2005 Interview: Tunney returns to Chicago

I found an old interview to Robin by Chicago Tribune in which Robin talks about "Prison Break", and the fact that she will shoot the series in her hometown Chicago.
To read the interview, click on Read More.
You can also find it in the Interviews Section.



Tunney returns to Chicago--and to TV
August 30, 2005
By Jimmy Greenfield, RedEye.


For actress Robin Tunney, coming home to Chicago to film "Prison Break" brings mixed emotions.
On the one hand, the 33-year-old Palos Heights native is excited about an extended family visit. On the other, she never had to worry about the wind-chill factor in L.A.
"I'm really scared about the winter," she admitted.
If "Prison Break" turns out to be a hit, Tunney, who moved to L.A. when she turned 18, could spend the next few years in Chicago playing tough lawyer Veronica Donovan. Some of Tunney's previous films and TV shows include "The Craft," "Empire Records" and a stint last year on the Fox series, "House, M.D."


What happens if this becomes the show that elevates your fame to the point you can't go out in public?
I try to go to work every day and try to make it the best I can make it. I've been in movies that were meant to be gigantic and they weren't, and everybody tells you before the movie comes out, "This is going to change your life."


I imagine you haven't had this long of a stint in Chicago since you moved away.
No, not since I was 18. It's kind of hard to come back for the holidays. You're constantly busy. You never get to just enjoy the city. At Christmastime you've got to go to this party, and pop in and see this aunt and that person. You don't get to just look around and remember how beautiful the city is.


Where have you been staying?
My cousin owns a building (on the North Side). He lives on the bottom [floor], and I live on the top.


What have you been able to do that you weren't doing on visits to Chicago?
I hadn't gone out on the lake since high school; that was really nice. And also just walking around. I have to say Chicagoans are incredibly friendly, talkative and trusting.


I would think being able to live in your hometown and work as an actor is pretty cool.
I know Joan Cusack does it, and Chris O'Donnell tried it for a while, but now he's in L.A. It's very difficult to live here and make a living as an actor because all of your meetings are in L.A. So you'd be on a plane half the time. Being able to be in Chicago is pretty exceptional.