It’s been quite some time since Andie MacDowell graced the small screen but the 53-year old actress, known for films like Groundhog Day and Four Weddings and a Funeral, is making her TV comeback as one of the main characters on the upcoming ABC Family series Jane By Design. The light-hearted drama follows Jane (Erica Dasher) as she leads a double life as a high school student and as an assistant to a renowned fashion executive in the form of MacDowell’s Gray Chandler.
Check out Andie MacDowell‘s recent Q & A where she teases what viewers can look forward to on her new show.
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On what her character Gray sees in Jane:
“I think she sees that she’s got great style, and maybe she sees a little bit of herself when she was younger, the capacity to think quick, and then something in her that is trustworthy.”
On what viewers can look forward to about Jane’s double life:
“Well I know she was like running between the show and having to get in between school and the show. When she had the date, that one was really cute. Where she was trying to go the prom and trying to work at the same time and trying to change her clothes in between the two and really trying to exist as a teenager and have this treasured moment but she had to work. I think that was a pretty compelling setup for a teenager. To see her having to deal with both of those, the sacrifice that she was making to work. And that’s interesting, you know, to think of a child having to make those kinds of sacrifices.”
On what she thinks it takes to be a good executive assistant:
“Well I think what you expect, a lot of times, is for them to be able to think for themselves, to read your mind almost, to know you well enough to make the decisions that you would make. You expect a lot. I mean really obviously you can’t expect anybody to read your mind, but that’s sort of almost what people start to want. After a certain amount of time, you want someone that knows how you think and knows what you want; you don’t have to tell them.”
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On what she’s learned after working with people like her character Gray Chandler:
“The thing of it is that I think if Gray were a man people probably wouldn’t judge her so harshly. They were used to having men being this powerful and this strong. You might think he was a jerk too though… But I have learned from working with a lot of women that have to fight for their position. I think a lot of times she’s justified in her behavior, and then a lot of times she crosses over a little bit.”
On what viewers can learn from Jane by Design:
“Well I think she can probably make us laugh at our human foibles, the things that we do that are really silly and make us look at ourselves too. The things that we expect of kids and we expect of ourselves sometimes are not always the healthiest, and to be able to treasure the good things. I think a lot of times we make too many sacrifices for work and we don’t pay attention enough to the things that we should be paying attention to. That’s probably why Gray doesn’t have anybody in her life.”
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On her upcoming projects:
“I’m getting ready to work on something. I’m not going to talk about it yet, but I’m getting ready to work on something. We’re looking for other good things, but it’s hard. I don’t want to do just anything so I’m being patient.”
Jane by Design premieres January 3 at 9/8c on ABC Family.
(Image courtesy of ABC Family)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
