Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
TwitThis
Arrows and Acting
RD: Mackenzie is a force for good. She's against torture, she's for better education, but she's not afraid to bomb other countries.Davis: In the first five episodes she whipped out the military three times. I think this is part of what we would want a President to be like, and perhaps why male viewers are enjoying the character as much as women. We feel we can trust someone who is not afraid to back up what she says.
RD: I haven't seen her blow up at her kids, either. You've got three little ones. Are you this way?
Davis: I can be rattled, but I never have lost my temper or raised my voice. Ever. Maybe this comes from having spilt my milk too many times as a kid and hearing about it. I'm just not into yelling or shaming.
RD: You had your children in your late 40s. Why did you wait so long?
Davis: I knew I would have kids, but waiting is not exactly the wisest course. Still, I believe it worked this way because that's how it was supposed to work. I am a much better mother now than I would have been. I think the way I am able to be an integrated person is a better role model.
RD: Your two most beloved roles -- Thelma in Thelma & Louise and now Mackenzie -- have been women who break tradition.
Davis: I look for roles that break the mold, both because I want to do the fun stuff and because I want to play roles women can enjoy and feel good about.
RD: Watching your movies, I never realized you were six feet tall. Did you ever have a complex about that?
Davis: Oh, God, yes. I was always not just the tallest girl, but the tallest kid, in the class. Even in the kindergarten graduation picture, there's me in the back -- huge. And when other kids were having boyfriends, I was a lot of people's funny friend, but nobody's dream date. I was so happy when I stopped growing.
RD: Surely you didn't really suffer from a lack of dates?
Davis: I had one date in high school, and he didn't ask again. Then I went off to Sweden for my senior year, and suddenly I had a fresh start. They didn't think of me as the really tall girl there!
RD: How do you manage a high-pressure job, a marriage -- to a plastic surgeon no less -- and kids?
Davis: The job is just a killer. Hour-long TV dramas are the hardest job in the business. But frankly I am able to make it work because actors have it easier than your average bear. We get indulged, no question. My kids come to the set every day, trash the Oval Office, whatever ... Someone who has a demanding job as head of a corporation can't have the kids underfoot in the boardroom. My husband is in surgical training. We never thought it could happen that I would work more, but he finishes work and comes to the set too.
RD: Your husband, Reza, is from Iran, right?
Davis: No, he's from Queens, New York. His folks came over from Iran a few years before he was born.
RD: How did you meet?
Davis: My dog bit him.
RD: You're kidding. Where?
Davis: Do you mean "in a parking lot" or "on the ass"? [Silently laughs.] Actually, it was in a friend's house. I had stashed my dog in my friend's house, a neighbor of Reza's, and Reza dropped over to say hi. No one was there but this unfamiliar dog, who decided she should protect the house. She bit him on the butt -- broke the skin but nothing lethal -- as he jumped the fence to get away. When we met, I thought, Who is this cute guy who's going to sue me? I knew we were both attracted. He was very sweet.
RD: He's 34. Was he bothered by your age difference?
Davis: No, not really. And now it doesn't even cross our minds. We are very much in sync.
RD: How does he handle being Mr. Geena Davis?
Davis: I've always been more well known than him; that was always part of the deal. And I think younger men are just more comfortable with a disparity like that -- age or income or status. They are more likely to have been raised by a woman who thinks differently about women's roles and such. Or maybe their fathers are cooler. And Reza has tremendous self-confidence. He's not judging his worth compared to me.
RD: Is part of the strength of the marriage that he's a "civilian," meaning not in show business?
Davis: It makes it interesting that we have jobs the other knows nothing about, and can amuse each other that way. But it's his character and personality that make the difference -- his ability to not only accept but embrace the things I do. He jokes about it. "How am I going to compete with an actress who almost made it to the Olympics?" I don't have to pretend to be "less" to get approval.
RD: Tell us about archery. How did you choose that sport?
Davis: I had learned so many sports for my roles in the '90s -- baseball, pistol shooting, fencing, tae kwon do, horseback riding -- and I finally realized I had untapped athletic ability. My shooting coach said I had such a natural ability that I could compete, and I thought, How fun! But, guns? You can't exactly practice in your yard. Then I saw archery on TV at the Atlanta Olympics and was taken by how beautiful and dramatic it is. I found a coach. It turned out I was good at it, worked really hard, and was at the Olympic trials two and a half years later.
RD: How did it compare to acting?
Davis: There are no opinions involved, nothing but your actual skill. It was such a difference from my day job. And that is why I would never do skating or gymnastics. There are JUDGES!!
Advertisement 
