What makes a good wife?

MANILA, Philippines - Julianna Margulies has scored her first Golden Globe award for her performance in the new drama, The Good Wife, which airs Thursday nights at 10 on Hallmark Channel.

Despite fierce competition among the leading ladies that dominate primetime television and film — Glenn Close (Damages), January Jones (Mad Men), Anna Paquin (True Blood) and Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), Julianna took home the Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series — Drama award.

Her role in The Good Wife is of a shamed wife and mother in the aftermath of a public sex scandal involving her husband (Chris Noth of Sex and the City). The Good Wife is Hollywood’s latest breakout hit TV series executive-produced by Tony and Ridley Scott, that premiered in the US last September and arrived in Asia soon after on Hallmark Channel.

Julianna talks about her role:

What made you pick the role of Alicia Florrick?

For me, I loved how complicated the character is. This is a woman who’s thought her life was going one way for many, many years and trusted that life and that world that she lived in. And then everything crumbles. So as an actor, I felt there were so many places to go. We’re going to be able to peel her like an onion for years to come. The pilot had me from the beginning. 

What is your take on your character?

I think Alicia’s the kind of person who pretty much trusted her life, and when everything crumbles, it becomes the survival of the fittest really. It’s not so much about being successful or being really good at her job, it’s about getting food on the table, keeping a roof over her children’s head and her own, and trying to face the world in a backdrop of humility.

Why do you think The Good Wife is getting such buzz?

I think what draws people in is ultimately that it is an old-fashioned drama in many ways and we haven’t seen those in a long time. You get to dive into this woman’s world and see the world from her perspective, which includes family and work and love and death and tragedy and happiness.

Why did you decide on The Good Wife after a hiatus from TV?

I’ve had a great 10 years away from ER. I’ve been able to do a lot of theater and films and miniseries, and I’ve never stopped working. But what’s different now is that I’m a mom and a wife and I need to stay in one place. And for me, television is the medium for women. The richest characters I can find are on television for where I’m at in my career.