If you’re a man who cheats on his wife or girlfriend, you – like fictional TV character Hank Moody – probably deserves the hell that sleeping with underage Mia Lewis will bring. In his defense, novelist Hank, the protagonist in Showtime’s long-running sitcom “Californication,” didn’t know Mia was just 16 when she picked him up in a bookstore. But ignorance is not really a defense in cases like this, so never mind.
MADELINE ZIMA podcast excerpt: "My being on 'Californication' and doing a sex scene where there was nudity involved was not something that was premeditated at all. It was just that I couldn't get a job before that show. Nobody would see me -- I was just the kid from 'The Nanny.' Getting any kind of work was a miracle. And the only reason they saw me for 'Californication' was that they had seen every other actress and the couldn't find 'The Girl.' Every other actress was my age at that time, 21 -- above me and below me -- they couldn't find anyone. They only agreed to see me because they were desperate. I thought it was an interesting role; I never got to play anything like that before... The first season was about redemption and it was very relatable. It was well-written and perfect."
Oh, and after she has sex with Hank? Mia puts the cherry on top by sucker punching him in the jaw. Hard. And technically, I don’t think they were quite done having sex. That was hardly the last we’d see of Mia – played by my guest today, actress Madeline Zima. In a great plot twist, she actually recurred in more than two dozen episodes over the next few seasons of the show, having stolen the manuscript of Moody’s second book and retitling it “F@#!ing and Punching.” Under Mia’s byline, she and it became bestsellers. Did I mention Hank Moody is played by David Duchovny, formerly Agent Mulder on “The X-Files”?
MADELINE ZIMA: "I always play these wild characters and I have no idea why. I have the most boring life!"More recently, she was Gretchen Berg on a season of “Heroes,” and can currently be seen as Jordan Alexis in the Amazon.com original series “Betas.”
MADELINE ZIMA: "'#Stuck' is really fun! It won a bunch of festivals, but we couldn't get the distribution deal we felt it deserved. We think it deserves more than a straight-to-VOD (video on demand) release. We are doing a crowdfunding campaign to get it a proper distribution deal in theaters."But the project that is nearest and dearest to her heart is an indie film called #Stuck, in which she not only stars – opposite Joel David Moore – but is also an investor. Most movies seeking crowdfunding these days haven’t begun filming, but #Stuck is in the can; it’s looking for members of the public to financially support its efforts to self-distribute. We will talk about that, too.
Madeline Zima Facebook • Twitter • IMDB.com • Pinterest • Reddit • Vimeo • YouTube • Order Californication: Season One on Amazon.com • Order The Nanny: Season One
#Stuck GetStuckInTheaters.com • Twitter • Facebook • Writer Stuart Acher on Twitter • Writer Stuart Acher website
