sations aren’t hollow stories about guys and nights out, but rather in- telligence and honest feelings. There aren’t many shows that have allowed relations between the main charac- ters to develop to that level gradu- ally, only to ultimately form a truly strong and emotionally charged re- lationship. And it seems to me that that’s also precisely why the audience loved Jane and Maura.” What was your greatest challenge in creating the role of Maura Isles? “Everything [laughs]. Apart from the fact that we’re both wom- en, we have absolutely nothing in common. I’m bad at logic and maths, we have completely different char- acters. I’m more the type of person who surrenders to the moment and likes unpredictability and challenges, while a life without rules would be hell for Maura. But I liked the fact that she instilled some discipline in my life. The biggest challenge for me was definitely her job. I could nev- er have imagined myself at a foren- sic autopsy table, dissecting people and using all the medical terms that I somehow managed to master in the end, but you never know what life will bring you. And I ended up spending seven seasons doing pre- cisely that. Did you read Tess Gerrit- sen’s novels that formed the basis of the show prior to standing in front of the cameras? “I didn’t. The script for the show was my first contact with Tess, and as part of my preparations I then read two of her books for the first time. However, the producers liked the fact that I’d had no previous contact with the content, so they wanted me to base Maura on a vision of my own, and not to stick so much to the nov- els and what fans of Tess Gerritsen would like to see in the show. And it seems to me that it was precise- ly this new approach that brought some authentic freshness. Interest- ingly, I like thrillers and mysteries and, apart from Tess, one of my fa- vourite authors, whose works I en- joy, is John Grisham.”
memories that connect her to Serbia and how her journey led her to the heroine that is Maura Isles. “Actually, the enduring “friend- ship” with Maura left its mark on me. It’s impossible to portray someone for so long without acquiring at least some of their habits and character traits. Maura and I differ a lot. She is the essence of pure reason and pro- fessional coolness. Her logic cuts like a knife and that’s why she found the perfect counterbalance in Jane Riz- zoli, who is completely spontaneous, chilled and isn’t bothered about any of the rules without which my Mau- ra’s life would be possible. The truth is that I’m much closer to Jane than to Maura in my private life, though I do increasingly “catch” myself won- dering: “Hmm, how would Maura solve this problem?”, reveals this ac- tress who often boasts of her knowl- edge of Serbian, which – alongside English and Italian – is the third lan- guage that she speaks fluently. And so it was that, in one of the most popular late-night chat shows, the whole of America was able to watch Sasha teaching famous host Conan O’Brien how easy Serbian really is.” You also demonstrated that in the series, right? “Yes, but in a slightly different way than with Conan [laughs]. Our language is very exotic to foreign- ers. I often speak Serbian, because I think it’s important to nurture the memory of one’s roots. How- ever, with Conan I demonstrated that slightly juicier side of the Ser-
bian language, through original Ser- bian swear words of course, which was being recounted for months af- terwards. That’s nonetheless a lit- tle subtler in the series. Maura ex- plains, through a conversation with Jane and their colleagues, how easy a language Serbian is to learn; she converses with the victims of at- tackers whose methods are linked to crimes committed against Serbs during World War II. The produc- ers turned my links with Serbia in- to very interesting material to en- rich the series, and I’m glad that was so well accepted by the audience.” Your association with Riz- zoli & Isles lasted almost a decade. How are your mem- ories of filming for this se- ries? “The reason I loved this show from the start is that it was never a classic thriller, but nor did it have the standard series format that we were then accustomed to. The whole sto- ry focused on the wonderful friend- ship between two completely dif- ferent but equally successful and courageous women. That was always what I liked the most about Rizzoli & Isles, that naturalness and unobtru- siveness of theirs. They are real su- perwomen, but not in the sense of fighting criminals. Their strength is reflected in their ability to be alone. They recognised that in one anoth- er and that’s what makes this series special. I like the fact that we didn’t impose on them a need to be best friends at all costs; that their conver-
40 | Intervju » Interview
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