Edie Falco Scrubs in as Showtime's Nurse Jackie
Jan 15, 2009 04:56 PM ET by Tim Molloy 1 Comment

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
In Nurse Jackie, Edie Falco said she had much more input into her
character than she did while starring as Carmella Soprano.

It wasn't that The Sopranoswriters didn't welcome her ideas: "They
were totally open to input, but I didn't have any," Falco told
TVGuide.com. "Partially because I wasn't used to looking at it that
way, but also because we were all so in-sync. Every line that they
wrote for her was right on."

Sopranos' creator David Chase once suggested to The New York Timesthat
he wasn't a huge fan of actors telling writers what to write. "Actors
will say, 'My character wouldn't say that.' Who said it was your
character?" he joked.

Although Falco has plenty of chances to tweak the dialogue on her new
show's title character, a drug abusing nurse, she says she does so
sparingly.

"Every once in a while, even with this show, I'll say, 'No, this
doesn't feel right,' and I'll think, 'Well that's not you — it doesn't
have to feel right for you. Your job is to make it feel right for her,
make it appear as if it feels right for her.'"

But she contributes in other ways to Jackie, a dark half-hour comedy
Showtime plans to pair with Weeds later this year.

"I've been given more opportunities to contribute to dialogue, and
casting, I've been a big part of casting the other people. I came in
at the very last minute at Sopranos. It had been cast and they'd been
looking for Carmella for a long long time and I just kind of was
thrown into the mix and was on this boat with all these people that
were already on it."

One other difference: Jackie just wears scrubs — none of Carmella's
elaborate hair, nails, prints and fur coats.

"All done," Falco says.

What do you think? Are you excited to see the acclaimed actress carry
her own show?