Laura Linney is one smart cookie. If she’s NOT smart—I mean, seriously intelligent—then she’s an even better actress than those three Oscar noms would lead you to believe.
Unlike some celebs in interview mode, she listened closely to the questions during a recent conference call 
about her role as Abigail Adams on HBO’s “John Adams” miniseries (now showing daily and nightly, with Part 6 premiering Sunday night and Part 7 premiering next Sunday night. That Sunday—April 27—HBO will also run a “John Adams” marathon 1-10 p.m.).
You’ll find a story in the upcoming Sunday Flair section of the Times-Dispatch about Linney. In the meantime, here are a few select bits from the Laura Linney interview that there wasn’t room to include in the story:
Could you be anything other than an actress?
I could be. I don’t think I’d be as happy.
Do you select certain roles because they are similar in terms of the characters having inner strength?
I would love to be able to tell you that I’m in complete control of what I choose to do. You know, I’m just not. Sometimes I am. But a lot of the time, the roles pick me more than I have the power to choose them. . . . I believe that there are a lot of parts that, even though they may be strong women, they’re very weak in other areas. You know, they might be strong in some ways as far as personality or endurance or whatever, but they have emotional weaknesses throughout.
I’m a big believer that no one is one thing. That’s what makes people interesting and three-dimensional and human. . . . There’s certainly no agenda on my part. Parts come to me, thankfully, as they do, and then I do my best to flesh them out.
Do you find Hollywood a difficult environment for women, especially older women? (Linney is 44.)
It’s a complex topic. And a lot of it is just what you will participate in. I can only speak for myself . . . You just have to surround yourself with the right people and keep yourself concentrated on the things that you think are important and do the best you can.
I don’t know how to completely tackle this because I don’t spend all of my time there. I do work in the theater, and I work in television, and I . . . am not completely, 100 percent, focused on just film. . . . I’m certainly very lucky and grateful that I’ve somehow been able to keep working. I think you have to . . . not let people tell you what to think about yourself, quite frankly.
How do you make a woman of the 18th century authentic and also accessible?
Well, you do the research that you can. The areas that I will first tackle are lifestyle, how people lived, meaning how they dressed, what they do for entertainment, how they learn, what they eat, how they lived. All that stuff and then the world view, which is how they think. So you start there.
Then you try and do the research that you can about the specific things. For example, Abigail Adams was pigeon-toed. I didn’t know that. That will throw your body off. That will tell you how someone moved.
And then you sort of go to the heart of what all human beings have in common regardless of what period of time they are living in—love, ambition, happiness, anger. You know, those basic qualities of being a human 
being and the emotional life of a human being. . . . Anger is anger, no matter what century you’re in. Love is love, no matter what century you’re in.
Did you find anything out about Abigail Adams that perhaps didn’t show up on screen but went toward your forming the character?
Her father was a minister, which definitely made a difference in her character. And her religious foundation was very, very strong. That was a big part of their life. I think it gave her a tremendous sense of safety, and it allowed her will to remain very strong. Because she felt that, you know, that there was a protective God. And she also believed—the thing that I found fascinating was that she really believed—that the Revolutionary War was punishment from God for the sin of slavery.
(The Adamses) were very unusual in that they never, ever, ever owned slaves. They only had hired hands and they did a lot of the work themselves. They had a real firm sense of what they felt was right and wrong and what was right and wrong for them. . . . I love it when they go to Europe and then they come back because—you know that phrase, “How do you keep them down on the farm once they’ve seen Paris”—that applies to them as well.
They came back and they bought a bigger house. And all of a sudden, they had furniture and lace. ... Their trip to Europe certainly influenced her.
What can we learn from John and Abigail Adams’ marriage? They’ve been called America’s first power couple.
Communication is important. . . . You know, all those letters that went back and forth. They were forced to communicate, even when they were very, very far apart. And so they had tremendous self-respect and for each other. They opened every letter with “Dearest Friend,” and they really meant it.
Did Abigail Adams see people—such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington—differently than her husband?
I think she was just a very astute judge of character, and I think she was really fascinated by people. . . . She could be very empathetic; I think her friendship with Jefferson is an example of that. I mean, she met him when he was grieving and when he first got to Paris. Although this isn’t in the series, he wasn’t well, and she really helped restore him to health and they became very, very good friends.
She and Jefferson spent a lot of time together (in France), and she also advised him on his parenting skills. She’s the one who insisted that he bring his daughter over. So she became very involved with the people who she connected with. And she was a very, very loyal friend. Once she was crossed, however, that was that.
Have you spent much time with Sarah Polley, who plays your daughter, “Nabby,” in the miniseries?
She’s an amazing, amazing person. . . . I was thrilled to meet her, and it was amazing to watch her. She has 
tremendous grace, Sarah. . . . We really had a good time. I love all those kids. I mean, all those people who played the adult children and the little kids as well.
But Sarah is really having a remarkable life. And as the years go by, it’s really interesting to see what she chooses to do next. She has a lot to give. There’s a lot for her to do. And, you know, I’m happy that I think she’s going to have the opportunity to do it.
Was Abigail Adams an empowered woman?
I think the healthiest power comes from self-esteem and sort of liking yourself and liking where you are and liking other people. So that’s one kind. . . . I think Abigail Adams certainly was empowered by her imagination and her character and her instincts and her family and her beliefs and the context in which, and how, she lived her life. She had wonderful survival instincts, and she rose to every challenge. She had tremendous courage.
Is Laura Linney an empowered woman?
Am I empowered? Of course, you know, I’m an American. I’m able to do what I want to. I live in a free society. It’s 2008, and so for me to say anything else would be silly.
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