The Musings of a Semi-Retired

May 21

[video]

May 19

May 18

Adina Porter: The Newsroom, True Blood, and Motherhood

• Iconic Interview: Did you have any advantage in getting your role on “The Newsroom” because of your work with Aaron Sorkin on The Social Network?
• Adina Porter: It was just a regular audition, except it was on camera at Sony Studios. None of the big shots were in the room; it was really low pressure. And then something like six weeks went by and I get a phone call from my manager saying, “It looks like you’re in the running for this.” I was like, great! It was [an audition] that you do and you forget about it. Then I’m told by my agents that [co-executive producer] Scott Rudin said, “I want Adina Porter. Why isn’t Adina Porter booked yet?” So they were like, “Okay, let’s book Adina Porter!” So that’s what happened and I’m really glad that Scott Rudin is a fan, and I don’t know if it was because of Social Network. Scott’s quite a theater person, so I think it’s because all the stuff I’ve done in my life has just added up to this!”
• Iconic Interview: As you started to move forward with the show, did you have an idea that it was going to be controversial?
• Adina Porter: I guess so, yes, because we’re talking about politics. If you’re going to talk about politics, then there are going to be folks who are with you and folks that are against you.
• Iconic Interview: When the show first started to air, there was a lot being said for and against it. Is this something that was discussed on set?
• Adina Porter: There are a lot of theater people on the set, and I think they all got the same note in Acting 101: you don’t read reviews. So no, it wasn’t like, “Oh, man. Now we’re gonna be bummed because everyone is not jumping up and down and loving it.” I kind of thought, whoa! Okay, some people want to pull Aaron off his pedestal a little bit, which made me defensive for Aaron, and more excited to be involved with it, because it must mean we’re getting under people’s skin.
• Iconic Interview: There is just as much positive stuff as negative when you look at all the opinions. It’s something people feel strongly about on both sides.
• Adina Porter: Yes, that’s good. If you’re going to hate a show, that means it’s gotten to you. If you’re like, “Eh, I could take or leave it,” nobody wants that. That’s like saying, “You look nice.” You either want to be hot, or you don’t ever wear that again. [laughs]
• Iconic Interview: What is it like working with Aaron Sorkin?
• Adina Porter: I [admit] I’m intimidated by him. There’s a part of me that thinks that because I don’t have a huge part, that he either doesn’t know I exist or thinks, “I’ve got Jeff Daniels, Jane Fonda, and Sam Waterston to worry about. Adina, who?” Then last season, we were doing some extra scenes to pop in here and there. Everything was done, and we were brought in just for, like, three days to do some extra background work in the newsroom. I’m at the assignment desk and Aaron walks over to me and says, “Welcome home!” He walked away and I just started crying. I said, “Makeup, come over here and fix me up!” He didn’t have to say that. It was time for my close-up and I really appreciated that. So if he’s just walking by and he doesn’t say hi, it’s because he’s got a thousand things in his head. It’s not like, [sighs] “How can I recast her?” [laughs] We would get together at his house to watch the show during the running. “Sundays at Sorkin’s,” and we’d all barbecue and watch the show and hang out in the pool. Lots of fun! So I think it’s a blast working with Aaron Sorkin.
• Iconic Interview: Is the energy on set as intense as Sorkin’s trademark fast-paced repartee that we see on screen?
• Adina Porter: I don’t think so. There’s a lot of laughter. Sam Waterston’s a hoot! There’s a little teasing, but if you’ve got a big monologue and you nail it on the spot, people cheer. If you’ve got one line and you take one take to do it, people cheer. So that kind of laughter and that kind of stuff goes on. So, I think it’s relaxed. And also, we’re professionals, so we’ll run our lines and everything before the cameras start running, because that’s the big deal. You do all that stuff beforehand. There’s a lot of socializing outside of work. People talked about going to a Dodger game this week. There are some people who go to the same church together — I’m talking about crew members and actors — or go on a hike. Some of the crew and some of the actors went out to Joshua Tree to go camping for two days. There’s a lot of camaraderie.
• Iconic Interview: In talking to people on various shows, I’ve found that that kind of camaraderie usually stems from the person who created the show and assembled the group of people.
• Adina Porter: I wouldn’t be surprised by that. I appreciate Sorkin opening his home and all of us coming over. At one party, he had a masseuse there so you can go over and get a little massage. I was like, “Wow. Sorkin, you’re too good to us!” He goes, “You’re good to the show.” I thought that was sweet. It’s not just the cast members; it’s the cast members and our spouses. And I bring some baby clothes and pass them down to Wynn [Everett, who plays Tamara Hart], who just had a baby, and I also pass them down to [someone in] craft services, who just had a grandson. It’s a nice, warm community. It’s a good group of people, and I know that’s not always the case. As a guest star, I work on a lot of shows, and I’ve worked on shows where people have read too many reviews about themselves and behave in ways that are just not necessary. And the crew feels it, and I think the shows don’t last as long.
• Iconic Interview: Do you enjoy working with Emily Mortimer and Jeff Daniels as well?
• Adina Porter: Oh, yeah! Emily and I are trying to work it out so our kids can have a play date there. People do bring their kids to set. Jeff’s son was on set for a while this season, and Wynn Everett, she has a little girl who comes during the break. I’ve never brought my children or my family on a set; I just always thought that that was unprofessional or something, but I’m going to do it this time. I’ve just got to figure out when. Emily and I both talked about how work is hard, but being a mom is harder. So if you get out in time to have dinner with your kids or put your kids to bed, as soon as you walk in the door and drop your bags, you don’t have time to take off your makeup. You’re on! [laughs] Because you haven’t been there all day. If you get home at 7 o’clock, you’re taking your makeup off at 11 o’clock once everybody is in bed. And it’s tough!
• The other day, my character was sitting away from the table, and every other character was around the table. It just was the way the assistant director assigned people for this particular group shot. Jeff Daniels comes over to me and goes, “Why are you sitting there?” I said, “Because that’s where I was told to sit.” He goes, “No, you sit there,” and he points to the seat where he is supposed to be sitting. I said “No, because the director wants you to sit there.” So then we do the blocking rehearsal, and when we come back to shoot it, all of a sudden, I’m sitting at the table. I said to Jeff, in between shots, “Did you say something? How come I’m sitting at the table?” He goes, “I didn’t demand anything. I just asked the question — four times.” [laughs] Also in that particular scene, there was a background [actor] who was at the table, and Jeff does a movement that involves the background actor in the scene, so the camera then has to go to the background actor. That’s just generosity! He doesn’t have to do that. I appreciate that, but it also helps, because we’re supposed to be this news team that works together — so you can either fake it or you can make it happen for real. He knows what it’s like being a theater actor, to give and take. That’s lovely, and I thanked him for it.
• Iconic Interview: That’s a great story.
• Adina Porter: It is pretty great — unlike other shows. If you’re driving to set, there are some shows — “True Blood” is not one of them and “Newsroom” is not one of them — where you sit in the van depending on where you are on the call sheet. So that you would never, ever sit in the [front] passenger seat, because that’s for the series regulars. Already, that little silliness affects how you feel about being part of the show.
• Iconic Interview: What can you tell us about the upcoming season of “Newsroom”?
• Adina Porter: I’ll just say that I cry at table reads. There was one table read where I was at the edge of my seat. I thought, okay, we’ve turned into a thriller. It’s pilot season when we’re doing all this, and my agents are sending me out on stuff, and I’m being pinned for stuff, and then after a table read, I’ll write my manager, “This is the best show on television!” I want to be part of this. I’m excited by it.

May 12

He.Is.Jay.Gatsby…

May 09

May 07

Wino forever….

Apr 27

“The most amazing thing about Barça is with how much will they play. Messi scores and shouts with joy like if it was the first time. Xavi receives every ball like if it was the first one of his life. And you have the feeling that he would like to pick it up, kiss it, look at it and carry on playing. The same with Iniesta. Busquets is the unfriendly one in the middle of the park, the one responsible for the hard work. Puyol is incredible with a terrible haircut, but a super-player nonetheless, a first-class human being with a very big heart. He breaks his elbow and he’s playing again after two weeks. It’s the motivation that they play with in order to win. In that aspect, they are role models.” — Jurgen Klopp

Apr 23

“Just like any cule, I suppose he wants Barca to win, although his future now is with Bayern. And I still think he wants us to win…” — Xavi

Apr 22

[video]

Apr 21

Apr 19

“I understand that you need to have an adjustment period, but I’m happy. My coach and everyone has helped me tremendously. I miss the sunshine in Spain. But in Navarre, where I was born, also snows…” — Javi Martinez

“Busquets may not be the best but the smartest. He is the centerpiece of Barcelona because he gives stability when everybody is up. He is the one who thinks, saves his position and prevents counterattacks.” — Javi Martinez

“In football, there is something greater than the result and it’s more lasting… the LEGACY…” — Xavi Hernandez

All I want is an education. And I am afraid of no one

- Malala Yousafzai