Shannon Woodward Lives the Good Life on The Riches

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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