, you know, there's not a lot of, no cynicism in him. Like he was just, that was really refreshing, but it was more about, I thought they were very supportive of each other and clearly really liked each other. So that, I don't know if that answers the question. I think it does. I also liked that you could feel that radiating off the screen in the finished product too. I think it was vital here. Like I said this to Sean earlier, being able to make a movie about such great tragedy, but with a really palpable beating heart that the viewer can take with you is not easy to do. And it's something very special. And he, I think a lot went into the way that movie was edited to arrive at that. Not that he didn't shoot it all, but like where, how he landed was pitch perfect regarding that, I think. Okay, I'll warn you. Everybody hates when I ask this question, but I love it. So in this industry, we give each other awards and that's wonderful. I think that's great too. But nobody says good job to themselves nearly enough. So I want to know something you accomplish an ironcloth that you'll be able to look back on and say to yourself, damn, I'm proud of what I did there. An ironcloth? Or anything actually. I'll open it up to anything. It's a very interesting question because I was just thinking the other day, when's the last time I had a job where I was saying that? Like walking home from work going, that was a really good day. Um, I don't know an ironcloth. I was, it was not this an easy role. It was very challenging to me. So I don't know if I ever walked away saying nailed that. Um, cause every day I was internally also struggling with her faith, which is very hard for me to get in touch with because of where I'm at in that world. So there's a reason everyone hates this question. I know. Well, I asked the question because I have a hard time answering it. Can you answer it? Some days I can. I think today you did a great job. Are doing a great job. Thank you. But it's so fun and easy. It's nice. It is well. And I've been sitting here for hours and it's. It's fun and easy and nice for me when someone can give me so much too. And so we both say today we did a good job. I'm proud of you and I'm proud of myself. Literally, I mean, legitimately. All right. Now you're not going to like this question either. I do have to ask about one upcoming project because I'm twister obsessed. Oh geez. I grew up watching that movie over and over and over again. I'm so excited for another one. But in particular, a Lee Isaac Chung twister movie is just blowing my mind right now. Is there anything you could tell me about why he wound up being the perfect helmer for a new twister movie? I don't know. He's perfect for almost anything. I mean, again, that's a situation where it's not like I thought the part was going to be necessarily as interesting as some other things that I've played. But I really wanted to work with him. And he's great to work with. And he's very, again, they're both similar. People who do their homework know what they're doing. Very flexible on set, have a good sense of humor so that there's a real sense of fluidity on set. And that's the really exciting directors to work with. So I feel like he's just... And also he's looking at it, I think the whole movie is taking a more of a climate change bent, the reboot. So that'll be part of the story. It's not just random twisters. It's going to be plugged into everything that's going on now. So excited for a multitude of reasons. The second his name was announced, I'm like, my God, this is the twister movie I never realized I needed. It's true. I'm excited to see it too. I only worked a couple of days on it, but yeah. 2024 movie, it's most anticipated for. I love it, I love it. Another big question to end on here because I love talking about the promising futures out there. And I also love this industry because I feel like there's always an opportunity to see something new and get inspired. So can you tell me whether it was a performance you saw, a movie you saw, you name it. Something recently you saw that inspired you creatively and maybe gave you more hope for this industry going forward. I just saw this movie, She Came to Me. Did you see it? What is that? She Came to Me. I believe. It's Peter Dinklage, Marissa Tomei, Anne Hathaway. I vividly remember the trailer and then I never saw it. It's like a little bonkers, right? Like wild premise. Yeah, but it's great. It's so good. It's such a good film. Everyone in it is great. There's two young people in it whose name I don't know, forgive me right now, who are great. It's just a really simple yet complicated, funny, moving. I thought it was fantastic. Okay, okay. I like leaving. I just saw it and I was like, I love this movie. It was great. Well, I'm going to go home and watch She Came to Me. I'm going to tell all of our viewers to go check out Iron Claw. You are exceptional in it and you should be proud of a lot of your scenes in it because again, they made a big impression and the amount of subtext there is really powerful. So congratulations on it. Thanks very much. I appreciate it.