TV Tattler: Celebrity Interviews
8 Questions With: Maura Tierney
April 15 -- When <A HREF='http://television.aol.com/show/er/49782/main' target='_blank'><FONT COLOR='#2864B4'>'ER'</font></a> wraps its 15th and final season in 2009, it will mark the end of <A HREF='http://television.aol.com/celebrity/maura-tierney/70973' target='_blank'><FONT COLOR='#2864B4'>Maura Tierney</font></a>'s 10th year on the show. Her Abby Lockhart has gone from obstetrics nurse to doctor, weathering a string of personal dramas that include an ongoing battle with alcoholism, a heartbreaking reunion with her bipolar mom (guest <A HREF='http://television.aol.com/celebrity/sally-field/89714' target='_blank'><FONT COLOR='#2864B4'>Sally Field</font></a>) and relationship woes with Luka, Carter and Luka again. Tierney dished to AOL TV's Kimberly Potts about her all-time favorite 'ER' storyline, her poker skills, and her big plans for how Dr. Abby should check out of County General.
<b>1. What's your reaction to the news that 'ER' will end after next season?</b> I think it's a great thing for the cast and the crew. And I think it is a great thing that <A HREF='http://television.aol.com/celebrity/john-wells/116385' target='_blank'><FONT COLOR='#2864B4'>John Wells</font></a> and all the rest of the writers know that's its ending and have time to prepare for it and finish it in a way that's thoughtful.
<b>2. Are you personally ready for the show to end?</b> You know, I've been on the show for a long time. And I'm not going to do the full season next year. I'll be in a few episodes. I'm not exactly sure how it's gonna structure out, so, yes and no. I had a really great time there, but it's been almost a decade, and part of me is ready to move on, but part of me is going to be very sad about it.
<b>3. Which one of Abby's storylines is your favorite?</b> There are two. The work with <A HREF='http://television.aol.com/celebrity/sally-field/89714' target='_blank'><FONT COLOR='#2864B4'>Sally Field</font></a> was extremely satisfying to me, because she's just so talented and I learned a lot from her. The writing was great, and I think those episodes really [shaped] who this character was and why she was sort of screwed up. I also loved working with <A HREF='http://television.aol.com/celebrity/james-woods/117297' target='_blank'><FONT COLOR='#2864B4'>James Woods</font></a>. It was just for one episode, but he's delightful and a wonderful actor, and I had a great time with him.
<b>4. What would be your dream scenario for how Abby's storyline wraps up?</b> I want them to kill me. And they won't. They refused to kill Abby. But no, I totally trust [the writers].
<b>5. What's up for Abby in the last few episodes of this season?</b> She's dealing with big consequences of her behavior and saying I'm sorry doesn't always make everything okay. Which I like, because it's really not a neat ending, and clearly there were issues in the relationship between [Luka] and Abby, and her getting sober again isn't necessarily going to address all of them.
<b>6. Are you interested in jumping into another TV series right after 'ER'?</b> Maybe not for a while. I mean, I feel the same way I felt when <A HREF='http://television.aol.com/show/newsradio/231325/main' target='_blank'><FONT COLOR='#2864B4'>'NewsRadio'</font></a> ended, which is that I didn't want to do another sitcom right away, because I loved the show. I couldn't imagine another sitcom that would come to me that was as good or as fun as that. And I feel the same way now about 'ER.'
<b>7. You've been doing lots of big-screen work lately. Who's your character in <A HREF='http://movies.aol.com/movie/baby-mama/27651/main' target='_blank'><FONT COLOR='#2864B4'>'Baby Mama'</font></a>?</b> I play <A HREF='http://television.aol.com/celebrity/tina-fey/336261' target='_blank'><FONT COLOR='#2864B4'>Tina Fey</font></a>'s sister, and it's about her trying to have her first baby, and finding out that she can't have one. And I'm her sister, who's uber-fertile. It was really fun, and with Tina, <A HREF='http://movies.aol.com/celebrity/amy-poehler/273694/main' target='_blank'><FONT COLOR='#2864B4'>Amy Poehler</font></a>, <A HREF='http://movies.aol.com/celebrity/sigourney-weaver/75144/main' target='_blank'><FONT COLOR='#2864B4'>Sigourney Weaver</font></a> and <A HREF='http://movies.aol.com/celebrity/holland-taylor/70028/main' target='_blank'><FONT COLOR='#2864B4'>Holland Taylor</font></a>, it was a great generational span of crazy women.
<b>8. Are you still playing poker after your <A HREF='http://television.aol.com/show/celebrity-poker-showdown/183875/main' target='_blank'><FONT COLOR='#2864B4'>'Celebrity Poker Showdown'</font></a> championship?</b> No. Absolutely not. I don't like poker. (laughs) I mean, the poker gods just came down and handed me that [and] it was so awesome that I could win so much money for [a] charity. But I don't really like poker. I'm not a very competitive person by nature, so I'm a bad poker player in terms of, when I win, I feel guilty, and when I lose, I'm a poor sport.
