Graham Picks Up the Pace on ‘Scrubs’
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Heather Graham is putting the wraps on her first project as a producer, an independent film called “Cake.” She worked on the movie, which she also stars in, for a couple of years and knows the material “backwards and forwards.”
Now, she’s filming a recurring part on NBC’s “Scrubs,” where relationships with scripts last a week, if that.
“It’s a lot crazier,” the “Boogie Nights” and “Bowfinger” star says of her first extended TV work since a stint on “Twin Peaks” in 1991. “The longest [ahead of time] I’ve ever gotten a script is a week before, whereas with a movie, you can get it few months before. …
“It’s a little more seat of your pants. You have to trust that you know what you’re doing and just go for it — which is kind of fun.”
Graham is signed to appear in eight episodes of “Scrubs.” She plays a psychiatrist who joins the staff of Sacred Heart Hospital and shakes up the lives of its staff, notably Drs. J.D. Dorian (Zach Braff) and Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke, her “Cake” co-star).
“I’m this person who understands human behavior so well, and I’m on top of it in most situations,” she says of her character. “But basically my love life is really screwed up. I think I date a lot of losers who kind of torture me.”
Despite that sad romantic backstory, though, Graham says she probably won’t end up J.D.’s, or anyone else’s, girlfriend. “When I first talked to [creator] Bill Lawrence, he said ‘We really don’t want to bring you on just to be a love interest. We want you to have your own full character.'”
Although Graham hadn’t seen “Scrubs” prior to being offered the part, she knew of its reputation as one of the funnier shows on television. A guest appearance on FOX’s “Arrested Development,” which like “Scrubs” is a single-camera show with an absurdist streak, also opened her eyes to the possibilities of television.
“I just think that there are certain really great TV shows — some of them are better than a lot of movies,” she says. “I’d rather be in something where there’s good material.”
Graham says she’s having a lot of fun on the set of “Scrubs,” and she sounds as if she might be open to sticking around for more episodes if she’s asked. Then again, she’s found that she really enjoys being a producer as well.
“They’ve been very nice to me [on set], saying ‘You should stay,'” she says. “It’s tempting because it’s so great, but I’ve been getting really excited about developing and producing my own things. So that’s the only thing that could tear me away.”
“Scrubs” begins its fourth season at 9:25 p.m. ET Tuesday, Aug. 31.
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