State of Mind's Lili Taylor Lets Loose

• Sep 7, 2007 04:00 AM ET
• by Cathy Piedmont

Dr. Ann Bellowes is thrown for a major loop — yep, another one — when State of Mind (Sunday, 10 pm/ET, Lifetime), the quirky drama starring perennial scene-stealer Lili Taylor as a therapist with personal problems that rival those of her patients, closes out its first season tonight. Taylor opened up to us about the character and her own life.

TV Guide: Have you ever been in therapy?
Lili Taylor: Oh, yeah! I've been doing it so many years. You can look at it as an expensive conversation, but if it makes you feel better, it's worth it.

TV Guide: Did playing a therapist give you a better understanding of your own relationship with author Nick Flynn?
Taylor: It made me have a healthy respect for relationships and to not take them for granted. It made me ask, "Do I have the strength to totally show up for this today?" I think it's about being conscious.

TV Guide: You play very intense people; Ann certainly is. Is that what you're like in real life?
Taylor: I don't think I'm as intense as my characters. People seem surprised that I'm lighter or have a sense of humor. My persona is not quite matched up with me.

TV Guide: What's something silly you like to do?
Taylor: I like jokes and I have a little cup called the Windbreaker that makes sounds. Let's leave it at that. Anytime you can laugh is good. You bring that Windbreaker out and people are laughing.

TV Guide: You're part of the teen-movie canon thanks to 1989's Say Anything. Do people still sing "Joe Lies" to you?
Taylor: Not as much lately. That definitely was happening up to maybe seven years ago. Now, they still mention it for sure, but I don't get the singing as much.

Check out memorable Lili Taylor moments in our Online Video Guide.

The new Fall Preview issue has in-depth coverage of 78 hot new shows, including exclusive photos and interviews, plus an insider's guide to the Emmy Awards!. Try four risk-free issues now!

Send your comments on this Q&A to online_insider@tvguide.com.