Family Ties Charmed Magazine - December 2005

"I always thought that if I could rcast myself, I'd like to be cute, blonde and French." In an exclusive interview with Charmed Magazine's David Waldon, HOLLY MARIE COMBS chats about the changing faces of the Halliwell sisters, newcomer Kaley Cuoco, and why her family always come first...

After seven-plus years of using her fictional magical powers to vanquish the damned for the entertainment of the masses, you would think that Holly Marie Combs would not be tripped by the word "demon". (As in "I should've known- she's a demon." the line Piper Halliwell says as she realizes that her toddler son Wyatt has been swiped from his preschool by yet another evildoer, a pivotal moment in the Charmed episode entitled "Desperate Housewitches"- yes, a spoof of that other Sunday-night show.) In fact, Combs does her job well- in front of the camera. But take after take, as soon as Combs walks out of the scene, she struggles to stifle her obvious bemusement with varying degrees of success. And the crew, many of whom have been working with Combs since the series began, are thoroughly enjoying both of her performances. As the scene is completed, the episode's director, Jon Paré, suggests shooting a close-up of combs as she says the troublesome sentence. the actress smiles. "That's something we don't need to see," she replies.

It's a testament that both Combs' talent and humanity shine through in the middle of yet another busy day on the Charmed set, one that is furher marked by an unusually stifling soundstage where the air conditioning seems to be a faint memory. But even this doesn't phase the San Diego native, who has learned in hercareer how to focus when it's time to work, and how to kick back and be real when it's hot. And the presence of her one-year-old son, Finley, has only given hermore perspective on what matters- especially as the show she has been a part of for so many years winds down. During a break from filming and cracking up, Combs, with sincerity and humor, talks about a vast array ot topics, including the kegacy of Charmed, the callenges of wrapping up the series- and that pesky "demon" word.

Is it weird that after seven-plus years of saying the word "demon", you're having so much trouble saying it today?

It is, it is. Because, you know, some of the stuff you can't take seriously. You try to deliver it as seriously as you would if you were thunderstruck that a demon hjust stolen your child, but it's just not going to come off. So you go with the humor instead. And that's far easier to swallow than when someone says, "oh, my God, a demon stole her baby." It sounds to me like "The Dingo stole her baby." [Laughs]

So how does it feel to be back for an eighth season of Charmed?

It's great. I mean, it's little bit sad in a way because we kind of know it's most likely going to be the last season. So I'm already nostalgic in a little way. But on the other hand, it's nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel, too, and to know that we had a really nice, long run. Most shows don't last this long anymore with the networks. I'm very, very proud.

Well, for a while last May, it seemed like you were going to have to say goodbye to everyone sooner rather later, when it was up in the air whether the end of season seven was going to be the end or not. The finale could have gone either way, and it played like that to many people.

Yeah, that was not pleasant for us. [Laughs knowingly] Yeah, I'm really not a great fan ot networks not telling a show that their time is up because I think it's irresponsibleto the fans, and to the actors and the crew and everybody involved, that you should be given the common decency of a final notice. It's like, on every other job, you get two weeks notice- we should have that too so you can plan for a proper ending. And I know, unfortunetly, on Picet Fences, my first show, we didn't get that opportunity to do that, so we had to wrap it up pretty quick, and it was unfortunate to not be able to gear up toward a story finale, the end of the story. So, in a way, we have the luxury of being able to do that here, and we also have the responsibility of tying it up in a way that will make everybody kind of happy. So we'll see. It's bittersweet, definitely.

How was it for you , personally, to be shooting the finale last spring not knowing what the future held?

That was another thing I was kind of in denial about, in a good way. Because, you know, I remember we were shooting our last shot, the three of us together, and one of the producers is rolling a video camera, and I'm, like "OK, that's not a good sign! He thinks we're dead in the water!" You know, like "Oh, this is our last shot!" And then one of my favourite directors, Mel Darnski- who we used a lot and have used for years- came by to say goodbye and watch the last shot from another show he was doing, and I saw him walk through the door, and I went, "Oh God, yeah, now you're going to show up? You've never shown up at any other season wrap that we've had. " I was like, "We're dead in the water! You're killing us!" And he's like, "Oh, God, don't say that!" And so the girls were very emotional, and we did our last shot, and everybody started clapping, and the girls just started bawling. And I, for some reaon, wasn't crying. I was just, "Nope." You know what, for some reason I had some feeling that it wasn't the end. And it could have been straight denial, but it worked for me at the time. 

How did you handle the time between when you filmed the season finale and when you heard in May that Charmed was indeed coming back?

Uh, tried not to think about it, a lot. And, you know, I wanted to go home and have a vacation and be a mom and try not to think about work, 'cause definitely Finley deserved that from me, my undivided attention for a change. But it was hard not to think about it. It was hard to try to enjoy a vacation when you didn't know if you had a job to come back to, absolutely.

Was there any bitterness on your part that the WB's decision to renew Charmed seemed to take so long?

I think so. I was more than a tad bit bitter, because I was, like, "Come on, guys, it's not rocket science. We're either good for your new promos or not." [Laughs] It's like, "Come on, you can pump a lot of new shows during our hour, couldn't ya?" Notice they left us on Sunday nights. I kind of feel like we're the lambs for the slaughter. It's, like, Sunday nights are so unbeatable. I think Cold Case is on, and Desperate Housewives and West Wing and Simpsons- it's just, like, suddenly a monster night of television out of nowhere. And we've done everything. We've been on Wednesdays, we've been on Thursdays, we've done the tough nights. We thought we were going to get a reprieve when we went to Sundays. We were feeling cushy, like, "Nobody ever watches TV on Sundays, right?" And it suddenly became this blockbuster night of television last season, and we were, like "Wow!" We became the lambs for the slaughter. They didn't want to sacrifice any of their new shows, but at the same time they're, like, "Oh, they'll do OK, just leave them there." And we, were, like, "Ahhhh!"

But to be fair, Charmed has held its own on Sundays.

It has, it has. But, you know, I'm pretty sure it's going to be a spectacular season for a lot shows on Sunday night this season. It's going to be rough, but it's all right. What can we say? It's our eight year, and we're trying to hold our own, just like with this episode we're doing right now with our mock imitation Desperate Housewives. Like, if can't beat them, join them. And if you can't join them, steal from them! [Laughs]

Will there be an overlying theme for season eight?

I think what they're going for- you, know, they don't give us the big grand overall, like, "This is where we're going this season"- but I think they are focusing more on the relationships and the family relationships and the girls' romantic relationships, which is always the fun for me, and it's stuff I find more interesting to play. But don't get me wrong- I still love doing the stunts, and I love doing all the stuff that's exciting. And that's what's great about the show, is that you can do so many different things in one day. And it's hard, at times, to make the demon stuff believable, and it's definitely easier for me to just do human grama, relationship, family-type stuff that you can relate to and that the audience can relate to.  And it can definitely be difficult to make the witchy stuff believable. And so for me, definitely, I like it.     Actually, I've had a running joke with Brad Kern that it he'd just give me one episode without a demon, that I'd actually promise, guarantee, that it wouldn't tank. But they've had this formula, and there has not been one- we can still talk about them, you know. I'm not rigid in my guidelines, Just give me one episode without a demon, just to see what would happen. And he just won't do it.And I know that, becoming a mom myself, I play one, I hope and I think, more authenticallynow, and so that stuff kind of gets to me. Like this preschool stuff, I think, is a little more meaningful for me than it would have been a couple of saesons ago.

Because this will be something you'll be living yourself in a few years...

Yeah, i know, I can't imagine. it slightly horrifies me, I did have one of these Desperate Housewives moments, though, the other day. It was really funny actually, and the woman who said it didn't mean it in a bad way at all. I've been doing Pilates and yoga and stuff like that, and I just waited too long after the birth of my baby because I was so tired, and I had had a C-section, I was working the whole time. So I didn't start exercising until after a year, until he was a year old. So I said, "It was kind of hard", because I had turned 30 while I was pregnant, and I gained 40 pounds with him when I was pregnant, and it was hard to lose. I was suprised at how hard it was. And she said to me- and she's very cute, a thin, blonde mom of two- she said to me, "Well, honey, maybe next time you will have learned your lesson." [Laughs] And I was, like, "That's classic!" Perfect! So there you go. That was my Desperate Housewives moment of the week.

And, as much as saying lines such as "The demon has my baby" are kind of funny, like you said, you're a real mother now. And with Wyatt and Chris seemingly in jeopardy every episode, do those storylines resonate with you more now than they did before you had Finley?

Oh, yeah. No, i definitely think that there's a little bit more method in my acting these days. It's like, when I need the last scene of this episode, when Wyatt is doing his schol play, and I actually started getting a little teary-eyed when I was reading it because I realized that I was going to have to have that experience myself, and I was, like, "Oh my God." It's just hard to- you know, you want them to grow up and be happy and be on their own and be individuals, but at the same time you're like, "Please don't grow up! That's my baby!" So I realized the moment Finley walking -atnine-and-a-half months, by the way, which was horrifying, he was walking away from me. [Laughs] It's like, they take those first few steps away from you, and you're like. "Kill me. Kill me now." [Laughs]

Speaking of Desperate Housewives, do you watch that show?

I do, I love it. I think thay're fabulous. And I think it's great that the producers realize that there's something to be said about TV veteran actors- that they're good at it that they're watchable week-in and week-out for a reason. I don't know- there used to be difference in Hollywood when movies were the things to do, and if you did TV, it was somehow low-rent, and I love to see all the movie actors now trying to get into TV because thay realize that it's one of the only stable job positions that you can hold in this industry. And the funny thing is that sometimes big movie stars just don't translate on the small screen the way that people like Heather Locklear can come in and save a show no matter what it is. And I think Nicollette Sheridan has that, and Marcia Cross has that, and Felicity Huffman- is flawless; she's just above and beyond TV and movies and this Earth. And then there's something to be said about the saucy newcomer, with Eva [Longoria]. It's like, there are girls out there, and it's something that we all have to remember whenever we get a little too comfy in our jobs, is that there's always a newcomer out there ready to kick your butt. [Laughs] And she wants it badder than you could have ever imagined. And she's doing great. They have a great combination, which is one of the things that Aaron Spelling was always great at doing, is getting a great combo cast where there's someone for everyone to like. And he kind of did that with us, and he did that with Charlie's Angels, and he did that with [Beverly Hills] 90210. There is a character in the cast that everyone in the audience can relate to, and that's really important. And they did that perfectly on Desperate Housewives.

You guys have a Charmed newcomer this year in the form of Kaley Cuoco, who's playing a witch-in-training under the care of the Halliwells. How has she been to work with?

She's doing great. She's the most proffesional 19-year-old I have ever run into. She is so dedicated, and she's driven, and she's just happy to be here, and she's not here to mess around, and she's doing really great. And she fit in without a bump in the road. All I can say is that she's far more proffesional than I was when I was 19. [Laughs] I'm very proud of her.

Are you giving Kaley any advice?

Absolutely not. She needs to stay away from me. When I was 19, I was, like looking forward to my long weekends so I could go to Las Vegas. She's just, like, "Oh, I've got this event to do and my publicity to do, then I have go work with Noon [Orsetti, Charmed's stunt cordinator] on the stunts." She's great. She's very focused.

There has been speculation that Kaley may be spun off into her own Charmed-based show next season. How do you feel about that?

I hope they do. I think she deserves it, and I think she can handle it. I mean, the hour-long drama schedule is a tough one, and I think she's handling it OK. In a way, it's up to her. it's up to her and what she wants to do.

Now, at this point of the season, the episode ypu're shooting now, the sisters are still hidden away behind their various guises, as was established in the season finale, right?

Yes, we are. We've had quite a few aliases. She was blonde and cute and very French, which I always thought that if I could recast myself, I'd like to be cute, blonde and French. Si I was very happy about her. And then it's funny, because they send us the audition tapes for what feel like ourreplacements, and I'm like, "Oh, yeah, she's got great hair," "Oh no, look at that one, she's tall! Oh, I want to be tall!" You know, it's really hard not to be selfish with these things. [Laughs] "Oh, but she's got really nice eyes." And I'm like, " maybe you should leave this decision up to me." I'd like to think that I'd pick the best actress for the job, but I don't know. I could be blased.

Do you guys have different aliases for each episode?

Well, I've been a couple of right now. I think I've been three. I've had three different aliases, and they're all quite beautiful. And a little bit younger than me as well. [Laughs]

Do you approach playing Piper any differently because Piper now can't be seen by the outside world?

No, no. It gets really complicated when you think about it. We had a though time figuring out, "Should they have the same hairstyle?" There was a lot of gray area when it came to this magic stuff, and we might have broken some rules. I'm sure the fans will catch the holes here and there. But it's Charmed. We have a lot of creative license going on.

Will this scenario carry on for the entire season?

No, we do get to become ourselves again at one point. It's a little tricky way in which we do it, but we do begin to be seen as ourselves- just plain ol' selves. No more aliases for us. I'm kind of sad in a way. [Giggles]

Oh, by the way, what's going on with the air conditioning? It's a little warm in here, isn't it?

You know, I think the problem is that it's kind of an old lot, and Mission Impossible 3 is shooting, and I think they're sucking up all the energy available at the lot- just with Tom Cruise's trailer alone. [Smiles]

So it's Tom Cruise's fault?

Absolutely, that we're suffering in the heat, sweating through our scenes. So if we're glowy and, you know, dewy in episode four, don't blame the make-up people. [laughs]