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COVER STORY Nothing 'Missing' in Ashley Judd's return to series work By Jay Bobbin © Zap2it Suggest to Ashley Judd that her latest character is right in her wheelhouse, and she won't disagree. After playing heroines- against-all-odds in such mov- ies as "Kiss the Girls," "Double Jeopardy" and "High Crimes," the former "Sisters" regular is proud to say she's doing her own stunts for her television return in the ABC action-drama series "Missing," premiering Thursday, March 15. Judd stars as Becca Win- stone, whose son (Nick Evers- man) vanishes 10 years after he saw his CIA agent father (played by Sean Bean) appar- ently killed. She also was an intelligence operative, and she calls those skills back into play as her search takes her across Europe. "This was a really good fit for me," Judd says of filming "Miss- ing" on location. "It was only 10 episodes, which allowed me to stay really involved with the bal- ance of my life. It has the power of a network behind it, and the premise is simple and unforget- table. The producers made quite an impression on me, and as I look back on our season and the remarkable places where we filmed, what continues to stand out for me are the people ... the quality of the relation- ships, and how much I enjoyed all my co-workers." Still, Judd wasn't sure about doing "Missing" at first, though being overseas is something she's used to; she and husband Dario Franchitti — the two-time Indianapolis 500-winning race driver — maintain a home in Scotland. "As much as I like to travel, I also really like to be home," she notes. "I started to feel a little concerned about the length of the commitment, and a friend of mine sighed, 'Oh, my gosh. Eu- rope in the summer? How bad can it be?' And that took me out of my concern." As did actually going to the locations. "We started with two weeks in Croatia," Judd reports, "which is a country of which I'd heard but had never visited. It delivered absolutely everything that the tourism brochures promise. I could walk from our hotel, which was carved into the side of a cliff, to the seaside villa. I thought the first pool I swam in was magnificent, until I swam in the next pool. Then we moved on to places like Rome and Prague and Paris and Istanbul. It was quite an adventure." That description also applies to the plot of "Missing," since in the course of seeking her son, Becca is reunited with people from her past. Often not happily. "There's something of the reluctant hero in a lot of my characters," Judd reasons. "A common theme that I've played, and that audiences have en- joyed over the years, is that these women are pitched into extraordinary circumstances beyond their control. And yet each of them is able to rise to the occasion and kind of act out a wish fulfillment. "The writers would begin de- veloping every episode of 'Miss- ing' by asking, 'Where are we emotionally? What is happening in the hearts and souls of our characters?' Becca is con- fronted with an old lover and old enemies she has to ingratiate herself with, in order to procure their help again, and all of it is really intense. I think her arc will be satisfying to audiences." YouthAIDS and the International Center for Research on Women. "I do enjoy a full life," she confirms, "and I believe I can do it all. I can't necessarily do it all at the same time, and that's the thing (former) Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has taught me. I enjoyed my time as a really busy working actor, then I made some significant life changes and wanted to trav- el the world doing international human-rights and feminine-so- cial-justice work full time. "Graduate school was a fond dream I had nurtured, and I'm really excited that I gave myself that gift. I'm going back to con- tinue my studies, possibly for a Ph.D. And my book (last year's 'All That Is Bitter and Sweet') coming out was a really pre- cious experience, being able to share what I've experienced all over the world." For all her involvements, "Missing" premieres Thursday on ABC. Judd also wanted a project Money tied up in old furniture? Sell it in the Classifieds!!! 1 x 5.5" ad 855-5898 Expressions North 2 – MARCH 11 - 17, 2012 – BRAINERD, MN/DISPATCH that would satisfy her, particu- larly in one of her first acting jobs (along with last year's movie "Dolphin Tale") after receiving her master's degree in public administration from Harvard University. Additionally, "Missing" had to suit the other elements of her life. "I flew from Prague to the Indianapolis 500," she recalls, "and I followed my husband's racing very closely while film- ing. I wasn't able to go back to North America to attend all of his races, but I certainly was there when I really needed to be. We and the entire racing world lost a great hero in Dan Wheldon (who died in an on- the-track accident in October), so I was really glad I was there when it mattered." With filming completed on ABC's initial order for "Miss- ing," the daughter of country music's Naomi Judd — and sister of singer Wynonna — is proceeding with her many other activities, including her philan- thropy for such organizations as 1 x 4" ad Disability Specialist 2 x 4" ad Lakes States Bank Judd also is working on ideas for Season 2 of "Missing," should that call come. "Knowing that we can't pre- dict what ABC will decide," she says, "we're already talking about storylines, because this is a very complex production. We're talking about picking up in southern Europe, then mov- ing to Africa. I'm introducing the producers to some real-life heroes, to help us with stories that reflect the challenges and realities there."

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