TVSquad

FX is either really worried or supremely confident about the final two episodes of Damages. First they offered up a conference call with Tate Donovan last Friday and then over the weekend, I found out that I'd have the same opportunity with Glenn Close. When a network starts offering up press opportunities with its biggest stars, either they're not afraid of what they'll say or it's quite the opposite and they're being offered up because something needs to be said. After speaking with Close yesterday afternoon, I think the former more accurately describes what's going on with Damages. Close is thrilled about working on the show and doesn't seem worried one bit about FX scrapping the drama after only one season.

Of course, the biggest issue when speaking with an actress as well-recognized and respected as Close is that people don't want to just know about her current project -- they want to know everything about everything. After speaking with Donovan, the conversation touched on Damages and The OC as we were allowed to continue speaking with him and carry on a conversation. With Close, everyone was limited to only one question, we were muted to prevent dialogue, and the topics covered ranged over her entire career. I'm talking Fatal Attraction to Sarah, Plain and Tall.

It's not that I dislike Close -- she was fantastic over the phone. Warm, funny, and open to answering just about anything. Unfortunately, and obviously it wasn't Close's fault, but the restrictive nature of the conference call actually backfired. By muting myself and the rest of the press participants, we weren't able to interject and correct our questions to focus more on Damages. Once a question was asked, we were cut off. The end result was a 45 minute call where only about 20 minutes focused on what everyone came to hear about: Patty Hewes.

As I said, Close was fantastic. At one point she went on a wonderful rant about the morality of the show and squashed comparisons between Patty Hewes and Cruella De Vil. She sees Patty as someone who makes potentially evil choices but isn't an inherently evil person. Cruella on the other hand, is the devil. Patty isn't Cruella simply because we don't know everything about her. Close made a point of that, saying that while she does know more about Patty than we do -- it's not much. Her backstory has been left open and she loves the sense of freedom that provides her character.

Close admitted that she took the job based solely on reading the pilot because she thought the writing and story were some of the best she'd ever seen. It didn't hurt, she added, that the show was going to be shot in NYC, where she currently resides.

When I finally got a turn to ask a question, I foolishly tried to squeeze in two queries and popped in my question about The Shield before my question about Damages. I never got the second shot. I was curious to know if she had been approached about reprising her role as Capt. Monica Rawling on The Shield (if only for an episode or two) over the final three seasons. She said no, and even though she would have loved to explore that character more, it was tough for her to film a series in LA when her home is on the other side of the country. Again, the reasoning behind her signing on to Damages.

What I really wanted to know was if she had ever gotten worried about her choice to sign on after only seeing the pilot script. She, along with Donovan, admitted that they knew very little until they read the latest scripts. Donovan even pointed out that sometimes, new lines would be e-mailed right to the set. With the comparisons to Lost, in the sense that we often got more questions than answers, did she ever get worried about the direction the show was taking? Anyway, that's what I would have asked her had I gotten a second question. Oh well.

Here's some other things worth mentioning:

• Close confirmed what Tate said. We'll get the answers we want by the end of the season finale.
• She did a lot of research on her character with lawyers and district attorneys. She wanted to be smart and formidable but at the same time she realized that Patty was also vulnerable.
• Close also stands firmly by the belief that as the season has gone on, she thinks that Patty has gone from seeing Ellen as a means to an end and rather as someone she respects and cares for.
• She said it was the same way with The Shield, but when it comes time to read the latest script for Damages, she reads it like a fan and really can't wait to find out what happens next. Especially since she knows very little ahead of time.
• Just like Donovan, she had nothing but great things to say about FX, its president John Landgraf, and the freedom the network offers.

Close stayed quiet when asked about a second season. I'm not sure if she knows one way or the other but I got the impression that she just didn't want to jinx it. She seems genuinely happy with the place she's in and hopefully the creative team behind Damages can find a way to recreate the frenetic pacing for a second season should FX choose to renew the show.

Gallery: Glenn Close