Q&A: Rose Rollins

by Natasha Wolff | April 21, 2016 10:59 am

The new ABC series The Catch[1]—a thriller from Scandal masterminds Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers—follows a group of private investigators working for blue-chip clients whose problems seem to fall outside of the garden (or legal) variety. But the drama for the team doesn’t end with the work day: for Mireille Eno’s Alice Vaughan it’s a case of fraud perpetrated by her con man fiancé and for Rose Rollins’ Valerie Anderson… well, she won’t tell just yet. But considering that so far in the first season there have been art heists, defrauded royalty and superstar murderers, you can bet it’ll be juicy. Here, Rollins (an alum of Bosch, Chase and The L Word), talks about the greatest con she’s ever pulled and explains how she’ll recover from the series’ twisting, turning first season.

How did you get so lucky as to play Valerie Anderson?

Of course, anyone would jump at the opportunity to work for Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers; you would be so lucky! So, you go out there and grind and audition. I did that and was lucky enough to be chosen.

Why did this particular role appeal?

I love portraying strong women. That’s very important to me. And it’s also just the side that I haven’t really shown before. Valerie is a little sexier [than other characters I’ve played], she’s a little more sophisticated and still is strong. So, I just think I love the character and I love everything she stands for. She’s honest and she’s loyal. And she gets to be glamorous, which I have not done in my career. This is different and fun.

She is very glamorous. Nobody at that office rolls in half put together.

There’s no such thing as casual Friday at AVI, that’s for sure. It’s a very sophisticated world.

There are going to be 10 episodes over the course of this season. What’s in store for her?

I really can’t give away a lot, but I have plenty going on, definitely more than meets the eye. And I am not playing someone who’s just the best friend giving out advice, I’ve got a lot of stuff happening myself—and I’m having a lot of fun.  

What’s been the most exciting part of playing her? 

My character is going through a divorce in the beginning of the series. As it goes on, she tries to dip back into the dating world. That’s a lot of fun; it’s flirty and I’ve really enjoyed it.

You’re almost done filming the show’s first season. How will you unwind once you’re done?

I am going to go back to Atlanta first and foremost, because my birthday is at the end of the month. I am going to just relax and then I have a big trip to Europe planned, which is really exciting. One of my really good friends is getting married in Sicily and my boyfriend and I have decided to make a whole trip of it. So we’re going to go to Florence and Rome and Sicily. We go on these cacio e pepe runs; it’s our favorite pasta dish and we do our research and find the best cacio e pepe and we judge. It’s a little thing that we love to do.

When you’ve got the traveling wrapped up, are there any other projects you want to take on?

I would like to do a movie in the summer, a comedy. I really like drama, and I like getting my hands dirty. I feel like it always challenges me and never gets old. But I would love to try comedy; it’s not my strong suit, but you never know.  

Main image: Matt Sayles

Source URL: https://dujour.com/culture/rose-rollins-the-catch/