There are few characters on television like Californication’s devilish, manipulative, 16-year old sexpot Mia Lewis, played by the talented and beautiful Madeline Zima. In the series first season, Mia almost ruin’s the main character Hank’s life by a) hooking up with him and subsequently forcing him to do her bidding by threatening to tell his ex Karen b) announcing that she hooked up with Hank at her dad’s wedding, and c) stealing Hank’s unpublished manuscript and passing it off as her own. It makes you wonder what’s next for the world’s most maniacal 16-year old?
"I feel like I’d like to see her happy and maybe a little more well adjusted, but that’s no fun to watch,” Madeline ponders for a moment. “I would like to see her devolve . . . maybe take the psychotic turn for the worse. Then I’d get to play some things I’d never do in real life, which would be kind of fun.”
Did you realize you were making a hit show when you were filming the first season?
I don’t think that anyone ever realizes something like that. I mean maybe sometimes you’re like, ‘Oh I really think this is going to be good’. We enjoyed it, I don’t that we thought too many people would be pleased with the nun giving a blowjob in a fantasy sequence.
Were you worried about any backlash from some of the racier scenes?
No not really, I can’t really change the way someone thinks of me, they can think whatever way they want. If I really let that affect me, I think that would make me crazy, so I try not let that stuff effect me.
Your character is such a bad girl, has it been a challenge for you as an actress to play Mia?
Yeah, at certain points there were some challenges rationalizing and justifying the things that Mia does, but that’s what makes the role so good. It is a little bit challenging—you never know what she is going to do next, and what kind of crap she’s going to pull. It keeps things really interesting for me as an actress.
The sex scene from the first episode was an iconic moment for the series. Were you aware of it when you auditioned for the role?
It was something that attracted me to the role to be honest because even though nudity was something that I hadn’t done before, I thought that the idea of a woman being in that power position and getting a little rough with the guy is something that I’ve rarely ever seen before. A lot of times you see men getting rough with women on camera or whatever, and it's nice to see a role reversal whenever possible.
How did you get comfortable enough to go nude?
Sometimes I look back and I still can’t believe that I did that. You go into acting mode and your character takes over and you don’t really associate yourself with what’s going on. It’s like a disassociation, so maybe that’s how I got through it. Everyone made it easy for me to be comfortable on set because they were so professional.
Why do you think Mia punches Hank?
I personally think that Mia does it to stand out in a crowd. She has gone in the book store hoping that he’ll be there so she can seduce him. She’s even put on a fancy outfit and done her hair and stuff. She knows his reputation for being such a ladies man. She wants to be that one girl, who is half punishing him and reminding him who she is, because she’s obsessed with him.
There is a lot of dramatic and sexual tension built off that sex scene. Do we see the same type of tension in season 2?
It’s not as prevalent. There is always tension between me and Hank. A lot times, it’s not necessarily a good kind of tension, I think that will always sort of be there, because Mia will always carry a torch for her first love.
There is a lot of sex on this show. Do you think the show will be tamed down since your costar David Duchovny has checked into rehab for sex addiction?
We’ve already filmed the second season, so that won’t be affected. I don’t really know if it’s going to affect his work at all, and I don’t really think work effects his personal life.
Do you think the audience will read too much into season 2?
I can’t read the minds of the viewers of the show. I’m sure either way, people are going to want to watch the show more, hopefully.
For a former child star, it’s amazing you’ve stayed out of trouble. What has kept you so grounded?
I don’t really hang out in LA too much. I lived in LA for 6-months and it was kind of soul crushing. Once I got out of there, I was feeling a lot more like myself again.
Just being around my family is number one for me, because they are with me through thick and thin, and they don’t care what I do. I guess it’s having people in your life who really care about you, and won’t let you get out of touch with reality.
You were in The Nanny, Mr. Nanny, and The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. Who has been your favorite on-screen Nanny?
I would have to say somewhere between. I really did like doing Mr. Nanny—it was a lot fun. We were in Florida, filming at this beautiful mansion, and Hulk Hogan was so nice. I enjoy watching The Hand that Rocks the Cradle a lot because I was 5 when I did that, and looking back on it, it’s just incredible to watch myself at such a young age. It’s like I have the ultimate moving baby pictures.
Californication returns to Showtime Sunday night at 10 pm.