Jennyluvver
02-12-2006, 03:17 PM
From tv.zap2it.com:
Hewitt Backs up 'Ghost'-ly Role
By Jay Bobbin
Few shows stage online seances for their fans.
Then again, few shows are like "Ghost Whisperer."
The solid first-season ratings for CBS' Friday drama prove it has captured the imaginations -- and emotions -- of many viewers. As both the star and a producer of the series, Jennifer Love Hewitt is happy to give it any additional promotion she can. While the occasional Internet seances involve James Van Praagh, the medium whose work partially inspired the show, Hewitt is now giving on-air answers to fan mail about the program during CBS' daytime lineup.
"We've been really excited that people have responded to the show the way they have," the friendly Hewitt says, "and it just means making sure we work harder than we did on the episode before, so that they continue to watch. It's been an adjustment, just knowing how to keep your energy up and making sure you stay healthy and rested, but it's been a welcome adjustment in my life."
Responding to audience queries in front of a camera also is new for Hewitt. "What we've tried to do with our show," she reasons, "is to involve viewers as much as possible, and to make it a fun experience to learn about ghosts and what they can do. We want viewers to know that we realize how hard it is to get faithful viewers who come back and watch. We know what that means and how special that is, and we don't take it for granted." Questions can be sent to the e-mail address ghostwhisperercbs.com.
Unlike NBC's "Medium," which often puts its heroine, played by Patricia Arquette, in direct peril, "Ghost Whisperer" usually keeps Hewitt's character, Melinda Gordon, as just a channeler between a spirit and a living person.
Still, Hewitt reflects, "fear and anger are two major things that happen with death. Whether it's a ghost or a person [instilling that in] her, it's not always, 'Let me sit with you and cry about my loved one.' Some people handle death in a violent manner, and I think it's interesting to see the one person you feel is safe lose her power for a second. It's not something we can do a lot, because then, it becomes a different show."
Former "Party of Five" regular Hewitt is somewhat flattered, but mostly surprised, by one effect of her current portrayal: Some people now approach her as if she actually has the power to communicate with the dead.
"Hopefully, that means I'm doing my job properly, that people actually believe I have this gift. In another way, it's alarming. I constantly find myself in situations where I feel like I can't help people the way I really want to; for me, that's a scary thing, because my personality is that of the ultimate helper. If my friends have a problem, I take it on until I get sick from it. When they work it out, I still have to find a way to let it go."
As co-executive producer of "Ghost Whisperer," Van Praagh is constantly on the set, and Hewitt appreciates the ongoing input from him.
"The subject matter, what Melinda does every day, initially was hard for me to grasp," the actress admits. "I was a person who was very afraid of death when we started the show, so to talk about it every day was intense and difficult for me. Now I've been able to find a different place for it. I realize the show is not about death, it's about living better and making sure you don't have unfinished business ... so that you don't have to meet Melinda Gordon one day."
Hewitt Backs up 'Ghost'-ly Role
By Jay Bobbin
Few shows stage online seances for their fans.
Then again, few shows are like "Ghost Whisperer."
The solid first-season ratings for CBS' Friday drama prove it has captured the imaginations -- and emotions -- of many viewers. As both the star and a producer of the series, Jennifer Love Hewitt is happy to give it any additional promotion she can. While the occasional Internet seances involve James Van Praagh, the medium whose work partially inspired the show, Hewitt is now giving on-air answers to fan mail about the program during CBS' daytime lineup.
"We've been really excited that people have responded to the show the way they have," the friendly Hewitt says, "and it just means making sure we work harder than we did on the episode before, so that they continue to watch. It's been an adjustment, just knowing how to keep your energy up and making sure you stay healthy and rested, but it's been a welcome adjustment in my life."
Responding to audience queries in front of a camera also is new for Hewitt. "What we've tried to do with our show," she reasons, "is to involve viewers as much as possible, and to make it a fun experience to learn about ghosts and what they can do. We want viewers to know that we realize how hard it is to get faithful viewers who come back and watch. We know what that means and how special that is, and we don't take it for granted." Questions can be sent to the e-mail address ghostwhisperercbs.com.
Unlike NBC's "Medium," which often puts its heroine, played by Patricia Arquette, in direct peril, "Ghost Whisperer" usually keeps Hewitt's character, Melinda Gordon, as just a channeler between a spirit and a living person.
Still, Hewitt reflects, "fear and anger are two major things that happen with death. Whether it's a ghost or a person [instilling that in] her, it's not always, 'Let me sit with you and cry about my loved one.' Some people handle death in a violent manner, and I think it's interesting to see the one person you feel is safe lose her power for a second. It's not something we can do a lot, because then, it becomes a different show."
Former "Party of Five" regular Hewitt is somewhat flattered, but mostly surprised, by one effect of her current portrayal: Some people now approach her as if she actually has the power to communicate with the dead.
"Hopefully, that means I'm doing my job properly, that people actually believe I have this gift. In another way, it's alarming. I constantly find myself in situations where I feel like I can't help people the way I really want to; for me, that's a scary thing, because my personality is that of the ultimate helper. If my friends have a problem, I take it on until I get sick from it. When they work it out, I still have to find a way to let it go."
As co-executive producer of "Ghost Whisperer," Van Praagh is constantly on the set, and Hewitt appreciates the ongoing input from him.
"The subject matter, what Melinda does every day, initially was hard for me to grasp," the actress admits. "I was a person who was very afraid of death when we started the show, so to talk about it every day was intense and difficult for me. Now I've been able to find a different place for it. I realize the show is not about death, it's about living better and making sure you don't have unfinished business ... so that you don't have to meet Melinda Gordon one day."