Article taken from the Herald Sun

MARY McDonnell shot to prominence in the Kevin Costner classic Dances with Wolves.

She has since made an impression in Sneakers, Independence Day and Donny Darko.

More recently, McDonnell has turned her talents to TV, playing Captain Sharon Raydor in The Closer.

Major Crimes takes the squad of detectives from the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning The Closer into bold new territory. As the series opens, the detectives in the Los Angeles Police Department’s Major Crimes Division are reeling from the departure of their chief, Brenda Leigh Johnson, (The Closer’s Kyra Sedgwick) and the realisation that Captain Raydor is now in charge.

Q: One of your very early (1986) roles was with Sophia Loren in telemovie Courage. . .

A: Oh, my gosh, I look back on it as a truly delightful moment. I was playing this hooker with a southern accent. And she got tickled by my southern accent and wanted to learn it. She was so playful and delightful. Everything about her is beautiful.

Q: Your character in Major Crimes has a strong voice. Is it a power thing, to get across how strong your character is?

A: It’s so funny. People keep asking me about the vocal quality of Captain Raydor. And it literally came out of playing her. It wasn’t something I chose. But now I sort of know where it is and what it feels like and I go with it.

Q: You started out in New York, on Broadway.

A: I cannot stress enough my early years in New York and the seeds that were planted there and the skills that I developed. If I had come straight to Los Angeles, I really doubt I would be sitting here now. Because of my earlier years of struggle, of study, of working two and three jobs, there’s no way that I would have ended up playing some of the roles that I have. There’s a lot of heartache in being a New York actor. You are slumming around in subways, going into cold, dark theatres with your costumes over your shoulder, in pouring rain, giving your best and getting rejected. There’s years of it for everybody. Well, maybe there’s five people in the world who don’t go through that.

Q: Do you see a difference between people who have struggled like you did and people who essentially walk on set having done a couple of lessons and get the role?

A: Yes. The difference is in confidence. I have seen people who are ill-prepared for the pressure. And even though there may be a talent there and a spark there that got them cast, they really can’t deliver a nuanced performance and they don’t have the skills.

> Major Crimes, Channel 9, Monday, 8.30pm