New photoshoot! Téa Leoni on "Watch" Magazine - April 2015

A new interview with Téa Leoni about her role on Madam Secretary. Open each image on a new window for full size.

LEONI ROARS

THE STAR OF MADAM SECRETARY ON FLY-FISHING (LOVES IT), MORGAN FREEMAN (LOVES HIM), AND FINDING HER WAY BACK TO HOLLYWOOD (WE LOVE HER) 

Madam Secretary is about Elizabeth McCord, a beautiful, smart, driven woman who steered clear of politics for years until she finally came back. So it’s only fitting that’s she’s played by Téa Leoni, a beautiful, smart, driven woman who steered clear of TV for years until she finally came back. It’s not like the 49 year-old actress hasn’t been busy, of course: In between raising the two kids she has with ex David Duchovny, she’s been in everything from The Family Man to Spanglish to Tower Heist. So to quote her fellow CBS star LL COOL J, don’t call it a comeback… 

Watch!: Madam Secretary is the first big TV thing you’ve done in a while. 

Téa Leoni: I was trying to think- the last time was the final episode of The Naked Truth, which was 1997. It’s interesting, the parallels I felt between the character in D.C. and me in Hollywood. 

Watch!: How so? 

Leoni: I think [Elizabeth] pulled out of the government for ethical reasons! [Laughs.] Now she’s going back in with an idea that she’s going to keep her integrity intact. And the adjustment that it will be for her family…although my kids have grown up in this world. Their dad is very successful and well-know and my son Miller still actually thinks that the word for paparazzi is “asshole” – in fact I don’t think he knows that “asshole” means anything else other than paparazzi. When he was a little kid he’d say, “Look, there’s an asshole over there!” It had this delightful ring to it. 

Watch!: What did your kids say when you told them about going back to work full time? 

Leoni: It was a classic parenting moment- I’ve overthought it, I’m wondering when’s the right time to have this discussion, I’m thinking we won’t do it first thing in the morning and not right before bed… and it ended up we were just crossing Broadway and I say, “I’m not going to be around so much. You have to figure out how to handle a lot of independence. Latchkey and all that.” And Miller said, “Mom, we’re fine. I’m really proud of you. Besides, I was getting kind of sick of you.”