[IMG:L]Gearing up for the next season of The Ghost Whisperer, Jennifer Love Hewitt stopped by Comic-Con to greet her fans, sign autographs and get the press up to speed on the third installment of her hit CBS drama.
In The Ghost Whisperer, Hewitt stars as Melinda, an antique store owner with the ability to communicate with the dead. As she struggles to balance her career, marriage and friendships she strives to help her ghosts cross over into The Light.
On the show’s mythology: There is a philosophy that the closer somebody gets to the light, the darker the darkness becomes and it wants to attack the light. I think what’s interesting about sort of the mythology that they’re talking about this season, and in sort of making the show so-called ‘darker’ is that I think what people love about Melinda is that she is the light and she will always be the light. She’s the kind of person that no matter how much the dark tries to squash her, they will win at times. But I really believe, and I want people to believe with this show, that good always wins out and it will win out.
On Melinda’s super natural visitors: Sometimes I’m like, “Why is she afraid?” This happens every day. The way that I sort of think of it is that Melinda’s need to sort of be this normal girl, who just owns an antique store and is married to a really nice man and wants to learn how to cook and all of these things. That she focuses on so much on that, that even she sometimes is caught off guard by the fact that her day starts off pretty much the same way every single day. It just sort of catches her off guard and scares her.
On being a natural psychic: I’ve been heightened. I think that everybody has this sort of natural sensitivity to that stuff. It’s just whether you choose to pay attention to it or not. Definitely being on this show and working 17 hours a day, it’s been tough for me to ignore that part of myself. So it’s definitely been heightened. It’s not something that I really pay attention to that much. I kind of let Melinda sort of have that side of things. But I definitely have sort of opened my mind and heart to it.
[IMG:R]On intuition: I’ve been able to learn to intuitively sort of judge people better, which is helpful in life, because you can kind of know the people to sort of invest your time in and the people maybe not to, and people that have really good positive energy and maybe the people that have scary energy, and you’re like, “Get away.” That’s more sort of the thing. I haven’t really seen any ghosts walking around or anything like that. But it’s definitely sort of opened my brain up to it more.
On relating to her character: There’s a lot of me in Melinda. The biggest thing that I sort of identified with, with the character is her empathy. I’m the kind of person who almost to an exhausting level will try to take on other people’s problems and help them with whatever I can or wake up at four in the morning and be there for somebody, if that’s what they need. I think that’s very much the way Melinda feels about all people her life, but particularly her ghosts. She’s defined by the people that she helps and crosses over every week. She’s not who she is if they’re not there needing her. I feel that way very much about what I get to do for a living. I wouldn’t feel like myself if I didn’t sort of get to emote something or entertain people and bring them something, whether that’s happiness, or sadness or whatever it is for the moment. I would feel like a part of me was gone…Then her just undying need to be accepted and loved. I think all creative people and artists have an insecurity about that. We all sort of want to be accepted on some level.
On appealing to the audience: I think as a show, we try really hard to, not to just make a TV program. I know I try to really put my heart and soul into every word I say on that show and send as much sort of goodness and light as I can through my performance to people. So that hopefully, whether they’re scared or they laugh, or whatever their reaction is, that they feel like they’re on a different level when they’re done watching it. And they feel good and fulfilled like a really good snack. You know? Where you feel like yummy, and you’re like, “I’m so glad I ate that. That was awesome”…Probably a banana split is what I’m thinking right about now.
[IMG:L]On Delia replacing her best friend Andrea: [Camryn Manheim] is going to be returning [as Delia]…I was like, “I don’t really know how Melinda’s going to respond to sort of having a new best friend.” I think what this friend has done really well, at least in my opinion, is not to make that relationship that goes straight to slumber parties and laughter and everybody accepting her right away…through Delia being unaccepting of who Melinda is…what she’s really forced Melinda to do is accept who she is really as a person. Melinda said to her in an episode, “Love me, love my ghost.” I don’t think, without Delia being in the show…that Melinda would have ever gotten to that point. Because Melinda is somebody who finds it much easier to just sort of say, “Okay, I’m this weird, kind of freakish person that’s been made to feel weird my whole life. I’m fine with it. You guys, don’t believe in it. Don’t do this.” Delia’s really caused her to sort of step up…There will only be one Andrea in Melinda’s life and I actually think that that’s probably okay.
On Melinda’s mother: We actually just did an episode where we find out some very interesting things about Melinda’s mom and sort of how she fits into the Grandview world and everything. I’m not really sure what else they have planned, but she’ll definitely be back. It’s an interesting relationship between Melinda and her mom.
On Melinda singing: Question: I would love too. They’ve thrown around a couple of ideas of maybe meeting a musical ghost or two and somehow figuring out how to do that.
On Melinda traveling: I would love that…Like Hawaii…He died in a surf accident. I see it. It’s fantastic. He had too many Mai Tais and got in the ocean.
The Ghost Whisperer returns to CBS September 28, 2007
