What’s unique about this WWII story? The focus of this is on the growth of Crown Princess Märtha and how she finds her voice, her strength and her passion. This is a historical side of World War II that is not typically explored—a woman’s journey and the contribution that women made in the war. What did you learn that you didn’t know about FDR? He had a tremendous sense of humor, very much of a kidder and a jokester. I’m sure these days some of what he said would be considered inappropriate, [and] the people around him could give as well as get. They didn’t let up because he was in a wheelchair. I think he really liked that. He liked to be treated as a regular guy. Was the physicality of the role difficult for you, in FDR’s wheelchair? It was challenging, and it really explains a lot about why he used his voice so well and why he used his head a lot as a way of gesturing. He was a wonderful orator. When he was standing addressing a crowd, he was gripping the podium so strongly to keep himself erect that he didn’t have the use of his hands to gesticulate, so it became his head. Were you aware of the Princess Märtha story previously? No, I was not aware of this story, nor her access and influence to FDR. He loved the attention of women. He loved surrounding himself with women. During the research that I did, most of the women were strong figures, highly intelligent, highly opinionated, very smart. I think he enjoyed their company not only for having the female company near him, but I think he also loved the banter, the wit and the intelligence, the sense of humor, and all that they brought. As I got into it, even I got hooked, which is kind of funny with something you’ve been involved in. I started to really wonder what was happening. One of the strengths of the series, I think, is that the focus and concentration is on the family, the people, the individuals, and you get to know them. What’s happening around them is a world-shattering event, but you really get a sense of what impact it has on the family. When you get asked to play a character like FDR, is it a knee-jerk “Yes, I want to take on this role”? Or do you take time to think about taking on a presidential role that has been portrayed many times before? For me it was definitely knee-jerk, “I want to do this.” And then it’s tempered by a need to look at the material. I need to understand how he’s going to move through the story, I need to have a conversation with the director to understand just how sensitive he’s going to be and how specific he wants to be, just so I get a feeling of, is this somebody who doesn’t really care much about how he’s portrayed, or is it someone who has a lot of understanding of what’s going to be necessary? I know how I’m going to approach it, but I want to make sure that the director and I are on the same page. Knee-jerk to start, definitely excited, and then sort of tempered with, “OK, wait. Let me just get a sense of the lay of the land, how it’s going to work and if we’re on the same page.” You haven’t played a lot of real-life characters. Most recently, it was Thomas Edison in Tesla. But now, FDR. Is there a reason for that? I attribute it to the gray hair. Suddenly, I have many more options at my disposal. I think it’s been kind of a one-two punch. Two really towering figures. In fact, there was a photograph that exists that has both men in the same place. Edison, obviously, was older than FDR. And it was prior to FDR being afflicted with the polio or the Guillain-Barré, depending upon which doctor you talk to. This photo was prior to when he was made cripple with the disease. He’s standing and he was part of the Navy. So FDR was in the Navy and there is Edison, and they’re both in the same photo at the same time, which was obviously overwhelming. What challenges went into prepping for wheelchair acting? I spent a great deal of time researching the practical nature of how he moved through space, the limitations, and how we made my healthy legs look less healthy by positioning them on the wheelchair in a certain way. We had a certain knee-brace apparatus that I wore under pants that gave the illusion of a leg that was thin just by using a simple kneecap ball and a couple little sticks. It was very simple, just Velcroed on. But it gave a really nice illusion. Then I also had extra upper body weight. It wasn’t a fat suit, necessarily, just extra weight that was added by this zip-up suit that had extra padding. As you can imagine, his upper body was his main source of moving around, so it was very developed and very strong. I did a lot of research and was helped tremendously by the director, who really watched during the filming of the scenes for any movement that wouldn’t have been appropriate. FDR was pre-TV. So did you study newsreels? Yeah, newsreels. Interestingly, there was an understanding amongst the press that he was not to be filmed before he was in position. Like getting from the car, let’s say, up a ramp or wherever he really had to fling his body into position. In gymnastics, you swing yourself, and your lower body just by motion advances. Then you have to release, catch the railing again, and then swing your body forward. It was really quite an abrupt and difficult thing to see. They have just snippets of that footage before what were then the Secret Service shut these people down. By and large, there was just an understanding that he was not to be filmed until he was ready to go, which was unusual. Certainly, for us now when it seems like everything is fair game, it was a very respectful period of time and they treated him with respect. It’s 80 years since this story took place. It starts in 1940, and there’s still so many World War II stories being made. Why do you think that is? Is it because it was the last clear-cut war where we knew who the enemy was, because Hitler was so obviously the enemy? Do we romanticize that time? I think there was a common rising up. It certainly took some time for America to be convinced to get into the war. It happened, which was interesting to me, after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in ’41. We declared war on Japan and we were at war. A few days later, evidently, Germany actually declared war on us. By that time, of course, we were focused on Japan, but also focused on Europe. It happened in that order of sequence. So, we didn’t declare war on Germany, they actually declared war on us. And then, of course, we declared war on them and we were in. Roosevelt, early on, was aware of what was happening in Germany and in Europe. He knew that the United States was going to have to engage in the war. But he was confronted with a tremendous anti-war, isolationist country at the time. He had to slowly, through the power of his political nature, the politician that he was, he had to move the country to be more accepting of what he knew was a necessity if world order was going to be preserved. I think there was definitely an upwelling of a common goal; we were all in this together. I think the idea that America could marshal its great industrial force and focus it on the manufacturing of munitions and weapons and all that, in a lot of ways, it brought us out of the Depression. It created a huge amount of work for people. There was definitely a forward momentum: “Let’s get behind this; let’s go.” I think that was part of what we look back on with a great deal of pride. Your original goal when you started performing was to do musical theater. Have you ever done even one? No, I auditioned for a few. That was my intention from college. I studied classical voice at the music school there. I was in, of course, the graduate training program, the professional training program, at the University of Washington. Musical theater was something I was really comfortable with and I thought, Oh, I’ll pursue that. I had my sights set on New York City after graduation. Then, I met and read for Dune in Seattle with a casting agent months before I was going to get on the plane and seek my fortune in New York City. That led to the meeting with David Lynch, the screen test and, ultimately, to being cast in the role of Paul in Dune, and suddenly I was in L.A. doing movies. Completely surprised. Do you think that there’s a chance of more Twin Peaks? Or is that story over? There’s always a chance. But I have not a clue. It’s completely in [creator] David Lynch’s hands. He is the sole decider. What do you think of the idea of the new Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That…, coming later this year? I’m looking forward to it. You’ll have three incredibly talented actresses [Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon]. You’ve got creators and writers here, Michael Patrick King in particular, who just is genius. He will write to the time and he will write great scenes, and it’ll be compelling, interesting and topical. I think we all want to know what happens to the gang. In addition to acting, you own a winery. How did you get into the wine business? Oh, gosh, I’ve loved wine since before I was supposed to. I grew up in eastern Washington, which has become the mecca of winemaking in Washington state. I’ve always had a fascination with it, most specifically about what it takes to make really great wine. I’ve rubbed shoulders with a lot of winemakers in Napa, who I call friends now. I listened to their stories and I thought, I can do this in eastern Washington. And, I met, by chance, a winemaker and his family, the Dunham family, Eric Dunham and Dunham Cellars. They started me in 2005 with the first vintage. It’s gone from there. I’ve now changed winemakers, I’ve moved facilities, and I now work with a guy named Dan Wampfler, who is an extraordinary winemaker. I’m very involved. He and I have created five wines that are very small production, but really considered high-quality. It’s very important to me. It went from a hobby to a small business to a very time-intensive small business. There’s an ancient expression, you’ve probably heard it, “How do you make a small fortune in the wine business? You start with a large fortune.” I don’t have a large fortune, but it’s definitely time-consuming and the return is not necessarily monetary. There are other elements of it that are very satisfying, which is what I love. You’ve been doing the cooking for your family during the pandemic. What’s your go-to dish? A lot of it is heavily influenced by what my son will eat. He’s 12, and I wouldn’t say he’s the most adventurous, so we keep it pretty simple around the house. Lamb chops, a Greek salad and naan bread is a favorite. I know that one will always work. But there’s a lot of salad-based dishes, so maybe an arugula, fennel and dried cranberry salad. I do a roasted cauliflower that’s kind of Western with breadcrumbs and cumin and a little bit of olive oil. I wouldn’t say it’s the healthiest, but it’s crunchy and really tasty. I love it. I do simple grilling. I’ll do a rib-eye steak and parboil some little Yukon Golds, and then I’ll smash them with the palm of my hand and then roast those in the oven. They are kind of crunchy, almost like little flying saucers. Those are tasty, as well. The only vegetable my son will eat is broccoli, so we have a lot of broccoli. I’ve got that down pretty well. We’re very blessed in California with wonderful produce. Next, See the Star-Studded Cast of Twin Peaks Then and Now
