Autumn Reeser stars in the new ABC military drama Last Resort--and while most of the cast is sweating it out in a submarine, her character's blowing some covers on land. Which seems totally fitting, right? Because, as I chatted with Autumn about yesterday, ever since The O.C. she's been Hollywood's go-to girl when it comes to can-do ladies.
What drew you to Last Resort? This is such an intense show--I felt like I worked out after watching the pilot.
I had the same experience reading the script for the first time. I was short of breath. I couldn't put it down.
Speaking of short of breath... we have a mild Scott Speedman fixation around here. What's the key to working with him without, you know, fainting from sheer attraction?
I never saw Felicity.
WHAT.
I know. I just know him from the show, so I forget sometimes. But I really enjoy watching women's reactions to Scott. At the TCA panel, women were live-tweeting, like, "Oh my gosh... Scott Speedman is drinking coffee." It's very amusing.
You play a Washington whistleblower in this show--and your last big gig was agent Lizzie Grant on Entourage. Before that, you were little miss type-A, Taylor Townsend, on *The O.C. *All your characters are such take-charge women--what have you learned from them?
I like to play strong women. Lizzie, especially, I learned so much from. Standing up for yourself is not necessarily something we as a culture tend to teach our girls. A lot of us get into our early twenties feeling like we're strong, and then we're confronted with certain situations and find out we aren't. Lizzie Grant was so good at holding her ground. That's something I can use more of in my life.
Kylie, your character on Last Resort, definitely has some Lizzie Grant in her.
She's in a similar place of searching for the truth and communicating her beliefs. She inspires me. Politics is something I deliberately avoided for most of my twenties, but you think about what to teach your child...
That's right--you have a son, Finn [with director husband Jesse Warren].
Yes. He's one. He's awesome.
And of course, motherhood is also a huge game-changer when it comes to standing up for what you want as a woman.
Whatever you want your child to learn, you have to model that every day. There's no more waiting around. Once you have a child, there's no dress rehearsal anymore.
Assuming little Finn is your number-one obsession, let's run through a couple more. The vacation spot you're obsessed with is...
Big Sur.
The last book you were obsessed with:
Composing A Life, by Mary Catherine Bateson.
The last movie you saw and loved:
Shame.
The food you never get sick of:
Watermelon.
And the thing you could go bankrupt buying:
Vintage furniture!
__Love Autumn--what's your favorite role of hers? (Mine is Lizzie Grant, hands down.) Are you watching Last Resort? And who should we talk to next? __
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