Shannon Woodward Lives the Good Life on The Riches

• Apr 8, 2008 04:00 AM ET
• by G.J. Donnelly

If Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver are the big names among TV's favorite identity thieves on The Riches (Tuesdays at 10 pm/ET, FX), then the enchanting Shannon Woodward, who plays levelheaded 15-year-old daughter Di Di, is the secret weapon. And that's no con.

TVGuide.com: How would you describe Di Di?
Shannon Woodward: When you have parents who are a little out of their minds, somebody has to take responsibility. I think she's a rather normal teenager who faces ridiculous circumstances and has to take responsibility for their decisions. But at the same time she's still a teenager, so there's this really great duality between the impetuous girl and the totally sane woman.

TVGuide.com: Can you relate to her?
Woodward: I didn't kill people and take over their lives, but I had a very similar life to Di Di. My parents were very adventurous and I was always the adult in that situation.

TVGuide.com: The Malloys are so appealing that you almost forget they're, well, criminals.
Woodward: I don't think the show endorses crime. I think the Travelers are a metaphor for personal demons. Everybody has this part of them, a sense that you're going to be found out, that you're lying to everyone.

TVGuide.com: What's it like working with Eddie and Minnie?
Woodward: I got amazingly lucky. They're incredible actors and human beings. It's really a pleasure to be with them. Both have their own legacies. Both have been so incredibly supportive. A total blessing.

TVGuide.com: In tonight's episode Di Di sings and plays guitar. Will we be seeing more of that?
Woodward: I wrote that. They gave me an old Irish folk song, and I changed the melody and used the lyrics. If it works itself in, that's great, but we're not going the Peach Pit route of 90210!

TVGuide.com: Are the Malloys' con skills rusty?
Woodward: I think they've gotten comfortable and lazy. They haven't had to fight for their supper in a while, but the Malloys can always get their groove back.

TVGuide.com: What complications await them?
Woodward: Eamonn Quinn is the Traveler überboss. He'll cause some serious havoc. Unlike last year, everybody is lying to each other, and that brings up a whole other set of issues. Now we're taking our problems in different directions and not communicating with each other. I think it's starting to send everybody off the deep end.

TVGuide.com: Do you think you could pull a con like Di Di?
Woodward: Absolutely. I'm an actor. That makes me a con artist by trade!

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