Exclusive: Nip/Tuck's Dead Diva Speaks!
Courtesy FX Networks
WARNING: Stop reading if you haven't seen last night's
Nip/Tuck!
Talk about going out with a bang. On last night's
Nip/Tuck, Christian's unhinged, sex-addicted ex-lover Gina plummeted to her death while the two were mid-coitus on her apartment building's roof. Luckily, Jessalyn Gilsig is alive and well and ready to dish about her character's bizarre (even by
Nip/Tuck's freakish standards) swan song.
What was your reaction when you found out how you were being killed off?
Jessalyn Gilsig: I thought it was so brilliant. And so sad. She finally expressed [her true feelings] to Christian and then she falls off the building. [
Laughs]
What was it like shooting the scene?
Gilsig: We were in downtown L.A. and it was
cold. The stunt girl did one take before me, and it looked so [funny] when she fell off the edge of the building that I burst into hysterics. I think I might've ruined the take. They set it up so perfectly; it was so unexpected. It was
so bizarre.
Did series creator Ryan Murphy tell you why he killed Gina off?
Gilsig: He didn't, actually. In typical Ryan fashion he was like, "It's
Nip/Tuck. You can come back as much dead as you can alive." I could always come back and haunt Christian.
Were you disappointed?
Gilsig: I was. I loved this character very much. She's been so good to me, and the show's been so good to me. It was always very exciting to read the scripts, because you never knew what was going to happen.
Anything stand out?
Gilsig: The scene where I had to wax Kimber. It was something I could never conceive of. Who would
think of that? As a place to go to work and as a character to play, I'm really going to miss her. It was such an incredible job for me from the very beginning.
At least you got a memorable send-off.
Gilsig: I was so relieved. But I was like, "She better get a funeral, 'cause I don't want them over surgery, like, 'By the way, Gina's dead.'"
Switching topics, you recently ended an arc on Friday Night Lights. Any chance you'll go back?
Gilsig: Nobody said anything. They didn't kill me, so that's good. It's an incredible show to work on. I was actually shooting
Nip/Tuck and
Friday Night Lights simultaneously, which was challenging, if only because
FNL shoots in Austin. Also, the two shows are
so different in their production styles.
Nip/Tuck is very stylized, and we rehearse a lot and work out our marks. There's a sense of control to it. And
Friday Night Lights is the exact opposite. It's very loose. They're shooting with three handheld cameras at all times and you can walk wherever you want. It was really wild to do the two at the same time. I'm a big fan of
Friday Night Lights, so I was really excited to work on it. I really love Connie and Kyle's performances. They're so underrated, especially when you're there and you see the emotional cartwheels that they do. It's the best representation of marriage I've ever seen on television; it's so authentic.
What are you up to now? Waiting for the strike to end?
Gilsig: Yeah. I just try to remind myself that this happened before [in 1988], and the industry does recover. I think it'll be different, but maybe we needed some change anyway. But it made me realize how vulnerable I am and how dependent I am on this industry. It's a real eye-opener.
OK, your turn, peanut gallery. Did Nip/Tuck
err in offing Gina, or had she overstayed her welcome? And on a scale of 1-10 - 1 being lame, 10 being awesome - how would you rate her death scene? Me? I'd give it a 7.2.
