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Interview: Tiffani Thiessen Drops the Amber and Gets a WHITE COLLAR
Written by Christina Radish    Thursday, 01 October 2009 10:22    PDF Print E-mail
White Collar, the newest original series for the USA Network, is a fresh and fun take on the classic buddy formula, pairing a career criminal with a career federal agent.

The story unfolds after charming criminal mastermind Neal Caffrey (Matthew Bomer) is caught by his nemesis, FBI Agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay). After escaping from a maximum-security prison to find his long-lost love, Neal is nabbed by Peter once again. But, rather than returning to jail for his daring getaway, Neal suggests a plan to provide his expertise to assist the Feds in putting away infamous and elusive criminals in return for his freedom.

While doing interviews with the press, Tiffani Thiessen talked about returning to television to play Peter's wife, Elizabeth, an intelligent, high-status event planner.

Q: Had you been actively looking for another long-running TV show to do?

Tiffani: I actually read the script and I fell in love with it, from the moment that I read it, and I went in and fought for it. I actually didn't get it, at first. They couldn't find the woman. They turned me down, and I said, "No, you don't understand. I want this role." I really wanted to work with Tim [DeKay] and I wanted to work with Matt [Bomer], and I knew Willie [Garson] from before. I had been a huge fan of Tim's work, for years and years and years. The moment I met him and we did our chemistry read, it was in the books. It had to be.

Q: What's it like to film in New York? Are you enjoying it?

Tiffani: I think we've all shot in New York City, on other projects, quite often throughout our careers. But, this is my first time being there for a long time period. As hard as it is for all of us to leave our families at home in Los Angeles -- me, a husband; Tim, his wife and his kids; and Matt, the same -- New York City is a very exciting city. It's beautiful, and it's a character, in its own right, which I think is so perfect for the show. Like a lot of other shows that have done well in New York, when you pull in New York City as an actual character, it really makes it something special. We're all very, very excited about that.

Q: What kind of reaction have you gotten since that People magazine Saved By The Bell reunion cover?

Tiffani: A ton. Between that and the Funny or Die video that I did, it's been crazy, which is great. It's wonderful.

Q: Were you surprised at how many people are obsessed with your reunion?

Tiffani: Yes, I do find that crazy. I don't really understand it. It's crazy to me.

Q: Is an official reunion ever going to happen?

Tiffani: I never say never, but as of right now, no. I've been in this business for too long, and I would put my foot into my mouth, if I were to say no and then, all of a sudden, six months from now, we're all on the show.

Q: Why is there an interest in the show now?

Tiffani: Honestly, I don't know. I really have no clue. I know the show has done well, over the last 20 years that it's been running. They're claiming that it's the 20-year anniversary. I can't believe that it's been 20 years. It makes me feel very old. I don't like that!

Q: Was it hard to get rid of that, in your life?

Tiffani: I think it helped that I did 90210 right after, but then doing two huge hit shows made it harder to move from there. So, I've tried to really pick my things somewhat specific, to a certain degree, and really go for the roles and the projects that I love. But, yeah, there have been times when it's been hard, absolutely. I think it's hard, no matter what, for anybody.

Q: You loved this role and you fought to play this character. Why did you want to play her so badly?

Tiffani: She's labeled as the perfect wife, so for my husband, I want to be that perfect wife.

Q: You're doing a project called Hung?

Tiffani: Yes, it's a feature that I'm directing next year.

Q: So, you're getting into directing now?

Tiffani: I am, yeah. I actually did a short film, a few years ago, that did really well, so this is the progression of that.

Q: Would you want to direct an episode of this series?

Tiffani: I would love to, yes. Absolutely. They know that, for sure.

Q: What do you get out of that, that's different from just acting?

Tiffani: It's just another creative outlet for me. Seeing as I've been doing this for over 25 years, and I hate saying that, but it's true, it's just another avenue that I really enjoy exploring and want to continue.

Q: You and your husband are celebrating how many years together now?

Tiffani: We just celebrated our four-year anniversary.

Q: How is it living in a different city than he is?

Tiffani: It's going to be really hard. We're trying to make it work. We're going back and forth. Luckily, I don't have to work every day, like the boys do. It's actually going to be much harder for them. They have kids. So, I'm going to be doing a lot of flying, and my husband is going to be doing a lot of flying. And, it's also cable, so it's only four and a half months. It could be so much worse. I'm blessed to have a job that I like. That's all I have to say. I'll go wherever I have to, to work.

Q: Does it help that New York is such an exciting city?

Tiffani: We've never really lived apart, in that sense. This will be the first time. But, I don't have to work every day, so I can probably come home every two weeks. It's not going to be that bad.

Q: What do you look for in the roles that you pick?

Tiffani: Probably just strong women, but all very different types. This is the role that's the closest to me, in real life, that I've ever done, which is probably why I liked it so much. I like that I'm playing my age. I like that I'm playing a married woman. I like that I'm playing successful and smart, and all those things that I want to be, as a woman. I am married and I am 35. Because I've been doing this for so long, a lot of people forget that I'm 35, which I don't have a problem with.

Q: Do you have any regrets about starting out so young in the business?

Tiffani: I don't. I don't know if I'd ever want that for my own children, but I have to say, knock on wood, that I had a very good experience with it. I have a very normal family. My parents are still married. My grandparents were married 67 years. We all live close by. I couldn't be more normal, in that sense. I think that had a lot to do with it.

Q: Are you thinking about having your own family?

Tiffani: We've talked about it, but the show just started, so we're going to wait and try to figure out when the best time is. I don't want to spring a pregnancy, all of a sudden, on a brand new show that I just got on.

Q: Do you feel like a ticking clock, in that way?

Tiffani: Not really. Maybe because I don't feel 35, but I don't feel it. I have friends who are having kids in their 40's, so I'm not worried about it.

Q: What do you do to not feel 35?

Tiffani: I'm extremely athletic. I'm a runner and I cycle, and I try to take care of myself. If you saw what my mother and my grandmother looked like, they don't look their age. I do have good genes, in that sense. But, I really try to take care of myself. This is one body, and you've got it one time.

Q: Do you have a special diet or a fitness regimen?

Tiffani: Everybody is different, but the more that I change up my work-outs, the better. If I stick with the same thing, over and over again, then my body just gets bored. I try to eat as clean as possible. I don't eat any red meat. I was a vegetarian, for a long time.

Q: Why did you go back?

Tiffani: I was only eating fish, and then I got mercury poisoning, which is a crazy thing. So, I had to get my protein in another way, and I don't do well with soy products.

Q: What do you do with your husband, to have fun?

Tiffani: We cycle together a lot. We have dogs. Our favorite thing to do is to go out in our yard with our dogs and our animals, and just sit and chit-chat.

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