An Interview with Debra Messing (Molly, 'The Starter Wife')

March 2008

For eight seasons, Debra Messing kept us laughing in her Emmy-winning role on NBC's hit series Will & Grace. Over the course of her career, Debra has chosen roles that most women can identify with on some level and her latest (Emmy-nominated) role as Molly Kagan on USA Network's The Starter Wife is no exception.

The Starter Wife aired as a six-episode miniseries in the Summer of 2007 and due to the overwhelming popularity (and multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations), USA Network decided to bring it back as a full fledged series. Season one is scheduled to premiere in October 2008.

I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Debra at USA Network's Upfront Presentation in New York and found her just as sweet, bubbly and easygoing as many of the roles she has portrayed over the years.

Q: How are you enjoying your work on The Starter Wife?

Debra: "Well, right now we're in pre-production, so we're in the casting part and writing part. It's thrilling and I'm just so glad to be back and diving into The Starter Wife role."

Q: How many episodes can we expect?

Debra: "10....10 per season."

Q: Will the whole cast be back for the series?

Debra: "We are in the midst of doing all of the casting. We have our fingers crossed for everybody."

Q: Will Gigi Levangie Grazer (the writer of the book) work on the series?

Debra: "She will, she'll be the consulting producer."

Q: What do you miss most about working on Will & Grace?

Debra: "Doing a four-camera sitcom, which there are less and less of nowadays. We would rehearse everyday and then we'd have a live audience that we would perform in front of once a week. It was really close to a theater experience. I grew up in theater and theater is my first love."

Q: Do you hope to go back to theater one day?

Debra: "Yes, absolutely!"

Q: Do you still keep in touch with the cast of Will & Grace?

Debra: "I do. I'm in town for one night for this event and I haven't seen Megan [Mullally] yet in Young Frankenstein, so I contacted her to say I was in town for one night and that I wanted to see her. Of course, as Murphy's Law would have it, for the first time in 200 performances she's taking a week off and this is the week she's taking off."

Q: Have you had any funny or unusual fan encounters?

Debra: "I think the most unusual fan encounter was in the bathroom. I went into an empty bathroom, closed the door and then a voice just started to talk to me. It was a fan and they wanted an autograph. I suggested that they waited until I came out and they were impatient and did not want to wait. That was a little awkward. I think everyone has had that type of encounter. Nobody thinks that the bathroom is a sacred place. It's all coming from a good place, it's people who are appreciating your work."