‘Plain Sight’ Role Mirrors Actor’s Life
By Rick Bentley, The Fresno Bee, Calif.
May 30–BEVERLY HILLS — Mary McCormack’s character in the new USA Network series “In Plain Sight” is a federal marshal based in Albuquerque, N.M., who deals with witness protection.
She’s good at her job. She’s not so good when it comes to her personal life.
Good or bad, McCormack explains her own life is not that different from her character.
“I actually found a lot of similarities. It’s sort of spooky actually. I mean, sadly, my personal life isn’t always so together, and I think anyone can relate to that, especially people who work a lot and work hard,” McCormack says during an interview in July.
The new cable series was previewed for TV critics in mid-2007, but the network decided to hold the series for a year. No explanation was given.
“Sometimes your personal life is the last thing you take care of, and so I related to that,” she says. “She definitely is physical, and she’s capable at her job and a little bit obsessive about it. But I think her personal life is a train wreck.”
Series creator David Maples says he is glad McCormack relates so closely to the character, but he did not have the actress in mind when he created the show. The character is a mix of a couple of different women Maples had met in his life.
“They were just kind of fun, challenging, not always appropriate, kind of crusty on the outside, but once you kind of get past all that and they let you into their world, it’s incredibly rewarding,” Maples says of his inspiration.
Maples and fellow executive producer Paul Stupin knew McCormack was the right person for the role as soon as she walked into the room to audition.
You would not have guessed that from her resume. “In Plain Sight” gives McCormack a chance to play one of the toughest characters of her career. She’s better known for playing white-collar characters such as her roles in “Murder One” and “The West Wing.” She even played Howard Stern’s wife in the 1997 film “Private Parts.”
The chance to play such a tough character is exciting for McCormack.
“I can’t wait to beat a bunch of people up. She’s not always good at it, which I think is really refreshing,” McCormack says.
The reporter can be reached at rbentley@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6355.
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