•• In this exclusive interview with AMCtv.com Virginia Madsen, who plays Hannah Durant on AMC’s Hell on Wheels, talks about being a history buff and why you should never drink water while wearing a corset.

Q: You were a fan of the Hell on Wheels before joining the cast. What did you like about it?
A: I’m a big fan of Colm Meaney, and The Swede is such an intriguing villain, such a nemesis. And Anson Mount is one of the most beautiful men I’ve ever seen in my life and a really good actor. I know I shouldn’t objectify him because he’s such a good actor, but really, ladies, really? I also really love the love story between Robin [Eva] and Common [Elam]. I’m also a Chicago girl, so I’m also a really big fan of Common’s music.

Q: What attracted to you the role of Hannah Durant?
A: I’m a history buff, and so I knew who the Durants were, although there’s not much about [Hannah]. I just thought, “Oh, that’s going to be really interesting, especially the conflict with the fair-haired maiden of the West.” I just loved the idea that I would come and stir the pot.

Q: Since less is known about the real Hannah Durant, how did you prepare for the role?
A: The only thing I could do with this character is go by the script…and research the period that a woman like that lived in, what a woman like that would be like, especially if she’s powerful. Not easy to do that back then.

Q: Hannah makes herself quite at home in Hell on Wheels. Did it take long for you feel welcome on set?
A: I thought, well, if I’m going to play this woman who might be described as Hell on Wheels personified, I knew that I was going to have to really gently take my place in the cast. But it turned out to be effortless. This cast was so excited to have me there. They’re all like family, and they just invited me to be a member of the family. I couldn’t believe it. It was just wonderful. The whole cast went rafting with me. Continue Reading  

Virginia Madsen stars in the heartwarming story “The Magic of Belle Isle” as the recently-divorced mother of three girls who befriends the writer who moves in next door (Morgan Freeman).  I spoke to her about making the movie, which is available now On Demand and will be in theaters July 6th.

•• What was it like for you working with three young actresses who played your daughters?  How do you develop a level of trust with them?
– Well, I raised a child. I had a boy child who’s now 17 and I’ve worked with kids before. I know that this was a big job. We had a lot to do, they had a lot of dialogue and I really, really wanted them to trust me. One of the greatest things is that they all had nice parents. We struck gold with that. They were nice kids, they weren’t Hollywood-ized and the mothers really allowed me to mother their children which was incredibly trusting and generous. Slowly, I gained their trust and they could see how I wanted to be with their daughters, and that I was going to take good care of them. Before the movie started, I asked the art director and [director] Rob [Reiner] if I could have a space on the set, a room that I could set up arts and crafts.  Because that’s what I did with my son, and decided to bring music, and all the supplies.  I said, “Just give me this room, but no one is allowed to go in it but us, that is the O’Neil house, and I don’t want a sound cart in there, I don’t want lights being stored, no makeup touches go on in this room, this is the O’Neil house and this is our sacred space.”  And they loved it. And then the art department said, “Actually, there’s a sun room, we’ll make it a part of the movie.” And so when there was a break, this allowed me to keep us al together as a family and allowed them to remain focused and quiet when it wasn’t alright for them to play in the yard especially if it was raining. The next great thing was, they bonded as sisters.  Madeline Carroll [who plays the oldest daughter] is really something special, and she helped shepherd the girls, she really loved those girls. She would sit and make necklaces with them. She was never bored or impatient like a lot of teenagers naturally would be. Continue Reading  

•• The Movie Geeks speak with actress Virginia Madsen about her new film The Magic of Belle Isle, which is directed by Rob Reiner (Misery, The Bucket List) and stars Morgan Freeman.  You can listen the interview below.