Carla Gugino: TV pits women against each other

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 12:20:00 +0000

"Political Animals" is basically Hillary Clinton fan fiction: What if Hillary had left Bill after she lost the primary to Barack Obama? What if, while still secretary of state, she had decided to run for president? What if she had two sons instead of a daughter, a feisty mother, was named Elaine Hammond, and looked exactly like Sigourney Weaver? The fun, soapy results are playing out every Sunday night on USA at 10 p.m., with Weaver joined by a supporting cast that includes Carla Gugino as Pulitzer Prize-winning political journalist Susan Berg, a woman who made her career exposing the Hammonds' dirty secrets. Gugino has appeared on TV many, many times before, usually kicking ass in a show that is way too short-lived ("Karen Sisco," "Threshold," to name just a few of Gugino's TV credits). Gugino spoke with Salon last week about Hillary, reclaiming the word "bitch" and the way TV portrays strong women.

Are you a Hillary admirer?

“Political Animals”: Hillary Clinton gets her starring role

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:50:00 +0000

Early in the first episode of “Political Animals,” USA’s sudsy, almost-but-not-quite serious, six-episode series about Elaine Barrish Hammond, Elaine (Sigourney Weaver) tells her Southern, Big Mac-loving, philandering, former-president husband Bud Hammond, “Don’t give me that crap about how the people would love me if they just knew me. It’s been 20 years. They know me.” This moment arrives just after Elaine has conceded the Democratic primary to a younger male candidate (whom her husband keeps disparaging in inappropriate ethnic terms), and uttering these words seems to work as a reverse jinx. In the montage that follows, we watch as Elaine becomes secretary of state under her former rival and sees her popularity go up, up and up. Finally, people love her.

Salon.com > Sigourney Weaver

Carla Gugino: TV pits women against each other

“Political Animals”: Hillary Clinton gets her starring role