| Life's rarely easy for the hard-working staff of County General's Emergency Room. And chief of emergency medicine Kerry Weaver is having a tougher time than ever. Struggling to deal with her recently discovered lesbianism, Dr. Weaver, played by Laura Innes, is also facing the possibility of finding her real mother. And if her patience with Chen (Ming-Na) and Dave Malucci (Erik Palladino) was already worn thin by a patient dying unnecessarily in their care, then Dr Dave's extra-curricular antics this week prove to be the final straw. Weaver snaps - and sacks him. But while the rest of the ER staff may be quacking in their boots, actress Laura enjoys it when Weaver gets tough. "I think it's refreshing," she smiles. "You have all these groovy hero doctors then there's Weaver - this really aggressive character which the audience may either hate or love but can't help but find compelling." When the show's writers told her they were thinking about having Weaver turn out to be gay, Laura agreed without hesitation. "it seemed possible that someone not usually emotionally or sexually expressive could be so motivated to succeed that they would push down their real feelings entirely," she says. "It just seemed very right that Weaver would be completely thrown by something like this." Laura's own life is far less tumultuous. Born in Michigan, the youngest of six siblings, she now lives in Los Angeles with her actor husband David Brisbin - who has made appearances on ER and it's sister show The West Wing - and their 12-year-old son Cal. Nevertheless, 42-year-old Laura does share some of her character's ambition. Her constant questions about the nuts and bolts of television prompted ER's producers to offer her a turn at directing. So far she has taken control of three episodes of ER and two of The West Wing. "Now I would love to direct a feature film," she reveals. Laura has just signed up to star on ER for three more years, and she couldn't be happier. "There are a lot of good stories down the line," she says. Though her career is just where she wants it, Laura says she makes sure that her family still come first. "I do some talk shows and go to some premieres, but I'm a mother and I work a lot so when I go home, I go home," she says. "We lead an extremely normal life of school and work and home - it's what has allowed us to survive the crazier side of the business." From the TV mag from the Scottish Sun March 9 - 15 2002 |
| Laura in the Scottish Sun TV Mag |
| ER boss Dr Weaver faces a critical time - professionally and professionally. By Fiona Morrow IT'S TOUGH AT THE TOP! |