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Ian Spelling
NYT Syndicate
The secretary of state's plane shuddered violently, the result of major engine failure. Daisy Grant, utterly freaked out, gripped her seat's armrests, while Blake Moran handled the situation in a matter-of-fact fashion and Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord seemed nonplussed.
"Turbulence, right?," Grant asked Moran wishfully."Tell me it was turbulence."
"Actually," Moran replied,"it was mechanical failure."
"Not funny," Grant said.
"Not kidding," Morn answered, straight-faced.
McCord then attempted to defuse the situation.
"The odds of us dying in a crash are 11 million to one," she assured Grant."Slightly lower than getting killed by lightning, but admittedly higher than being killed by a falling coconut. The point is, the chances of us dying right now are astronomically improbable. We'll be fine."
Grant looked at her boss incredulously.
"No offence, ma'am, but that would all be much more comforting to a math major," she said."So, if you don't mind, I'm just going to close my eyes now."
McCord nodded.
"Sure," she said.
So played out Scene 1212 of 'The Detour,' an episode of 'Madam Secretary' that will air January 15 on CBS. It all went down in the course of a couple of hours on November 16 on Stage E at the Silvercup East studio in Queens, New York. T`a Leoni stars in the show as McCord, with Patina Miller as press coordinator Daisy Grant and Erich Bergen as Blake Moran, McCord's personal assistant.
The trio of actors shot the scene in a plane-cabin set positioned on a gimbal that could be shaken on cue. Between takes they chatted separately, and amiably, with a visiting journalist.
"I'm the voice of calm, which is really funny because I'm a terrible flyer," Leoni said as she settled into a director's chair off to the side of the airplane set."I will take somebody's arm off. Patina and I have been hanging out in this fuselage all day. This scene, it's like when they take people who have a fear of water and put them in the pool."
"It's really nice to see Daisy vulnerable," Miller said."That's another side that has come out for me this season, seeing what scares Daisy, who loves being in control. So this is a control thing, her being on a plane, wanting to be in control, and she can't be, and she can't let it go.
"Funny enough, T`a is also afraid, deathly afraid of airplanes," Miller added."So it's nice that I get to draw from my own personal experiences of freaking out on planes."
Currently in its third season, 'Madam Secretary' was considered a political drama as it went into its most recent break. Now, back on the air in the new year with original episodes, it more closely resembles a fantasy. That's because Hillary Clinton, who for four years served America as secretary of state and, in part, inspired the creation of 'Madam Secretary,' lost the presidential election to Donald Trump eight days before this set visit.
"People used to say to me, 'Well, was Hillary your inspiration?'" Leoni said."It's interesting. Yes, but not for the reasons they think. I certainly didn't want to negatively influence her work. (Clinton) is a career serviceman. She has spent her life in service to this country, and Elizabeth has never stepped into those waters.
"It was odd," she said."People were like, 'Yeah, but you're both blonde.' I had a hard time convincing people of the delightful difference between these two. One is a portrayal and one is a fierce, strong woman.
"Now it's how many years and we're talking a week (after the election)," Leoni continued."To be perfectly honest, I'm having a hard time finding my words, but I recognise at least that this is a whole new world."
Bergen nailed a close-up on him and then came over to talk. Dressed sharply in a navy-blue suit and coral tie, he described Morgan as a man with no prior interest in government. McCord hired him after President Dalton (Keith Carradine) tapped her as secretary of state following the death of her predecessor in a crash.
"He came here because he was loyal to Elizabeth and she got thrown in," Bergen said."I think he was drawn in by the idea that, when you are called, you serve your country. I think he's green about it, continues to be surprised by what's going down, because he's used to the private world and he likes it that way.
"I think he's evolved in that he's learned what crap to take and not to take," the actor added."He's also better at playing the game and choosing when not to play the game."
The episode's director then asked Leoni, Miller and Bergen to return to set, leaving time for their visitor to check out the show's other stages. Stage G holds the McCord family's townhouse, for example, while the White House's colonnade and an exact replica of the Oval Office can be found on Stage F.
Beyond the stages were dressing rooms, storage spaces, offices and a dining area. Tim Daly, who plays McCord's husband, Dr Henry McCord, and in real life has dated Leoni for the past two years, was in his dressing room studying lines for an upcoming scene. The actor, who is best known for 'Wings' (1990-1997), called his current show a"good mix" of political intrigue and family drama.
"In a weird way, a network-television way, the paradigm is much like that of 'The Sopranos' (1999-2007)," he said."So here you have a family that has this ostensibly somewhat normal life with unusual circumstances. They're dealing with kids and school and breakfast and how they're all doing, and then there are the life-and-death consequences of what's happening in their work. Elizabeth, in particular, has her family-family and her work family.
"I think most successful entertainment is essentially about family," he said."I did 'Wings' for eight years, and it was a similar thing. You had the two brothers who were family, but they also had this family around them (at the airport). I think people watch these shows and they find someone, something they can identify with."
Back over on Stage E, silliness prevailed. The entire cast and crew had gathered in the plane fuselage to shoot an epic mannequin challenge. Each participant froze in place, emulating a mannequin, as others shot video, with series co-producer and occasional guest star Eric Stoltz overseeing affairs or trying to do so.
He shouted,"Where is that T`a Leoni kid?"
She appeared and, a few minutes later, everyone stared into their phones and chuckled at the amusing results.
Bergen then came over and explained that 'Madam Secretary,' for all its drama onscreen, benefits from a lighthearted set, and he credited much of that tone to Leoni. He further added that Moran is a fun character to play, in part because he frequently gets to deliver sarcastic, sardonic lines of dialogue.
"My training is in 1960s musical comedy, everything from Sid Caesar to Mel Brooks and people like that," Bergen said."This role gives me the opportunity to play with that a little. I get to do the physical-comedy thing I've always loved and, because T`a as an actress is always encouraging all of us to sort of do our thing, whatever it is that we bring to the party, we're allowed to do that.
"Geoffrey (Arend), who plays Matt, and Patina, we're all doing things we like to do, and bringing that more and more to the set at the encouragement of T`a and the creators," he said."I love it. I get to play. The only problem is, my parents now refer to me as Blake and ask me to do jobs for them."
Whom do they prefer, Blake or Erich?
"I think," Bergen replied with a smile,"they might like Blake better than Erich."
