Banshee S01E06

In 2010, CJ Perry took a fateful trip to Las Vegas. The accomplished dancer, model and singer had just weathered a series of personal storms and had only $80 in her pocket. But her luck was about to change. The Florida native left Sin City with $3,000 in blackjack earnings and decided to make an immediate and dramatic change. "I was like, 'I’m going to move to LA,'" she recalls. "I remember thinking, 'I’m going to take this $3,000 and make it happen.'" Perry wanted to finally pursue in earnest her dream of becoming an actor. Fortunately for Perry, she had plenty of momentum in the other components of her career. After all, she was an in-demand dancer who graduated from the Latvian National Ballet Academy and had toured with Keri Hilson and P!nk. Her striking beauty and flawless physique had helped her become a red-hot model. She was the most downloaded "Hot College Girl" on the AT&T and Sprint networks in 2008 and 2009.

In her first few weeks in Los Angeles, Perry booked five gigs, including a speaking role on the acclaimed television show The Game and a spot in Afrojack’s 'Take Over Control' video, which has more than 26 million views on YouTube. Since then, Perry landed a role in Universal Picture’s hit film Pitch Perfect starring Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow. The movie is up for a People’s Choice Award. Now, Perry has a recurring role in the Cinemax original series Banshee, a drama from Alan Ball, the creator of True Blood. Even though she’s making steady strides with her acting career, Perry has remained grounded and focused on landing her next role. "Having to work up the ladder really makes me appreciate any form of success that I have," says Perry, who is also a trained martial artist. "It makes me really value it. I’m working really hard and striving to be a really great actress. I don’t look at it like, 'I just want to be hot at this time.' I invested eight years of my life in dance, training 40 hours a week. I became a great dancer. I will be a great actress because I’m approaching it the same way – my whole body, soul and spirit are working hard. I’m living it and breathing it."


Born in Gainesville, Florida, Perry took a circuitous route to Hollywood. She and her family moved regularly because of her father’s work as a missionary. They settled in Latvia, where Perry became the first and only international student to graduate from the Latvian National Ballet Academy, the same school Mikhail Baryshnikov attended. She emerged as a tremendous dancer, a professional who toured Europe during her teenage years and became fluent in Russian before her parents relocated to the states. Perry then enrolled at Florida State University, befriended Jenn Sterger and became a FSU Cowgirl. Sterger trained Perry and helped her develop her look. Perry was soon winning bikini contests and scoring prestigious modeling jobs, including the RIDGID Calendar and Matrix Energy Drink.

Simultaneously, Perry became infatuated with breakdancing. Even though she was a world-class ballet dancer, she didn’t know how to dance socially, much like Julia Stiles’ character in Save The Last Dance. Once she became a proficient breakdancer, Perry was recruited in 2009 to join No Means Yes, a girl group signed to Ne-Yo’s label. Perry had the supermodel looks, the dancing ability and could sing. The group disbanded a year later when one of the girls left. But Perry’s time in the quartet provided her with the network to work as a dancer with some of music’s biggest names, including P!nk, Afrojack, Nelly, Usher, Jason Derulo, Ludicrous, Taio Cruz , Big Time Rush and Keri Hilson.

Perry’s move to Los Angeles also enhanced her modeling career. She was a Miller Lite Poster Girl for NASCAR in 2011, working extensively with Sprint Cup winner Brad Keselowski in 2012 doing on-site promotions at the races. She also earned the coveted job as the main Red Bull spokesmodel for its motocross division, a role she started in May 2012. She has also appeared on American Idol and I.C.I.R.U.S., among other television programs. Given her role in the spotlight, Perry is keenly aware of the impact she can have on others. One of her favorite quotes, one she lives by, is from the ancient Egyptian Jewish philosopher Philo: 'Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.' "I believe that being grateful is key to having a happy life," Perry says. "Love unconditionally. We are living in a very broken world, so let’s have compassion for everyone and let’s try to open our mind to new things and understand why people are they way they are. We all come from different parts of the world, races, cultures and religions. We can all teach something to each other if we are open-minded and have loving hearts. Let’s make change with the man in the mirror and love one another to make a better universe."

As for her professional goals, Perry would eventually like to star in a major motion picture as a superhero (she’s a comic fanatic) and win a fistful of Emmys for her own comedy show. She imagines taking home awards for acting and writing, and keeps her skills sharp as a regular at Groundlings, Improv Olympic and UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade). Although some may say her dreams are ambitious, Perry believes they are also obtainable. "My dad told me my entire life that the sky is the limit for your dreams," she says. "That’s why 'The sky is the limit' has always been my motto. I grew up with the American Dream that all things are possible and so I’ve lived my life that way. If you’re willing to dedicate everything to making it happen, then you can make it happen."

Television Series: Banshee (S01E06)
Release Date: February 2013
Actress: Kay Story & CJ Perry
Video Clip Credit: DeepAtSea



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Banshee S01E05

In Cinemax's new action drama Banshee (already picked up for Season 2), Antony Starr plays a thief who assumes the role of sheriff in Banshee, a small town in Pennsylvania's Amish country, yet finds it hard to escape his past. Jonathan Tropper and David Schickler created the show, which also boasts True Blood's Alan Ball and House alum Greg Yaitanes as executive producers. Yaitanes explains to TV Guide why we should all visit Banshee...

I've got room in my life to watch one more show. Why should it be yours?

There's always room for dessert. Banshee is a delicious mix of sex, action and drama.

Who should be watching?

Anyone digging Breaking Bad, Homeland, Sons of Anarchy or The Wire. Fans of action films and graphic novels. Every single member of my family.

What happens if we don't watch your show?

You're missing out. Banshee's 10 episodes will take you on a very satisfying journey. We do in one season what most shows drag out for five. It's packed.

Give us an equation for your show

Witness plus Warrior times Tarantino minus the boring parts of No Country for Old Men divided by Sex and Lucia minus Lucia.

What's the best thing anyone has said or written about Banshee?

That it's the perfect blend of character and genre and not like anything on TV right now.

What's the worst thing?

"What's Banshee?"

What's an alternate title?

Downton Abbey. But we couldn't use it for obvious reasons.

Come up with a premise for the spin-off

We have it. It's called Banshee: Origins, and it's an online series along with a graphic novel of the show's backstory.

What credit of yours would you prefer we forget?

The pilot to Cleopatra 2525.

Amish TV is hot right now. Tell me something unique about your Amish characters

Two words: "Amish gangster."

If you weren't producing this show, what series would you most like to be an executive producer on?

Family Guy. Seth MacFarlane and his writers are fearless.

Why is your cast the best on television?

It's a largely European cast playing Americans, which I had very good luck with when I was executive producing House with Hugh Laurie.

Let's scare the network. Tell us an idea that didn't make it to the screen

The great thing about pay cable and working for Cinemax is there is no scaring them.

Pick another show to start a fake feud with

We shoot Banshee across the street from Homeland and will thrown down on softball anytime.

What show would you like to do a crossover episode with, and how would that go?

The Sopranos. Tony and the gang would fit right in. That's the bar we hold ourselves to and hope people engage [with] and discover Banshee.

How will your show change the face of TV as we know it?

By embracing multiple media platforms from our inception, Banshee will redefine TV in terms of "trans-media," meaning there are multiple platforms and layers to enjoy and engage the show on. I'd urge that anyone watching makes sure to watch the title sequence carefully since it changes every week and to stay for the end credits since there is something waiting for you at the very end of each episode.


Television Series: Banshee (S01E05)
Release Date: February 2013
Actress: Lili Simmons
Video Clip Credit: DeepAtSea



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Banshee S01E04

The Cinemax action series Banshee tells the story of Lucas Hood (Antony Starr), an ex-con and master thief who assumes the identity of the sheriff of Banshee, PA. It’s the perfect cover for him to try to win back the love of his life (Ivana Milicevic) and hide out from the dangerous gangster (Ben Cross) that they both betrayed years earlier, while attempting not to get into too much more trouble. During a recent interview with Collider, Milicevic talked about how much she enjoys getting to play the two sides of her character and what it’s like doing those fairly graphic but always story-driven sex scenes...

How did you get involved with this show?

I had work with Greg [Yaitanes] before. It was the middle of pilot season, so there were tons of pilots, but this was the one that I read and really, really wanted. So, I went in the first time and Greg said, “Oh, you should read a few more episodes.” I thought he meant I should keep reading pilots. So, he sent me a couple more episodes that were written, and I just kept being more and more in love with it. I was just getting over this really horrible heartbreak, and somehow everything I had gone through with it, I could put into this character. I really knew how to play it. Mostly, I understood loving somebody you’re not supposed to love, or being in circumstances where you’re not supposed to love this person, or two people. I knew how to do that. I had to play her.

Do you enjoy getting to show the two sides of your character, with her criminal past, and then her being a wife and mother now?

Whatever past you had, when you become a mother, it’s a whole different thing. You can’t even predict it. I’ve seen women who were nightmare party girls, who were just crazy, and then they have a baby and this thing comes over them and changes them. Or there are women who you think are going to be the most doting mother in the world, and then they’re not. You don’t know how you’ll be affected, when that happens. So, my character was whoever she was in the past, and then things happened. There’s this other part of her that is real, as she became a wife and mother, and I don’t know if it ever goes. Sometimes it does, but maybe it doesn’t.


How cool is it to be on a show with such strong female characters?

People are like, “Oh, it’s Cinemax,” and yeah, there’s sex there, but not more than any other awesome HBO show. There’s not more sex than Game of Thrones. But, the female characters are so strong and fleshed out. My character is incredible to play. My two characters, in a way.

Only on an Alan Ball show, can you have a flashback of a sex scene during a sex scene, right in the first episode. Were you able to see how telling that was for your character, with how disconnected she was from the present sex scene while being so connected to the sex scene in the flashback, and how much that said about each relationship?

Wow, I didn’t even look at it like that because you shoot it different ways. It’s interesting that you say that. Thanks for telling me. I was nervous about that ‘cause it’s full-on. But, our sex scenes aren’t just there to have a sex scene. There’s story happening there, and it’s important to get the full picture. So, you have to watch the sex scenes and not close your eyes.

Are you comfortable with those types of scenes, or do you have to get yourself into a certain headspace?

I had never done it, up until this point, and I was okay with doing it here. One, I wasn’t going to do it, ever, unless I felt comfortable. I only have one living grandparent left, so I was like, “Now is the time.” Two, I always said that, if I was going to do it, then do it. My favorite of all time is Sex and Lucia. It’s such a good movie, and how they portrayed sex was so naturally. It was full-on, but it wasn’t embarrassing, shameful or dirty. I tried for that. I wanted it to really be a natural thing. That’s kind of what it looks like when it happens, just in the positions of the geography of bodies, and things like that. I wanted it to look natural. The hardest part of shooting a sex scene are the first seconds when you take off your clothes. You’re like, “There it is,” but after that, it’s liberating. But, I’m Croatian. I’m from Europe. I grew up not wearing tops, so that’s okay. But, it’s a whole different thing when you’re about to put it out there. Then, everyone can say or think whatever they want, after that. But, if there was ever a character I was going to do it for, it was this one. I like sexy stuff, and I like sex.

How has it been to work with this cast and get to explore these two relationships, torn between these two very different men, with both her husband and this guy from her past?

So good! It’s been really lucky because for me to act it, I had them just represent different parts of different relationships I’ve had or want to have, and the actors that played them were so perfectly cast. Rus Blackwell is this solid, good American man, who’s so sweet, giving and kind, but he’s got some crazy in him and he’s so good at playing crazy. I have a feeling we’re going to see some of that come out, more and more. You’ll see a little bit, as the season progresses. But, he’s such a kind-hearted man. Antony Starr, who plays Lucas, is so dynamic. You’ll see that, as the episodes go on. The first episode we shot was Episode 4, and after I saw it, I said to him, “You are TNT. You are dynamite.” He’s so vulnerable. He’s not just a macho dude. He’s super tough, and he plays that stuff really well, but he’s so electric. He’s got electricity coming out of his pores. You’ll see. And he has such vulnerability. He plays the love so openly and earnestly, as opposed to, “Whatever, babe!” He’s so good at it. I think the women are going to really love that Lucas Hood.


Television Series: Banshee (S01E04)
Release Date: February 2013
Actress: Ivana Milicevic & Kay Story
Video Clip Credit: DeepAtSea



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Banshee S01E03

Antony Starr’s Sheriff Lucas Hood has already dusted off his knuckles and been in a few scrapes since he assumed the identity of the town’s law man, but you can bet there’s plenty more on the way. The quick-to-fight Sheriff Hood is on a collision course with the fists, legs and brawn of a mixed martial arts fighter, who has come to the town of Banshee for a title bout being run by the local tribe. But, it looks like Ivana Milicevic’s Carrie (Lucas’ former lover and partner in crime, who is now a soccer mom) will be getting her punch on too, as we find out more about her old life as Ana the thief.

Putting together those kinds of scenes sometimes ends up with unexpected results as Antony found out while shooting the drama (from True Blood creator Alan Ball and showrunner Greg Yaitanes). Find out exactly what happened to the New Zealand hunk as AccessHollywood shares 5 fun facts from behind the scenes of Banshee...


1. Antony needed stitches his very first day of filming. "One of the fights – the choreography – got just a little bit, we had a little mix up," he told Access, shrugging off the incident. "It happens. It’s like dropping a line in a scene. In this case, the dropped line ended up with a hit in my face and a split lip. It’s one of those things… No matter how you prepare, you’re still gonna get knocks and you have to go through a toughening up sort of process."

2. After turning down nudity on other projects, Ivana Milicevic felt it fit this time around during her character’s super-sexy scene from Episode 1. "I’m not doing it just to do it," she told Access of the moment when Carrie is having a bedroom romp with her husband, but dreaming of her former lover/partner in crime, Lucas. "You see how not necessarily connected to [Carrie’s] husband [she is] at that moment and how connected she was to the love of her life. And for me, I’m like… 'Let’s like do it, let’s push it.'"

3. The intense shoots, and scripts brimming with dark drama, left some of the cast and crew wanting to go to their happy place after filming. "It was really hard," Ivana said after we asked her about the stories ahead for Carrie’s kids (beyond the rave tragedy in Episode 2). "We had this one director [for] two episodes - Ole Christian [Madsen] — he did Episodes 3 and 6. Six is just gnarly because it’s flashbacks to the prison, and when he was done shooting our show, he was like, 'I want to do a show where two people meet, and they fall in love and they are happy and as time goes on they are more happy and more in love,' because our show is so dramatic."

4. As a youngster, Antony wanted to wear the badge. "But don’t all young boys want to be policemen?" he told Access with a laugh. "I’ve got no idea where that came from in me. There’s no police in my family… I guess, as a little boy, you look up at the people that you think represent strong, good [people]. You’re looking for role models."

5. Sexy? Yes. Action-packed? Definitely. A love story? Wait and see. "The biggest threat to me is that Lucas and Carrie won’t come together," showrunner Greg Yaitaines said. "Banshee, while a heightened, action drama, is still very much a love story for me and there’s a lot of external threats that will pull those two apart… Everything is on a collision course for Banshee – Rabbit, Job, Proctor. All these things are intersecting and right in the middle of it would be Lucas and Carrie."


Television Series: Banshee (S01E03)
Release Date: January 2013
Actress: Leslea Fisher & Erin Estelle McQuatters
Video Clip Credit: DeepAtSea






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Banshee S01E01

Let me paint a picture for you: A man stands holding the posts of a bedframe, as a prostitute, who has donned - per his request - an Amish prayer cap, performs fellatio on him. He strips off his shirt to reveal a massive tattoo of Christ on the cross covering the entirety of his back. With a look that dances the line between lust and disinterest, he plucks a human tooth from his fist. That, in a nutshell, is Banshee. As the third original series Cinemax has deemed fit to grace its airwaves, it is also something of a change of pace, marking a shift from expansive (and expensive) international settings in favor of a more homegrown feel with marketing tied directly to the name of True Blood creator Alan Ball. While any tenuous connection to HBO’s campy vamp saga might send some viewers heading as far away from Banshee’s rural Pennsylvania setting as possible, it’s fairly clear from the onset that while they may be related, the two programs don’t really have much in common. In fact, the same can be said in regard to Cinemax’s two other original programs. Instead of the never-say-die, run-and-gun machismo of Strike Back, or the labyrinthine plotline of Spotnitz’ Hunted, Banshee favors a darker, more pulpy style of storytelling that, despite the beginning of several key mysteries, seems to favor a more straightforward approach – in terms of its characters, at any rate.

Crucially, Banshee is by no means Ball's singular vision. The series was created (and is mostly written) by newcomers Jonathan Tropper (One Last Thing Before I Go, Everything Changes) and David Schickler, even if the pilot does carry a stamp undeniably similar to shows that also bear the Executive Producer's name. Ball is famous for exploring the darker side of the American psyche with a large helping of humor, sex and violence and Banshee's pilot follows suit (not badly tailored) delivering a thoroughly enjoyable entrance into the series.


The main narrative revolves around a briefly nameless ex-convict played by Antony Starr who, after being released from a lengthy stint in prison, heads off in search of his old partner/love interest and his share of the loot from the job that got him pinched. The dialogue-free introduction tells us everything we need to know about his grey knight character; by no means an angel, having a quick shag and boosting another car, however, like many noir protagonists, the man soon to be known as Lucas Hood clearly has a code. He's a shady guy who lives in an even shadier world. His search lands him in the town with which the series shares its name. Before too long, the man, along with a local barkeep and former boxing champ named Sugar Bates (Frankie Faison, The Wire), is embroiled in a shootout that claims the lives of two thugs belonging to local crime lord Kai Proctor (Ulrich Thomsen, Fringe) and the town’s soon-to-be new sheriff.

As it turns out, Proctor’s influence in Banshee is so great that the town’s incredibly young mayor hired a new lawman from the other side of the country, sight unseen, so as to limit the possibility of corruption. Once Starr’s character discovers this information, he immediately assumes Hood’s identity and, with that, it would seem the series is off and running. Early on, it’s clear that Banshee is content to play within the well-trodden confines this sort of narrative works in. For the most part, all the familiar tropes are in place. Hood’s ex-partner, played by Ivana Milicevic (Le Chiffre’s girlfriend in Casino Royale), is also operating under an assumed identity. She’s now Carrie Hopewell, a housewife with two kids, who just so happens to be married to Banshee’s D.A., Gordon Hopewell (Rus Blackwell, Ten). She also secretly trains with the ferocity of a UFC fighter. There’s also the larger mystery of the job that landed our main character in prison, and, apparently, has a very dangerous individual by the name of Mr. Rabbit (Ben Cross) sending a vaguely Eastern European-looking hitman to cause all sorts of commotion in an effort to eradicate the thief. It's like Walking Tall and A History of Violence rolled into one which not only allows for a lot of action but also, structurally, two solid foundations to build the rest Banshee on going forward.

That is, without a doubt, a lot of heavy lifting for a pilot episode to have to undertake, and for the most part, Banshee manages to get all the important plot aspects across – which means that, with any luck, there’ll be more time to discover what it is that’s making these characters tick as the series progresses. Right now, the pilot has merely established a dark tone and a fairly dense plot. This certainly isn’t a bad thing, especially if the audience is intrigued by what they’ve seen so far. Chances are, between the brief cinematic rush of the bus sequence, the pulpy excess of the fight scenes and the gratuitous glimpses of pay cable’s X-factor (so graphic, you might feel the need to check your own ID), there’ll be something in this first hour to at least keep the target audience interested.

The trouble is, with all the attention given to the plot, there never really feels as though any proper development is granted any of the characters. Certainly, there is a superficial knowledge of who these people are – which is really what should be expected of a pilot episode – but beyond simply serving the narrative, their motivations feel somewhat scant and overly typical. A career criminal assuming the identity of a slain lawman in a town seemingly overrun by the corruption of an crime lord with ties to the Amish community is intriguing stuff, but, so far, there is little indication that that move is anything more than a clever set up. Aside from Starr's tough-talking, private-eye archetype, the rest of the cast were left to make the most of the limited material they were given. The material wasn't bad, it's just that so much time was devoted to 'Lucas Hood' that not many or the many supporting roles felt particularly memorable.

Frankie Faison had perhaps the most time as Sugar and handled it with ease, creating a confident that we can all trust while Milicevic and Thomsen also made the most of their brief appearances; the latter running the town like a feudal kingdom and turning those who offend him into puppy­ kibble — literally. Also making an impression is Lili Simmons as Rebecca Bowman, the Amish girl who is chaste by day and likes to be chased at night; and transvestite Job (Hoon Lee), a club owning, computer hacking and by all accounts underground super spy. Matt Servitto, best known for playing an FBI agent on The Sopranos, shines as bitter Deputy Brock Lotus who questions his new boss’ methods.

As for the rest of the large ensemble, they all seem fine and it was nice touch the way that the title sequence (it changes every week) not only played up the tone but also delivered pictorial insights into each of the supporting players. Did you notice the boxing gloves? The football? I wonder if there was a hint into what caused the scars on attractive police officer (and possible sexual competitor to Milicevic's tied-up love interest)? Lastly, even though Ryann Shane's performance and storyline as the troubled daughter seems cliche, the implied progression of her character is pretty interesting.

While the mystery of Hood’s motivations – given the conflict between his past and newfound position – definitely keeps Banshee intriguing, it might have served the series better had it offered up a clearer sense of how the tricky morality of its character’s situation was meant to be perceived. As we’ve seen in high quality dramas like Mad Men and Breaking Bad, there’s a rich story to be mined from the simple concept of assuming another identity – or in the remaking one’s self. Right now, we are left unsure of just what our nameless protagonist’s intentions are. We don’t need the curtain pulled back entirely, but some inkling that he is either intent on pursuing his ex-lover, or merely interested in hiding from Mr. Rabbit, would be appreciated. Additionally, there is the larger question of how he plans to use his position as sheriff. Is it for nefarious means, or does being on the other side of the law hold some unforeseen attraction to him?

Ultimately, Banshee is a ludicrous series and knows it. It consists of one silly scene after another, all pitched at that super-hard-boiled, faux-noir level characteristic of so many graphic novels set in the underworld: so humorless that it’s kind of funny. A man gets shot through the hand in close-up, and you can see the rest of the room through the wound. The opening chase ends with an overturned double-decker bus roaring toward Hood like that train in Inception, but Hood escapes unscathed, and this event, which would be an international sensation in our reality, is presented here as just another crazy thing that happened in New York City. Hood is less a character than a presence: Clint Eastwood’s Man With No Name by way of Lee Marvin in Point Blank, a walking scowl with hints of pain and longing in his eyes. (Starr is an amazing physical presence, by the way; he’s got a great angry walk, and he poses in doors and windows nearly as well as Daniel Craig.) There will be points in the first couple of episodes when you will want to turn Banshee off because it isn’t rising to the level of its promise. It’s an arty-trashy macho B movie in TV-series form, good but not good enough. And yet intends to keep you watching because the show is more brazenly cinematic than most, and because you will need to know the characters’ secrets.

Such mystery is undoubtedly a powerful narrative tool, but the portions Banshee leaves blank may have served the story better, early on, had there been some indication as to what this new Lucas Hood was at least capable of. Right now, all we have are a few cursory examples of his fighting prowess and some idea of his underworld connections. Still, as somewhat convoluted as the plot feels right now, there’s plenty of opportunity to be had. The questions surrounding Hood’s purpose; the stranglehold Proctor has over the town; and the ominous threat of Mr. Rabbit and his henchmen are all plusses that will likely work well in contrast to the more contrived aspects that the series has put in place. Watching the first hour of Banshee, you get the feeling that due to the sheer weight of the initial setup, it’s going to take some time before things really get moving. If the series can better establish the objective of the characters in the next few episodes, then this may prove to be another fun ride for Cinemax.

Oh, and a banshee is a female fairy who begins to wail if someone is about to die and, although originally a Gaelic legend, it's a figure also prominent in American folklore. Seems thematically appropriate for the series about a man not only returning to his dangerous past but building plenty of new enemies along the way. I wonder if Milicevic's Anna, sorry, Carrie, is the one wailing? If nothing else, she still fantasizes about having sex with Hood even as her husband is going down on her, so hey!

Television Series: Banshee (S01E01)
Release Date: January 2013
Actress: Ivana Milicevic & Wendy Michelle
Video Clip Credit: DeepAtSea

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A First Time For Everything

"It needs to not be done with a sheet wrapped around me..."

Ivana Miličević has been doing film and TV work for 17 years, but her role on Season 1 of Banshee - which premieres on Cinemax tomorrow night - marks a couple of firsts for the Bosnian-born actress. It's the first time she's been the female lead on a TV series, and it is the first time she has ever taken her clothes off for a role. Miličević plays a former thief who has been leading a quietly domestic life in Banshee, Pa., under a false cover for years. Her husband-and-two-kids existence is idyllic ... until her old partner-in-crime/lover (Antony Starr) comes back into her life, having stolen the identity of her small town's new sheriff.

Miličević is hardly a household name, but you've probably seen her on-screen before. She's a former Bond girl (Casino Royale), and famously appeared opposite Will Smith in 1998's Enemy of the State (as an amused salesgirl in a lingerie shop). She also played an American hottie in the British-based Christmas rom-com Love Actually. But she calls Carrie the role of a lifetime for her. "I just love this part," Miličević says. "It’s very lucky and ... it’s rare for a female character to be written so well, and so emotional, and so in love, and so torn, and so tough, and so sexual. I loved the script. ... When I read it, it read very pulpy, and I was like, 'Wow, this is so kind of Quentin Tarantino-ey in a way, like Coen Brother-ey, and funny in its heightened reality, but so emotional, because I really can feel this love story. So first and foremost, probably the love story drew me in. Second of all ... look at what I get to play. I get to fight. I get to train. I get to love. I get to be sexy. I mean, if not now, when?"


The Amish would definitely shun Banshee for all the sex scenes (it’s Cinemax, after all) and Miličević certainly goes in at the deep end for her first experience of stripping off for the smmll screen. "I've never wanted to. I've never been inspired to. But for this, I was," says the 38-year old. "I was like, 'Oh, for this, it needs to be done, and it needs to be done well. It needs to not be done with a sheet wrapped around me; it needs to be done like a husband and wife do it. ... I just kind of wanted it to be natural. And I don't really find them gratuitous because ... it's part of the story."

In the series pilot, things get hot and heavy between Miličević and on-screen husband Rus Blackwell - although her character, Carrie, actually has former flame Lucas on the brain. And yeah, believe it or not, there's character development going on here. "I was telling my family, they were like, 'Oh, we just won’t watch (the sex scene).' But I said, 'No, you kind of have to, because there’s story points in it. It’s not just there to be there, like, 'Hey, let’s take a moment and get turned on.'" Not that it made the filming of it any easier. "I’m sure everyone you’ve ever asked always tells you the same thing: They are awkward and ridiculous," says Miličević. "Everything about them is embarrassing and a funny story. Although, the cool thing was is that we really wanted the sex scenes to kind of be natural and real. I really wanted them to be like, ‘If we’re going to do them, let’s kind of do it.’ I mean not do it do it, but I wanted it to be natural," she says. "It’s just the whole thing is really funny. And it’s got nothing to do with sexiness or anything. You just kind of do it. And the cast and crew were all so close, it was pretty comfortable considering how awkward the whole thing is. And then you just kind of get used to it."
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Mouse Ears To Maneater

"Thank God I didn’t have to wear the underwear..."

Disney Channel ingénue Lili Simmons is about to shed her mouse ears to tackle a racy new role in Banshee, Cinemax’s upcoming 10-episode drama series from True Blood boss Alan Ball and former House executive producer Greg Yaitanes. Simmons plays the series regular role of Rebecca Bowman, a local Amish girl in her early 20s who lives a devout life by day but is a rebellious, sexually adventurous party girl by night. Although converting from typecast kids roles to provocative actress may seem quite a leap, when she first started acting professionally at 15, notes Aritzia's Caitlin Smith, Simmons knew one thing for certain: She didn’t want to go the Disney route. "I was reading Shakespeare in fifth grade," says Simmons, 19, clutching a cup of coffee after a recent photo shoot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. "I’ve got a dark soul."

Of course, being a beautiful blonde with hazel eyes as big as Belle’s and Ariel’s (she’s a former model), Simmons seemed like a shoe-in for the wholesome, slapstick-prone characters that have made actresses like Selena Gomez and Victoria Justice famous. And, naturally, her first roles ended up being on the Disney Channel, on shows like Zeke and Luther (as Mia, the pretty girl all the boys clumsily pursued) and the made-for-TV movie Geek Charming (playing your typically mean popular girl). As her manager told her: "Hey, you’ve gotta get stuff on your résumé, you’ve gotta start somewhere." Now Simmons is taking on a role that’s more to her liking: a lead in an explosive cable drama about a corrupt Amish community in Pennsylvania that premieres on Cinemax in January. "It’s kind of like a dream," she says of the opportunity, beaming with pride.


Simmons originally auditioned for the part of 15-year-old Deva Hopewell, another rebellious girl in the community, but she wasn’t the right fit. "They said, 'She’s too old or too sexy' or whatever," she paraphrases. It was an unfortunate circumstance, ultimately, that got her in the right place at the right time to audition again for the role of Rebecca. "I had to go to Philadelphia for my grandmother’s funeral and they said, 'While you’re up there would you mind driving to New York and reading for Rebecca Bowman?' So I went, met Greg [Yaitanes, the director], I auditioned, we fell in love with each other, and the rest is history."

Seeing as Ball is the mind behind Banshee, it’s almost guaranteed that there will be no shortage of impassioned love scenes. "I do some pretty risqué stuff in the show," admits Simmons. "[My parents] were totally supportive, though. At first they were like, Whoa! Okayyy… but we kind of knew going into the audition that there’s going to be nudity. My mom read the pilot with me and we were like, 'this is a great script, we’re really excited'. It’s good quality stuff. So I decided, You know what? It’s OK."

For someone who has actually played a role identified as "Hot Teenage Girl" (on the Matthew Perry sitcom Mr. Sunshine), Simmons does a surprisingly good job taming her, well, hotness when she’s donning a bonnet and a prairie dress; her large, wide-set eyes can convey sweetness as much as they can sexiness. "It was difficult, but I loved the challenge and I really took it on," she says. "I went on YouTube a lot and researched. I was like, What do Amish people wear? How does it feel to be wearing those outfits? And they have the strangest undergarments and rules about underwear…." Simmons adds, laughing. "Thank God I didn’t have to wear the underwear."
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Naked Women, A Lot Of Corpses, And a Love Story

A handful of men are brawling in a creek at the bottom of a wooded North Carolina ravine. It’s cold; everyone’s wet. At one point they stop fighting and one of the men spots the guy who’s responsible for their predicament. It’s David Schickler, wearing the new Timberline boots that he bought for himself in celebration of this event, standing relatively dry and warm among the crowd of 70 or so production people shooting this first scene for a new Cinemax television series, Banshee. The miserable actor looks at Schickler, the Rochester writer who’s the show’s co-creator, and asks: "Does it get worse than this?"

It may, if co-producer Alan Ball (True Blood and American Beauty) and Schickler have a hit on their hands, notes Jeff Spevak. Banshee makes its debut at 10 p.m. Friday, and at least a half-dozen people will die in that first hour. The body count will continue to rise. Ten episodes have been filmed. Schickler and his co-writer, Jonathan Tropper, have been commissioned to write another two. And yes, lots of people are also having sex in the fictional town of Banshee, Pa. "I don’t know what my mother will say when she sees this," Schickler confesses.


SCENE ONE. Naked women, a lot of corpses, and a love story

Schickler pulls out his phone and flashes a photo sent to him by Tropper. It’s a shot from New York City’s Times Square, where a huge poster for Banshee glowers from the side of a building. 'Small town. Big secrets,' the advertisement reads, and Schickler points out the less-obvious details. "There’s a guy lying in a pool of blood, and in the background an Amish guy digging a grave." Schickler explains how the story of an ex-con who steals the identity of a murdered sheriff in Pennsylvania’s Amish country suddenly appears in Times Square. "When you come up with a TV show pitch, you’re selling a world," he says. "What they call in Hollywood 'renewability.' They want to see this is a five-year-long idea. 'Convince me, as the money guy, that you can keep doing this for five years.' They want to know that there’s that much depth to the main character’s troubles."

The money guys want The Sopranos and NYPD Blue, shows driven to hell and maybe back by tortured characters. "Will this man be damned or absolved?" as Schickler puts it. Banshee’s damned man is Lucas Hood, played by the relatively unknown New Zealander Antony Starr. "And we think he’s going to be a star," Schickler adds. "Lucas Hood is our Tony Soprano; he’s our Andy Sipowicz." Alan Ball agreed. He has Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe statues on his mantle for writing films like American Beauty and as co-producer of the HBO hits Six Feet Under and True Blood. When he signed on as a co-producer, Banshee had a real heavyweight on the team. Despite the violence and action, Schickler insists he and Tropper have also written a love story. "It’s not gratuitous," he says. "There are naked women and a lot of corpses. But there are deep relationships. The main character is trying to get back the woman he loves. In the end, the relationships between the characters are what keep you with the story. We both love a good fistfight, in stories. But there’s a romantic arc at heart in our literary novels."

SCENE TWO. A killer with a tender stomach

It might be easier for Schickler to create these kinds of characters if he himself is driving to hell and back. We shall see, perhaps this fall, when his memoir is scheduled to be published. He reveals little for now, merely describing The Dark Path as "how I spent my youth, in the early ’70s, on a path to being a Catholic priest, and where my love for women, writing and the world challenged that path." Long story short, Schickler is not a priest. He didn’t even get close.

He was 30 years old when he moved into the basement of his parents’ home in Gates — the kind of hothouse environment in which fragile writers bloom like heirloom tomatoes — spending the next three years creating what would prove to be his breakthrough novel, the New York Times 2001 bestseller Kissing in Manhattan. The monk-like existence suits Schickler, who seems to like to simplify mundane decisions, like fashion and menus. His closet appears to be nothing more than unadorned shirts in varying shades of graduate-student drab. One place where he can frequently be found writing is a Bruegger’s where the employees know him by name, and where Schickler generally orders the same thing: chicken spaetzel soup. He has a tender stomach, this literary architect of death explains, and doesn’t like to challenge it...

Running the literary circuit with writers like James Frey, whose A Million Little Pieces, a scary memoir of drug addiction, was one of the acclaimed books of 2003, he met Jonathan Tropper, a novelist with a taste for literary wisecracks and dysfunctional relationships. "We had a lot in common," Schickler says of Tropper. "He was close to his family. Close to his religion, me Catholic, him Jewish. As writers we favored a darker, sexier, more-adventurous brand of books and screen stories." About three years ago, the pair started developing their idea for Banshee.

The basic job description for writers hasn’t changed for centuries, but the setting does. William Faulkner, Raymond Chandler and F. Scott Fitzgerald led a long line of established writers to Hollywood in the 1930s to create screenplays. A similar migration is occurring now, only toward this different medium: the dense, extended cable television series, as established by such shows as The Sopranos, Mad Men and The Wire. The bright literary lights Michael Chabon, Salman Rushdie and Gary Shteyngart have been toiling on their own shows. But supreme literary content does not guarantee success in the now-superheated terrain of cable drama. Jonathan Franzen, a novelist so celebrated that he warranted his own Newsweek cover, was adapting his bestseller The Corrections for HBO. It died on the storyboard table.

But Banshee lives. It got a B+ review this week from Entertainment Weekly. "Ultra-violent, over-the-top, and wickedly fun," it writes; and you really can't ask for more than that.
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