Damages Glenn Close on series two of Damages

Be afraid, be very afraid... Glenn Close is back as the hard-as-nails Patty Hewes in a second series of BBC One's superior US legal drama Damages...

From the unhinged Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction to the scheming Marquise in Dangerous Liaisons, Glenn Close has played some pretty formidable women over the years. But she’ll have to go some to find anyone more skilled in the art of manipulation than Patty Hewes, her character in the wonderfully twisted legal drama Damages.

In the first series, the ruthless lawyer went to extreme lengths to win a case, including having a witness’s dog killed and ordering a failed hit on her young protege, Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne).

As the drama returns for a gripping second run this week, a vengeful Ellen is working with the FBI to bring down her boss, while a new case reunites Patty with a man from her past, scientist Daniel Purcell (William Hurt), with explosive information about a major energy company.

We caught up with Close for a cross-examination about what’s in store...

Is Patty more vulnerable after what’s happened? "Yes. She is suffering from post-traumatic stress over what she’s done. If she hadn’t been put in an incredibly vulnerable place by that, she would be inhuman. It’s interesting to see how she deals with it."

How was it working with William Hurt again? "It was great. I’ve known him for over 25 years, since we did The Big Chill, and he is a fantastic actor. He is brilliant in Damages."

Why is Patty such a compelling character? "She shares similarities with the Marquise de Merteuil, whom I played in Dangerous Liaisons. There is that dynamic of a woman maintaining her power in a man’s world, and how she is censured for it. Even people who love Patty think she is evil, although I don’t think they would if she was a guy. In her own strange way, she’s a role model for women."

She has some unorthodox methods..."Yes, but there are grey areas in everything. I have been amazed by the number of people who’ve come up to me and said: ‘I work in a law firm and Damages is true to life.’ My reaction is: ‘Really? That’s scary!’"

How do you rate Patty as a mother? "Patty has chosen her work over her son again and again. She probably shouldn’t have had a child, and what she says is true – that children ruin your ambition. My daughter said to me when she was about six: ‘I want all of you, all the time’. It was hard because I was a single working parent and, as she got older, I couldn’t take her with me all the time."


How much have you been involved in shaping her character? "In the first script they gave me she was still married to her first husband. I said that would be impossible given the pressures of the job and how she is. Now I’m a little sketchy on her life prior to her current husband. I don’t even know who the father of her still-born child is!"

As dog-lover, how did you feel when Patty had a witness’s dog killed? "I was horrified! I have dogs myself and I write a blog for a website called fetchdog.com."

What brought you back to television? "I just thought Patty was a really good part. I’ve worked in television since the beginning of my film career, at a time where it was considered crazy. I was told it would ruin my career but, if there is a great piece of material, why not do it?"

Damages is a very intense to watch. What is it like filming the show? "It is really good fun and we laugh a lot. There has to be some hilarity or it would be unbearable. It is a huge challenge though – very organic and immediate. I love the process; it is very fast and intense."

Is it a bonus that Damages is set in New York, where you live? "It was one of my criteria for doing Damages. I started my career in New York and have been there since 1974. I love going on public transport where I can look horrible and nobody cares. In Hollywood there would be somebody around with a camera trying to get a picture of me picking my nose or something."

For more on Damages and other great US dramas, visit our TV Spy blog!