Stockard Channing returns to TV in ITV's new drama Maryland as Cathy — the enigmatic best friend of Mary, the recently-deceased mother of Becca (Suranne Jones) and Rosaline (Eve Best), who have only just discovered that Mary was leading a secret second life on the Isle of Man.
For Grease and The West Wing star Stockard, who's also known for her roles in Practical Magic and The Good Wife among many other projects, the decision to play the role of Cathy was easy — but what exactly persuaded the First Lady of prestige US dramas to sign up for a role in a British series?
We caught up with Stockard to find out...
Stockard Channing interview for Maryland
What can you tell us about Cathy?
"Cathy is an American, she's from Texas, and she lives on the Isle of Man, but we don't know that much about her background. She's not a mystery woman, but she lives very much in the present and has a sort of existential attitude towards life — and she makes her living by dealing in illegal substances! She's a bit of a loner, but she and Mary were very, very close."
Did Cathy know Mary had two daughters before she meets them?
"Cathy is very much aware of everything, but the daughters didn't know about Cathy, so she's sort of airlifted into their lives! She's an unexpected element of their mother's life — but their mother has a lot of secrets anyway. Certain things happen that make her encounter with them a lot more delicate for Cathy than they're aware of, because she's got some secrets of her own to cover."
Why did you want to play this part?
"They asked me to do it, and I liked the script a lot. I knew the people that were involved, and when I heard about Eve and Suranne, who obviously I'm familiar with, I thought that was great. What's not to like? It wasn't a hard decision, put it that way!"
You're based in the UK nowadays — what inspired your move?
"I've been here a lot over the years, and I was thinking about changing things up. Then I came over in December 2019, and over the course of lockdown I realised I was really happy here! There were those months where we all just didn't know what was going on, and that really forced you to live in the present. I had three friends, and we would literally talk every day, even if it was only for 50 seconds, and that was a great thing to have. That kind of made me say, 'I think I'm just gonna stay here, if I can hold up under those conditions!'"
You've played so many iconic roles. Which ones do people want to talk to you about the most?
"I don't know, I think it depends who you are. Obviously there's the big G [Grease], that's everywhere, but The West Wing, certainly. You never know, especially with television — people watch it on their own and think they're the only person to have seen it! It's so amazing that you can watch anything now — The West Wing was literally watercooler chat the next day, which is something that I don't think really exists on any level any more, it's all shifted so much."
You've worked constantly throughout your career — what's the secret of your success?
"I'm lucky enough because I go back and forth between film, TV and stage. And I haven't done anything massively dramatic — I haven't been attached to some sort of scandal that I've had to overcome! So, you know, I just play it as it lays."
How do you feel looking back on Grease now?
"Well, I've had every kind of feeling about it you could imagine! At the beginning, I literally couldn't get arrested because it was pooh-poohed, so I sort of resented that. When it first came out, it wasn't appreciated — it was like, 'oh, you're doing a trashy high-school movie?', for a year or so, and it was weird, but that was a long time ago. That went away, and other things happened, and now I kind of love it. It's really well-made, it's beautifully shot, the production values are fabulous, everyone's great in it — it's a pretty damn good movie! Now I think of it as a great blessing."
Your character, Rizzo, was a fan favourite — how did you feel about that?
"I'm glad I played a character I liked, and who seems to have had a lot of influence on young women, which is fantastic! She was referred to as 'the bad girl', and the only thing she did quote-unquote 'bad' was have sex — she was embracing life, but she was sort of outcast by it. I don't know if it really pops out at people, but the last thing she says, in great delight, leaning over a Ferris wheel, is 'I'm not pregnant!' — which for a teenager is no joke, especially in those days. So I hope, subliminally, that's in there, for all that generation of women. My generation knew what it was like for abortion to be illegal, so that's my one little contribution to the culture."
- Maryland airs on ITV1 and ITVX from Monday May 22 to Wednesday May 24 at 9pm
