TV News – Page 16 – MaryEWinstead.net

New Mercy Street Interview

on January 11, 2016 by Jessica Comments Off

With Mercy Street premiering Sunday on PBS, a lot of new interviews with the cast will be making its way online in anticipation for the series premiere. The Fresno Bee caught up with some of the cast and execs of Mercy Street, and Mary shared some thoughts on her character:

Many of the characters are based on real people. They’re not the famous names that dominate most tales about the conflagration, but ordinary people like Mary Phinney, who kept a memoir of her experiences as a nurse in the hospital. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (“The Returned”) plays Phinney. “I was sort of cast somewhat last minute, and flew in and got started right away, and kind of dived into her memoir,” she says.

“So I was shooting this at the same time as I was discovering things about her. And I sort of gave everything over to these guys who were creating such an authentic environment, that I really felt like I was experiencing what she was experiencing when she first came to this hospital, and met all these people.

“And all of it is in her text as I’m acting it from day to day. And it was kind of a wonderful, special thing to be a part of and to bring to life. And I also felt I related to her so much and felt that her ideals and her views and what she was trying to accomplish and the way that she behaved was so contemporary – and so much like myself and people that I surround myself in my life now with.”

You can read the full interview by clicking on the link above.

Gallery Updates Mercy Street

Mercy Street episode stills

on January 7, 2016 by Paige Comments Off

Episode stills from the first 3 episodes of Mercy Street have been added to the gallery! Check them out by clicking the thumbnails:

Interviews Mercy Street

Behind the Scenes Interview on Mercy Street

on January 4, 2016 by Jessica Comments Off

The Daily Beast caught up with several of the Mercy Street cast earlier this year and went behind the scenes with them to share their experiences on filming, what they’ve learned and more. Below are some highlights on Mary’s thoughts where she shares most of her scenes with How I Met Your Mother actor Josh Radnor:

“Mary and Dr. Foster have a bit of an antagonistic relationship,” Winstead says. “Even though Dr. Foster is on the Union’s side, he doesn’t necessarily share her views on slavery. She’s a very staunch abolitionist, so she’s shocked by his cavalier attitude towards slavery, and his lack of commitment to the cause of ridding it.” The two also have “completely different views on medicine and how to go about doing things,” Radnor says.

On filming the show: “It’s been quite a challenge, but it’s been really exciting. I feel so inspired every minute by all the actors, and the direction, and the camera team, the art department. Everybody is working at such a high level that it really makes us all feel like we want to rise to the occasion.”

The actors also prepared for their roles by watching Ken Burns’ PBS documentary The Civil War.

“I love how human this series really is,” Winstead says, “and how you’re able to see characters on both sides of the war, and how they justify their actions in a way that we can relate to.”

Mercy Street premieres on PBS Sunday, January 17 at 10pm.

Mercy Street TV News

Mercy Street Blu Ray to be Released in February

on December 30, 2015December 30, 2015 by Jessica Comments Off

Once Mercy Street makes its debut on PBS January 17, the six part mini series will be hitting shelves on blu-ray February 2.

Set in Virginia in the spring of 1862, the program follows the lives of two volunteer nurses on opposite sides of the conflict; Mary Phinney, (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a staunch New England abolitionist, and Emma Green, (Hannah James), a naive young Confederate belle. The two collide at Mansion House, the Green family’s luxury hotel that has been taken over and transformed into a Union Army Hospital in Alexandria, a border town between North and South and the longest-occupied Confederate city of the war. Ruled under martial law, Alexandria is now the melting pot of the region, filled with soldiers, civilians, female volunteers, doctors, wounded fighting men from both sides, runaway slaves, prostitutes, speculators and spies.

No other details were provided, but you can pre-order the series over on Amazon!

Gallery Updates Mercy Street

New Mercy Street Photo and Interview

on December 22, 2015 by Jessica Comments Off

With Mercy Street debuting in less than a month, PBS has uploaded new character posters and some info on the new characters we’ll be introduced to. Here’s what Mary had to say about her character Nurse Mary Phinney:

Mary walks into a world that is much more chaotic and messy and wild than what she was anticipating, so it is kind of a whirlwind for her when she first gets there and sees how things really work. She’s a little bit set in her ways, a little bit uptight.

I think she believes that her way of thinking is the only possible and right way, and she is forced to open her eyes to a lot of different points of view and a lot of different types of people, and also to let go a little bit of her past and her own experiences and accept this new world she is in.

Head to the site to read the full character bio and be sure to head to the gallery to view the new character poster!

Mercy Street debuts on PBS January 17 at 10pm/9c.

Gallery Updates Mercy Street

New Alexandria Tour Photos

on November 16, 2015November 16, 2015 by Paige Comments Off

30 photos of Mary taking the Alexandria, VA tour with her Mercy Street costars have been added to the gallery. Check them out here or click the thumbnails:

Film Reviews Mercy Street TV News

First Mercy Street Review

on November 10, 2015 by Jessica Comments Off

The first review for Mary’s upcoming television mini series Mercy Street has come online courtesy of The Cavalier Daily. Here’s what they had to say about the show and Mary’s performance:

“Mercy Street” is based on the lives of nonfictional historical figures like Mary Phinney (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a nurse who struggles to reconcile her anti-Confederate sentiment with her responsibility as a nurse. She clashes with others at the hospital like Dr. Jedidiah Foster (Josh Radnor), who teaches her when people are dying, the color of their uniform does not matter: “blood isn’t blue or grey.”

“Mercy Street” expertly balances the typical thrills of a medical drama with the complicated political and social turmoil of the South during the Civil War. It does not hold back on showing the horrors of war, but it also infuses enough humor to keep the show light. “Mercy Street” is also visually stunning; it has all the sumptuous costume and set design one would expect from a PBS period piece.

The characters of “Mercy Street” are complex and dynamic, which is no small feat given the sprawling ensemble cast. These characters are brought to life through strong performances throughout the cast. As the conflicted Mary Phinney, Winstead is compelling to watch, as she skillfully portrays both Phinney’s uncertainty and determination to prove herself. She is a solid lead and someone the audience can root for.

You can read the full review by clicking on the link above.

Gallery Updates Mercy Street

Mercy Street @ Alexandria Film Festival Premiere photos

on November 10, 2015November 10, 2015 by Paige Comments Off

I have updated the gallery with photos from the premiere of Mercy Street last week at the Alexandria Film Festival. Check them out here or click the thumbnails:

Gallery Updates Mercy Street

Mercy Street Cast at Alexandria Film Festival

on November 6, 2015 by Jessica Comments Off

Yesterday, the Mercy Street cast which included Mary and her two female co-stars Hannah James and Tara Summers, attended the Alexandria, VA Film Festival where they got to premiere the show. Additionally, there was also a Q&A the cast did before at The Newseum in DC. Head to the gallery to check out all the new photos, or click on the thumbnails below.

Mercy Street will debut January 17 on PBS following the premiere of Downton Abbey.

‘Mercy Street’ Q&A at The Newseum

Gallery Updates Mercy Street

Mercy Street DC Premiere Plus New VA Tour Photos

on November 5, 2015November 6, 2015 by Jessica Comments Off

Last night was the Washington, DC premiere for Mercy Street. At the event, Mary posed with her co-stars Hannah James and Tara Summers. Head to the gallery to check out those photos, as well as new photos of Mary taking a tour of Alexandria, Virginia (where the show is set).

Touring Virginia