Issue date: Oct. 3, 1999

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Interview: Kelli Williams

Who's News: You survived last season's knife attack. Is there a wedding in your future on The Practice?

KW: I survived and you see the attacker again. As for the engagement, we move forward in our relationship. I have no idea what (producer) David (Kelley) has in store. It would be kind of nice to do something different. Does mid-America really want him (McDermott's Bobby Donnell) married, not to be available? If we do break up, I'm going to be the one doing it!

WN: Does your husband, screenwriter Ajay Sahgal, mind the steamy love scenes with McDermott?

KW: Sure, it bothers him, but he writes those kinds of scenes himself. I tell him it had to be somebody's wife. Strangely enough, you get to used to it. It's so far from intimate, you've got the boom guy making sure your pasties are on straight.

WN: Your mother Shannon Wilcox is an actress. Did she give you advice on the business?

KW: She didn't really get into advice, but she of course influenced me. She did Six Weeks and The Border, with Jack Nicholson. When I grew up, I would run lines with her. That sort of was my acting school. At Beverly Hills High, we had New York-quality sets. It was kind of ridiculous. They'd have sitcom cameras so we could actually film scenes.

WN: You seem to be pretty grounded, coming from such a background.

KW: My neighbors were Johnny Carson and Sonny and Cher. At Beverly Hills High, some kids' values are questionable, when people have that kind of serious money. I lied about my address. I moved to Bel Air and Brentwood. My father (plastic surgeon John Williams) did wonderfully well. My mother kept me grounded. We had all these animals. I had a goat named Kiddo; she saved my life once. Doberman pinschers lived down the alley, they came charging at me and my little billy goat put her head down and nailed them. I was 10 at the time.

WN: How has The Practice changed your life?

KW: It's a whole new thing now, being offered jobs. And nowadays, people do recognize me when I go to restaurants and stuff. The weirdest thing is for my parents. My dad goes to his country club, Richard Crenna is a member there. They'll compliment me to him. Now he says, 'I'm not just John Williams anymore. I'm Kelli Williams' father.'

WN: What's it like being a TV star and mother?

KW: The lucky thing is I get to bring (toddler son Kiran) to work with me. When I was nursing, it was hard because I had to run around. My dressing room is kid-friendly haven, and there's a day-care here that (producer) David Kelley started and he'll go and play there. It's hard when I have major stuff to memorize. One time he came to the set, I was about ready to rehearse. He made the littlest sound, and I couldn't remember my lines to save my life. I became mom and I couldn't concentrate to become actress.

WN: What did you do before The Practice?

KW:I started when I was 18, right out of high school, 10 years ago now. For years, I wanted to be a free agent, I just wasn't ready to take on a series. I'm happy to sign on now. I finally came to my senses. It's not a bad thing to do a TV show. I did a lot episodic stuff, movies of the week, a couple of films that weren't seen by anybody.

WN: You just finished shooting Flowers for Algernon.

KW: It's for CBS, with Matthew Modine. He's so good to work with. Doing The Practice is a gas, but it's fun to work with someone entirely new during the summer. (Modine) was just incredibly giving. It's so sad, a tearjerker. It's going to air for February sweeps.

WN: You do a lot of drama. Do you long to break out in a comedic role?

KW: I would love to do silly, comedic things. I'm really silly normally, a little clumsy. I'd like to do something completely different.