Exclusive Interview: Necar Zadegan (“Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce”)

Bravo’s Girlfriends Guide to Divorce is coming back for a second season Dec. 1, and Necar Zadegan, who plays divorce attorney Delia, has given fans a sneak peek at some of the season’s drama in this exclusive interview with COLOR.

Zadegan, known for her roles on Rake, Emily Owens, M.D., Masters of Sex, Archer and Extant, is having tons of fun playing the smart-dressing divorce lawyer who is now grappling with a realm outside of her divorce-filled life; weddings and marriage. I was happy to speak with Zadegan about her role as Delia, what’s on the horizon for the character, and her interaction with the show’s fans. Returning fans already know the score, but for new fans coming to the show, get prepared for some fun, some fashion, and some humor. As Zadegan said herself, “They’re friends who buy makeup and wear great clothes and carry great bags and in the interim, comedy ensues. That’s the season in a nutshell.”

Are there any new things that are coming Delia’s way?

Oh yeah. It’s still a glamorous, sophisticated character. I’m still the only character that has a “job”-job [laughs] that she goes to everyday…she still has a very strong career…She’s a fun character to play. My character plans a wedding all year, which is exciting to do because my own sister got married this year, so in real life, I’ve been planning a wedding all year, too…That’s the big news for my character [this season]. This character has been the voice of divorce because she’s a divorce attorney. But this year, my character is the voice of impending wedded bliss, so that’s different for her.

What other things do you think fan can expect from ths season?

One great thing is that we really are still doing the same show. The show literally starts like a day or two days later [from the events of last season]…We have fantastic stars this season – we had great guest stars last season, but we do this year as well. I think that, definitely, the characters are really in their storylines. We don’t have to meet them like we did in the first season. There are few things that I don’t know if I can tell you. They’re kind of whoppers. I think there’s more sex this season, for sure, and less clothes [laughs]. There’s some storyline stuff that I don’t think I can tell you, because I could get in trouble. There are definitely some decisions my character makes that could get her in hot water. Her whole character’s journey is affected by it. Things aren’t always aren’t they seem. Definitely my character and Abby’s character, and for the most part, all of the characters are part of the great big cover-up of this season.

You talked earlier about Delia. You’ve been on so many other shows playing so many different characters; what’s it like to play Delia?

Yeah, I have, you’re right. I’ve really always liked them all. I usually take them on because I like them, but this one’s particularly different and fun, because of the genre, for one. It’s a romantic comedy and Rake was also a romantic comedy. This character I play is a divorce attorney…but because the network and the type of show we do, you can really have fun with the storyline. We spend more time in bed or in the coffeeshop with my girlfriends than I ever do in the courtroom [laughs]. And we get to wear great clothes, and literally, that fun aspect of the show, it truly is such a girly show in so many ways, but it’s surprisingly deep and sophisticated in its storytelling. That makes it really fun to play, to be exaggerated. We’re not doing farce, however. We’re doing a very naturalistic show, but at the same, we get to have a lot of fun with it…It’s great fun to be able to play a role like that.

You’ve gotten to work with some great actors on Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce; what’s it like working with them?

Fantastic. The cast is a terrific ensemble cast…My show Rake got cancelled and [Girlfriends’ Guide creator Marti Noxon] called me and asked if I wanted to join the cast. She said she’d always thought about me in the show, but I wasn’t available, and when I became available, she asked if I wanted to join it. That’s different, because usually you at a character and they’ve written the scenes [and character direction]. In this case, it wasn’t that way. It was a conversation I shared with Marti and then…[we] were bouncing ideas around about Delia and what exactly she would be…She said, “If you want an idea of what the show is, we’ve shot some of the pilot. Do you want to go take a look at it?” and I said, “Sure.”

The pilot was still unfinished and…I was the only actor to be able to do that, and I loved the way the show was put together. To watch this team of actors in a really true ensemble piece— they call it “ensemble” a lot; it isn’t really always so, but in this case, it really was so. Lisa [Edelstein]’s such a great actress, the naturalistic tone she sets for the show is something that really appealed to me. Paul [Adelstein], as Jake, her husband on the show, is a writer on the show, so you can imagine how much the actors’ journeys are cared for[.]

How has the fan interaction been, especially with the advent of live-tweeting?

It’s very cool…People notice everything. My grandmother wasn’t an actress…but she used to say when she was alive, God bless her, that…people catch every little detail[.] She wasn’t around when there was tweeting and stuff, but now when other people tweet, I always think about her. You just have to look at my tweets; people little notice the nail polish or shoelaces, everything, people notice everything. Viewers are very sophisticated with storylines too. Sometimes, [people] underestimate how sophisticated viewers can be, but if you want proof, all you have to do is look at my Twitter feed. It’s cool to see that.

Along with your acting career, you’re also a cultural ambassador the Levantine Cultural Center. How important is it for you to be a part of that organization?

I’m interested in being a part of any organization that has humanitarian ideals, and the Levantine Cultural Center is certainly one of those. I think it  Whatever your ethnic background is, particularly if it’s a specific one with a “minority” name attached to it in, let’s say, television, or any public sphere, you can’t help but remember that. You can’t help but bear the responsibility of that. You will whether you want to or not. I think it’s a choice of what you do with that responsibility. Because it doesn’t escape me that I’m one of the few Iranian women, or Middle Eastern women, for that matter, on television, the fact that I have a role [on Girlfriends’ Guide] that relatively little or nothing to do with that but also, in and of itself represents something. [To represent] people from my heritage for the American public, that’s a tremendous honor and a responsibility you can’t ignore, truly whether or not you want to, you affect so many people in your home. So, the Levantine Cultural Center is that organization that helps to bridge the gap between the West and the arts. It’s very natural for me to want to support that, and I do. There are many organizations out there that are doing a great job. I’m truly a supporter of all organizations who work to benefit [humanitarian ideals].

My last question is if you have a message to fans of Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce?

Yeah- get ready for some trouble this season!

** Interview has been edited and condensed.