Exclusive Interview: Liv Tyler talks about new HBO show 'The Leftovers', and her departure from films

Dystopian shows are the rage right now. All things in which man's survival, and basically his humanity are questioned, works well with TV audiences. So AMC has 'The Walking Dead', TNT has 'Fallen Skies', The CW has 'The 100', and 'The Leftovers' is HBO's answer to all these shows.

This new HBO drama series created by Damon Lindelof, of 'Lost' fame, will focus on a mystery driven plot and is based off of Tom Perrotta’s bestselling novel of the same name. The Leftovers doesn't seem like your run of the mill 'survival story after the apocalypse' show, it's quite an original look at the Biblical Rapture.

Liv Tyler, known world wide for her portrayal of Arwen in 'The Lord Of The Rings' trilogy, plays Meg, a character who's got a picturesque house and a handsome fiancé. But still something doesn't seem right, and it seems, Meg will do whatever it takes to figure out what that is. Here are some of her insights about the show, her character, and the move from films to television.

Q. What drew you to The Leftovers, and to the character of Meg?

I have been really interested in everything that’s been going on in television for the last few years, and in the back of my mind, I was looking for something in television. This was shooting in New York, where I live, and I have a son, and he's in third grade, so shooting at home really appealed to me. And in the script, Meg was a 20-something-year-old redhead, so clearly I was perfect for the part!

I hadn't read the book at that point, and even though there were only two scenes in the pilot script that she was in, I completely fell in love with this woman. It's only happened to me a couple other times, but I always say, it's sort of like falling in love - you can't explain it, it just happens in an instant. I like the whole idea that this event happens, but the story is not about the event; it's about human beings and their journey and their pain afterwards. I'm always very attracted to ensemble, character-driven stories, so I liked that aspect a lot too.

How is working in TV different from working on a movie?

It's completely different. On a movie you have a script and it's got a beginning, a middle and an end, and you know exactly what's going to happen to your character.  You get a schedule, and everything is mapped out - you know that on Tuesday in three weeks’ time you're going to have a day off. In television, never know when you're going to work, you're sort of on hold for five months. 

I definitely had a minute where I was struggling to find my place in it, or to feel like I was totally connected to it. I had a moment where I had to realize that I had to feel comfortable not being in control, comfortable in the unknown. You learn to trust your own instincts and get to know your character on a deeper level without asking anybody else's opinion. 

There’s a scene in the pilot where your character hits Amy’s character. You’re such a softly spoken person, it's very hard to imagine you getting violent -  how did you find shooting that scene?

It was really interesting because anger is not an emotion I feel very often. It takes a lot to piss me off. I was terrified about doing that scene. I didn't know what I was going to do or what was going to happen; it's not something that you can rehearse or practice - you just have to get yourself into a state and then let something out. And somewhere inside of me there's some rage in there, either it's been laying dormant - like a dragon in the center of the earth - or I just didn't even know it existed. But then I got kind of into it. 

Meg has a certain trajectory in the book, which I understand is not necessarily exactly the same in the show. Were you concerned about her journey when you read the book? 

Oh God, all the time.  Once we were all cast, Damon told all of us – including Justin - that our character's fate was undecided, which is an incredible motivation.  We do the best work that we can all the time and we don't really know what's going to happen for our characters. 

Meg’s look – and that of the other members of the Guilty Remnant – is quite stark. How did you feel about appearing on screen with no make-up at all? 

There's nothing you can do. On the very first day, my makeup artist was a bit shocked and worried – we were given really specific notes, so she was literally put no makeup on me. I was like, listen, if you do that, I'm going to go in my trailer and do it myself. I said, there's a way that you can be totally raw but cover certain things. It wasn't to make myself prettier - it was just that the reality is too realistic when it comes to no makeup! There's just stuff you don't want to see. But there’s a big difference in my look between the pilot episode and the rest of the episodes. 

How did you get on with the constant smoking that the role – and the Guilty Remnant – demand? 
 
I smoke Parliaments, but whatever is in the herbal cigarettes that we smoke for the show, it doesn’t agree with me. It's happened to me twice: On a movie called Super, I once had to smoke a bong of that stuff and I had no idea, and I passed out and had to be taken away and it took me a couple hours to get better.

Do you ever miss making enormous films like The Lord of The Rings? 

There's something amazing about being 25 and getting on a plane and going to New Zealand, and being able to just completely be in your work and not think about anything else. It’s very freeing. Now there are other struggles: I get up and walk Milo to school and make him breakfast, and then I have to go and beat somebody up, and then figure out what's for dinner and when I'm going to be home. It’s a different kind of balance. It's the more grown up version of being an actress.

Your first major starring role was in Stealing Beauty – what was it like, making that film in Italy at just 18? 

Nothing has ever compared to the experience of that. I graduated from high school the day before I went away, and I turned 18 that summer – on my birthday, they roasted me a pig in the middle of a Tuscan farmhouse, with peacocks on the roof and bowls of cherries everywhere and I was always barefoot. It was magical.

We had a lot of time to enjoy the experience. We’d sit and drink tea and gossip - there was no rush with anything; we used to have big, beautiful feasts every day. Bernardo (Bertolucci) taught me so much. He used to always bring me over and sit me down and show me the monitor. He said: you may be the star of this film, but you're just a part of this painting in this shot. It's not all about you - it's a painting, a dance. 

Do you feel like this show, and making your debut in television, signals a new phase of your career?

I'm in a new phase of my life - it's a whole new chapter. I feel excited because it all feels new again somehow. I feel creatively fulfilled in a way that I haven't felt for a few years. I remember my grandmother kept saying to me: the best is yet to come, it hasn't come yet. And she meant that with love and with work, and Milo and everything, and I would say: Really Gigi? How's that possible? I can't see it. But now I'm here, and it’s true. I've been doing this for over 20 years or something totally bonkers, and there's been different waves and moment. Sometimes you lose your way a little, or something changes, and all you can do is be completely authentic and true to yourself and follow your heart. 

Has making The Leftovers given you a new lease of career ambition? Are there more projects you would like to take on now? 

I believe so much in fate with movies and projects, and that when it's meant to be, you find something or something finds you. I've been so happy just being home and being a good mom and going to work - my plate's been perfectly full, and I haven't wanted any seconds. I would say that I'm quietly ambitious, but I'm not aggressively ambitious. I have a tremendous amount of goals and dreams, but I believe that everything happens when it's meant to happen and you can't force that hand. Sometimes there are such great lessons in the moments when you're in the waiting room.

Catch the latest episode of 'The Leftovers' every Sunday on HBO Defined at 8:00pm