Groundlings and Suits veteran Rachael Harris stars on the new FOX series Lucifer as Linda Martin, psychiatrist to the devil, in the drama which premieres Monday night, January 25, after Episode 2 of the new X-Files.
Linda has a very unconventional relationship with Lucifer. What kind of power do you think she has over him?
I don’t think Lucifer thinks that Linda yields any power over him, but she’s kind of armed with the truth and the ability to really ask him to tuck deep into his emotions. I think it’s very well established in the pilot that he’s having an existential crisis. He’s looking at it like we all do in certain parts of our life. “Is that really who I am? Is that really what I want to do? And how do I go about changing that,” when everyone sees you as one thing? It’s really hard when you are trying to branch out and get out of the role that your family has put you in; that you are the caretaker, or you are the problem child… when you’re like “no, I’ve got my [stuff] together, and that’s not really who I am.” I think everyone, universally, can relate to that, so that’s what we are doing in therapy. But also, Linda has her own stuff that she’s dealing with. There’s a reason that she’s open to participating in this relationship with Lucifer. I mean, he has an affect on people, but I think from a writing point of view, too, that this show is taking on a stance that he can draw it out of you, but it’s only if you really want to have it be drawn out of you. A lot of times it’s such a relief that we finally get something off our chest, even if we hate it about ourselves. There’s a sense of relief about that. And I think you either are open to that or not. I think that’s kind of what Chloe’s [seeing] – he’s not all powerful.
Will we get to see Linda outside of her little office?
You will get to see Linda outside of her office. She’s not going to be confined to just the office, but in the beginning, that’s my primary relationship, with Lucifer [in the office].
I think I would say “if it looks like a duck, if it walks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.”
The advice I would give to her, as Linda, would be “this is genuinely a person who is trying to find himself.” I think you can trust him, which is crazy to say – you can trust the devil – but everyone came from somewhere. Even Lucifer started out… he’s been dubbed the Fallen Angel for a reason. At one point he was an angel. So, there is a heart to him in there; it’s just been shrouded over by labels.
I’m not speaking from a theological point of view; I’m speaking from “Linda’s story” point of view.
Not familiar enough. I mean, I’ve watched a lot more Marvel than I am DC Comics, but I’m really getting into Gotham. I love Gotham! But I really love Ben McKenzie; I think he’s such a good actor. I don’t know where our show will end up going, but I do think it’s an insane world, but tonally, it takes things just as seriously [as Gotham]. But I think what’s great about our show is that it’s also like real life, where even at the worst place ever – you could be at a funeral with your family, and you could still find things that are funny, because that’s real.
With Gotham, it’s very heightened, and it’s very stylistic, and ours is, too, but ours is also a little more contemporary, present day. Wouldn’t it be great to get a powerhouse block of great DC Comics fun [with Gotham and Lucifer].
Would you like to see a crossover?
I would love to go analyze, like, Morena [Dr. Leslie Thompkins]. Wouldn’t that be amazing? I love crossovers so much. I was thinking about a Suits crossover, literally, and then I was like “oh, no. We can’t do that.”
Don’t miss the series premiere of Lucifer at 9PM ET/PT Monday night, January 25 on FOX! You can read more of KSiteTV’s Lucifer coverage here.
