Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies) Interview
Anna Friel and Lee Pace star in the hit US series that was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards.
Created and written by Bryan Fuller, whose previous credits include Heroes and Star Trek (Deep Space Nine and Voyager), Pushing Daisies follows the exploits of Ned (Lee Pace) a piemaker who can bring people back from the dead, and Charlotte ‘Chuck’ Charles (Anna Friel) his first love and the girl who he brings back to life.
But if Ned and Chuck ever touch she will die again – this time for good!
Together they investigate unexplained murders with the help of Emmerson Cod (Chi McBride) in a forensic fairy tale that has had rave reviews from all the American critics.
Lee Pace has previously taken lead roles in the movie The Good Shepherd and Soldier’s Girl (for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe) and starred in Bryan Fuller’s previous TV series Wonderfalls.
How would you describe your character in the show?
What I love about Ned is that he’s someone who gives life. He’s a good guy. He’s a good-hearted person. He brings positivity and generosity to people. His life is complicated, and he lives a very sheltered, funny life, but he’s got a gift. He’s not one of these antiheroes who’s going to destroy his life and everyone around him. We’re putting something out into the world that is a good thing.
What's the show about?
Pushing Daisies is about love and life. It’s about someone who can bring people back to life, but can also inadvertently kill people. What I think we’re going to see Ned gain through the course of the series is an appreciation for how good it is to be alive. That’s the addition that Chuck makes to his life – it’s good to be alive, it’s good to be out of The Pie Hole solving these cases. He learns how good life can be, how important this gift is.
It's a great adventure. It's so much fun to play as it gets more complicated. Bryan and the writers are making this world so rich. And I am so appreciative of working with someone like Anna. She works so hard and is not one of those actresses who is happy to just look pretty in front of the camera.
