Sissy Spacek on 'Big Love': "I'm the new kid on the block"

With its critically acclaimed blend of rich story lines and even richer acting, “Big Love” has never really had a problem attracting a bumper crop of talent to its guest-star roster. None of them have been quite as big, however, as Sissy Spacek.

Starting Sunday, the Oscar-winning actress joins the HBO series, now in its fourth season, for a multi-episode arc. Only, it's not in the coal-miner’s-daughter way one might think. “When people say, ‘Sissy Spacek’s going to be on 'Big Love,' it’s like, 'Oh, she’s going to be on the compound, right?' And it’s like, 'No, she’s not,' " said series co-creator Will Scheffer. “I don’t think anyone has ever seen Sissy Spacek do work like this before. It’s new ground for her.”

Spacek plays Marilyn Densham, a hard-nosed Washington lobbyist who gets embroiled with patriarch Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) and his family when he seeks political office. And once the esteemed actress expressed interest in coming on the series, the creators knew that they had to beef up the part.

“To do a guest arc on an ensemble show is very unusual for an actress of her stature, so we knew that we had to offer something substantially exciting,” Scheffer explained. “As we got into developing it more with Sissy in mind, we realized that this character was going to have a crucial role at the end of the season that would be a game changer for the family.”

“Big Love” marks the six-time Academy Award nominee’s first recurring TV role. Though we're hoping it won’t be Spacek’s last. “Glenn Close has her own show,” said Scheffer. “Sissy is the type of woman who would have her own show – and hopefully she will now.”

We spoke with the actress in December. Here’s what she had to say about her character, her history with Bill Paxton and why she likened this television experience to being in the twilight zone.

Had you been looking to do something in TV?

Well, you know, over the years I have done TV — I’ve never done a continuing role on episodic TV. Different networks have talked to me about it, and cable, and this was just a good way to get my feet wet. …  I’m a fool for a good role in a creative piece where there are really such talented writers and wonderful actors.

How were you introduced to this part?

I think Will Scheffer and Mark Olsen, the creators of this show, sent me this script. … I’m a fan of the show, and it was a character that was unlike anything I’d done before, and Bill Paxton is an old, old friend of mine. We’ve known each other since we were teenagers. He’s a dear friend, and I just thought, “Why not?”

What can you reveal about your character?

'Big Love': Vision quest

“Another day, another revelation.”

So said Sarah after Bill dropped his epic idea to run for the state Senate during lunch one day in the backyard, in between a distracted prayer (tell me this, dear reader: Do Mormons always cross their arms during blessings? It happened here at the table, as well as at Roman’s funeral, and made one wonder whatever happened to holding hands) and reprimanding Wayne for leaving his pool toys out for everyone to trip on. 

Though Wayne’s delinquent plaything was hardly the only big wet noodle mucking up lunch. The wives all but stopped mid-chew upon hearing Bill’s out-of-this-world plan, which he said came to him as a calling while sitting in on a courtroom hearing. Bill was clearly unsettled by what he heard that morning: Rep. Roy Colburn (so nice to see you, Dr. Abbott Tom Amandes!), speaking so loftily from his elected pulpit, pretty much ripped Dale a new one, taking the state-appointed trustee to task for managing the UEB’s assets and calling out everything short of witch hunt to bulldoze compounds and prosecute the polygamists.

So I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Bill’s new revelation — that the best defense against this state Senate-seeking rabble-rouser is a good offense — occurred as Roman was being laid to rest (though he does live on in our hearts, and now on Cara Lynn’s night stand, as she was given a portrait of Grandpa from her wily father). Now that the Prophet of Juniper Creek’s dead and about to be buried, Bill’s making his power bid.

More to 'Big Love': Q&A with star Bill Paxton

It’s not easy being married to three women. Just ask Bill Paxton. The veteran film actor (“Aliens,” “Twister,” “A Simple Plan”) has spent four seasons as polygamist patriarch Bill Henrickson on HBO's critically acclaimed series “Big Love,” and this Sunday his character takes on his biggest risk ever by running for office. We caught up with the Golden Globe-nominated star last month. Here's what the actor had to say about his alter ego’s political aspirations, his history with Sissy Spacek and what it’s really like working with all those leading ladies.

You mentioned in an interview that the density of last season tuckered you out. Now that you’re near the end of shooting this season, do you feel the same way?

It really is an exhausting point, I tell you. At this point in the season I’m really thinking about checking into some kind of facility. A mental institution. It’s just so crazy … ‘West Wing’ used to boast that they had like six or seven plot points in each episode. But we’ve taken them out at the knees. We’ve got at least nine or 10 going on. It’s like I said, at this point in the season, my head’s about to explode, I just can’t contain all of the information.

And you’re doing nine episodes this season instead of last season’s 10.

They’re like nine little feature films. I feel like the guy who used to be on "Ed Sullivan," who was just spinning the plates to the Rimsky-Korsakov "Saber Dance." God, it’s crazy. We’ve opened up the Indian casino this year, and I don’t know how much they’re giving away, but this season takes me to Washington, D.C., and at one point I end up down in Mexico.

The news has come out that Bill is running for state Senate.

Yeah, … and Sissy Spacek’s a big star this year. It’s been a lot of fun working with her. I knew her years ago, so it was kind of full circle that I ended up getting to work with her. I used to work for her husband, Jack Fisk, the art director. I was his set dresser back in the day, and we worked on a lot of features together. But with Sissy, I’ve never acted with her, so it’s kind of a dream come true.

Do you feel like it’s a testament to the show that it’s been able to attract such rich talent?

Absolutely. You know, I got involved with the show because it was original. I never really planned on doing a television series. I mean, you have to go where the work is, but I was a feature guy, you know? And I never went out for pilots or anything. And when this came along I couldn’t resist it. It was such an amazing part. And the cast they were talking about assembling for it — really, all of us are from movies. The four of us [principals] all come from films, and all of the supporting cast are all film actors. People like Harry Dean Stanton and Bruce Dern.

What can you tell me about Bill’s journey this season?

'Big Love': New beginnings

Welcome to Season 4, “Big Love” fans! At long last, HBO's extended family drama is back: Let’s all make like Lura and pop open a contraband can of Coors to celebrate! And this episode, titled “Free At Last,” sure was a doozy. Right off the bat it's clear that this season isn't going to be like the others. For one thing, the opening credits have changed: There's no more skating on thin ice to the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows." This time, Bill and his wives are floating through the outer darkness of their teaser trailer, to the Engineers' ethereal song "Home." And there's no togetherness in this one. They're all pretty much alone in their frames, except for the last one, where Bill and someone else are just reaching — only, they never connect. It's all so ... so distant. And so lonely. Not only that, but this new credit sequence goes into a new opening as well: Instead of being thrown into the messy maelstrom of wives and kids and households like we had at the beginning of other season premieres, the episode began with a pan in on a city street that was quiet – too quiet. Wait: Is this the same “Big Love”?

Turns out it’s just the beginning of a lot of new setup. Behind those seemingly deserted streets lay enough undercurrent to churn out a volcano, and it’s as if this quiet moment was allowing us to take one last deep breath before diving headlong into the season. Slowly, we get the faint whisperings of a hymn. And then we enter into a storefront that stands for a church – Bill’s church. An oil portrait of Jesus hangs behind Bill, Don and Ben on the stage platform. The women and children are all seated tidily in rows in front of them, and everyone is polite, obedient and intent on making their testimonies before one another and before God. Eager Margie goes first and talks about the casino, then Barb reveals hopes for her family, and then Nicki, with daughter Cara Lynn by her side, stands up in atonement for her indiscretions and asks for forgiveness.

But this small scrap of order is about the only thing that goes according to the Henricksons' plan in this episode. The calm of this church scene is undercut with scenes of the Feds busting in on Roman Grant’s wives in the Big House. The FBI demands where, in the name of the Prophet of Juniper Creek, Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton) is hiding. Adaleen (Mary Kay Place) claimed she hadn’t seen him in six weeks and throws out the notion that he may be on the lam in Mexico (especially considering his love of canciones mexicanas).

So the Feds were hot on Roman’s trail, even bumping him up to their 10 Most Wanted List, and his mysterious whereabouts permeated the entire hour. Nicki (excuse me, Nicolette Eugenia Grant) got questioned for the mysterious money that’s been dumped into her account. Bill’s efforts to finally open the Blackfoot Magic Casino were marred by the FBI’s surveillance. Even Adaleen crumbled like a sack of bacon bits under the pressure.

More to 'Big Love': Co-creator Will Scheffer talks Season 4

Can't wait for the “Big Love” premiere Sunday? Check out this extended Q&A with co-creator and executive producer Will Scheffer as he dishes on the HBO extended-family drama’s new season, including casting Sissy Spacek, why Teenie was replaced, and who’s primed to have the best season ever.

Where does Season 4 pick up? Right after Roman’s death?

A couple months have passed…. We thought we’d be dealing with the aftermath of Roman’s death, and mopping up what it was like to have everyone find out he was dead, and what happened, was there a murder investigation, and la la la la la. And opposed to doing that, we started up with a new mystery, which is, no one seems to know Roman is dead, and he has disappeared.

What are some of the themes that you’re touching upon this season?

This is a season that deals with identity in a profound way. The wives are all coming into different parts of themselves that they never really explored before, and that’s really driving a lot of the emotional stories. Also, Bill’s decision to seek office is driving the entire season. Bill’s desire for the family — that they not have to suffer as second-class citizens, as polygamists — is a major motivating factor for his running for state senate.

So Bill’s campaign has to do with polygamy?

It has to do with the fact that the threat to polygamy that’s happening as a result of Roman’s demise, and his need to break new ground with how the public sees polygamists.

Bill is planning to come out, then?

He plans to. If he wins and when he wins, he can bring his family out of the closet.

What do the wives think of this?

New 'Big Love' Season 4 trailer revealed

After the dreamy falling sequence and the Juniper Creek Christmas greeting, HBO has finally released this nail-biter of a trailer that offers some real glimpses into the critically-acclaimed family drama's fourth season (premiering Sunday, Jan. 10 at 9 p.m.). The minute-long clip takes juicy bits from Bill's bid for state senate, the opening of the Indian casino, a federal investigation, marital angst, compound strife and the ever-present fear of exposure, and puts it all in a tantalizingly tense pressure cooker, ready for viewer consumption. Check it out for yourself.

Is it Jan. 10 yet?

-- Allyssa Lee

Will three times be the charm for 'Big Love' at the Golden Globes?

“Big Love” co-creator Mark V. Olsen learned that the HBO drama had received three Golden Globe nominations when his partner and co-creator, Will Scheffer, woke him up this morning by thrusting a cup of coffee at him and saying, “Three.”

The duo had tried not to get too excited about the show’s prospects in the days leading up to the announcement.

“We are so superstitious,” Olsen said. “The words ‘Golden Globes’ did not cross our lips.”

In the end, the series’ third season was nominated for best television drama for the third time, and co-star Bill Paxton was nominated for best actor in a television drama for the third time. A third nomination went to co-star Chloe Sevigny, who plays Paxton’s second wife, Nicki -- her first for her work on the show.

That’s a lot of threes. So Olsen and Scheffer are allowing themselves a little hope that this will be the year that the drama about a polygamous Utah family will finally go home with the trophy.

“It’s great timing for us,” said Scheffer, who noted that the Globes will air during the second week of “Big Love’s” next season, which debuts Jan. 10. “I think it tops even Season 3 in scope.”

While many people focus on the films nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., Scheffer said the Globes are pivotal in the TV industry, adding that the organization was one of the first to spotlight shows like “The Sopranos” and “Six Feet Under.”

“They’re hugely important,” he said. “Being that the Emmys are the only major awards for television, the Globes give a chance for shows that might not be recognized by that particular body to shine through. The foreign press has always been really interesting with their choices. They have sophisticated tastes.”

The duo lamented the fact that all three of the show’s female co-stars were not recognized, which they believe is the result of the three actresses splitting the vote. But they at least hope that Sevigny will bring home a Globe for her work last season, in which Nicki betrayed the family and was temporarily exiled.

“We thought it was time to give that character something and help her deepen and be more than a compound Alexis Carrington, and she was stunning,” Olsen said.

-- Matea Gold

Photo: Chloe Sevigny received her second Golden Globe nomination of her career for her portrayal of Nicolette Grant. Credit: HBO

'Big Love': Have a Juniper Creek Christmas

Christmas has come early this year, "Big Love" fans. In anticipation of the holidays — and the acclaimed HBO family drama's fourth season premiere Jan. 10 — arrives this delightfully creepy music video of "Here We Come From Juniper Creek" straight from the show's polygamous compound. The clever send-up of a Christmas classic shows off a decked-out Hummer and more wives than one can shake a bough of holly at. But the clip is also notable in that it features prominent compound figures Adaleen and (gasp) prophet Roman Grant himself, who, despite what happened at the end of last season, appears about as fit and spry as ever:

It's like a scene from Currier & Wives come to life, isn't it? For those who can't get enough of the rejiggered Christmas tunes, there's a whole album full of prophetized carols — including perennial polygamy classics such as "We Three Wives," "Silent Wife" and "Deck the Compound" — available for download at HBO.com.  Married Christmas, everybody!

—Allyssa Lee

'Big Love' Season 4 teaser trailer revealed

Well, it's almost Thanksgiving, which makes it practically Christmas, which means that 2010 is just around the bend. And that could mean just one thing: new episodes of "Big Love!" The Emmy-nominated extended family drama returns for its fourth season Jan. 10 on HBO. And to whet your appetite, here's a teaser trailer featuring plural marrieds Bill, Barb, Nikki and Margene floating around in outer darkness:

Anyone else excited for this new season? Who's ready for some more "Love"? 

— Allyssa Lee

Exclusive: Sissy Spacek to join 'Big Love'

Major casting alert: Oscar-winning actress Sissy Spacek is joining HBO's "Big Love." She'll play a powerful Washington D.C. lobbyist in a multi-episode arc starting in the third episode of next season.

It's quite the coup for the HBO drama. Spacek has a whopping six Academy Award nominations for her memorable roles in films such as "Carrie," "Crimes of the Heart," and "In the Bedroom," and she won the Best Actress statuette for her indelible portrayal of Loretta Lynn in 1980's "Coal Miner's Daughter." The  actress was just at the Toronto film festival promoting her latest feature, "Get Low." 

Spacek is just the latest addition to "Big Love"'s fourth season; other actors cast include Bella Thorne, who will replace Jolean Wejbe as Barb and Bill's youngest daughter Teenie, and Ben Koldyke as Dale, a state-appointed trustee and love interest for Alby (Matt Ross).

The Emmy-nominated HBO drama is slated to begin its fourth season early next year.

-- Allyssa Lee

Photo credit: Getty Images

'Big Love' creators talk Emmys, Season 4 surprises

File it under things that are awesome: “Big Love” has been nominated for a best drama Emmy! It’s sweet vindication for fans of the acclaimed HBO series who have seen this extended family drama finish its strongest season yet.

And the show runners don’t find it too shabby, either. “We're beyond thrilled to be recognized, finally, and honored to be a part of a really amazing group of nominees,” wrote “Big Love” creators/executive producers Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer in an e-mail. “Honestly, we feel just to be nominated is already to have won. And to be nominated, for a first time, for our third season, suggests to us it really is about the work -- not the buzz or the hype, but the bone-crushing, sleep-depriving, punishing, yet exhilarating work that all of us invest in the show.”

The news is a little bittersweet, however, as the series failed to garner any nominations aside from best drama. “Of course, we're disappointed that our actors, writers, directors and creative team were not nominated,” Olsen and Scheffer wrote. “But we're hopeful this nomination opens the door for a fuller, longer look by the Academy next year. A show really can't be recognized as being superior without recognizing the superiority of its constituent parts. In fact, we think our show is so strong in all of its elements, from acting to costumes, music and editing (not to mention writing), that we're confident it really is just a matter of time, and that due recognition will come.”

'Big Love': Season 3 insight, Season 4 scoop and why we're wild about Harry

“Harry Dean Stanton rocks,” declared one audience member while filing out of the “Big Love” panel at PaleyFest on Wednesday night. And the 82-year-old actor sure kept things lively during the event (moderated by our very own Mary McNamara) -- alternating between bemoaning his alter ego’s death and waxing philosophical, and in effect stealing the show in between.
 
In addition to Stanton and the show’s creators, Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, most of the main cast members of the critically acclaimed HBO drama were in attendance, save Ginnifer Goodwin (Margene), whose unexplained absence spurred sighs of disappointment from the crowd. Turns out she, along with Amanda Seyfried (Sarah) and Mary Kay Place (Adaleen), were off filming movies. Some highlights:

Grant him peace As previously reported,  Roman Grant is, in fact, dead. “Dead is dead on this show,” confirmed Olsen. Good thing Harry Dean Stanton isn't. In the first of many musings, the venerable actor responded to Roman’s demise by declaring, “I’m famous and a legend, and they kill me in the series, and why?…Christ rose from the dead. And where do you go after you die? What were you before you were born? I’m playing a patriarch and all, ... so everything I do is ordained by God, and I’m a gangster, similar to the Sopranos, actually, and all religions are gangs to me and I have no beliefs. I am nothing. But I mean that in a good way.”

Scheffer said Roman's hulking presence will linger next season -- in spirit, if not in body. '“He was a looming presence. And he’s still a looming presence,” declared Scheffer. “From the grave, let’s say, all things are coming to light that are hidden.”

The deal with Ana “She was our Yoko,” proclaimed Jeanne Tripplehorn (Barb). Even though this fourth wife was married and divorced within the course of an episode -- “If he hadn’t pressed her on those tips, she might still be with us!” said Bill Paxton ruefully -- Paxton (Bill) is not closed to the possibility to furthering the Henrickson clan. “I hope there’s going to be more wives,” he said.