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Watch: 'Brigitte Quinn's 22 Minutes' With Virginia Madsen

In this installment of "22 Minutes," 1010 WINS anchor Brigitte Quinn sits down with Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen.

The star discussed her role on CBS' "American Gothic," how she first started her career in acting and more.

"American Gothic" centers on a prominent Boston family reeling in the wake of the chilling discovery that someone in their midst is linked to an infamous string of murders. As shocking secrets from the past and present are revealed, their mounting suspicion and paranoia that one of them is a killer threatens to tear the family apart.

BQ: I heard you kind of got your start with acting as playing your brother's magician's assistant?

VM:  He was very good at magic when he was a boy and I was very good at performing. The finale -- I'd get into this clothes hamper and he would stab the hamper with a sword and my job was to avoid the sword. I would get out and miraculously be alive.

BQ: Let's talk about the new show "American Gothic." Thirteen episodes -- is it a traditional mini-series would you say?

VM: It's a classic whodunit. You will know who the killer is by episode 13. It's like a great summer novel that's just delicious to read. What I'm really enjoying is having a long story to tell and being with these wonderful people. It's not over in a month like a film and I get a chance to take this character in so many different directions and keep perfecting her.

BQ: You are the matriarch and there's this amazing house that you live in with the cast?

VM: Yes, the Hawthorne Mansion! It is a real location in Toronto. The interior are sets built on two sound stages so it's quite grand. It's really incredible when you walk in and see that vast stairway with the giant chandelier. I love going there because it immediately puts me in this space of being my character like, "What if this was mine?" She's a very powerful, very strong woman.

BQ: Is television a more attractive medium to be in these days? It seems there's just an explosion of shows in such quality television. It doesn't seem like it used to be years ago when you aspired to be a movie actor.

VM: I broke those rules! I would always be in trouble because I would take a TV movie because of the person I wanted to work with. I'm more drawn to material and not the medium and I've turned out to be right.

 

About Virginia Madsen:

Virginia Madsen is one of Hollywood's most versatile and unique actresses. Not only did she receive amazing reviews for her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated performance in Alexander Payne's hit film, Sideways, but this Independent Spirit Award-winning actress has an illustrious resume of roles alongside the most notable and respected actors in the business.

About Brigitte Quinn: 

Brigitte anchors mornings at 1010 WINS radio and has worked in broadcasting for more than thirty years.  She was a TV anchor at the Fox News Channel, MSNBC and NBC. She holds an MFA in writing from Sarah Lawrence College and a BS from Cornell University. Her first novel, "Anchored" was published in 2015.

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