TANYA FISCHER Interview “Zoey Waters”
THE DEFENDERS Fridays at 8 PM EST on CBS
March 4, 2011
By Lena Lamoray
I spoke with TANYA FISCHER from THE DEFENDERS which airs Friday nights on CBS. She plays Zoey Waters, the spirited assistant to a couple of Las Vegas lawyers, played by James Belushi and Jerry O’Connell . Tanya was a pleasure to speak with and she also has a band called, BAMBI KILLERS. Be sure to check her band out as well as the last two episodes of the first season of THE DEFENDERS on CBS. I love getting behind such a beautiful and vivacious talent like Tanya.
Tanya Fisher: (On being on the West Coast compared to the East) I’m celebrating my first warm winter, if you will. I do miss the East coast, though. It’s different. I checked out your website and congratulations, it’s very sharp. I’m excited to be a part of it.
Lena: Oh, thank you. I noticed that you have a band, BAMBI KILLERS. Are you going to be playing any shows?
Tanya Fisher: We just did and we have some stuff sporadically. The girls are in New York and I’m out here, so we get together when we can and it’s more of a Vaudeville show. We play live music, we play punk but it’s just part of the act. We switch instruments and we have songs but it is all part of a story that we tell. We dress up in costumes and the whole show is about power to the people. It’s about the power of the mind, freedom of speech and anti-brain washing. We sing about quantum physics and zombies (laughing) so it’s just a lot of fun and it’s something that developed throughout the years of being an actor in New York and not having a steady studio gig to rely on. It’s just an outlet that was really important to me and being able to be live on stage in New York City. We play all over. We play circuses, art galleries and dive bars in the East Village. We play wherever we can and because it is not just one particular thing we get a lot of opportunities because we are a fun opening act and people have not really seen anything like it before. That is totally separate from what I am doing out here but it is all connected because they both creative outlets.
(About her character Zoey Waters from “The Defenders”)
Tanya Fisher: The character that I play right now in “The Defenders”; I’m proud of the fact that my closest friends don’t really recognize me in the role. When I hear them say that to me it’s an accomplishment. That means I am doing my job and that’s part of the fun. Part of that is just getting into the character with the clothes, the hair and make-up. She’s a Vegas secretary and a Nevada local, so before her office job with these guys she was waitressing in casinos and working at cosmetic counters. She is the first in her family to have a job outside of a bar or the whole Vegas extravaganza. She gets to be responsible and make a difference in people’s lives; so she is very proud of her position but also wants more responsibility. She has all these ridiculous colored post it notes (laughing) but those are the things that make up the whole character that is Zoey.
Lena: How does Zoey compare to you?
Tanya Fisher: I took traits of some of my favorite people like caring, endearing, and very nurturing people and wanted to do a throwback to some of the roles that interests me like Judy Holliday from “Born Yesterday” or Marilyn Monroe in “Monkey Business” where she really didn’t say anything because she played a secretary but she was just there and she has somewhat of a wildcard of a role. There are definite similarities between us like Zoey wanting to move and to have more responsibilities and then really appreciating the job. She develops a stronger sense of herself as the season progresses. She earns the ability to fight back and be an equal with her bosses on the show, Nick Morelli (James Belushi) and Pete Kaczmarek (Jerry O’Connell). She definitely spends a lot of her paycheck on her hair and her wardrobe. We are not talking about designer things, either, she is more excited to go to thrift stores or chic stripper stores where she can get jewelry from and party stores where she can get office supplies from. (Laughing) It’s not like she is putting on a face, this is just what she knows to be pretty. She finds it totally appropriate to wear a maroon leather skirt and a leopard blouse to work. I really enjoy playing her. She makes me happy and there are definitely similarities. The more I get to know her, between the clues from the writers and everyone else involved, the more I enjoy developing other traits that are different from me. That is the best part of being an actor, just bringing life to another human being. I look forward to other roles that I play where I’m maybe unrecognizable from this one, too.
Lena: It has to feel good to get challenged?
Tanya Fisher: Yeah, that’s the best part about being an actor and I look forward to the roles I can play when I’m a batty old broad. I’ve got years of experience before me, before I can even touch that. Being only twenty five years old, I have to put in more time because I want to be a great actress that never stops. There are roles that you can play until you are seventy five and I am looking forward to all the life experiences, the people I meet, the books I read, they all plant seeds and it never stops. That’s what it means to me to be an actress. It’s a great challenge and responsibility. You’re bringing life to another human being. You are telling a story and I have a lot of respect for audiences. I think they are really smart and they can tell the difference between a talking head and when it actually comes from someone. I think they can sense that and it’s my responsibility to invent this back story so I can know where I came from and be ready for anything. With “The Defenders” there is a lot of improvisation that goes on and it has just helped me and it has really taught me a lot. Television is very different in this day and age. I am coming from off Broadway in New York and I hope to return one day. I did a lot of independent films where we just borrowed equipment and we pulled it off and made something cool. They circulated throughout festivals and then I went onto studio films where you have star actors and directors and everything is so different. It’s exciting to talk to people like yourself about it and hope that it reaches any kind of audience that has been entertained so far. It’s nice to get fan mail especially when it’s hand written and it’s such a rare thing to get mail nowadays. It’s great to see that the work I have done is transmitting and it’s out there, not that it’s making any profound changes in the world but it’s making someone smile and that is awesome. That’s all I could ever ask for and that I continue to have the opportunity to do this. That’s what the BAMBI KILLERS are about. That is just another creative outlet. I’ll just continue to always be up to something, this is what I do.
Lena: I love that the BAMBI KILLERS have a live show. You must be incredible to photograph.
Tanya Fisher: Yeah, you are right. Each still that is taken from the show is consistently juxtaposed, meaning what is going on right now?
Lena: I love that.
Tanya Fisher: There are these big elements like clocks, chainsaws and gas masks and then we have zombie and spaceman costumes. There are different acts and it’s all based on the same theme which is, Viva La Revolution. Everybody has everything they need to be free and to create their own reality. People either love or hate the show and that has been true since we started and that’s a good thing. We play all over the place. We played at a UFO convention in Philadelphia, an amazing carnival in San Francisco, at a film festival and the Japanese are inviting us to play a festival there, too. We have a lot of support from overseas and we are going to go on an adventure and see where it takes us. I think we have a lot of heart and it’s just a collective consciousness and it’s a hell of a lot of fun. We threw a computer in the audience during out last show. It was a broken computer but it was just a demonstration in between songs. We took the computer and established it for what it was and just screamed some obscenities about friends in real life. It sounds so crazy right now and people were shocked but this was at a punk show where people were moshing, so there were beer cans flying around anyway. When we threw the computer it was pretty epic and it was torn to pieces. It’s so funny and it was covered in stage glitter but anyway, it is just a sign of the times. That is totally separate than “The Defenders” and that is part of what makes it so much fun. People who know me from “The Defenders” don’t know me at all from that but as far as being a performer, it is all connected. A couple of producers have gone to my show and they have enjoyed it. We get referred to as Old New York, which is a really sweet compliment. There were a lot of interesting things coming out of there and this is just our interpretation of it. I’m proud to be from New York. The girls are going to migrate out here and we will just start writing. I have so many songs so we will just see where that goes.
(About working on “The Defenders”)
Tanya Fisher: “The Defenders” is on Friday nights at 8 o’clock and I’ve been really very fortunate to work with the people that I have. The show is (loosely) based on two real lawyers Michael Cristalli and Marc Saggese. They have a firm in Vegas and are the real “Defenders”. The show has taught me a lot about the justice system and on how it’s not necessarily what you are guilty of but what you are charged for and it’s a straight up business.
(On Zoey)
Tanya Fisher: I do not know that much else about show business other than bringing life to a character and shape shifting. Zoey is just a creation that I made and I’m proud of her. I love her dearly and I hope to play her again and she will always be part of me. I just had a great time and every word I was able to say, I’m happy for. It’s a new adventure. I’m out in California coming from New York, so we will see what I get into next.
Lena: What is it like on the set of “The Defenders” and getting to work with Jerry and Jim?
Tanya Fisher: It’s really funny and really interesting because they have been in show business their whole life, practically. Jerry and actually pretty much the whole cast has been in show business since they were kids. I’m just this random person who slipped in the backdoor. My manager told me about an audition for a show in Vegas so I went and I just knew the character. I had to do the whole screen test process, which was exhausting and terrifying. I was excited to do my interpretation of who this girl was and I just channeled it and brought it to life. They basically just chose me because I was it and I didn’t have to change anything about what I was doing. I made it easy for them. I pride myself on that because I was so happy to be there and I had nothing to complain about. I wasn’t scrapping for food anymore, so I was totally content. I had a job and I knew I was going to pay rent this month. It comes in spurts for me. Before “The Defenders” it was a whole year of auditioning and not getting called back because they went for a name. The industry went with whoever would make them more money or something but I got close. These guys gave me a shot and the same thing happened with “Life on Mars”. There were enough heavy hitters in the cast where they could give me a chance. It was amazing.
(Being on the set of “The Defenders”)
Tanya Fisher: Being on the show I was able to watch how these pros handle press conferences, table readings, development of stories and talking about it openly with directors. It’s just a very lucky introspective into the industry, getting this full time job. We are averaging sixteen hours a day, five days a week. There is no such thing as Friday. They call it Fraturday because the call time is at 5 a.m. and then it just keeps on getting pushed back later and later. Friday always ends up going into Saturday, (laughing) but it’s great. We are living in a dream and I am happy to do it. There are so many hard working people that are involved in it, too from the wardrobe to the hair, makeup, grips, sound, and the really talented people that I got to work with. It’s great to meet all the guest stars, too. We shoot at Studio City and it’s a fun place because they have the “Leave it to Beaver” house down the street which is a fake suburb street on one block of it. If you keep going down they shot “CSI: New York” there so there is a fake New York street. The stage that we shoot at has a public restroom between another stage where they shoot “Outsourced” on and a lot of times when I go to the bathroom there will be these women in traditional Indian attire and I will be all Vegased out and we will giggle at each other as they go off to their Indian set and I go off to my Vegas one. It’s the best. We have extras running around that are in prison guard uniforms.
Lena: That’s awesome, only in L.A.
Tanya Fisher: Yeah, it is so much fun. There are certainly days when it is challenging but it is all part of the development. It’s just an amazing thing to experience. I can’t say anything more positive about it coming from a girl from a small town. I had this crazy dream and I never gave up and I will continue to feel that way. I am open to most of everything. I would love to shoot a sci-fi picture in Vancouver and then go and shoot a Western somewhere on the other side of the world. I just want to act and perform.
Lena: Well, it’s great to be very diverse and able to handle everything.
Tanya Fisher: I never get recognized and anytime someone does I am more excited than they are. If I do get recognized than it is generally by my voice. I do like that about myself. When I wrap early sometimes I put on different wigs and walk around the set and people that I work with have a hard time noticing me. I have the ability to be a chameleon. I used to live in a uniform of jeans, t-shirts and combat boots and that was my outfit for a year or so. If I had a job I could clean up pretty nicely. In this character I have like a ‘50’s hairdo, this old Hollywood style hairstyle and in the episode next week, I get to wear an Esther Williams bathing suit. It’s a nice throwback to the old film stars. I was in a film called, “Assassination of a High School President” with Bruce Willis where I played this total punk with fishnets and blue in my hair. I’m sorry if I am rambling.
Lena: No, you are perfect. As you are talking you are answering all of my questions and I am just checking them all off. Sometimes it’s hard because people don’t give you enough to work with but you are fantastic. You are awesome, so easy to work with.
Tanya Fisher: Thank you, Lena. I just drank a bunch of coffees, so I keep on talking at you but if you have anything else you want to know or if you have any specific questions?
Lena: Did you watch any of the original “The Defenders” series from 1961?
Tanya Fisher: I have but I was told that they were not related. They were under the same network and production companies but they just share the same title. There is a DVD documentary about the real lawyers that the show is based on and I believe this show is based on that documentary. I did glance at the TV series but I was told it wasn’t similar but it was a cool TV show from the past and I’m a fan of those in general. So, they are not really related besides the fact that my hairstyle came from an old Hollywood role.
Lena: Yes, when I first saw your character she reminded of someone that stepped out of “Mad Men”.
Tanya Fisher: Yeah, that is awesome. I’m glad, the producer loved it and it was something I could pull off. It’s different than anything else I’ve played before so I was all for it.
Lena: Do you still do anything with the theater company (Flea Theater’s Bats Theater Company)?
Tanya Fisher: Yeah, as a member you are always a member. I see shows there when I can and I am also a member of another theater company called Stage Farm. They are an alternative up and coming theater company that has done some really great work off Broadway. I did a play called “U.S. Drag” and it did well. That was my first theater review in the New York Times. I hope to return. I just wrapped up “The Defenders” and we had an official wrap party at a local Karaoke bar. I did my best rendition of “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis. Everyone got a spot on stage and it was a big celebration. Now, we are just waiting to find out what is happening with the show. We are all thinking positive. We are just happy we got to do the show.
Lena: Yeah, remember “Lone Star”? That show got cancelled after only having two episodes air on FOX.
Tanya Fisher: Yes, and especially in L.A., you see all these billboards for new shows and half of them are gone in a month. It’s bizarre. That’s why you have to do your own thing and just be grateful for what you have. You don’t want to change yourself over and over again to make someone else happy. You should just develop into who you are and then you will be original. Someone, somewhere down the line will appreciate that and that is part of the process. I met some really great actors in New York that started their careers in their fifties. I’m fortunate to be able to have this opportunity now. I think people are going to want to see more characters. They are going to want to see more real people. It was kind of strange for me to come to L.A. after hearing all of these things about it here. My hair is my natural hair color, which it hasn’t been and they didn’t want me to lose weight or anything. I could just be myself here, so that was weird (laughing). It was also really awesome. I think the best material is always the honest material, the truth.
Lena: Yeah, I love the show and your character.
Tanya Fisher: Oh, thank you. We only have two episodes left.
Lena: Great and I would love to photograph your band sometime. I do mostly arena shows but sometimes they can be boring and I like shooting a really fun bands with a stage shows.
Tanya Fisher: Yes, you would have so much fun. We would either take you to this dungeon bar in the East Village or wherever, way play everywhere. I will send you a link to the circus show that we just played with clowns everywhere. Thank you for talking to me.
Lena: Thank you so much.
