Inside the Carry-On: Lexa Doig

by Natasha Wolff | April 4, 2017 2:45 pm

“The Arrangement,” E!’s newest scripted show, is the delicious peak-behind-the-curtain we’ve all been waiting for. Set in present day, the show follows Megan Morrison (Christine Evangelista[1]), a young, up-and-coming actress who’s offered the career boost of a lifetime: an arranged marriage with Hollywood’s number one heartthrob. If you immediately thought back to TomKat[2] (RIP), the seemingly orchestrated pairing that rocked the early 2000’s, you’re not the first skeptic to entertain that connection.

Lexa Doig, a Hollywood veteran who plays the wife and business partner of a conniving Hollywood producer on the show, is no exception—she admits to asking herself the same burning questions about Tinseltown as the rest of us. “I’ve been doing this for 25-years, but I’ve done it [while living] in Canada,” Doig explained. “A lot of these things are urban myth to me as well, being somewhat removed from Los Angeles; it’s all conjecture and rumor.”

Doig lives in Vancouver with her husband Michael Shanks (who is also an actor) and their two children, and life in Canada is essentially a pleasant escape from the “company town” of L.A. For Doig, publicity stunts aren’t a typical occurrence, and her circle of friends expands past people in the entertainment industry. Although as conjecture has it, it seems these things actually do happen in real life. “There’s one point where a stealth marketing campaign is revealed to Megan. I don’t know for sure, but I’ve heard it from multiple people [in L.A.] like ‘Oh yeah, that happens all the time,’” she said.

On the show, Doig’s character is Deann Anderson, and her on-screen husband is a key player in the “stealth marketing campaign” viewers will eventually see unfold. “When I first read the script, one of the things I did like [about Deann] was this monologue she had at the end of the pilot where she’s explaining what it takes to make it in Hollywood; it was really funny,” Doig said. “I thought ‘Wow, people actually talk like that!’ And they really do. [Writer/creator] Jonathan Abrahams told me he was given that exact speech once.” 

Taking on Deann is definitely new territory for Doig. Her other job is playing Talia Al Ghul—the daughter of the super villain Ra’s al Ghul and love interest to Batman—on the CW’s Marvel sensation “Arrow.”  The most trying difference between the two roles? “The accent,” Doig quickly concluded. “Honestly that’s the toughest one for me! I did an English television series and thought since I’d lived there, I’d be able to nail this English accent without a ton of work.” 

Main Image: JSquared Photography

Source URL: https://dujour.com/life/e-the-arrangement-lexa-doig-interview/