Watercooler: How Hot is Revenge's Ice Queen?

Do not mess with Revenge's Victoria Grayson. As we've tweeted about before, the woman gives "I will cut you" eyes like nobody's business, and last night, she was no less frightening. Which is why we worship at her well-heeled feet and leapt at the chance to chat up Madeleine Stowe. Just be careful: Stowe says that Victoria may not be the only villainess keeping the Hamptons hopping.

TV Guide Magazine: OK, we love Victoria. She is so nasty!
Stowe: Oh thank you! I adore [executive producer] Mike Kelley for giving me that kind of latitude. A lot of stuff is going to be happening with her. She has more to hide!

TV Guide Magazine: Sounds like we're going deeper into her backstory...
Stowe: We have been having some major discussions about earlier stories and what has made Victoria the creature she is. And "creature" is the right word! It should be really fascinating. There is an early story of her adolescence that is very chilling.

TV Guide Magazine: Will she become more sympathetic?
Stowe: It'll be interesting to see how audiences find her. You'll see that these women — Emily and Victoria — who we might think are polarities are actually [very similar]. Victoria's able to see that something is wrong with Emily because she recognizes certain qualities in herself.

TV Guide Magazine: So the heroine is as bad as the villain?
Stowe: They both have psychopathic capacities. [Laughs] They are dealing with different issues, but as much pain as you see in Emily, you will start to see tremendous pain in Victoria. And I think Emily VanCamp is just terrific. She has a really fascinating quality, that blond sunny disposition. Victoria would appear to be the nemesis, but they're both very wicked people.

TV Guide Magazine: What's the craziest thing we'll see these women get into?
Stowe: Some really startling things! I think Victoria is almost willing her own self-destruction. She's drawn to that power and wants that supremacy, but at the same time is becoming more and more disgusted with her own lies. And this is what you will see unfold.

TV Guide Magazine: Are you surprised that viewers took such a shine to the show?
Stowe: The timing is right. We're an in such a strange place in America right now. To have a window into this uber-wealth and to see these people being dismantled? It's going to be a great source of pleasure to the average American. [Laughs]

So what do you think of Stowe and Revenge? Love to hate Victoria?

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