TIM: As the first original scripted series on a major network like Bravo, debuting at over 1 million viewers, how did it feel to be renewed for a second season- which is rapidly approaching?
Necar Zadegan: It’s very exciting. I think we all love the show so much and believe in it so much that it feels great to know that it’s resonated with the audience. It makes it that much more compelling to continue to build stronger stories and carry on into a second season.
TIM: How do you think your reoccurring role as First Lady on 24 set you up for your next project and venture?
Necar Zadegan: There were so many wonderful actors on that show and my character was one of the most memorable characters in television that year, so what the writers built for me was very layered in terms of scope and demanded a lot from me. I never knew, because of the nature of that show if my character would be alive or not in the next episode, so I was always giving my all, just in case. And the nature of series television is that it’s kind of always changing and the story can throw you a curve ball. My character went from being the First Lady to a widow, then President. The stakes were always really high on that show, so I suppose in that way, being that it was my first series, I knew I could really handle being prepared for 24 episodes of intense storytelling after that.
TIM: Can you tell us about your appearance on Masters of Sex as former Iranian Empress Soraya Pahlavi?
Necar Zadegan: I had worked with Michael before on a film called Unthinkable, so I knew he had great focus and I was excited to work on a show that he helmed because I knew that the set would run very well too. I was very happy when they offered me that role, I love the show and I was excited to do a period piece in that era. The story of the Empress is a beautiful and heartbreaking one, and moreover, she is an iconic figure for Persian people, so it meant a lot to me to get to do it, of course, because it’s a part of the history of my people.
TIM: You have so many credits under your belt throughout television- all highly accredited and popular shows…do you have any plans or aspirations to get back into film within the next couple of years? Or you enjoy the stability of this transition since 2011?
Necar Zadegan: I really do love working in television but I love working in all the mediums. I certainly miss the stage and I have had my eye open for a great film project for some time. I had fallen in love with something last year but unfortunately my schedule didn’t permit me to break away to do it, but perhaps the stars will align on something else that I’ll love even more.
TIM: Between TV, international indie films, theater; including Tony Award Winning Broadway play The Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo opposite Robin Williams, where do you feel most comfortable?
Necar Zadegan: I am glad I don’t have to choose. I like them all for different reasons.
TIM: Did you always want to be an actress?
Necar Zadegan: Yes, in fact.
TIM: What is your favorite thing about playing Delia on the show? What do you think about her? Not like about her?
Necar Zadegan: Delia is really the glamour puss of the show and I love that about her. But she is also different from the other girls in that while they have all been divorced, she is the only one who has never been married and is in fact moving towards it. I think she is incredibly modern and deals with the questions many young, modern women wrestle with and so her overarching story themes are very current and immediate. She is an entirely self-made woman who has accomplished everything she set out to do and I admire that. I suppose I don’t like her predilection for high heels because they get exhausting to stand in, but I have to forgive her for it because it looks so damn good!
TIM: How is she different from or handle things differently than you in real life?
Necar Zadegan: Well, for starters, she’s an attorney and I’m an actress. And then it just goes on from there.
TIM: What is a hidden talent you are willing to share?
Necar Zadegan: I play the guitar. And I sing. I cook. I can walk with a book on my head. All right, that’s enough.
TIM: What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
Necar Zadegan: To focus on the work.
TIM: What would you tell the just starting out 16 years old version of yourself if you could go back in time?
Necar Zadegan: So many things, but I probably wouldn’t listen. Sometimes you need perspective. I’d probably really implore myself to not get kicked out of high school. But who knows, maybe that was supposed to happen.
TIM: What can we expect from the second season? How have some of the characters evolved with or without some potential spoilers?
Necar Zadegan: It’s even better than the first. My character said yes to a proposal last season so there is a wedding to be planned this season! This season could be called: the great cover up. Everyone left last season leaving their old selves behind and jumping ahead into new lives, having made new decisions and leaving the past behind. But this season while they start out plunging ahead, as it is, if you don’t deal with your past stuff, it will come find you in one way or another. And then, of course, comedy ensues!
Follow this leading beauty on Twitter @zadegan and Instagram @necarzadegan
