Virginia Madsen is set as a key series regular opposite Crystal Reed in Swamp Thing, the upcoming streaming drama series based on the DC characters created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. The project, which hails from James Wan’s Atomic Monster in association with Warner Bros. Television, is set to premiere in 2019 on the DC Universe digital subscription service.

Written by Mark Verheiden and Gary Dauberman, Swamp Thing follows Abby Arcane (Reed) as she investigates what seems to be a deadly swamp-born virus in a small town in Louisiana but soon discovers that the swamp holds mystical and terrifying secrets. When unexplainable and chilling horrors emerge from the murky marsh, no one is safe.

Virginia Madsen will play Maria Sunderland, who traded in her privileged upbringing for the swamps of Marais when she married local business magnate Avery Sunderland (not yet cast), but Avery’s life-time obsession with the swamp has driven a wedge between him and Maria. Her poised existence is shaken further when the return of Abby Arcane reawakens a deep grief over the loss of Maria’s daughter, Shawna, drawing her into the dark supernatural mysteries emerging from the swamp. Wan, Verheiden, Dauberman, Michael Clear and Wiseman are executive producers alongside Len Wiseman who is set to direct. Rob Hackett is co-producer.

Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated for her performance in Alexander Payne’s Sideways, Madsen recently wrapped Epix miniseries The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair opposite Patrick Dempsey. She can most recently be seen in season one of CBS drama, American Gothic. She also recently wrapped shooting recurring roles on CBS’ Elementary and the new ABC hit drama, Designated Survivor. In film, she can be seen in the independent feature Her Smell, directed by Alex Ross Perry and starring Elisabeth Moss, which premiered this fall at TIFF. Madsen is repped by UTA and Untitled Entertainment.

“It’s expected that I’m going to have an opinion about things,” actor Virginia Madsen said Thursday in a Midtown cafe. We were meeting to discuss 1985, Yen Tan’s acclaimed black-and-white drama about a man named Adrian (Cory Michael Smith) who goes home to visit his family during the titular year, knowing it may be the last time he gets to do so because he has AIDS. Madsen plays Eileen, his mom who, in the words of Glenn Kenny’s New York Times rave review, is “almost desperately radiating affection.” It’s a complicated role, one that finds Madsen playing a woman who’s playing her own role as cheerful caretaker, while clearly aware that something is wrong.

Madsen’s performance is a highlight, as it is in most of her films. She’s best known for her work in the 1992 horror film Candyman and for her Oscar-nominated performance in 2004’s Sideways. But lately, she’s taken on supporting roles in smaller indies like 1985 and Alex Ross Perry’s Her Smell, as well as television work (she appeared in the first season of ABC’s Designated Survivor).

When our conversation turned to #MeToo and the sexual harassment she experienced as a young “hot babe” in Hollywood in the ’80s, Madsen surprised me with her candor—she had previously mentioned said harassment in a brief Facebook post last year in the wake of reports about Harvey Weinstein. She doesn’t name names, but she did talk about about her experience and the emotional fallout in detail. We also discussed her experience with Hollywood ageism at 56 and her late realization that she’s “kind of slutty.” An edited and condensed transcript of our conversation appears below.

JEZEBEL: What did you think when you received the script for 1985?

VIRGINIA MADSEN: You know, I read a lot of bad scripts. I read a lot of bad writing. I try to be nice, but it’s work. This script was not work. It was something I fell in love with and felt very moved by. I felt there was an importance to this story, and I was looking for that. “Send me something with meaning, goddamn it.” I do need to pay the rent, but I need something that has depth and meaning. I’d been doing television. That’s the only place where the money is now, but that’s not satisfying. That’s a job. You make sure at least you’re having fun doing it, but I wanted something that people could feel something and learn something from.

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Join me in Cincinnati for this inspiring film festival Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival check out their site and schedule for more info! I’ll be attending and participating in a panel discussion on September 26th!!

The Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival, a four-day celebration of diversity, disability and difference, debuts September 26-30 with more than 65 juried films celebrating the shared human experience.  Centrally located in downtown Cincinnati in the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, the festival features five film tracks showcasing stories around diversity, freedom, identity, disability and faith; along with celebrity appearances, panel discussions and special events.

Some 20 Hollywood celebrities, including Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee, Virginia Madsen, Zach Anner of ABC’s “Speechless,” Merle Dandridge star of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network’s “Greenleaf,” Drew Lachey, Member of “98 Degrees” band, and Tanika Ray, Co-Host of “EXTRA,” will participate.

More information on tickets, films and events is available at OTRFilmFest.org or by calling (513) 487-3939. Follow the festival on Twitter @OTRFilmFest and Instagram @OTRFilmFest and on Facebook at facebook.com/OTRFilmFest. You can buy your tickets here: https://otrfilmfest.org/tickets/