Post by kay80 on Mar 25, 2006 12:02:57 GMT -5
Dreamwatch (UK) - September 01, 2004
Most actresses would be jumping for joy if they were told their character was a big hit with viewers - but Rose McGowan needed therapy. After being drafted in to replace Shannen Doherty at the start of Charmed's forth year, McGowan thought she'd be weaving her magic for one season at the most. So when she discovered her charming alter ego, Paige, was such a success that TV bosses wanted to keep her around, McGowan was shocked by the idea of becoming a star of a long running series.
"I was having panic attacks and really felt I couldn't cope with doing the same thing again and again," recalls McGowan. "It can be frustrating playing the same character and I was worried I'd burn out. I have major commitment issues and I get bored easily.
"In desperation I went to see a hypnotherapist to try and conquer my fears. He usually deals with people trying to give up smoking, so it must have seemed like an odd request, but for me it was about rebalancing myself. Now I have to take one day at a time so I don't freak out.
"When I joined Charmed I kind of thought I'd do a year and go back to films," she reveals. "But I'm still here for better or worse!"
Fortunately, most viewers would agree that McGowan's introduction into Charmed as the long lost half-sister of Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) has been for the better. Although it took a leap of faith to believe the twist, Paige, was soon accepted as the missing link in the bewitching threesome and as a worthy successor to Shannen Doherty's Prue. McGowan quickly began to stamp out her own personality on Paige by dying her hair red, against the wishes of the show's producers.
"I've always had long, dark hair and sort of got tired of it," she explains. " I spoke to the producers, but they wanted me to wait until the following season, because they couldn't fit a hair change into the story. But I just did it and I suggested that Paige did a spell, which blew up, and her hair turned red. I figured if they could give me giant boobs in one episode, my hair could change colour!"
As well as taking control of Paige's look, McGowan has played an important role in a character's development during her three years on the show. "It was great fun creating the character," she says. "Paige is incredibly good hearted, but without being a 'goody-two-shoes'. She's also fairly irreverent - she has that kind of healthy, eye-rolling quality, and that makes her less serious.
"Personally, I'd like to balance the comedy with some more drama," McGowan says of her hopes for the show's upcoming seventh season. "But I'm still the baby of the show."
Just as her character's arrival heralded some major changes for Charmed, McGowan admits that her presence on the show's set took a little time for her co-stars Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs to adjust to. "We are all extremely different," she admits. "We come from different backgrounds. I've got an offbeat sense of humor and I think they thought I was weird at first. I am notorious for being the retarded one on the set. I mess up constantly, I swear too much and I am always calling myself Phoebe or Piper by mistake. I like to think that I add some levity to the work situation."
Most actresses would be jumping for joy if they were told their character was a big hit with viewers - but Rose McGowan needed therapy. After being drafted in to replace Shannen Doherty at the start of Charmed's forth year, McGowan thought she'd be weaving her magic for one season at the most. So when she discovered her charming alter ego, Paige, was such a success that TV bosses wanted to keep her around, McGowan was shocked by the idea of becoming a star of a long running series.
"I was having panic attacks and really felt I couldn't cope with doing the same thing again and again," recalls McGowan. "It can be frustrating playing the same character and I was worried I'd burn out. I have major commitment issues and I get bored easily.
"In desperation I went to see a hypnotherapist to try and conquer my fears. He usually deals with people trying to give up smoking, so it must have seemed like an odd request, but for me it was about rebalancing myself. Now I have to take one day at a time so I don't freak out.
"When I joined Charmed I kind of thought I'd do a year and go back to films," she reveals. "But I'm still here for better or worse!"
Fortunately, most viewers would agree that McGowan's introduction into Charmed as the long lost half-sister of Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) has been for the better. Although it took a leap of faith to believe the twist, Paige, was soon accepted as the missing link in the bewitching threesome and as a worthy successor to Shannen Doherty's Prue. McGowan quickly began to stamp out her own personality on Paige by dying her hair red, against the wishes of the show's producers.
"I've always had long, dark hair and sort of got tired of it," she explains. " I spoke to the producers, but they wanted me to wait until the following season, because they couldn't fit a hair change into the story. But I just did it and I suggested that Paige did a spell, which blew up, and her hair turned red. I figured if they could give me giant boobs in one episode, my hair could change colour!"
As well as taking control of Paige's look, McGowan has played an important role in a character's development during her three years on the show. "It was great fun creating the character," she says. "Paige is incredibly good hearted, but without being a 'goody-two-shoes'. She's also fairly irreverent - she has that kind of healthy, eye-rolling quality, and that makes her less serious.
"Personally, I'd like to balance the comedy with some more drama," McGowan says of her hopes for the show's upcoming seventh season. "But I'm still the baby of the show."
Just as her character's arrival heralded some major changes for Charmed, McGowan admits that her presence on the show's set took a little time for her co-stars Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs to adjust to. "We are all extremely different," she admits. "We come from different backgrounds. I've got an offbeat sense of humor and I think they thought I was weird at first. I am notorious for being the retarded one on the set. I mess up constantly, I swear too much and I am always calling myself Phoebe or Piper by mistake. I like to think that I add some levity to the work situation."
