Alex Kingston at the Crossroads

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Alex Kingston at the Crossroads

Actress Alex Kingston is probably best known in the U.S. for her work on the TV show "ER." However, she feels that her best acting work has been in Britain.

As the 46-year-old actress gets closer to 50, she finds herself considering more and more returning to England permanently.

When auditioning in the U.S., she says she frequently will hear the she's exactly right for the part, but they "want to go a little younger."

In fact, when she was written off "ER," she said it was because the producers thought she was too old.

She now says that isn't true; it was a flippant remark made when she was devastated about her role ending.

Nonetheless, while she does still get good roles in the States (returning for the final season of "ER" and playing a lawyer on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"), she still gets her most work in the UK.

There, she played Nurse Ratched opposite Christian Slater in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and Mrs. Bennet in the ITV show "Lost in Austen."

She also says she's the right age to be doing Shakespeare, and she just spent five months in a remote Scottish village filming a new drama for BBC1, "Hope Springs."

However, she says, her 8-year-old daughter, who has grown up in the United States, is happy here, so she's reluctant to leave.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Julianna Margulies Can't Count on This Emmy

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Julianna Margulies Can't Count on This Emmy

In her first season on "ER," Julianna Margulies received a best supporting actress Emmy.

Although she (and, at some point during the season, all other actors from the first season of the show) was in this week's episode, she won't be eligible for a guest star Emmy.

The rules for the Emmys state that guest stars must be credited as such. Margulies (as well as Noah Wylie, George Clooney, and Eriq LaSalle) were credited along with the rest of the cast regulars.

By contrast, Susan Sarandon was credited as making a "special appearance," while Ernest Borgnine was listed as a "special guest star."

Margulies is the only series regular ever to have won a performance Emmy, though the series itself has won a number of awards.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Angela Bassett To Direct

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Angela Bassett To Direct

Angela Bassett is set to make her directorial debut on the film "United States." She will be co-producing it with her husband, Courtney B. Vance.

The independent feature is based on the novel "Erasure" by Percival Everett and is being described as a dramatic comedy.

In addition to this being Bassett's directing debut, this will also be the first film produced by Bassett/Vance Prods.

The adaptation is written by Dwayne Johnson-Cochran and concerns an author who writes a faux autobiography.

Until she helms "United States," Bassett can still be seen weekly on "ER" and, as mentioned previously in this blog, recently appeared in "Notorious."

Gina Wilhelm Actress