Oxygen.com interview

April, 2000

So how do you train to be an actress on ER? For Laura Innes, who plays Dr. Kerry Weaver, it was all about life experience.

Laura recounted a story to Oxygen's Wendy of choking on an acorn when she was a little kid, a piece of the shell stayed in her throat for 3 years and through 3 tracheotomies. Needless to say, Laura had her fair share of hospitals back then.

Apparently it all paid off for Laura though, because now she has not only been acting on ER for 5 years, but she has been nominated for 2 Emmy's, directs the show, and will soon be directing NBC's "West Wing" as well.

And she's smart too. Laura was the first woman Celebrity Jeopardy champion. Wendy set up a special Pure Oxygen quiz show to put Laura to the test, which she answered only half right (1 out of 2), but who would know that Debbie Boone was related to George Clooney. Unfair.

Onscreen and off, Laura has been a positive force helping others in need. Onscreen: Dr. Weaver, who uses a cane for unexplained reasons, demonstrates that people with disabilities can be indispensable in the workplace (Laura has been honored by many groups for the disabled for this role). Offscreen: Laura sent the $24,000 she won from Jeopardy right to the LA Youth Network.

Laura is quite a lady!