“Play the present moment. Play what’s happening now, not what’s happening in the future. Play the given circumstances of what led up to right now and what’s happening in the moment.” – Rhea Seehorn
Knowing that a drama series is coming to an end after six seasons gives the cast the opportunity to reflect on what they’ve learned from the experience of playing the character on the series and working with the cast. In terms of the critically-acclaimed Better Call Saul, Rhea Seehorn, who plays Kim Wexler on the series, has had the opportunity to grow from being an actress best known for sitcom roles. In an interview with Looper, Seehorn discussed what she got out of her role on the series.
Seehorn explains:
“I think probably two things. One thing, which you should be doing always as an actor, but it’s been monumentally enforced on the show, is to play the present moment. Play what’s happening now, not what’s happening in the future. Play the given circumstances of what led up to right now and what’s happening in the moment. That’s much harder than one thinks, but it is very informative for a scene.
Secondly, to trust myself more. That is a result of the directors and the writers and my scene partners on this show. When they hand me scripts and some of the scenes, sometimes they’re scenes from this season that you’ve already seen, I’m like, ‘Oh, wow, so today is the day that the jig is up. You have the team of geniuses. No, no, it’s you. You’re the one that couldn’t do this.’
I took risks in my acting that I haven’t taken a while because I was encouraged to do so. Even planning on being silent and playing it extremely small and showing very little on my face was a massive risk on television because in many shows, that’s a no-no if we can’t figure out what the hell you’re thinking. They constantly encouraged me on the show. They were like, ‘No, just decide what Kim’s thoughts are.’ Both they and the incredible fans will stay with you, and then they do. That’s been a joy I can’t even explain.”
