As attorney-turned-unconventional detective Elsbeth Tascioni, Carrie Preston, the star of the
mystery series Elsbeth, carries a couple of big bags everywhere she goes. “We started thinking of her as somebody who was constantly filling her bags with whatever she might need for whatever case,” Carrie exclusively tells Closer. “It shows her as somebody who can juggle a lot of things, but maybe not always successfully. I think it’s fun that we don’t see what’s in her bags, because we don’t see what’s in her brain either.”
The Georgia-born actress first brought quirky Elsbeth to life on The Good Wife in 2010. After more than a dozen appearances on that drama (and an Emmy win!), Carrie carried the character over to its Paramount+ spinoff, The Good Fight. Finally, she’s the star of her own series, Elsbeth, which recently returned for a second season.
How did you get into acting?
Oh, I’m a lifer. I started doing plays when I was in fourth grade in Georgia. My brother was doing plays, and I wanted to be like him. I was the kid who would sit in aisles or backstage and memorize the entire play. And then, if a kid was absent from rehearsal, I would be like, “I’ll do it!” I knew that acting was something that I wanted to do. Thankfully, I had a wonderful mentor in my hometown who ran the theater and was very encouraging. As were my parents. My brother is a professional theater actor still. My parents didn’t try to talk us out of it, like a lot of parents do.
How did you get your break?
During college every summer, I was doing Shakespeare festivals all over the country, and that’s one of the best educations you can have. From that, I got The Tempest, first at [New York’s] Shakespeare in the Park and then on Broadway with Patrick Stewart. That put me in front of some decision-makers, and it got me into rooms. I was able to start booking some film and TV. My first big film was My Best Friend’s Wedding, and I also got cast on an episode of Sex and the City.
And you were a blonde then!
I was a blonde. I dyed my hair red for True Blood. I wore a wig for the first couple of seasons as Arlene, and I just wanted to not have to wear a wig anymore. It was the best decision I ever made, because it was right after I dyed my hair red that the Elsbeth thing came along. They realized the red hair would be great for Elsbeth. The stars were aligning.
Did you have any idea when you were cast as Elsbeth in 2010 that she would have this kind of longevity?
No, of course not. It was a guest spot, and I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able
to play the character more than a couple of times because I was on True Blood. I had to
really throw myself on the mercy of HBO and beg them to let me play the character when The Good Wife started asking me to do more of it.
Elsbeth went from a supporting character on a drama to a lead character on a mystery. Were you nervous about taking her from one genre to another?
I was thrilled and honored to be trusted with it, but also I wanted to make sure that when we took this character from seeing her a couple of times a season to seeing her all the time in every scene, it wouldn’t be too much. And also to make her accessible for people who hadn’t watched The Good Wife or The Good Fight and were just meeting Elsbeth for the first time.
‘Elsbeth’ is sort of a throwback to ‘Columbo’ in its underestimated main character and story structure.
I think the audience is very drawn to our old-school storytelling that is less stressful than some of the other things on TV. You know who did it, and you get the joy out of watching this unconventional woman and this trio piece it together. We have a great core ensemble with Wendell Pierce and Carra Patterson. Outside that strong triangle, we get guest stars who are new every week. It keeps the show very fresh.
What have been some of the other favorite roles of your career?
It’s hard to top Elsbeth, just because I’ve been playing her for 14 years. But I really did love playing Polly on Claws, which I think was a woefully under appreciated show. She was a con artist who would not only steal people’s money, she would steal their identities. I took that to mean she would also act like she was other people. So it was kind of like playing 10 or 12 characters in one.
You’re married to actor Michael Emerson. What’s your secret to a happy marriage?
I think it’s about the things that you learn, or hope to learn, when you’re in kindergarten. You learn to respect other people. You share. You love, you have empathy, you listen, you have compassion. All those things that sound very basic are, I think, the key. All those things, I think, we have. Plus, we just enjoy the same things. We’re lucky that way. We have the same goals in our marriage and in life. We’re aligned — and we really enjoy each other a lot.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
Right now, I’m sitting in a rocking chair looking at a gorgeous flower bed that my husband and I work on in our little country place in the Hudson Valley. I love to hike, to be out in nature. I love to be with my family and my dog, Chumley. He’s a 15-year-old poodle-Chihuahua-shihtzu mutt, whom we rescued in Los Angeles. He’s a very handsome, serious little guy, seven pounds of serenity and groundedness and love. It really keeps me centered, being with him.
Do more people recognize you in public since ‘Elsbeth’ started airing?
I have something that some actors don’t, which is that I’m a bit of a chameleon. When I wear my glasses, it’s like I’m Clark Kent. Even the red hair doesn’t stand out. I have traveled a bit since the show came out, and I’m not being recognized any more than I was before. Michael gets recognized more than I do. He has, I guess, more of a distinctive look. If I throw a hat on, and my specs, I just kind of go into that phone booth. And if I want to, I can come out, with my Elsbeth cape on. I feel like I can still slide into a place without too much fuss.
