Interview: Anne Archer on Running an Empire

Although she is known to most of her fans as a movie star, Anne Archer is no stranger to television. She has co-starred on quite a number of prime-time shows, including “Falcon Crest,” “Boston Public” and “The L Word,” to name only a few. Now you can catch her on the small screen in The CW’s latest offering, “Privileged” (Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT).

Anne stars as Laurel Limoges, the head of a cosmetics empire who hires a 23-year-old spitfire named Megan Smith (JoAnna Garcia) to tutor her twin 16-year-old granddaughters. How was The CW able to lure the Academy Award-nominated actress to prime time to star as the cosmetics mogul?

“I read the pilot and just fell in love with the character,” Anne tells me. “The show is so well-written, and Laurel is such a great character. She’s smart as a whip, she’s successful, and there is a sense of glamour to her.”

Laurel’s daughter died, so she is raising her two granddaughters -- however, she realizes she needs help, so she decides to hire a live-in tutor to help them get into college. “It is beyond Laurel to know how to relate to these young girls at this time; she knows she needs help. Laurel is brilliant and articulate, but she is also warm and understanding,” Anne explains. “She knows there is a lot of tragedy in life, but she doesn’t like to look at that.”

It is fun, and challenging, for Anne to play a character who has such a different personality from her own. “Laurel can be abrupt and not in tune to the effect she has on people. She is used to being catered to, without realizing that she can be a bit self-centered. I am not like that. That’s what makes her an interesting and fun character to play.

“But I understand her lifestyle, and I love the glamour and fashion part of it,” Anne admits.

When Megan enters Laurel’s and the girls’ life, things around the mansion begin to change. “Megan is disarming in that she has a realness about her. That realness is refreshing. She’s quirky, and I like quirky. She doesn’t censor what she says, and I can read her.”

So, what sets this show apart from the plethora of other shows about 20-somethings trying to find their way in the world today? “This is a show that has humor. You can watch the show and have a good time. The characters are likable, even in their own dysfunctional way. It’s not a mean show, and it’s not an exploitative show. It attracts young audiences, but it also appeals to adults.”

All of this good will about the show also translates into how Anne feels about her co-stars. “Without question, these are the nicest people I’ve ever worked with. They are all very professional, and we really like each other. We have a great time -- it’s already like a family. JoAnna has a wonderful ability to keep everyone up when the day has gotten long.”

Anne hopes viewers feel the same attachment to the show that she feels, and by the look of the first few shows, she has reason to be proud of her involvement in this project. “I hope viewers come away with the feeling that they care about what happens to the characters so much that they have to see what happens next week.”

Hopefully for Anne, JoAnna and the rest of the crew, viewers will keep coming back week after week.