Tim Minear

Mircea Monroe ("Ellie Laird")

IGN TV: What can you tell us about your character on Drive?

Mircea Monroe: Ellie is married to Rob. He’s in the military and she doesn’t want him to go back, so she enters this race to keep him from going back to Iraq. But as the show progresses, things might not be what they seem. And she may make choices that surprise us.

IGN TV: What’s it like doing the green screen scenes?

Monroe: I’ve actually had experience with it for horror movies. I never knew that they would be so helpful to me! [Laughs]. But from that I kind of had an idea what it is. I’ve never been in a fake driving [scene], which is something you have to do right, because people relate to it. But I love it! You use your imagination and you’re really acting. You’re really making this world that is completely not there happen.

IGN TV: Riley told me he’s very happy with the car you drive on the show.

Monroe: Yeah, he loves it. I kind of could care less.

IGN TV: [Laughs] Okay! That’s what I was going to ask.

Monroe: I mean it’s fine. But in this, speed isn’t necessarily the most important thing. You have to figure out clues and you have to use wit and there’s all these different dynamics that are happening. It’s fine though. It’s worked for us so far! It’s in good working order, so I guess that’s good.

IGN TV: How’s Tim Minear to work with?

Monroe: Perfect. He’s smart, he’s witty, he’s considerate. He’s available if you need him for anything. He’s fantastic.

IGN TV: Are you someone who likes to ask a lot of questions after you get a part, about what’s to come?

Monroe: Oh my god, yeah. Riley was like, "Shut up!" Well not as far as what’s to come, because that, pretty much from the beginning, we knew we wouldn’t know anything. So it was kind of decided from the beginning to just go with it and there weren’t answers for the questions. But I love to, on sets, just ask everything, so I know that I can be solid. That’s how I work. I like to know everything.

IGN TV: What kind of questions? Just about your character and her back story?

Monroe: That, but once there weren’t answers for that you just have to live in it and be present. But just as far as the way things work, or in a scene, if possible, I want to see playback of what’s happening, or where we’re looking. Kind of the normal stuff, but really meticulous sometimes... but I’m trying to let that go, in my real life. [Laughs].

IGN TV: You have a large cast, but you don’t work with most of them. Is that a strange experience?

Monroe: Initially, a little bit, but now we all know each other. There’s some scenes that we’re all in, in passing. And there’s some scenes, as the show goes on, where partners have the possibility of switching up, so that happens. And at this point, because we’re up to episode six, we all know each other, and all have good relationships, and good rapport... Know each others names, and all that good stuff... Finally! It would be like, "What’s...?"

IGN TV: [Laughs] "It’s that guy!"

Monroe: "It’s that guy, who I’m on a show with! F**k, what’s his name?!" No, everybody, we get along so well. It’s really a blessing. It’s such a blessing.

IGN TV: We always hear that to get cast on a network series, you go through hell.

Monroe: It’s definitely an intense, emotional ride, for sure. But I’d done two other pilots, which is less than a lot of people on the show. Like Riley I think has done ten, which is crazy! That makes me want to hang myself! Not doing them, but just the process... But the great thing with Drive is I had actually met them a year before, and read for them and auditioned. So I was aware of them and I thought very highly of them. It wasn’t such a foreign experience, you know? It was a very comfortable experience. And they were so kind and so articulate with what they wanted that it wasn’t awful. It was actually kind of enjoyable, which is nice!

IGN TV: So do you talk with the other actors about who might win the race? Are you rooting for your character?

Monroe: I haven’t really had that conversation. I’m not sure if other people have or have said that. But for me, that’s not really a concern right now, because winning doesn’t necessarily mean... Well, right now, winning means the money. But as an actor, we don’t really know the rules of the race. We don’t know when that happens how it’s gonna change up. It’s such little information that winning, in this case... Maybe the winner is dead in season two! Who knows? [Laughs]. I don’t really care about winning if it means keeping my job!