Interview: Tony-winner Donna Murphy Returns to Familiar Era in PBS's MERCY STREET

The 1860s are a familiar period for Donna Murphy. In addition to winning Tonys for playing Fosca in the original Broadway production of PASSION and Anna in the 1996 revival of THE KING AND I, the actress played Mary Todd Lincoln in the television movie, THE DAY LINCOLN WAS SHOT. All three projects were set between 1862 and 1867. And, while she jokes that the 1998 film was the last time that she had worn a corset, when she read the pilot episode of PBS's Civil War medical drama MERCY STREET, premiering tonight at 10:00pm ET, she knew that she wanted to be involved.

"It was a no-brainer," she said. "I thought the quality of the writing, and the complexity of the characters, and the originality of their way into a story about this particular time in our country's history was very intriguing and impressive to me."

While more often than not Civil War dramas focus on the male soldiers and politicians directly involved with the waging of war, MERCY STREET, which is based on a true story, instead centers on the remarkably strong women striving to contribute or survive amidst the chaos and fog of war. Whether they come from affluent families or have just recently received their freedom, history provides the foundation for the series' exceptionally powerful female characters.

"There was a strange emancipation for a lot of women of privilege who chose to step up and become involved, and have a sense of purpose in their lives," Murphy said of women of the time. "(It) was beyond what they had grown up with, or had been led to believe their lives would include."

Though the series features powerful performances from Josh Radnor as a forward-thinking Union doctor, Tony-winner Norbert Leo Butz as his colleague and rival, and Gary Cole who play's Murphy's husband, much of the dramatic and emotional heart of the story comes from the large ensemble of female characters.

Murphy, who plays wealthy Alexandria resident, Jane Green, raves about the captivating performances given by Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Hannah James as nurses from the North and South who must coexist, and Shalita Grant as an emancipated slave who is still struggling to achieve true freedom, as well as those by Tara Summers as a British nurse working at a Union hospital, and AnnaSophia Robb who plays Murphy's head-strong youngest daughter.

"It really is a good deal of focus on those women," Murphy said, "because it was an emergence for them of purpose, and a shift in their sense of what their lives were about."

MERCY STREET is PBS's first scripted drama in more than a decade, but series creator Lisa Q. Wolfinger, first approached the network about adapting her research into a documentary. Through investigation, Wolfinger, who works primarily as a documentarian, had come across letters from nurses in Union controlled Alexandria, Virginia, and discovered that within was an incredibly compelling story.

While discussing the project with PBS and David Zabel, a former writer and showrunner on ER, they realized that instead of a documentary, this material called out to be a dramatic series. MERCY STREET's main setting is the Mansion House Union Army Hospital. The building was a commandeered hotel owned by the Green family, and Emma Green (played by Hannah James) defies the traditional constraints of her comfortable upbringing and volunteers to care for the wounded Confederate prisoners, despite having no medical training.

"When (Wolfinger) connected the dots that the Mansion House Hospital had been this luxury hotel that had belonged to possibly the wealthiest family in Alexandria, and one of their daughters (worked there), it just became so rich and naturally interwoven, there was nothing that she had to impose, it was all there," Murphy said.

While MERCY STREET was no longer a documentary, Wolfinger continued to approach the project with as much historical accuracy and integrity as possible. Though Murphy already had a good deal of knowledge of women of the era from her previous work, Wolfinger went above and beyond to make sure that all of the actors were prepared.

"Something that had never happened before, I was given this research guide that had been created, customized for my character," Murphy said. "They did this for all of the major characters, and maybe others. It included everything from recommended (non-fiction) books and films and novels. Then (it) got into specific character background, historical background of Jane that was drawn from a variety of sources. I might have found it all on my own, and I certainly would have searched for everything I could Google or find at certain libraries, but this astounded me. I've never been just handed all of this information that had been curated so beautifully, and prepared so thoughtfully."

Despite the mounds of research material that Wolfinger and the crew provided the actors, Murphy said that the learning and discovering didn't stop when shooting began. Instead, the writers and directors were exceptionally open to discussing script and character specifics with all of the actors. That openness and freedom led to a tremendously positive environment on the MERCY STREET set.

"I just felt so honored and privileged to be in the company of not only people who had a history of being wonderful actors and doing terrific work, but some of these younger actors, who were really diving in with such intelligence and integrity," Murphy said. "They were really fun to hang out with on the weekends too!"

The collaborative spirit was obvious amongst the young actors who played the Green children. For James, a Virginia-native who recently graduated from England's Guilford School of Acting, the role of Emma was the first time that she had even been on a film set, but Murphy can't imagine anyone else more suited for the part.

"She was born to play this role," Murphy raved. "She has the chops, she has the training, she's a beauty, and she's an incredibly hard worker. You really feel like she is someone of that period, and she is just bringing a photograph to life.

"I loved the conversations that we would have, as I did with AnnaSophia Robb," Murphy continued of the actress who plays her younger daughter Alice. "(Robb) had such integrity. The questions that she would have about trying to make something really believable, and really comprehend what her character was going through, (was impressive)."

Murphy also spoke highly of recent Julliard graduate Brad Koed, who played her son, as well as Cole, whom she has worked with before. In 2000, Cole guest starred on the sitcom WHAT ABOUT JOAN?, which starred Murphy as a friend Joan Cucack's character. Cole and Murphy's characters had a very brief affair on the show.

"When I saw him outside the trailers, I said 'Finally, we reunite after our one-night stand, and now we're married and we have three kids. And we're Southern! Who knew?" Murphy joked.

"He's such a joy to work with," she continued. "He has incredible humor and intelligence. We loved the opportunity to explore the relationship of these two people in a time when their worlds would have been turned upside-down."

Though it is approaching five years since she has appeared on a Broadway stage, Murphy and her family still find time to make it to the theatre.

"Well, I know I'm part of a very large group here, but HAMILTON just rocked my world. It was this combination of not being able to sit still in my seat," she said. "And, then in the second act, I couldn't move. It was this combination of being so excited and sort of arrested by all of it. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and at the same time, my whole body, and soul, and brain, and heart was so engaged. It's a game-changer."

The two-time Tony winner also singled out another show based on real-life figures that she recently enjoyed.

"On a whole other level, I took my family to see ON YOUR FEET, and we had such a great time, and were moved and excited," she said. "My daughter was in the aisles during the intermission break, and was asking a lot of questions about the Cuban American experience.

"It's interesting I happen to be mentioning two things that have historical elements, that wasn't intentional as I thought of those two things. But, I think when you are dealing with characters who have lived," she said, "and certainly this is the case on MERCY STREET, if everybody feels this sense of responsibility and excitement in the chance to tell the story, and reveal something that people haven't known before, and shift their perspective about something historical, it's fascinating."

While she has been quite busy over the last year shooting MERCY STREET and the second season of ABC's RESURRECTION, Murphy is anxious to get back to her theatrical roots.

"I hope to be back on stage again sometime soon. I miss it, I deeply miss it."

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How excited are you to have this beloved Tony winner on your TV for the next month and a half? Let me know in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt. If you want to follow along with my "366 in 366" articles, you can check out #BWW366in366 on Twitter.

Banner Image: Gary Cole and Donna Murphy. Photo Credit: Antony Platt | PBS