Gabrielle Anwar was the naughty young thing in "Scent of a Woman" and, more recently, the naughty less-young sister of Henry VIII on "The Tudors"; also, she plays a former IRA super-spy lady in "Burn Notice," now in its third season. We caught up with the England-born actress on a recent Friday afternoon in Miami.
Are you almost done with this Season 3 shooting?
We are presently shooting Episode 310, and we have 16. Can you hang on one second? I'm so sorry! [Some time passes.]
Who was that?
Oh, my God, I'm having the craziest day. My ex-husband is in charge of travel plans. We're leaving first thing in the morning, and suddenly it turns out my son doesn't have a passport. It's unforgivable. If I could divorce him, I would, but it's too late.
Is there a way to actually fix such a situation?
I'm calling in favors from anyone who's ever said they know someone in immigration. Even getting a human on the phone takes hours, and I'm not sure I can devote hours to this predicament.
Are you going to leave the kid behind?
I guess that's always an option, isn't it? It's not about him -- it's about the entire family having to cancel the vacation. Anyway! Breathing through it.
Are they U.S. citizens?
They were all born here. They were all produced in this country.
Where were/are you going?
Well, we're going to Virgin Gorda in the Caribbean. The whole system is so bloody antiquated! That one has to carry a book with a photo? Surely we could have chips in our brain like at the supermarket. I'm all for it.
Apart from major stress, how's your life in Miami?
When I'm not trying to get a passport in less than 24 hours, it's pretty good! It's an idyllic tropical dreamscape of a place to be.
Do you have friends and a life there since you've been part-time relocated?
I don't have very many friends. But I'm not really looking.
People do end up isolated on set.
It is a very isolative environment. It forces a sense of autonomy, and I suppose, I think, I may thrive on that kind of loneliness! That's the creature I am. It's so hard listening to myself talk about myself sometimes.
We can talk about other stuff! Did you ever become a U.S. citizen?
