Carrie Preston in 1997’s ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ (left); Carrie Preston in 2024.Photo:Cinematic / Alamy Stock Photo; Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty
Cinematic / Alamy Stock Photo; Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty
Sometimes movie magic comes at a high cost.
Carrie Preston appeared on the Jan. 29 episode ofThe Kelly Clarkson Show, and she chatted with the host about one of her earliest roles in 1997’sMy Best Friend’s Wedding.
“Isn’t that the best?” the 57-year-old actress said to Clarkson, 42. “That was when the romantic comedy was queen." Preston and Rachel Griffiths played twin sisters who were both bridesmaids forCameron Diaz’s Kimmy. Kimmy, in turn, was engaged toDermot Mulroney’s Michael, whose best friend,Julia Roberts’ Julianne, is trying to get him to call off the wedding to be with her instead.
And even though the scene is romantic comedy magic, Preston said it was much less whimsical in real life. “And there we were singing, and we started that scene, and you know, it takes place in a crab shack and a lobster house? That took two 12-hour days,” she said. “So you can imagine the smell.”
Rachel Griffiths (left) and Carrie Preston in 1997’s ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’.TriStar Pictures
TriStar Pictures
Preston’s big break came when she was cast as Arlene inTrue Blood, which ran from 2008 to 2018. Beginning in 2010, she began appearing onThe Good Wifeas Elsbeth Tascioni. After also portraying the character onThe Good Fight, she now plays the role in CBS’sElsbeth, which sees her solving crimes in New York.
Rachel Griffiths (left) and Carrie Preston in 1997’s ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’.TriStar Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
TriStar Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Preston is married toLostalum Michael Emerson. Back in March,Preston told PEOPLEabout how she and Emerson, 70, navigate their sometimes-long-distance marriage. “We have to, because of work, spend a lot of time apart," she explained. “I think he and I, maybe more than some other couples who are together all the time, we really appreciate the time that we do have together."
Still, she said, “I do think there is something to the old adage, ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder.’ I really do think that is true.”
In December, Emerson guest-starred onElsbethas a foil for the title heroine. “It’s interesting, weird and complicated,“he told PEOPLE of working with his wife. “It’s like a two-layered acting day. You have to act like you don’t know this person that you woke up with in the morning and treat them as if they are a fictional character, and as your adversary, not your spouse. So it’s a lot going on. A lot is being tuned out while a lot is being opened up.” Preston teased that he’d be back on the series multiple times.
“Playing those different dynamics is just fun,” Preston added.
Elsbethreturns Jan. 30 on CBS and streams on Paramount+.
source: people.com
