Mary was a guest on last night’s episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden along with singer Jason Derulo and actor/comedian Ben Schwartz. Ben instagrammed a behind the scenes photo when their segment was over. You can check out a clip of Mary discussing the sex scene she shot with filmmaker Michael Moore from last week’s episode of BrainDead.
The cast of BrainDead played a fun game where they had to figure out who said quotes: someone from the show or a politician. Watch below!
DirecTV has also published a new interview with Mary and Aaron Tveit. You can read some of it below but be sure to read the whole interview by clicking the link above:
Your role in BrainDead is really multifaceted—you can flex your horror film chops, but you can also play into more touching, dramatic story lines.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Yes, this show really brings it all to together! It’s like every genre in one, which for me is so much fun. I think as an actor, anytime you get to be funny and heartfelt and action oriented, it’s a win. There are so many different elements to the show, which is what I’m always looking for—you can take all your tools out of the toolbox—it makes it a lot more interesting.
You’ve also received a lot of attention for your role in 10 Cloverfield Lane. You seem to always be living in the land of conspiracy—is there something you think casting agents see in you, or do you think you’re just naturally drawn to these kinds of roles?
MEW: I think I tend to seek out roles where the character is just really active, and is constantly thinking and trying to accomplish something, do something, become something. I don’t like to be passive, playing characters who are sitting around or waiting for a phone call from their husband or whatever, which unfortunately is what is often offered to women—it’s a lot of sitting on the phone while the guy goes off and does the exciting stuff. So I’m really drawn to roles where the character is out there doing things and making something happen.
When you first got the script and you read about the bugs, what was your reaction?
MEW: I think I was just so blown away, because I didn’t expect this from the creators of The Good Wife! I think that’s what was so exciting to me. I thought to myself “This is so different for them, and so risky,” because it’s so strange and out there. It really made me excited to work for them, because they’re coming up with something so odd, unique, and unexpected. I was like, “Oh yeah these are the kind of people that I want to work for.”
The next new episode of BrainDead will air tomorrow, July 24 at 10pm on CBS!
I’ve added scans of Mary’s photoshoot and interview with the latest issue of Malibu Magazine to the gallery. Some excerpts from the interview:
On why she tends to choose projects with a supernatural element: I like things that have a dark underbelly to them, whether it’s comedy horror or sci-fi horror or something that’s just really creepy and gets under your skin. I’ve always been drawn to that as a viewer, so as an actor, I tend to go back to that. My taste is my taste, and I’m drawn to weird rather than boring.”
On working on the PBS drama Mercy Street: It was scary for me at the beginning, because it was so different from anything I’ve ever done before. I had never done much work in that period, and the other actors are theater-trained actors who have done work in period pieces on film or on stage. That was one of the reasons I did it. It was such a unique challenge for me.
Mary also revealed that her husband is currently in the re-write phase of their new film together The Art of Self Defense and also says Scott Pilgrim Vs the World is one of the most memorable experiences of her film career. Be sure to read the full interview using the link above!
Mary recently sat down with Wired Magazine to share her favorite spots to hang out in when she visits Vancouver. Click the link above to read the interview in full. Below are some of the highlights:
Favorite Bar
“Secret Location has a molecular-gastronomy-type tasting room, and the cocktails are super-inventive. You order a drink that claims to be the essence of some fruit—blueberries or peaches—and it tastes exactly like it. It’s that kind of Willy Wonka-esque experience.”
Shopping
“There’s a lot of high-end shopping downtown, but I love this place called Oak + Fort in Gastown. Everything is really minimal but really striking, different than what other people are wearing. When I first walked in, it looked like the kind of place where you know everything is going to be at least $500. But then I found an amazing sweater for 40 bucks, an amazing piece of jewelry for 20 bucks.”
Best Beach
“We take our dogs to Spanish Banks Beach, where the tide goes out so far that you can walk out for what feels like miles. Then we go to Forty Ninth Parallel Café & Lucky’s Doughnuts, which has the best latte and best doughnut—maple-honey-glazed—I’ve ever had. Ever.”
Last night on BrainDead, Mary and Aaron’s characters finally kissed and the show has uploaded a behind the scenes video of the two actors talking about how they loved the way it plays out for both characters:
In other news, Mary guest starred in the premiere episode of Adult Swim’s newest show Brad Neely’s Harg Nallin’ Sclopio Peepio. You can watch her character sing around the 4:45 mark and play the ‘swamp hag’ a little after the 5 minute mark. Be sure to head to Vine to check out the full video:
Mary recently did an interview with The Hollywood Reporter and discussed how in her career, from battling aliens in 10 Cloverfield Lane and death in Final Destination 3, has prepared her for the craziness in her latest role on BrainDead. Be sure to read the full interview to read on how she hopes to do plays and having more Gareth/Laurel scenes on the show:
“I’ve done so much of all of the show’s genres — sci-fi, comedy, drama, and particularly horror — now that I know what that needs to feel like for the audience. It needs to feel real. If you’re not committed to it, what’s the point? The story’s so absurd that as an actor, you have to really believe it in order for the audience to care. I’ve done enough of it to know to not be scared to really believe it, play it straight, and go for it in that way.”
Mary also revealed how working on Cloverfield Lane helped her react to strange things with CGI and how all her past roles have helped her in preparing for BrainDead:
“I feel especially lucky because I’ve been able to play a lot of complex central protagonists — whether that means they’re strong in the sense that they’re physically capable or they’re falling apart, but they pick themselves back up and they figure out how to kind of move on,” Winstead says. “Laurel encompasses all of those things: She’s very real, she’s not perfect, she’s got a lot of flaws, and she’s kind of goofy at times. I love the fact that there’s a comedic sensibility, but at the same time, there’s this real kind of strong, dramatic, and sometimes even action-oriented side to her as well. I really get to run the gamut of things that I can do, and I never know what to expect. I’m really happy that I’ve found a role like this that could take me to places that I can’t even imagine yet.”
Additionally, Mary revealed she’d also like to branch out and do plays:
Continue reading Mary Reveals How Past Roles Have Prepared her for ‘BrainDead’
Back in March, Mary was interviewed for Schon Magazine and scans of the photo and interview have been added to the site.
Winstead clearly isn’t shy about taking on projects of a stranger nature. “I think I tend to follow experience rather than results,” she explains. “A lot of times the smaller films are the most interesting to me, and seem like they would be the most fun experience that will help me grow as a person and an actor.”
Her choice of protagonist seems to emanate from her own internal view of self-worth: “I feel really lucky that there was something instilled in me from a young age by my parents that made me feel like I didn’t need to conform to whatever beauty standards were out there. What’s beautiful to me is that I don’t look like everyone else. That was something that took a little while for me to learn in terms of where I stand in the industry.”
SpoilerTV has released a few new stills from episode 2 of ‘BrainDead’ airing next Monday, June 20th on CBS and you can view them in the gallery.
“There’s a very, very interesting dynamic with Wheatus and Laurel, because she thinks that something is up with Red and Red knows it,” Shalhoub says. “Red sees it and really wants to take her out of the game and make her leave, because he knows that she’s going to be a disrupter.”
“Laurel is challenged in just about every possible way throughout the season — politically, personally, and ways beyond her comprehension,” Winstead says. “It’s plotted out in a slow burn of trying to figure out what these bugs are, where they come from, and what they do to people. There’s a lot of different conspiracy theories abound before the truth comes out.”
Additionally, during the first episode, the cast did a live tweet throughout the hour and you can view some behind the scenes photos of that by clicking on the photos below.
Several new interviews with Mary have been released discussing her new show BrainDead, premiering tonight on CBS. As always, click on each of the provided links to read the full interviews. The first one is with Parade Magazine:
Looking at your recent projects, you have BrainDead, Cloverfield Lane and The Returned. There seems to be this horror theme. Is there an appeal to these projects for you, or is it that they’re just the best roles out there for women right now?
I think it’s a bit of both. I always tend to come back to them, partly, because as a viewer, I’m very drawn to those stories. I always have been since I was a kid. I’ve always been a fan of the darker side of things when it comes to movies and TV. So I just love that genre.
But I also think that in terms of female protagonists, there are a lot of great roles within that genre of women really saving the day, getting to be the strong ones, and getting to be the ones leading the charge. I really like that. I like playing these characters, who when things crumble around them, they’re still standing at the end.
The second one comes from Esquire:
ESQ: This is a departure from your other TV work. Why did you want to do it?
Mary Elizabeth Winstead: I think that’s the main reason. I’d come off of doing a couple shows where it was very dramatic and a lot of emotion and a lot of crying—just very serious stuff everyday. I was really ready to just have fun and to show that side of myself. I enjoy being silly and being more than just that emotional side. When the script came, it was hard to say no to because it checked off every box of what I was looking to do at that moment.
Laurel notices something’s up almost immediately. Do you think that’s because she’s an outsider?
I think so. I think she also has this innate sense about her wherein she wants to get to the truth. That’s why she went off and tried to be a documentary filmmaker. She wants to surround herself with what she believes to be truthful and authentic things in her life. And when she gets to DC, it’s clear something is off and the truth is being hidden in some way. She has this need to scratch at the surface in some way. She wants to be good at her job and she wants to learn why it’s impossible to get things done in Washington.
So excited to announce I will be presenting at the Tony's this Sunday night alongs…. https://t.co/hRMfr3QY1s pic.twitter.com/y8ggCRF5aV
— Mary E. Winstead (@M_E_Winstead) June 10, 2016
Per her Twitter, Mary announced she will be presenting an award along with BrainDead co-star Aaron Tveit this Sunday at the 2016 Tony Awards. The Tonys air on Sunday, June 12th.
Additionally, I have added screencaps to the gallery from Mary’s interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers. You can check them out in the gallery:
