FRI: International returns tonight, and if you’re a fan, you’re eager to discover what is up with Scott’s mother, Angela Cassidy.
We caught up with Elizabeth Mitchell, and she teased as much as she could without getting into spoiler territory.
It’s not the first time Elizabeth has worked with Dick Wolf, co-creator of the series.
Working on FBI: International reunites Elizabeth with Wolf, who gave her one of her first roles off the stage when she was first dipping her toes into film and television.
Despite her rather hectic schedule, when Elizabeth got the call about the role, she was eager to work with him again. It was as easy as that.
But who is Angela Cassidy, other than Scott’s mother, a spy who disappeared from his life without a word?
The preview for FBI: International Season 1 Episode 12 suggests that Angela could be a traitor. Elizabeth said, “Yes. Everyone seems to think that she is indeed a traitor. So I think that what we’ll have to figure out is, is she or isn’t she? And it’s sort of an ongoing idea, for the most part.
“I know how she feels about it, but I think that from the audience’s perspective, we’ll find out a lot of what she believes. And as they do, in the way that they write things, there’s still mystery, which I really quite like.”
Elizabeth also thinks fans will find the story very rewarding as a lot of questions will be answered by the end of the hour.
“Especially when you have such a long buildup as to who is his mom? Where did she go? What happened? All of those things have been talked about. So I’ve kind of been there before being there, which is always a fun way to step into a role, I have to say,” Elizabeth said of the character’s buildup throughout the first season.
Before stepping into Angela’s shoes, Elizabeth watched the show to get a sense of the character from Scott’s perspective.
After complimenting Luke Kleintank as “such a lovely actor,” Elizabeth said, “I had that idea that if I was watching him, it was almost like his mom kind of watching over for him, in a weird kind of way. Right? You get to see what your child is doing.”
She also admits that she might be hooked on FBI: International after watching some episodes. “I mean, they’re compulsive,” she laughed.
The FBI: International creative team gave Elizabeth quite a bit of information about Angela’s backstory, but being the “inner nerd” she is, Elizabeth also made some additions of her own.
“I just need to be able to hold onto something. I need to know. In order to know where I’m going, I need to know where I came from, and I think it applies to life as well.
“But that’s always been my method is to really, really dig down… What do I want? What is against me? Why can’t I get what I need? Those things. And they seem to let the rest of it just be easy. Right? Natural, easy. Once the work is done, then you just get to play.”
Although there are a lot of answers from Angela’s visit to Scott, Elizabeth said there is a little bit of a cliffhanger, as well. “You get some things answers, and you wonder more things,” she said when asked of the possibility that she might return if her schedule accommodates.
Elizabeth’s schedule is very busy. She joined Outer Banks Season 2 as Limbrey and was returning from filming that project in Barbados when we chatted.
She’s also a part of another upcoming Netflix project titled First Kill. “That’s where I’m a vampire. It’s a bit like Romeo and Juliet. And it’s the vampires against the hunters or the hunters against the vampires, however you view to see it. And I play this 500-year-old vampire named Margot, who I have a bit of a crush on. She’s hilarious.”
She said although Margot is hilarious, it’s not a funny show. It’s a drama that has comedic elements. “A little bit of a dramedy. Yeah. It is funny, and we do laugh. And at the same time, it’s deadly serious. So it falls into the world of things that I watch when I collapse on a couch with cookies. It’s definitely that kind of viewing for me.”
Elizabeth is excited to work on First Kill because she’s starting from the beginning instead of just, as she put it, “joining other people’s successes.”
It’s also the first time she got to play a vampire, despite how much she loves the genre. “I’ve always wanted to play a vampire. I mean, I love fantasy. Right? But yeah, I think it is. And I mean, I really quite like her. And I really enjoy the show.
“We have all of these amazing actors, and I enjoy them so much. We have Aubin Wise, who kind of plays my… We are at each other, and that kind of thing. And I just absolutely fell in love with her. And I pretty much fell in love with all of the cast.”
She also has an upcoming comedy film with the working title “Aliens Kidnapped My Parents and I’m Not Sure How I Feel About” it with Will Forte, that’s got her excited.
“I really loved it. And it was fun to work on a sweet little movie because you pull together and everybody works together. And it was fun to improv ever so slightly with him because he’s the master. So it was great.”
And just about everyone on the planet is on board with and excited about Disney+’s Santa Clause, the TV series version of the hit movies, in which she stars as Carol Calvin, aka Mrs. Claus, opposite Tim Allen as Scott Calvin, aka Santa Claus!
The offer, she says, came out of left field when her agent called, saying they wanted to know her dates of availability right away. She was worried about the timing when Santa Clause wasn’t nailed down, and Elizabeth received an offer for another project.
“I was like, ‘Well, I probably should check with the Santa Clause people and make sure that I am available.’ And we called, and they’re like, ‘No, no! We want you.” And I was like, ‘Well, good. There we go.’ And then they started doing all this stuff, and that was it. We’re doing Santa Clause, which is amazing.”
When I wondered if it would be holiday-focused or follow the Calvins the other 364 days of the year, Elizabeth said, “I think it’s always holiday-focused, given that it’s Santa. But I do think that it kind of delves in slightly more deeply, given that we have more episodes.”
She continued, “So it’ll be all the shenanigans involved in our lives and that sort of thing. And it is really entertaining. I read the first two before I signed on just because I like to do my homework, and I laughed out loud. I thought it was great. So I’m very excited about it. And there are some really talented people working behind the scenes, as well, so it just feels good. It feels like a fun thing to me.”
We discussed the explosive nature of the news and how it had tongues wagging all over the globe. The Calvins are not your typical Santa and Mrs. Claus, which could be why people find them so loveable. They’re approachable.
“Tim is so good, and his Santa is so unbelievably lovable and always funny. And he has that gift of being the other man’s Santa, doesn’t he? You can relate to Santa because Tim’s playing him, so I think that’s probably the magic of it, for the most part.
“And I just get to go and play. I mean, I honestly do. I laugh so hard. When we shot the first two I was in, I was laughing so hard most of the time that I’d go home with a stomach ache. He’s a joy to be around.
“But he also, which I really like, has no problem if I get something funny in there. He’ll laugh, right? If I genuinely nail something, he’s not one of those people who’s like, ‘It’s all for me.’ He’s collaborative, and I think that’s really fun.”
Elizabeth watched the Santa Clause series story blow up online and was taken by surprise. She had no idea people would be so excited by the notion it would continue.
But she feels like it’s a special win for her on a personal level. “My mom is thrilled because it’s her favorite role that I’ve ever done. So you get to please Mom, and you get to please people. It feels like a win-win to me.”
Elizabeth’s roles run from the dramatic to the comedic, and her dream scenario of acting gigs would be to “simply go from one to the other in a joyful fashion.”
“I find that when I’ve done one for a while where I’ve really had to delve in deep and all of that, that it’s awfully cathartic to then laugh,” she said. “After a while, with comedy, you’re just kind of like, “Oh wow. I just want to dive in.’ But I think I love them all. They all appeal to me.
“I’ve obviously done one more than the other. I’ve done a lot more drama than I have comedy, but when I get the chance to do it, I love it. And when I get the chance to work with comedians, I love it because I happen to love the way their minds work.
“They’re so quick. They’re so fun. They’re so on it. And that sort of intelligence is engaging for me. I like it. I like to be around people like that and kind of absorb it like a little sponge. So sadly, I really do love both. Right now, of course, I’m thinking comedy because I’ve just come off of a lot of harder stuff. A lot of deeper stuff.”
Whether you prefer comedy or drama, there is an Elizabeth Mitchell role out there for you to enjoy.
Tonight at 9/8c, on CBS, you can find her diving deep into the possibly traitorous Angela Cassidy on FBI: International. Don’t miss it!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.
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