<< back                                       November 28, 2005
Irish Echo Online
Author: Karen Butler-McCully

After playing Debra Barone on the hit sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond" for nine years and starring as a winemaker in the upcoming TNT romance, "The Engagement Ring," Irish-American actress Patricia Heaton can probably be considered an honorary Italian.

"I think it's in the genes somewhere. Irish. Italian. There's not that much difference," the 47-year-old actress laughed during a recent phone interview with the Irish Echo. "I think that with the Italians, it's a lot about eating and with the Irish, it's a lot about drinking. Just different ways to get your calories."

In her delightful new TV movie, which is something of a cross between "Sideways" and "Moonstruck," Heaton plays Sara Anselmi, a beautiful Italian-American woman who has big dreams for the California vineyard of her parents, Alicia and Johnny (Lainie Kazan and Chuck Shamata.)

When Sara finds the perfect grapes to add to those of her family's, she tries to convince her mother to buy a nearby vineyard, so they can concoct a new wine. The problem is the property belongs to Nick Di Cenzo (Tony Lo Bianco,) the man Alicia thinks jilted her 40 years earlier, causing decades of, well, sour grapes between the two families.

What Alicia doesn't know is that Nick mailed her a written proposal and engagement ring years earlier, but it was lost by the post office and what Nick doesn't know is his former love never got it, meaning both parties think the other broke up with them. Adding to the drama is the fact that Sara now finds herself torn between her workaholic fianc¨¦ Brian (David Hunt) and Nick's handsome, roguish nephew, Tony (Vincent Spano), as she tries to heal the rift between the two clans -- and create the perfect Cabernet-Merlot blend.

"I loved the script," Heaton declared. "That was one of my big things: it had to be super-super romantic... The first reason I wanted to do it was because it was set in Napa. I just thought, 'This is great.' It's really funny and multi-generational and so I was really excited about all of those elements."

The mother of four boys, who, along with her husband and co-star David Hunt, produced the feel-good flick, confides she was especially thrilled to read a script that was about the love lives of people over the age of 21.

"That is my favorite part of the movie: my parents' romantic life and their past romantic life and speaking about them when they were young and I think that is really neglected and it has so much depth to it," she noted.

The Emmy Award-winning actress says she also loved working on the movie because it gave her the chance to spend some time in gorgeous locations like Victoria, Canada and California's Napa Valley.

"We did two days in Napa and it was just spectacular," she recalled. "It was so worth the cost of going there for the production because you just don't get the vistas that you get in Napa anywhere else."

Asked why she thinks there has been a sudden surge of interest in anything wine-related, she replied, "I think there is a lot of romance attached to food and wine.

"There is something that is very tactile and immediate and, as I said, there is only one way to do it," she observed. "You can't grow grapes in a test tube. You're in the soil and watering and feeding and nurturing and care-taking and I think there is something about that that people want to be connected with."

Tecnology bytes

While working out the love lives of two generations of families, the movie also shows how technology can clash with Old-World tradition. Although a computer and tracking number probably could have prevented the feud between Alicia and Nick, we see technology actually drive Sara and Brian apart. As Brian's constantly ringing cell phone, ever-present Blackberry hand-held computer and gift of a high-definition television wear on Sara, a thoughtful woman who would rather enjoy a glass of wine while pouring over family photos or listening to a record album, the audience sees how our ability to maintain constant communication with each other can actually get in the way of romance.

The always-busy Heaton says she is grateful for technological advances that allow us to stay in touch with people, but warns it is important not to let such devices take over our lives.

"I think we all yearn for our roots and we yearn for community and we realize, as we get older, how important family is and your family history is, but I think we are all thankful to live in the day and age that we do with all the technology that makes our lives better and easier and safer. So, it's how do you not get lost in all that technology? How do you preserve what's good about doing things the old-fashioned way? I think it's necessary in this day and age when people don't necessarily stay in the place where they grew up or where their families are, it helps people stay connected."

Fortunately, Heaton was able to bring her brood along while she and Hunt made "The Engagement Ring." Although she relished the time she had with her family, she admits mixing her home and work lives could be hectic at times.

"My husband plays my fianc¨¦ in this and that was really interesting," she laughed. "That was a bit of an adjustment. It was a big project for us because we were with all four kids up there and we were juggling being with the kids and filming and all that kind of thing, so it was a little bit strenuous, but we eventually got into a groove and we were able to work out a system.

"But I'm used to the sitcom," she continued. "Four cameras, a four-day-a-week schedule from 10 to 4. So, to shoot a minimum of 12 hours a day was like a shock to my system and it made me appreciate how hard film actors work and it made me appreciate my own schedule on a sitcom, which I'm going to hurry back to as soon as I can find another one because this one was too much like work."

So, does that mean Heaton is on the lookout for a new show?

"I have a development deal with ABC," she revealed. "So, I've been working on putting something together. I don't know yet (if it will be another family sit-com.) I'm not really sure what it's going to be. It's in the very primitive stages."

One of the main reasons Heaton is so anxious to go back to sit-com work is because it still allows her to spend much more time with her family than a film production would.

"I don't know how anyone keeps their family together working on a film," she said. "The hours are very, very long. So, it's tough."

That said, Heaton is quick to add she thinks ending the smash hit "Everybody Loves Raymond" after nine years was the right thing to do.

"I feel, as I think everybody on the show felt, that we really did everything we could with 'Raymond' and we didn't leave any stone unturned, so I think that made it very easy to walk away from it," she said.

Now that the series has ended, Heaton says she is being offered many different kinds of roles, not just variations on her harried mom character, Debra, from "Raymond."

"I just played Barbara Bodine, who is the ambassador to Yemen, for an ABC project about 9/11 and I've been seeing parts that are really nice parts for strong characters and it's not just about being a mom, which I also love and which is important, but I think there is a lot out there that I'm interested in doing and people seem open."

Somewhere in between taking care of the kids, developing, producing and acting, Heaton says she would love to take a trip to Ireland.

"I'm from Cleveland and it's very Irish there," she said. "I haven't been to Ireland yet, but my husband is British and we're planning on getting the kids over there at some point because he's been there and he has said how wonderful it is. Everyone tells us how wonderful it is. So, one of my ambitions is to get over there and since I've taken up golf, I'd like to do some golfing over there."

"The Engagement Ring" is set to air on TNT on Nov. 28.