Castle - LA Times Show Tracker: Susan Sullivan Interview

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LOS ANGELES TIMES SHOW TRACKER: Classic Hollywood: 'Castle's' Susan Sullivan reflects on varied road

The one-time Playboy Bunny who has been on stage and screen and currently stars in 'Castle' has had several career highs.

By Susan King
February 25, 2013

Sometimes Susan Sullivan, who plays the flamboyantly effervescent actress-mother of a mystery writer on ABC's hit "Castle," has needed a little career push.

And even a little padding.

While attending Hofstra University on Long Island 50 years ago on a drama scholarship, Sullivan was working in New York City doing showroom modeling to earn extra money.

"There was this big ad in the New York Times for Playboy Bunnys," she recalled. "Not that I wanted the job or I could even do the job because I was in school, but I wanted to see the Playboy Club because in the 1950s Playboy magazine was erotic, exciting and dangerous."

So she put some padding in her bra, wore a slinky dress from the showroom and went for an audition. "You had to try on the outfit," said Sullivan, with a laugh. She told the woman running the audition that she wasn't voluptuous enough for the Bunny outfit.

"She said 'get over yourself, everybody is padded to the hilt,'" she recalled...



... No one had to push Sullivan when it came to auditioning for the role of Martha Rodgers in "Castle," which stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, a mystery writer who helps solve cases with NYPD detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic). Castle shares his tony New York apartment with Martha and his teenage daughter Alexis (Molly C. Quinn).

"I think Susan is a remarkable actress and a fun actress," said Andrew W. Marlowe, the creator and executive producer of "Castle."

"I think her character was originally a lot broader," noted Marlowe. "But working with Susan and understanding what she could bring to the role — she could be broad and she could be grounded and be a terrific foil for Nathan's character — allowed us to actually evolve the character."

Sullivan imbued a lot of her late mother into the part ,especially Martha's joie de vivre.

"I even worked in one of her lines into the show," Sullivan said. "She would love to say-'Susan, you is who you is and if you ain't who you is, who is you?"'


Castle airs Monday at 10/9C on ABC. The next NEW Castle episode, 'Scared to Death,' airs March 18, 2013. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE EPISODE TRAILER.