Keeping it dysfunctional

Published on October 15, 2007

Whether it's on screen or off, Rachel Griffiths knows how to create a scene. On TV, the Australian actress is best known for her turn as Brenda Chenowith in the dark drama "Six Feet Under". Away from the cameras, the 38-year-old sparked a storm of controversy when she protested the opening of a casino in her hometown of Melbourne by showing up topless to the first-night celebrations. Yes, Griffiths knows how to make her presence felt.

The actress was first catapulted to fame with her supporting role in the 1994 comedy "Muriel's Wedding". She followed that up with supporting turns in "My Best Friend's Wedding" and "Jude" as well as an Oscar-nominated role in the 1998 biopic "Hilary and Jackie".

In 2001, she signed on to star in the groundbreaking TV series "Six Feet Under".

"Family drama used to be in like a hermetically sealed bubble," says Griffiths. "It's always difficult for me to watch them because they never seem to exist in the real world.        

'Six Feet Under' definitely took            the bubble away."

During the show's five-season run, Griffiths earned a Golden Globe and two Best Supporting Emmy nominations.

Now the multi-talented actress brings her star power to the familial drama "Brothers & Sisters".  Griffiths plays Sarah Walker, a career-driven woman who manages the family business while also juggling the demands that come with being a wife and mother. Cast alongside Ally McBeal star Calista Flockhart and Emmy winner Sally Field, Griffiths was drawn to the idea of being part of an ensemble.

"I was too tired to do a lead role," she says, "and I liked the idea of playing someone less complicated."

Like her character, Griffiths is a married mother of two who struggles to strike a balance between domestic duties and work commitments. In this interview, the no-nonsense star opens up on her character, her career and her plans to reveal the "dirty secret of American families".

Like "Six Feet Under", "Brothers & Sisters" focuses on a dysfunctional family. What was it about this show's script that appealed to you? 

     I felt "Brothers & Sisters" was the first family drama that really sat within its time and place. Its characters were affected by what happened in the world as much as the viewers, including everything from the price of gas to the nation being at war. I thought that was pretty new.

As a mother of two, were you reluctant to commit to another hour-long drama?

I think Calista and I are very similar in the fact that we took this because we knew we would be part of an ensemble. Neither of us wanted to be the centre of our own show. The last season of "Six Feet Under" was pretty full-on. Fortunately, my character in "Brothers & Sisters" is definitely easier to do.

Your character is a married mother who's also very focused on her career. Do you think most women can relate to her?

Definitely. Most women have to be good at their jobs, make a difference at work and then come home and be a good mum. The majority of women are in that situation.

I feel like it's a real responsibility to play this character with a kind of dignity and depth that reflects the working woman's struggle to balance life and family.

Sarah seems to be quite a departure from Brenda, your character in "Six Feet Under". Was that intentional?

I wasn't conscious about what character I wanted to choose or was going to avoid. But with this character in "Brothers & Sisters", I just got this feeling that I could express much more about who I am now. Brenda from "Six Feet Under" was like a girl in her 20s. But I have matured and changed. I am now a mother of two and have different thoughts and different feelings. My character in "Brothers & Sisters" was like the first character for the rest of my life.

Was there any particular subject you wanted to explore with your character in "Brothers & Sisters"?

It's the dirty secret of American families: A third of American women earn more than their husbands. We pretend that's not happening. But what does that do to a marriage and what issues does it raise? All that stuff is interesting. I want to do that really well, not just the clichéd version of it. I think women want to see that woman on television. They don't want to just see the idea of that.

"Brothers & Sisters" airs on Star World (TrueVisions UBC) Tuesdays at 9pm.