by Caitlin Bergmann Posted: Thu., Jun. 5, 2008 , 12:11 pm EDT
During hiatus, were you one of the "Army Wives" cast members who went to Fort Bragg?
I did. But it was right when we got back [from hiatus] after the writers' strike. We all took a little field trip to Fort Bragg, and they set us up with our counterparts. So, Brigid [Brannagh] and I hung out with some of the lower-ranking wives, and we had a grown-up playdate. We hung out with the wives and sat in their houses and had coffee with them, and played with their kids.
What about their husbands?
Their husbands would come home for lunch, because they hadn’t been deployed at that time, so we got to meet them and see how the families interacted. It was such an amazing opportunity. What was even cooler was that we were welcomed into their homes as if we were one of them.
We did a whole gallery on the "Army Wives" website dedicated to Roxy’s fashion choices ... since they’re kinda kooky. Is your personal style anything like hers?
Nothing!
Are you more conservative? Would you wear any of it? There is absolutely not one thing! A lot of the actresses on the show will be like, “I’m just gonna take this home and wear this to this thing that I’ve gotta do tomorrow and I’ll bring it back.” Not one thing would I ever take from the set and bring it home. I’m from New York; a pretty modest dresser. I have a sophisticated girly style. I don’t like anything too revealing and I don’t really have a lot of country in me ... and my bra never shows!
Speaking of undergarments, that scene in the pilot episode where you’re standing there in your undies with two other actresses (Kim Delaney and Catherine Bell) whom I’m sure you'd just met ... was that kind of awkward? You know what’s weird? I was really nervous about it. Like, really, really nervous about it. While standing there before the cameras were rolling, I was anxious; I was uncomfortable. As soon as the cameras rolled, I was instantly comfortable. Then when they yelled “Cut!” I was uncomfortable again. It’s like I could kind of bring on Roxy’s comfort — just being comfortable with herself — and as soon as I had to be me, it was like, “Oh! I don’t dress like this! Where’s my robe?!” It’s a really cool thing to be able to embrace her [Roxy] and her comfort level with herself.
All right! Time for your military pop quiz to see how much you learned as a first-year Army wife!
Oh, no!
You can do it! What do these acronyms stand for? ACU.
ACU! That is their uniform. The soldier’s uniform.
Correct! FRG.
FRG is the Family Readiness Group. It’s the group of Army wives that help deal with traumas, and, kind of like the support system.
That was a lengthy answer, too! Well supported! And the last one is: D-FAC.
D-FAC is dining facility.
You are good!
Boo-yah!
What can you tell us about Season 2 without getting into trouble for giving away spoilers?
I don’t know how much I can reveal! All I can say is enormous challenges and obstacles are put in place for every single one of us.
We reach emotional depths that we haven’t yet reached and we are tested in brand-new, more difficult ways. And we really embrace the trauma and the roller coaster that is being a real-life Army wife. That’s all I can say!
Well, Catherine Bell spilled the beans about someone kicking the bucket, so ...
Oh, that. I know that. I’m not gonna spill any more of that bucket!
Stay tuned for part two of my interview with Sally Pressman, where she reveals the surprising answer to who has her back when it comes to dispelling online rumors, and which fellow cast members she has "Grey's Anatomy"–watching parties with!
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